jahcafe

Our son is traveling with a student group that has some ideas formulating for going from Vienna to Florence (staying there for a few days) and, then, taking a train to Rome (for a few more days), and flying back to VIenna. There is a question as to whether it is advisable to attempt a side-trip to Greece after the days in Rome... for as little as a day. Is this feasible, (as I am thinking that the idea of one day only ANYwhere is extremely ambitious...)? If anyone can suggest highlights of Florence/Rome for "a few days" each, recommendations on all counts would be greatly appreciated: sites, mode of travel, and... that last stretch to Greece? Thanks in advance.

brotherleelove2004

Greece for as little as a day............

Foolish notion.

StCirq

One week only and a side-trip to Greece? Preposterous. Of course not.

Also, with only one week, your "for a few days" is specious. He won't have "a few days" in each place - he'll have about 2 in each, given that he has to get there, figure out where he is and how to get around, change money, etc.

If he's going on a student trip, haven't the organizers figured out what the kids are going to do in Florence and Rome?

nytraveler

The idea of Greece is ridiculous. And the students need their won plan of what they want to see and do - if they haven't done any of the work they might not have a very good experience.

jahcafe

This group is traveling during a week-long break; there area number of other organized trips during the term. The students are making their own plans for Florence and Rome, and we are simply feeding suggestions to them, if there are highlights seasoned travelers would want to share. Agreed on the idea of Greece (or any country, for that matter) being worthy of a trip all its own. I think we have sufficiently discouraged that idea. The question is more asked as if you are running into these college students and would want to say, "Be sure not to miss...." Thanks, again!

jahcafe

Foolish... Ridiculous... Preposterous...I have to say, the tone of every answer to my sincere request for help on this forum seems patronizing and- please excuse me- the responses make me feel like a stupid tourist getting arrogant stares from Real Travelers. I will go back to reading and try to forget the demeaning judgment within these answers. For someone who has no experience traveling within these countries, whose child will likely not be visiting Europe again for many, many years,(yes, granted, a young adult, but who is a part of a peer group with quite varied experiences and opinions, a group which would have appreciated personal, first-hand recommendations of a friendly sort), I had hoped for a friendlier and more gracious tone. So thank you anyway. I envy your great polish and presumption re: the basics of world travel. However, I am definitely not impressed with the social graces that I am (not) experiencing here, and I hope that I am never lost on some street in Florence and needing information from generic Fodor Forum. Thank you anyway. I had hoped for better.

Dani

jahcafe: have you tried Frommers "community"? I have received positive, constructive feedback to my questions there, which has helped a great deal. I will try and compile some suggestions I have read and post it here for you.

CarolA

Jahcafe, As I said in your other thread.... TAKE YOUR FINGES OFF THE KEYBOARD!

The person who looks "foolish" is you. Just because you don't like advice does not mean it's BAD! People gave you honest views. They weren't what you wanted so you took THIER quotes out of context and posted a "Hissy fit" thread! (Wonder what you will do with this post?)

Any desire to help from anyone on here is probably gone!

AtlTravelr

With regards to what to see in Florence/Rome - the truth of it is that the typical tourist highlights really are the things that you MUST see.

Florence - seeing David was the highlight of our trip. Truly magnificent.

Rome - LOVE Rome, as did my daughter and her friends when they visited on their own. They enjoyed just walking around, seeing the Colosseum, too many churches to mention (not the least of which is St. Peters), and they also very much enjoyed the "pub crawl" that was organized by the hostel in which they were staying. Advise your son to look into hostels ahead of time instead of just winging it as truly, with the internet all the "good ones" get booked ahead of time.

Greece - well, enough said on that.

Generally speaking - not sure if your son is studying in Vienna for a semester abroad? If this is the case, he will soon enough meet up with other young people, Europeans, who will give him even better ideas of where to go, what to do. When my daughter studied in France she ended up going places I would have never suggested, all due to hearing what others were doing, where they were from, etc.

adrienne

I think they should go to Greece for a day. Spend the morning getting there. Take a taxi to Athens for a few hours and spend the evening returning to Italy. Alternately they can take the night boat from Bari to Brindisi, spend the day in Greece and take the night boat back to Bari. Of course, Bari isn't Florence or Rome, but who would want to pass up Bari.

willit

I don't think people are being patronising or rude, but merely trying to point out that the plan to "do Greece in a day" is not only unfeasible, but borders on bizzare.

You can easily spend weeks in Rome or Florence (I have never been to Vienna so cannot comment). With travel, the time at each of these places is likely to be significantly less than two days at each, so they will barely have time to scratch the surface.

In terms of must sees - again this is very very difficult in a short time without knowing interests. I am particularly interested in Ancient history, so for me the Colosseum and ruins of the forum etc were the highlight. For others it might be the St Peter's and the Vatican museum, or the Borghese gallery, or the expensive designer shopping.

Michael

What would you say if someone had a week to spend in Boston, NYC and Washington D.C., and asked about going to Chicago for a day?

annhig

jahcafe,

I never saw your original post, but I suspect that had I done so, I'd have been one of the culprits you quoted. we're not really being rude, but trying to get across just how daft some of the itineraries posted here are.

