Please help revising Italy itinerary
 

14 day trip total, single, traveling alone.

first two nights in venice at Luna Hotel Baglioni
leave for Florence in the morning and sleep in Florence for 4 nights. On one day take a day trip to somewhere in Tuscany for a cooking class. One morning take a day trip to Pisa.

leave for Siena in early morning and stay one night in siena and spend most of the next day in siena. leave for Cinque Terre in afternoon. Spend two nights in Cinque Terre and do the long hike.

Stay in Rome for last four nights (Hotel Smeraldo). Spend one day in Pompeii.

Any revisions? suggestions? is it easy enough to get from Siena to Cinque Terre? How to I get to Pompeii from Rome?

I am still looking for hotels in FLorence, Siena and Cinque Terre (nothing above 100 euros- any thoughts?)

FOrgot to add...THis trip is in July.

Not bad--looks like fun !
Your only problem is the Siena/CT scenario. You have to go back to Florence to get to CT. I would not spend the nite in Siena--do it as a full day trip from Florence. The bus is the best option since it drops you in town--the train is outside of town.

This looked quite sane and balanced to me, with the exception that Bob has already picked up on.

For Florence, for a (woman?) alone, I would check out the Hotel Porta Faenza-77 Via Faenza. Its on the Fodor's list or wwwhotelportfaenza.it. It is in the ballpark, price-wise, pretty, family-operated, quiet, safe and close to the train/bus station where it is likely all yr. sidetrips will leave from. The owners are Italo-Canadians, so English is not a problem and they are very helpful with regard to planning and directions. Also, the breakfast room is a very friendly one with many conversations going on that you can join or not which is nice when you are alone.

Do not overlook a trip to Fiesole, local bus, about 20 minutes: great Etruscan museum, peaceful ruins, marvelous views and restaurants-great when you are tired of the buzz that is Florence.

Have a great trip!

Hi ohkay,

Nice trip. We have reservations at the B&B Peterson in Florence. It is near the train station, about 3 blks up the street. I haven't been there yet.

Rate is about 40E single. Has AC

http://www.bedinflorence.it/

Rome to Pompeii...train from Rome to Naples, then local train (Circumvesuviana) to Pompeii, will take about 3 hours in each direction. You could opt for a one-day bus tour to Pompeii which would eliminate figuring your connections, though you'd be on THEIR schedule, not yours.

In order to get from siena to Cinque terre you will have to fo through Florence and Pisa, so I think your best bet is to daytrip to Siena from Florence. Than, on your way from Firence to Cinque terre you may visit Pisa, which can be easily seen in just a couple of hours (it is better to be in Pisa very early in the morning in order to avoid the big crowds). From Pisa you will than continue to La Spezia and Cinque terre.

Hotel CAsci in Florence is in that price range and is great value.

4 nights at the Smeraldo is about 4 nights too long ,in my opinion. This place is the hotel from hell, with oppressive street noise at all hours, shoebox sized rooms, and clueless staff. Change while you have the time.

Where are you arriving from? I think you might want 3 nights in Venice because you may be very tired your first day. While I believe your plan is fine, I would skip Siena so you could have that extra day in Venice. That is all I would change. Have a great trip. I stayed at the Luna last year and loved it. The staff is great, location fabulous, breakfast excellent. They had a package deal that included breakfast and some museum tickets when I booked that was a good value. Have a great trip.

i totally agree that the pisa-florence-sienna-cinque terre order is too hard. agree with the suggestion to day trip from florence to sienna....or save tuscany for another trip. it is well worth more time. skip it and stay out at the coast, like at lerici, for that day/night.

Good for you, solo traveler. I just returned last week from Italy, was solo for half the trip, and enjoy hearing that others are doing it too.

Some additional suggestions:

I agree with the earlier suggestion to add another night to Venice (and possibly take one away from Florence).

Cinque Terre - in Monterossa - Hotel Villa Steno (http://www.pasini.com
), cute hotel. If you're in good shape, then you can spend the 1st night in Cinque Terre, then next day start early, power thru a full day of hiking all 5 villages the following day, finish up around 3 or 4, crash, and have an amazing dinner (one of my best meals in Italy was at Miki's in Monterossa). I suggest starting the hike at Riomaggiore (the easiest one), because you may want to bail on the hardest one at the end. IF you have problems getting hotel reservations in Cinque Terre, you really don't have to stay there, there's several other bigger towns that are a quick train ride away (like Santa Margherita) that would be convenient to a day hike in Cinque Terre.

