Rome, Siena, Florence, Need an Itinerary?
 

I am going to Rome, Siena, and Florence in January for my Honeymoon. I have never travelled to Europe before. How much of my itinerary should I plan in advance? I have all of my train and hotel reservations, but should I know what sights I will see on what day, or should I play it by ear when I arrive? Any advice would be helpful!

If you have all your hotels and trains covered, you are ready to go. Each city will have tours available for you to take that can easily be scheduled after you arrive in the city. You may want to check immediately upon arrival to be sure you can see what you want to see. We have used American Express in Rome and have been pleased. <BR> <BR>For Florence: The big two are the Uffizi and the Accademia (statue of David). In the crowded tour times it is recommended to reserve a time to enter in advance due to the long lines. We did that for an October trip and it was well worth it. I do not know about January crowds. If you are short for time, you may want to consider it. You can do it over the web and you then have a ticket for a specific time. Beats wasting time in a long line. <BR> <BR>Rome: One fun thing to try...once...is to walk to the very tip top of St Peter's, if you are up to it. You climb narrow stairs inside the dome and arrive at a viewing station on the very top. Great photos, and some people are not aware this is available. One caveat on Rome: Pickpockets are everywhere. If you see a young girl nursing a baby and asking for a hand out....that is a pickpocket. My wife and I always carry different credit cards so that if they get one, we can cancel it and we still have a good one. Just always be on the look out while in Rome. Picking pockets is a sport and you are the prize. <BR> <BR>Siena: We stayed in a villa in Siena and explored the actual town on our own. I am sure there are tours, but you can find out about them from your hotel upon arrival. <BR> <BR>Have fun, great area. <BR> <BR>

It may be too late, but I would not miss Venice, especially for a honeymoon. I think that it's the most romatic city I've ever been in. In any event, have a great trip. <BR>

On planning you might want to consider when the sites you want to see are open or closed. It can be very disappointing to trek across town to a museum and find it closed. Marilyn

Don't try to play it by ear, you'll miss to much and will regret it. It's always a good idea to read one or two guidebooks before you go, so that you have some idea of what there is to see in any given place and which sites are the most special for you. Usually, you have a limited time in a place, so if you have identified in advance which places are "must-sees" for you, AND where they are physically in relation to your hotel and to each other, you can get a pretty good idea of how to allocate your time there. Having said all that, here's my short list of "must-sees" for each place: <BR> <BR>Rome--Trevi Fountain--go see it on your first night in Rome; St. Peter's and the Vatican museums, Piazza Navona on a Sunday afternoon, if possible; take a walk in Trastevere; the Pantheon. <BR> <BR>Florence--the Duomo and Baptistry and the "doors of paradise"; the Uffizi; Accademia; the Fra Angelico museum (called the Museo di San Marco)go when it opens and I guarantee you a very moving and spiritual experience; take the #13 bus to Piazzale Michaelangelo for a fantastic panoramic view of Florence; <BR> <BR>In Siena, the campo is incredibly beautiful, and I loved the Duomo and especially the Piccolomini library with its extraordinary frescos by Pinturrichi