Venice/Florence/Siena
 

I have 8-9 nights for our 2nd trip to Italy in late June/early July! (Last May we visited Rome and Positano) and now we're headed to Florence and Venice. Siena also sounds great. I understand the bus to Siena from Florence is best--can I take luggage? Shall I plan 1 or 2 nights in Siena? Any other tips would be helpful. We plan to train between Venice and Florence--or the other way around depending on the flight we get. We enjoyed Statia's trip report!Thanks in advance for all of your insights!

IMHO, Venice requires a minimum of three nights. That leaves you with six more nights.

If you stay in Florence two nights, that would give you four nights to spend in Tuscany which would give you a nice mix of city, countryside, city.

Tuscany though is best seen by car. Is that possible for you?

Hi Annealex --

You and I are travelling in reverse. I did the northern part last summer and will be heading to Rome/Positano this June. =)

I agree with Lorac that 3 nights in Venice is a good start. Once you're there, you'll want to stay longer. Lorac's proposed itinerary also sounds like a great plan.

As far as getting to Siena goes, the train would be a good option, as well. I personally enjoyed the smaller towns we visited in Tuscany more than Siena (Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano), but you would essentially need to rent a car (in Florence or Siena) to visit them.

Good luck -- Heather.

Before we decided to rent a car, we considered the train from Florence to Siena. But after researching it, we thought the "blue Sita bus" looked more convenient than the train.

Florence to Siena is 1-1/4 hours. The bus drops you right inside the city near the main square. The train drops you outside of town, leaving you with an uphill hike.

Here's are the sites we found helpful:

http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/articles/
bls_siena_info_getting_to.htm

http://www.tourism-in-tuscany.com/useful-links
-tuscany.html

http://www.florenceitaly.net/bus.html

If you're not going to have a car, then you could also use the bus to visit San Gimignano, Volterra, etc.

You guys are terrific. I realize I must explore Tuscany and not just focus on Florence. Now for the really basic question...the best way to get to Venice or Florence from Atlanta? There are fights into Florence (I hear it's a dinky airport?)and Venice with stops in various places or is it better to go to Milan or Rome and train over? or Pisa and bus over?
Also, we could rent a car for the Tuscany excursion but I hear driving is rather dicey, poorly lit at night and well, we drive and speak like Americans...
Heather, I'd be happy to share info on Positano and fabulous Roma... Thanks all!

I certainly wouldn't NOT drive in Italy for the reasons you mentioned. It really is not at all "dicy" if you use just a little common sense. Rent the smallest car and don't drive into the old town centers. There are parking lots on the outskirsts of all the towns (and by this I mean a five minute walk). Country roads aren't lit at night - but they aren't in this country either. If you want to see several small Tuscan towns then definitly rent a car.

However, you mention mostly being interested in Venice, Florence and Siena and you don't need or want a car for any of them and since you only have 8-9 nights you won't have much "extra" time. Each time I've gone to Venice I've spent 3 nights and that really is a good amount of time (three months would be better but oh well). Then I would either do 3 in Florence and 2-3 in Siena (with a day trip to San Gimi if you really want, but that is one town that really is nicer after the day trippers leave). Or just spend the whole time in Florence which has great transportation connections, and do day trips. Everyone is right about the bus being the best way from Florence to Siena.

You have to decide if you'd rather have the comfort/convenience of staying in one hotel and not having to repack/haul luggage around (which would mean staying in Florence the whole time with day trips) versus the ambiance of being in Siena at night.

Hi again, annealex --

I think you'd be able to explore Tuscany with 3 nights. I am very paranoid when it comes to driving and my husband is overly slow and cautious (IMHO). ;) Throw my random car sickness into the mix and well, you can see what my dilemma was when planning our trip for last summer. We did just fine, though. As long as you're sensible, it's definitely worth it to rent a car. The distances are short and we never really strayed from large roads. We got to see some beautiful scenery along the way, as well.

As far as flying goes, we flew from Indy - Milan - Florence and out of Venice. Didn't really think the Florence airport was too small and there were rental cars waiting right there. Hopefully others will chime in with more advice...

Have you considered a personal tour guide for 2 or 3 days while you stay in Siena and tour Tuscany? It could be worthwhile. You don't have to worry about the "driving" and you get to see exactly what you want to but with a description of a Tuscan who loves his countryside. Whatever you choose, you'll love it.
www.travelworlddiscovery.com

annealex, the airport in Florence is small, but that is not a bad thing. If you can fly into Florence from Atlanta, do it...and then fly home from Venice. That will maximize you time.

As for driving in Tuscany, it is really not difficult at all. The days are longer in June/July so you will have that many more hours of daylight.

Here would be my proposed itinerary for you... Fly into Florence and stay there two nights. Rent a car and drive to Tuscany. Pick one town as a base for four nights...Greve, Castellina, Pienza, Montalcino are all lovely smaller towns which have very nice accommodations...not to mention many fine restaurants, vineyards and spectacular scenery.

Then, you could drive or train to Venice and stay there for three nights.

When booking hotels, if air conditioning is important to you, be sure to find out if the hotels have air because Italy can be very hot in summer.

You should start making those reservations now before your choices become limited. Good luck!

Carol

Thank you all!
Annealex

annealex, just wanted to say that I'm glad my report was of some help to you. Good advice given herein, so I don't have anything to add.

We'll look forward to your trip report when you return!