What is the best way to travel in Italy
 

We are looking to travel to a few places in Italy and would like to know the best way to travel with accompanied luggage, i.e. train, taxi, hired driver etc. Our plan is as follows:

Genoa Airport to Portofino (2 days)
Portofino to Florence (2 days)
Florence to Rome (3 days)
Rome to Sorrento (3 days)

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The best wai is to make proper shedule on each and every aspect. If you are think of such travel, then nothing can be better than to book a travel package froom some good travel site.

Train is the best way to move around Italy. Buses also available to many towns where train lines unavailable. Check www.trenitalia.com for timetable and fares, clicking on tutti i treni for all trains. For local (slower) trains select a date not too far in the future to see what's available even if the date's not really the one you want.

With only 10 days (does that count arrival/departure days?), I suggest you drop a location. Two days (two hotel nights) only gives you one day in the location. Is your departing flight from Naples?

>>>accompanied luggage<<<

You are in charge of your own luggage so make sure you can lift it into overhead storage racks and up/down train steps.

Also, you need to rearrange your itinerary - too much doubling back. Look at a map.

Bella - you seem to be chiming in on random threads with somewhat unrelated comments. Are you in fact an advertiser? your own thread on India would suggest as much.

Ems - i agree with kybourbon. your itinerary makes little allowance for the time that it takes to move between places, however you do it, which eats into the time you have actually to see and do things.

for example:

"portofino to Florence - 2 days" - if the 2 days include the day you are travelling from Portofino, you actually have a maximum of 1 ½ days in Florence. The same applies in Rome and Sorrento - you only have 2 ½ days in each.

And you have to get back to the airport which will lose you time at the end of your trip.

My first recommendation would be to suggest you drop one location. Most of what you will be seeing will be from some type of transportation vehicle. You lose time relocating from one place to another.

Will you be flying home from Italy? Where? If so, that day is totally dedicated to the returning home process.

Next recommendation: pack light.

Buon viaggio,

Thank you everyone for your replies, will look into your suggestions :)

Ems,

Best way from Genvoa airport to Portofino is a taxi. Should be around 100e, but worth it. Otherwise you are stuck taking a bus to a train station, then an hour's ride on the train, and then a bus or taxi to Portofino (and the taxi for the last leg will be much more expensive per mile than the taxi from the airport).

From Portofino, you can take a taxi or bus to the train staiton, and on to Florence.

After Florence, trains are best the rest of the way.

Thank you Sandralist :)

Since for are sticking with big cities, trains are the way to go for you.