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Planning a trip to Naples and Turin…any suggestions?

Planning a trip to Naples and Turin…any suggestions?

Old Sep 25th, 2022, 08:11 AM
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Planning a trip to Naples and Turin…any suggestions?

Hi… we are a family of four. We are thinking to visit Naples and Turin in April 2023. I have tickets on hold that would have us flying out of Boston on April 14 and out of Turin on April 24. We are trying to figure out how to spend our time.

right Now this would be our plan

15 - Arrive naples
16 - Naples
17- Naples or daytrip
18-Naples. Night train to Torino or milan
19- arrive Torino or milan
20- torino
21 - Torino
22- torino
23- torino
24- depart torino

questions:

Should we spend a night in Milan or do a day trip from Torino?
Any suggestions on where to stay in Torino or Milan?
Any good guidebooks for the area?

any other advice?

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Old Sep 25th, 2022, 02:02 PM
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In Torino I really enjoyed my stay at the NH Collection Piazza Carlina.


My room.

Breakfast in the courtyard.

Lovely interior spaces.
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Old Sep 25th, 2022, 03:29 PM
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This is where we stayed in Naples:

https://flic.kr/p/a3dKUF https://flic.kr/p/a3gBSL
No Pompeii ?

https://flic.kr/p/a3e5RM
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Old Sep 25th, 2022, 04:33 PM
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I will be in Turin and Milan the beginning of November with almost a week in each. I do the main city 2-3 days and then visit interesting/delightful cities the other days.

My suggestions for what they are worth:
1) Turin or Milan: read up on each see what you would like to do there. There seem to be tons of youtube videos and it will only take you a couple to see where you might want to go. Or Rick Steves videos. A lot might depend on how old your traveling companions are as to whether to spend a lot of time in Turin or Milan.
2) I can understand the night train if you are getting a couchette and can sleep, but a flight is very quick.
3) 99.9% of the time I use booking.com for accommodations and rome2rio.com 100% to chart my transportation.
4) I am doing a 4 european capital tour in March/April and have already booked my apts (the only place I stay) and checking choices the same choices now, options are getting limited and prices are climbing. I tracked my airfare and went as low as I thought it was going to go, so bought last week. Things to consider. Good luck.



1)
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 03:03 AM
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Thanks!!! I agree - airfare prices seem as low as they are going to get. I found perfect flights at $800 US per person (and somewhat less ideal flights for $75 less with an extra day) so I paid $70 to hold the flights for 72 hours. I have until 9/28 to decide but I think we are doing it.

We were thinking to try and stay in Milan for a day or two but because of the furniture festival hotel prices are sky high! So instead we are thinking to visit Varenna on Lake Como between Naples and Torino. I will have to wait until the trains are available to decide, of course.

My husband and I travelled on night trains in our 20s and we thought it would be a fun experience for our children, one of whom falls asleep in all moving vehicles. Even a bad night train journey is a good story!


Originally Posted by janetkupfer8032
I will be in Turin and Milan the beginning of November with almost a week in each. I do the main city 2-3 days and then visit interesting/delightful cities the other days.

My suggestions for what they are worth:
1) Turin or Milan: read up on each see what you would like to do there. There seem to be tons of youtube videos and it will only take you a couple to see where you might want to go. Or Rick Steves videos. A lot might depend on how old your traveling companions are as to whether to spend a lot of time in Turin or Milan.
2) I can understand the night train if you are getting a couchette and can sleep, but a flight is very quick.
3) 99.9% of the time I use booking.com for accommodations and rome2rio.com 100% to chart my transportation.
4) I am doing a 4 european capital tour in March/April and have already booked my apts (the only place I stay) and checking choices the same choices now, options are getting limited and prices are climbing. I tracked my airfare and went as low as I thought it was going to go, so bought last week. Things to consider. Good luck.



1)
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 03:05 AM
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Wow - gorgeous pictures!
We will probably try and do Pompei as a day trip.
Last time we were in Naples, we did the thermal pools in Ischia! If the weather permit, we may try and do that again.
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 05:05 AM
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I used to travel on night trains with my kids, back in the 1980s, and they thought it was fun. I assume you'd be getting the Cuccette Comfort C4, a 4-person couchette cabin.

