A_Guy_80

Hi All,

We are a group of 4 - me, wife (early 30s) & parents (late 60s) planning to visit Italy for the first time in July this year. We have about 10-12 days including travel and I will like to spend them across 3 destinations – Rome, Venice & Dolomites.

I know that Rome-Florence-Venice is the usual first timers itinerary but we thought that it would be too much of art and culture and therefore we decided to skip Florence for this time in favour of a scenic destination. Final toss up was between Amalfi Coast, Lakes & Dolomites and eventually my love for green won over admiration for blue

Also, it’s the first time for my parents to visit Europe and so wanted them to get a flavour of Alps. I hope it’s a good decision but will appreciate your thoughts about my choice of destinations. Especially if there are enough simple strolls/walks in Val Gardena for elderly.

Our tentative plan is as follows:

Day 1 : Fly Singapore – Venice, Arrive in the night check-in & rest
Day 2-4 : In Venice for 3 full days
Day 5: Rent a car at Venice and drive to Ortisei.
Day 6-7 : In Val Gardena for 2 full days
Day 8 : Drive back & drop car at Verona, Fly Verona - Rome in evening
Day 9-11 : In Rome for 3 full days
Day 12: Fly Rome - Singapore

Do you think it’s a doable itinerary (too relaxed or too rushed?)
Am also not sure if am handling Val Gardena piece of travel very well, as am not sure if I will be able to do much on the day we drive up and the day we drive back. Any comments on that?
Also, if we need to cut a day in this itinerary (leave troubles), any suggestions how to condense this in 11 days.

I do have broad idea of Rome & Venice 3 day itineraries and a vague idea of Val Gardena itinerary (Alpe di Siusi, Drive thru mountain passes & some easy hikes). I will develop these further but in the meanwhile if you have any inputs will be very happy to take them on board.

Also, would travelling early / mid / late July make any difference to our trip as am about to book the flights and are flexible on when to travel in July.

Peter_S_Aus

I'm not familiar with train routes and timetables, but it may be easier to take the train from Verona to Rome.

Try http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html for timetables, and there are trains that take about three hours - which would be quicker than flying, and less of the hassles with security.
Have a great trip!

tedgale

Agreed about Verona-Rome. It's about 4 1/4 hours by train. You have to change at Padua/ Padova, unfortunately.

But you'll spend that much time if you fly, if you consider the time to get to an airport and check in.

Jean

Returning the car to the Verona airport would be easy, but you'd have to take a train or taxi into Rome from the Rome airport.

The train from Verona to Rome would drop you IN Rome, but you'd have to taxi to the Verona train station from whichever rental office you choose to drop the car. Verona has a limited traffic zone (ZTL). If you choose to drop the car at a location other than the airport, make sure you know whether the location is within the ZTL and, if so, how to drive to the location without getting a ticket.

Here's a map I found of Verona's ZTL, but you should verify its accuracy.

http://www.palazzogelmi.it/img/information/ztl.jpg

Jean

As to your itinerary, it's a little rushed but not crazy.

If it were my trip, I'd substitute Florence for Rome and include a day trip into the Tuscan countryside, but I realize your flight options to Singapore determine where you need to end the trip. There is more (not less) art and culture in Rome, and IMO the scale of Florence is easier to handle in a 2-3 day visit.

A_Guy_80

Thanks Peter, tedgale and Jean for suggestion of taking train from Verona-Rome. I found that journey could actually be done in 3 hours via a direct train on certain timings so this is definitely something we will consider once itinerary firms up a little. Returning car is obviously a key consideration but I hope we will be able to find a car rental just a short taxi ride away from train station.

Thanks again Jean for your comment on itinerary. More or less of art was less of a issue we just wanted a bit of variety in our different destinations. I have actually looked at Florence and it looks like a beautiful city. Am saving it for my next trip to Florence, Cinque Terre and Tuscany 

crisscross

That seems like an unecessarily complex trip. Venice is unique but getting around is quite a challenge because everything involves getting on and off boats and walking - so be prepared. Rome could keep anyone busy for a whole trip. The fewer stops the easier. If art museums aren't a necessity, a place like Como provides mountain and lake scenery that is easy to get to and excellent cuisine. Verona has the outdoor opera in the Roman era stadium. Each trip I've taken in Italy has concentrated on one region and I never regretted that aspect. As for mountains, Switzerland has the best facilities and most impressive scenery. You could cross into Switzerland on the train north from Como nto Lugano. If you are traveling with older people, be considerate - anywhere you go in Italy has charm, culture and cuisine. My personal favorite is Parma - no crowds, great art, nice places to stay, and the best food.

A_Guy_80

Thanks Crisscross. DO you think Zermatt in Switzerland could be a better option than Dolomites for say 3 or so days ? That would be Rome - Venice - Zermatt - Zurich for us so more travel but then am huge fan of Swiss Alps so will start thinking about it.

bobthenavigator

In your tight schedule, the Dolomites are your only viable Alps option---and a good one.
My only question is where to drop the car and train to Rome. The Verona airport is WAY out of town. I would consider Bologna or Florence with more viable train logistics. If Florence, drop at the airport---an easy access from A-1.

uhoh_busted

I like your original itinerary as well. The Dolomites are gorgeous. Instead of worrying about training from Verona to Rome with a change in Padua, perhaps you could just drive to Padua to return the car and catch the train. It really isn't THAT much further.

Dayle

Another vote for the Dolomites. They are truly spectacular and will be much shorter travel time for you.

Buon viaggio!

A_Guy_80

Thanks Bob, uhoh and Dayle. I realized that trying to cross to Switzerland in our limited time would end up being very tiring so have chosen to stick with Dolomites.

As for Verona - Rome train, I have been able to find direct trains from Verona to Rome so no need to change trains or drive to Airport.

Any idea how best could we plan our 3-4 days in Val Gardena. Some pointers to simple & short hikes, beautiful view points, cable cars etc would be really helpful