Venice-Florence-Rome First Trip To Italy Report!
Sep 7th, 2013, 04:26 AM
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Venice-Florence-Rome First Trip To Italy Report!
Well, since I am already planning my 2nd trip to Italy, I thought it would be a good idea to report back on my first Italy experience since I learn so much from these forums. This trip report is late in coming as our visit was May 1 - 15 of this year.
As everyone does, we struggled with our itinerary as we wanted to see and experience way more than we could possibly fit in a 10 night visit so we finally decided on 4 nights in Venice and 6 nights in Rome, with a day stop in Florence while we were traveling between these 2 destinations.
Traveling/Packing: I am usually an over-packer but we committed ourselves to travel with carry on luggage only. This was one of the best decisions we made and cannot stress this enough to fellow travelers. With train connections, possible rain, bridges in Venice, few elevators to be found .... you do NOT want to find yourself with more luggage than you can comfortably manage.
Venice: We stayed at the El Teatro B&B and found this met our needs perfectly. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the breakfast was more than adequate with fresh assortments of breads, cereals, fresh fruit, cheese/meets, coffee, etc. We stayed in the only room with a little (not big enough for chairs, but big enough to go out and stand or sit) balcony and it was worth it! We so enjoyed watching the gondolas go by throughout the day and the views were awesome. We also found the location of this B&B to be in a convenient central location.
Since we had 4 nights in Venice we had the opportunity to "live slow" during our visit. We purchased the vaparetto pass and used it often, sometimes just as a fun tour up or down the canal. In addition to the major attractions, we were able to enjoy most all of the neighborhoods including an afternoon trip to Murano and Burano. I'll be honest, once we toured St, Marks and the Doge Palace on our first morning in Venice - we never went back to that area as it is crazy crowded.
Tips: The vaparetto pass was definitely worth it for us although we walked miles every day in addition. I would not recommend less than 3 nights in Venice. I think people who try to "conquer" Venice in less time are probably those who tend to say they didn't like Venice.
Florence: We knew before we went that Florence is much more deserving than a fly by but thought a few hours in Florence is better than no hours in Florence! We arrived in Florence around 10:30 am and used the "left luggage" option at the train terminal. This was a quick and easy process although not cheap!
I was surprised by how much we were able to see and do in our 7 hours in Florence. We went to a couple museums (it was a Monday so the biggies were closed); walked the main sites and the river/bridges and even went up to Piazzale Michelangelo (taxi'd up and walked down). Had some lunch and gelato along the way .... ok so we did lose track of time a little and in our panic we also lost our bearings to the terminal and ALMOST missed our train to Rome ... but we didn't! We were actually running to the terminal and then to the train which is not an ideal way to end the day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world... In any event we loved our time in Florence and hope to visit again sometime in the future.
Rome: We arrived to Rome at about 7pm and took a taxi to our "home" for the next 6 nights - the Residenza Canali ai Coronari near Piazza Navona. This place is truly exceptional - from service, rooms, breakfasts, and location. The rooms could use a little updating, but that didn't matter to us. We had a HUGE balcony that overlooked the streets below. With 6 nights, we had time to really enjoy our balcony whether it be for a little nap, to rest and have a glass of wine, etc. In such a crowded city this was our own little oasis. We loved it!
With 6 nights, we tried to "live slow" but there is simply so much to do and see! We did guided tours for the Coliseum/Forum and also for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel. We usually don't do a lot of organized tours but I would recommend tours for these sites.
I went to Italy saying I wasn't into art (thus my rationale for shorting Florence this trip) but I left Italy with a new appreciation, respect and interest in art. Thanks in part to my husband - architectural engineer - I now share a passion for sculpture and we found ourselves on a quest to find and see anything Bernini!
In addition to the main sites, we went to the Borghese Gallery and gardens. With 5 full days I know many people would recommend a side trip but we just stayed and savored the streets of Rome. Every church was like a mini museum - it was simply incredible. We enjoyed gelato, eating lunch on the sidewalk and people watching. Rome is a place that I don't think I could ever tire of ...
We are not foodies so all I can say is I never had a bad meal - we were in Italy after all!
As everyone does, we struggled with our itinerary as we wanted to see and experience way more than we could possibly fit in a 10 night visit so we finally decided on 4 nights in Venice and 6 nights in Rome, with a day stop in Florence while we were traveling between these 2 destinations.