Back in those days, you had to bring your own linens, but a blanket was usually provided. I made bed sacks with an incorporated pillow case from old sheets. I still have one, and occasionally still use it for an extra guest who has to sleep on the sofa. Nowadays, sheets and pillowcases are provided, but you still have to use the shared toilet in the corridor.
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 01:28 PM
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I am a masochist, so I am leaping at this opportunity to say, that I can't figure out why anybody would want to spend more than half a day in Milan. There's the amazing cathedral yes (used to be, you could just stroll through at your leisure - - now you have to go to the ticket building way off on the side, buy a ticket, then just stroll through); next to that is the shopping center where Rick Steves likes to stomp on the head of a bull etched in tiles on the floor in the middle.

Ta Daaaaa - - Milan. The food shops off nearby the cathedral used to be really distinctive, now they are either withered away or perfunctorily commercialized and have no allure. Ta Daaaaa - - Milan. (The rest of the city is monotonous, offputting repetitive bourgeious insipid nothing orange buildings, by the way, unless you like to shop for outrageously expensive duds.)

Turin, by the way, is fab.

Please, Milan enthusiasts, flog me with an cyber cat-o-nine-tails. I love it, and I cyber-deserve it.

Seriously. Fire away.
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 05:47 PM
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This is helpful, actually. I am trying to figure out whether to fly out of Torino or Milan...sounds like Torino!!!
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 06:36 PM
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Sforza Castle, Da Vinci's Last Supper, Galleria VEII among other sites.
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Old Sep 26th, 2022, 07:35 PM
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Some would argue that Leonardo daVinci's Last Supper is reason alone to visit Milan. One of those life list things. Some would also argue that walking on the roof of the Duomo is more interesting than strolling through the interior of the cathedral. At another church nearby, Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, the frescoed walls and ceiling have been called "Milan's Sistine Chapel" for the similarities in theme to the chapel at St. Peter's. Much of the works here were done under the direction of daVinci. And since it doesn't make most must-see-in-Milan lists, it's never crowded. Add seeing the treasures at the Brera and other museums, enjoying the nightlife in the Naviglio District, touring or seeing a performance at La Scala... I think Milan offers some unique experiences. I'm not a shopper, but even I enjoyed strolling the streets of the fashion district. We're not foodies, but we've had some great meals in Milan. (You do have to get away from the popular area around the Duomo.)

But it's really about what you and your family enjoy. Don't just go by the opinions here, pro and con. Do some research, make some lists, and, if your kids are old enough. ask what they think they'd like to do/see.
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Old Sep 27th, 2022, 03:43 AM
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Thanks everyone. My husband has always wanted to go to Milan, and I'm not opposed, but the Furniture Festival has made the decision for us - Milan will have to be a daytrip, as hotel prices are sky high for the week we will be there! Oh well, next time.

So we have decided to try to spend two days in Lake Como after Naples and then head down to Torino. We have been to Naples before, and we really like it. Last time it was August so many of the mom and pops were closed so we are looking forward to checking them out. We are thinking doing a day trip to Pompeii and/or one of the islands.

Here's our current plan:
April 14 Leave Boston
April 15 -17 Naples
April 18 Depart Naples on night train
April 19 Arrive Milan at 6:55 AM, train to Lake Como (Varenna?) Night in Varenna
April 20 Day in Varenna. Evening train to Torino
April 21 - 23 Torino & area
April 24 Depart Torino
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Old Sep 27th, 2022, 05:26 AM
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Milan has a wee football stadium, a massive cemetry and a whole canal zone to visit. Plus the little boutiques are interesting for those who like that stuff, and a little opera. Then there are some interesting eating options.
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Old Sep 27th, 2022, 03:17 PM
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I understand the Milan hotel prices! We were hoping to spend two nights there on one trip... but it was Fashion Week! Crazy prices.
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Old Sep 28th, 2022, 03:06 AM
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We booked our flights. Going to do t four nights in Naples, night train north, two nights in Varenna, and three nights in Torino.

