Tuscany vs. Capri
 

I will be in Italy in April for 8 days.
I have 2 days to spend in Florence, 1 day in Venice, and 3 days in Rome. That leaves me 2 days free. I can't decide if I should spend 2 days in Tuscany or only 1 day. The 2nd day I thought about taking a day trip to Capri from Rome. What you think?

Spend the extra 2 days in Venice - 1 day is not nearly enough, and I'm guessing that much of that 1 day will be spent getting to/from Venice. With only 8 days (I'm assuming that's 8 FULL days) you don't want to spend any more time getting to/from another destination. The transportation from Rome to Capri will likely take most of the day, with very little time to actually see Capri. I'm also guessing that you are not planning to rent a car, so it seems real silly to me to try to tack on any other destination and therefore spend much of your limited vacation time on a train or boat.

BTW, Florence is in Tuscany, so I don't know what you mean by spending 2 days in Tuscany. If you mean the Tuscany countryside, even 2 days is not enough to really appreciate it - and you really can't do the Tuscany countryside properly without a car.

Do less, enjoy more.

Stu Dudley

We are flying into Milan around 10 am on Friday and heading by train to Venice. We will be there until Sunday morning; we then take a train to Florence.
I planned on renting a car to drive through Tuscany; I am just not sure if I should do 1 or 2 days.
This is in addition to 2 full days in Florence.

I somewhat disagree with Stu as to how long it actually takes "to do" or even "to appreciate" anyplace. I honestly think this varies a good deal depending on the traveler.

But, in general, I think he is correct in advising more time in Venice; personally I'd forget about Capri entirely for this trip.

And as to exploring the Tuscan countryside..some people might tell you a few HOURS is enough, espcially if they feel you only need to see so many hill towns before they start looking alike.

>>And as to exploring the Tuscan countryside..some people might tell you a few HOURS is enough, espcially if they feel you only need to see so many hill towns before they start looking alike.<<

I must have missed the post from the person(s) who made a statement like that. Can you provide a link to the post from someone who advised to only spend a few hours in the Tuscany countrside ??? I want to make sure I don't follow any advice from that person.

Stu Dudley

Hello asia, I assume that you are flying into Malpensa Airport outside of Milan. You need to figure time to retrive your luggage, go through immigration and customs. Assume you plan on taking the shuttle bus from the airport to the Central Train station in Milan. The shuttle bus runs something like every 20 to 30 minutes. The train trip take around 3 hours from Milan to Venice. Then you need to get to your hotel in Venice. By this time most of Friday will have been spent arriving in Italy and getting to your hotel in Venice. If you are planning to take the train to Florence on Sunday morning you really will only have Friday evening, Saturday during the day and Saturday evening to enjoy Venice.

Unless you have been to Venice more then once I would suggest that the short time you will have in Venice will not be sufficient. At least it wouldn't be for me.

As far as the time you spend in the countryside of Tuscany, well that of course is all a matter of taste but I would certainly want as much time as possible.

IMO trying to visit Capri from Rome is a complete waste of time. I would save Capri for another trip, when you are planning to visit southern Italy. And I would suggest when you do visit Capri that you stay there at least one night (I would do a minimum of two nights). Most people that visit Italy do return to Italy more then once.

Besides seeing the sites and sights the way to really enjoy Italy is to slow down and savour this beautiful country. Try to find time to just enjoy the simple moments such as a drink in an outdoor cafe in a wonderful piazza, a leisurely dinner, walking and exploring in some of the less touristy neighborhoods etc.

Wishing you a beautiful trip!

I second everybody's comments here -- Capri doesn't make sense on such a short trip, and Venice merits an additional day, especially given that you'll be contending with jet lag.

Here's an additional suggestion: Ditch the idea of renting a car. Driving in Tuscany is wonderful, but to get in the swing of things requires more time than you've got -- and the logistics of picking up and dropping off the car can be a headache. Instead, take the train from Florence to the Umbrian town of Orvieto (which is on the main Florence-Rome train line) and spend a night there. Orvieto's a gorgeous hill town with one of Italy's most impressive cathedrals, and it will give you a taste of Italy outside the main cities. The next morning, get back on the train and head for Rome. The train ride from Florence to Orvieto takes about an hour and a half, and from Orvieto to Rome a little over an hour -- pretty easy trips.

Following the above suggestion would give you 2 days in Venice, 2 in Florence, 1 in Orvieto, 3 in Rome.

Ok, but if it were me, I would keep it to three stops. And in the Big 3: Venice, Florence and Rome. It is a short trip, and you don't want to spend to much time going from place to place. I like the suggestion of using trains. Much easier for a short trip.

Well hello mlongobard, I sure agree with your good suggestions for asia! I didn't even think about time spent renting the the rental car, gettin adjusted to driving in Italy etc. asia, you have some excellent suggestions here including one from a Fodor's editor. Happy travels!