Traveling/Packing: I am usually an over-packer but we committed ourselves to travel with carry on luggage only. This was one of the best decisions we made and cannot stress this enough to fellow travelers. With train connections, possible rain, bridges in Venice, few elevators to be found .... you do NOT want to find yourself with more luggage than you can comfortably manage.
Venice: We stayed at the El Teatro B&B and found this met our needs perfectly. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the breakfast was more than adequate with fresh assortments of breads, cereals, fresh fruit, cheese/meets, coffee, etc. We stayed in the only room with a little (not big enough for chairs, but big enough to go out and stand or sit) balcony and it was worth it! We so enjoyed watching the gondolas go by throughout the day and the views were awesome. We also found the location of this B&B to be in a convenient central location.
Since we had 4 nights in Venice we had the opportunity to "live slow" during our visit. We purchased the vaparetto pass and used it often, sometimes just as a fun tour up or down the canal. In addition to the major attractions, we were able to enjoy most all of the neighborhoods including an afternoon trip to Murano and Burano. I'll be honest, once we toured St, Marks and the Doge Palace on our first morning in Venice - we never went back to that area as it is crazy crowded.
Tips: The vaparetto pass was definitely worth it for us although we walked miles every day in addition. I would not recommend less than 3 nights in Venice. I think people who try to "conquer" Venice in less time are probably those who tend to say they didn't like Venice.
Florence: We knew before we went that Florence is much more deserving than a fly by but thought a few hours in Florence is better than no hours in Florence! We arrived in Florence around 10:30 am and used the "left luggage" option at the train terminal. This was a quick and easy process although not cheap!
I was surprised by how much we were able to see and do in our 7 hours in Florence. We went to a couple museums (it was a Monday so the biggies were closed); walked the main sites and the river/bridges and even went up to Piazzale Michelangelo (taxi'd up and walked down). Had some lunch and gelato along the way .... ok so we did lose track of time a little and in our panic we also lost our bearings to the terminal and ALMOST missed our train to Rome ... but we didn't! We were actually running to the terminal and then to the train which is not an ideal way to end the day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world... In any event we loved our time in Florence and hope to visit again sometime in the future.
Rome: We arrived to Rome at about 7pm and took a taxi to our "home" for the next 6 nights - the Residenza Canali ai Coronari near Piazza Navona. This place is truly exceptional - from service, rooms, breakfasts, and location. The rooms could use a little updating, but that didn't matter to us. We had a HUGE balcony that overlooked the streets below. With 6 nights, we had time to really enjoy our balcony whether it be for a little nap, to rest and have a glass of wine, etc. In such a crowded city this was our own little oasis. We loved it!
With 6 nights, we tried to "live slow" but there is simply so much to do and see! We did guided tours for the Coliseum/Forum and also for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel. We usually don't do a lot of organized tours but I would recommend tours for these sites.
I went to Italy saying I wasn't into art (thus my rationale for shorting Florence this trip) but I left Italy with a new appreciation, respect and interest in art. Thanks in part to my husband - architectural engineer - I now share a passion for sculpture and we found ourselves on a quest to find and see anything Bernini!
In addition to the main sites, we went to the Borghese Gallery and gardens. With 5 full days I know many people would recommend a side trip but we just stayed and savored the streets of Rome. Every church was like a mini museum - it was simply incredible. We enjoyed gelato, eating lunch on the sidewalk and people watching. Rome is a place that I don't think I could ever tire of ...
We are not foodies so all I can say is I never had a bad meal - we were in Italy after all!
Sep 7th, 2013, 06:15 AM
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Nice report! I'm glad to hear that the stop in Florence worked for you. The historic center is so compact, and the train station so close—as you found it makes it easy to feel as if you experienced a lot of Florence. It's so nice to see someone make measured decisions—spending less time in Florence since you are not so interested in art—too many people visit places because they think must. Your report will be very helpful to others who have a similar amount of time to visit the "Big 3." Glad you had such a good time.
Sep 8th, 2013, 04:16 AM
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Love that you made yourself not overpack. I sure did on my first trip to Europe and I never did it again. That was years ago and I have not made it back to Venice yet. I hate that so many find it so crowded these days.
Your hotel in Rome sounds great. We were in Rome a year ago exactly and loved it. We are not tour people but did a few small group tours to the Colisseum and the Vatican museeum that were wonderful. Borghese Gallery was a real treat for us.
I hope to make it to Florence some day....you squeezed a lot in there!
Your hotel in Rome sounds great. We were in Rome a year ago exactly and loved it. We are not tour people but did a few small group tours to the Colisseum and the Vatican museeum that were wonderful. Borghese Gallery was a real treat for us.