Getting from Rome to Pompeii can be a little hairy - I'm not sure from your post if you intended to do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome. We didn't - we left Rome, and stayed in Sorrento for a few nights, and did a day trip to Pompeii from there. You take the EuroStar from Rome to Naples (2-3 hrs?) then switch over to the "Circumvesuviana" train to Sorrento at the Naples train station, which is a commuter train. Pompeii is one of the stops on the way south to Sorrento - maybe another half hour? So figure at least 4-5 hours for trains and waiting to get from Rome to Pompeii.

Be super careful here in Naples waiting for the train, only time in Italy I thought for sure I'd get pickpocketed. And be sure to look at the front of each train to see the destination - the displays on the platform aren't at all right, and I watched some tourists get on the wrong trains.

Florence hotels - may be tough at 100 euros - if you're willing to splurge, I liked the Il Guelfo Bianco - good location, neat old building.

Everyone will have their personal opinions on this, but I suggest skipping Pisa altogether, unless it's on your way to LaSpezia-Cinque Terre.

You'll love Siena!

Have fun - buon viaggio!

Carin-
Thanks for the info. i am going to be staying at hotel villa steno and am really excited. i want to do the hike the next morning- do you think i will just meet people who will also be going or should i try and sign up for some type of tour for the hike? also- where do i go from that hotel to start the hike? do i need to take a train anywhere? any suggestions on places to eat around there?

Thanks!

Hi Ohkay -

You know, there are so many people milling around to do the hike, and on the trails, you don't even have to "go" with a group or tour - and that was in May (and I suspect it will be more crowded when you go in July). You can probably also ask at Hotel Villa Steno, they're very nice.

On the day you are ready to hike, you need to buy a Cinque Terre Card - there's at least 2 kinds - one that entitles you to hike on the trails for the one day (that's something like 2-3 euros) - and yes, they have people in little booths on the trails that actually check. Or you get the other kind that is like 5 euros, this entitles you to one day hiking as well as much train travel as you want for that first day. These are available at all Cinque Terre train stations, plus other places. I thought I'd be using the train more than I did. Theres other cards for multiple days.

With the pass you get a hiking map - but the one that the Hotel Villa Steno hands out when you check in is way more detailed - particularly for figuring out where in each village the trail begins and ends. This is the only semi-confusing part - once you're on the trail its clear. If all else fails, just ask the locals.

The consensus from Fodors and Rick Steves (and I totally agree) is to do the hike East to West - i.e., starting in Riomaggiore and ending in Monterossa. So that morning I walked from the Hotel Villa Steno to the train station, and took the train to Riomaggiore (like 10-15 mins). When standing at the Riomaggiore train station, with your back to the water, the trail starts to your left (you'll see a sign for Via Dell'Amore).

I started at about 9, and did the first three segments, stopping for a long lunch break in Vernazza. Had lunch in the harbor area (where all the action is) at the Pizzaria Vulnetia - good pizza and other stuff.

Then at around 2:30 I did the last segment (Vernazza to Monterossa), which really kicked my butt. Definitely a tough two hours. Basically its straight up a mountain and then back down. Then ended up in Monterossa - near the Porto Roca hotel. Went to hotel and crashed.

Places to eat: in Monterossa there's Miki's (amazing - near train station), Ristorante Belvedere (good - near main beach under train tracks - had their specialty, black and white pasta with mussels and tomato sauce, very good), Trattoria Pimpi (on a side street on the way up to the hotel - cute small family run place, excellent gnocchi with pesto - pesto is amazing in this region, and acchuigi - whole sardines - eeee!). Vernazza see Pizzeria Vulnetia above.

In a few days I'll post a trip report as well as a link to pics...

Enjoy!

You seem to be wasting a bit of time back tracking. You can vist Pisa on your way to the Cinque Terre as you have to pass by there anyway. It is very easy to get to the Cinque Terre from Florence. Also, you could avoid back tracking by visiting Siena on you way to Rome. I would recommend only 3 nights in Florence (to accommodate the cooking class)and then spend the other night in Siena on your way to Rome. We arrived in Vernazza mid morning and went to a local cafe to inquire on private rooms. We had a beautiful studio apartment a stone throw from the central promenade for 60.00 euros per night...it was early October so July will cost more. We took the train from Vernazza to Riomaggiore and did the full hike to Monterosso Al Mare...it took the whole day and we were tired but happy. We then got a boat shuttle back to Vernazza from Monterosso. It was one of the most memorable experiences on our entire vacation.

I agree about the tour to Pompeii. You will be on their schedule but it is much easier than getting there on your own. It is really nice to have the guided commentary as well.

Good luck with your planning