Personally, I'm very grateful to those who have responded to some of my ideas [and yes, some of my threads have sunk without trace] and have stopped me making expensive, time-wasting mistakes. so what if they weren't exactly tactful - sticks and stones.....

suze

I didn't think anyone was rude. Maybe a bit overenthusiastic in their negative answer. But that IS the answer to your question, that a day trip to Greece from Rome is not really a practical idea.

nytraveler

jahcafe -

If you only want positive answers you should include that in your post. Try saying - "I know most people will think this is a silly idea and the students will spend most of their time in trains and on planes - but they want to do it anyway so tell us how to make it possible. Please don;t answer if you don;t agree it's a good idea."

We assumed you wanted our real opinions of how realistic the idea was. Our error.

As for age and finance - train and plane schedules don;t depend on age or money. they are what they are. Granted students may be willing to go for a couple of nights without sleep (and I won;t) - but a good part of that time will be nightlife - so the number of days - and sights that can be seen - really don;t depend on age either - they depend on opening schedules.

If they just want to check off cities on a list - they can do it. If they want to actually see anything there's just not enough time.

Separately, I'm always hesitant to answer when parents make posts for kids - don;t know if the kids don't want info or really care - or if the parents are pushing the trip - or if the kids know what they want and already have plans. (I don;t make travel plans for my step-daughters - they're 19 and 22 - and are perfectly capable of doing so themselves. They do ask questions about places I've been that they haven't - but don't ask me to make itineraries for them. That way I'm not offended if a group of long-time - but usually more mature - travelers don;t like plans these students are putting together for themselves.)

Peter_S_Aus

Here’s my ten cents worth.

It will make sense if the kids do “kid” things – I imagine that in the USA, they do a bit of just “hanging out” together. And if they do that in Italy, they’ll have a happy time. So they don’t get to see the Sistine Chapel – big deal, and it will be there for a long time yet.

Hang out like Italian kids hang out. We witnessed a lot of this in Italy – while doing some hanging out ourselves.

If accommodation is not booked, then consider basing in Florence, with a day trip to Rome, a day trip to Venice and a day trip to Verona. They can check out Juliet’s balcony in Verona, walk around the amphitheatre, throw coins in the Trevi fountain in Rome, and generally do what backpackers do everywhere.

The side trip to Greece is not a good idea, on the basis of cost and time – unless they are really driven to doing it. It would be a bit like doing a day trip from LA to Seattle, though.

I assume that they are over 18 years of age, so they can actually buy a drink in a bar, which will be an education in itself. And if they can meet some young Italians, then that will be fun. Have them trawl Facebook for some contacts.

I have read that you are unamused by the attitudes of some respondents above, and you must take account of the demographic of most posters on here. There are people who expect that their bags will be carried to their rooms, and that a hotel without an elevator is just, well, impossible.
There are others who think that a bus trip through Turkestan (or any of the ‘stans) is a trip that is worth making. There are people like me who are prepared to wing it, and watching the exchange rate of the Australian dollar vs the Euro like a hawk, which I am presently doing.

There are people who travel with a detailed list of things that they have to see, to cross off the list. Others have a different list of things that fascinate them – the church of San Antonin in Venice, where an elephant was shot in 1805, for example.

Mestre, universally despised, an industrial town near Venice, is on the list of places that I will visit next time in Venice, as is Chioggia. Neither town is on the list of places recommended to visit by the likes of Rick Steve, and most posters on here would say that taking time to visit either is a waste of time. (Talking of Rick Steve, his guide books are OK for a youthful demographic. I don’t like them, but I’m aged 60.)

If you click on my user name, you’ll find the trip report I wrote in Venice last year – it might give you a flavour of Italy. There’s also the trip report (sadly incomplete) that I wrote about a 8,000 KM road trip I took by bicycle around Australia.

Zerlina

Peter, I agree completely, but you're wrong about the Rick Steves demographic: It's middle-aged Americans who have never set foot outside the US.

Peter_S_Aus

If Rome and Florence are not absolutely committed, then Venice is fun for young people. The whole concept of getting around on ferries is a bit out of this world and the lack of any motorised transport in unique. A great place to hang out, to walk aimlessly, to discover things that are off the main tourist trail. The book, “Venice is a Fish” by Tiziano Scarpi (I think) is a good intro to Venice, and a quick read.

People often say that Venice can be a bit boring, a tad quiet, a trifle slow. But the night life in the Campo Margerita is fun – it’s on the main route from the University to the railway station, and there are heaps of students congregating there, drinking spritzes before heading off to the student digs in Mestre.

Venice is not cheap, though. However, if the kids are there for two or three nights it should not break the bank. The hostel on Guidecca, was OK when last I stayed there, but that was in 1975, and it is built in an old granary. Many posters will rightly criticise Guidecca, as it’s not all that convenient to Venice proper, and it is a poorer part of town. But if needs must, then it’s good enough.

suze

Rick Steves is not aimed at a youthful demographic. More for middle aged middle class people in the U.S.

For more youth/backpacking aimed guidebooks I recommend: Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and Let's Go.

nytraveler

Agree that Rick Steves is not at all for youth travel. He is definitely for middle aged, budget minded and his shows at least - are for people who are quite travel naive.