Booked the Hotel Piazza Bellini in Naples, Villa Monti in Varenna, and Terre d’Aventure Suites in Torino.

wish us luck!!!
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Old Sep 28th, 2022, 06:36 AM
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Personally, though I love Naples, in Spring I would stay somewhere on the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and would exclude something else to give the AC area another day. I would want to see Positano and Amalfi, perhaps Capri along with Pompeii. Didn’t notice the age of the kids, but they might like the Underground and they would probably find the Blue Grotto fun. A day in Naples for museums and perhaps the underground would be enough for Naples. Herculaneum is very different from Pompeii and quite beautiful, easier walking too. I would make it a priority.
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Old Sep 28th, 2022, 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Sassafrass
Personally, though I love Naples . . . Herculaneum is very different from Pompeii and quite beautiful, easier walking too. I would make it a priority.
Agree completely with Sassafrass about Naples. One great street to stroll, not too far from Napoli Centrale, is Via dei Tribunale and the side streets that lead off of it - - it is narrow, packed with shops, streetfront eateries, and also with churches to duck into, including the cathedral - - the side streets narrow and vibrant with the requisite hanging laundry. Naples is known for dense semi-scruffy neighborhoods that do have incredible atmosphere, but it's also nice to visit the posher Vomero neighborhood (Vanvitelli metro stop), high in the hills, with a nice market, and loads of more upscale shops and eateries. Another nice way to spend a few hours is to get off the Metro at Toledo and stroll during daylight hours through the super-dense classic old-school tenement Spanish Quarter down to the harbor, and to the heights of the fortress Castell dell' Ovo - - in the evening the area back around Via Torino is packed with Italians buzzing amid scores of shops and restaurants - - la dolce vita. For pizza, Starita is a bit out of the way, near Metro Matadei, but WOW is that a luscious classic pie. And as Sassafrass points out, Herculaneum is as remarkable as Pompeii.
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Old Sep 29th, 2022, 06:27 AM
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If your children are young, I think there might be more to delight them in Naples than on the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful, but in my experience great scenery appeals more to adults than to children. In Naples, there are parks with playgrounds, a funicular railway, a couple of castles, and a train museum. There's also a good science museum, but I don't know how accessible it is to English speakers.

You might want to take a day trip to Herculaneum or Pompeii. Herculaneum is smaller, has more intact buildings, and is nearer Naples, so it might be better for a family with children. You might also want to take a boat tour to the Amalfi Coast, but that would be an all-day affair. A trip to Capri might be more manageable.

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Old Sep 29th, 2022, 06:46 AM
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Since you're taking the night train to Torino, you'll have to leave your bags somewhere after your morning check-out. There is a left-luggage service at the Napoli Centrale station, where your train leaves. There are also many private luggage storage services, some of which will collect your bags at the hotel and return them to you at the station. I've never used any of them, so I can't make recommendations. One service is called Bounce. (The juxtaposition of "bounce" and "luggage" doesn’t really inspire confidence, does it?) I've seen Bounce also in Croatia, so it's international.

The luggage packing and handling will occupy some part of your day, so you should consider that when making plans for your last day.
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Old Sep 30th, 2022, 02:28 AM
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I agree - that's why there's not much desire on our part to see the Amalfi Coast now. Maybe later or without them.

We spent three days in Naples in August and one in Ischia, and we loved it. We did the Sotterranea tour and the archaeological museum and lots of wandering. With kids, we generally don't like to do more than one thing in one day. This time we definitely want to take one day to see Pompei or Ercolano, and maybe go nack to Ischia, but it will depend on the weather and ferry schedules. I was intrigued by the Vomero, so I think we'd want to poke around there. And we plan to watch Napoli play that Sunday.

We expect that the hotel in Naples will let us leave our bags there, but because the night train leaves from Salerno, we were thinking to perhaps take the train to Salerno, spend the day there and then leave from there (if the station has a left luggage). We will have to figure that out.
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