I hope to make it to Florence some day....you squeezed a lot in there!
Sep 15th, 2013, 12:06 PM
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Great review! Love that you packed light, but having an anxiety attack thinking about it! Please---can you provide more info---as much detail as possible regarding the bags you took (size, number, etc) and what you packed (and eliminated). This is a HUGE issue for us and would deeply appreciate whatever insight you can provide. Thanks so much!
Sep 17th, 2013, 06:26 PM
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Darcie - I freaked out about packing light as well but I was so glad I did. I am by no means an expert, but based on feedback from a friends and boards such as this one, we were able to pull off a 12 day trip with no checked luggage!
Here are some tips I found useful:
* Get the 360 swivel luggage; we actually didn't have this but will make the investment next trip;
* My husband and I each took the standard carry on luggage plus a bag - the max allowable by most airlines
* This was a tough choice for me but I planned all my clothes around black shoes and only brought 2 pairs
* I ensured all of our hotels had a hair dryer so didn't bring one
* brought a mini straightener
* clothes were probably the biggest area we down-sized - I just resolved to bring a limited amount. I planned so that I could wear the same pants 2-3 times but brought a shirt for each day then a couple jackets/sweaters for the cool mornings and evenings
* limited jewelry to a few simple pieces
* brought our kindle instead of laptop as we rented a couple audio books to listen to during travel times - we thoroughly enjoyed this!
* all travel size toiletries realizing we could buy more if needed and also did not pack the medicine chest as we normally would; of course bring the meds you know you need but we didn't plan for every sickness or accident and figured we could buy there if needed
I hope this helps a little. Happy Travels!
Here are some tips I found useful:
* Get the 360 swivel luggage; we actually didn't have this but will make the investment next trip;
* My husband and I each took the standard carry on luggage plus a bag - the max allowable by most airlines
* This was a tough choice for me but I planned all my clothes around black shoes and only brought 2 pairs
* I ensured all of our hotels had a hair dryer so didn't bring one
* brought a mini straightener
* clothes were probably the biggest area we down-sized - I just resolved to bring a limited amount. I planned so that I could wear the same pants 2-3 times but brought a shirt for each day then a couple jackets/sweaters for the cool mornings and evenings
* limited jewelry to a few simple pieces
* brought our kindle instead of laptop as we rented a couple audio books to listen to during travel times - we thoroughly enjoyed this!
* all travel size toiletries realizing we could buy more if needed and also did not pack the medicine chest as we normally would; of course bring the meds you know you need but we didn't plan for every sickness or accident and figured we could buy there if needed
I hope this helps a little. Happy Travels!
Sep 17th, 2013, 07:30 PM
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Thank you for your nice report. My favorite part is that you took a taxi up to Piazzale Michelangelo. I often advise that or even a taxi up to Fiesole if one doesn't want to deal with the bus terminal. Florence taxis are reasonable.
Oct 12th, 2013, 02:13 AM
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Thanks for the practical travel tips! I'm planning Venice-Florence-Rome for my honeymoon in March next year and some of your suggestions will come in handy, especially packing light!
My fiance and I aren't into art and museums either, but we will stay in Florence to day-trip around Tuscany. We are thinking of around 12D/11N, so splitting it something like:
Day 1 - Arrive in Rome, fly to Venice
Day 2-4 - Three full days in Venice with day trip to Verona
Day 5 - Leave for Florence by train
Day 6-8 - Three full days in Florence with a day trip to Siena
Day 9 - Leave for Rome by train
Day 10-11 - Two full days in Rome
Day 12 - Depart Rome
Now that you mention the Murano and Burano day trip, perhaps I should stay an extra night in Venice for that and one less day in Florence... I'll also look into the pass you mentioned for Venice.
My fiance and I aren't into art and museums either, but we will stay in Florence to day-trip around Tuscany. We are thinking of around 12D/11N, so splitting it something like:
Day 1 - Arrive in Rome, fly to Venice
Day 2-4 - Three full days in Venice with day trip to Verona
Day 5 - Leave for Florence by train
Day 6-8 - Three full days in Florence with a day trip to Siena
Day 9 - Leave for Rome by train
Day 10-11 - Two full days in Rome
Day 12 - Depart Rome
Now that you mention the Murano and Burano day trip, perhaps I should stay an extra night in Venice for that and one less day in Florence... I'll also look into the pass you mentioned for Venice.
