8 days pre-cruise in Italy.....Opinions please.

[B&J1]

Hi folks!

We are going to do a TA from Venice to FLL Nov 6th. Since this will be our first time to Italy (and Europe) for that matter, we are going to fly into Milan 8 days prior to see more of Italy. My plan was to stay 2-3 days each in Milan, Rome, & Venice, but reading another thread, most felt Milan was not the best place to spend much time.

We arrive in Milan at 11:15 am on a Thursday so we could see a few things on Thurs & stay over night in Milan to recover from flight, but then off to??? Florence? or.....wine tour maybe? I would still want to spend 2 or 3 days in Rome & a couple in Venice. We do over night in Venice on the cruise and also have stops on the cruise in Rome, Livorno, and Salerno.

 

We are cost conscious, enjoy walking/hiking, prefer to do our own thing typically, history is cool & enjoy experiencing the real culture....fairly adventurous, not really into spend alot of time in museums. I'm trying to learn Italian now (fairly fluent in Spanish so hopefully will pick it up quickly).

 

Oh, one more thing, I was planning on taking the train everywhere....would I be better served to rent a car (I haven't check into prices yet).

 

So.....(sorry so long), I am soliciting recommendations primarily for a day or 2 between Milan & Rome, or Rome & Venice.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!!! :)

 

 

Brian

[Pet Nit Noy]

Hi folks!

We are going to do a TA from Venice to FLL Nov 6th. Since this will be our first time to Italy (and Europe) for that matter, we are going to fly into Milan 8 days prior to see more of Italy. My plan was to stay 2-3 days each in Milan, Rome, & Venice, but reading another thread, most felt Milan was not the best place to spend much time.

We arrive in Milan at 11:15 am on a Thursday so we could see a few things on Thurs & stay over night in Milan to recover from flight, but then off to??? Florence? or.....wine tour maybe? I would still want to spend 2 or 3 days in Rome & a couple in Venice. We do over night in Venice on the cruise and also have stops on the cruise in Rome, Livorno, and Salerno.

 

We are cost conscious, enjoy walking/hiking, prefer to do our own thing typically, history is cool & enjoy experiencing the real culture....fairly adventurous, not really into spend alot of time in museums. I'm trying to learn Italian now (fairly fluent in Spanish so hopefully will pick it up quickly).

 

Oh, one more thing, I was planning on taking the train everywhere....would I be better served to rent a car (I haven't check into prices yet).

 

So.....(sorry so long), I am soliciting recommendations primarily for a day or 2 between Milan & Rome, or Rome & Venice.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!!!

 

I'm not sure what question you're asking. Are you asking for a destination to visit for a day or two somewhere between Venice (or Milan) in the north and Rome in the South? Or are you asking about which couple of cities to combine?

 

Here are some slightly random thoughts about Venice, Milan, Rome, and Florence.

 

Milan has two must-see sites:

 

1. DaVinci's painting of The Last Supper. When we look at this picture in an art book, we really don't appreciate that it is painted on the wall of the dining hall of a monastery. It's quite moving to see the painting in its huge dimensions within the original setting. Advance reservations are a must.

 

2. The Duomo (cathedral). Very large. Very impressive. If you'll be in Italy July through September, you'll be able to climb to the roof terrace and walk among the spires.

 

But that's really the only essentials for Milan.

 

In your position, I'd catch a wine tour during your port call in Livorno rather than using it as access to Florence. Florence may not be the best match up for your interests if you aren't into spending a lot of time in museums. Do a Google image search of Florence to see if the streetscapes of Florence and the exteriors of buildings have enough appeal. (Possible outdoor destinations: walking across the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, the Piazza with one of the copies of Michelangelo's David and a walk along the banks of the Arno River.) Here's a broad generalization: With great museums like Uffizi and Bargello, Florence as more of an indoor city than an outdoor one like Rome.

 

Venice is more atmospheric than destination-oriented which ought to match up nicely with your interest in strolling rather than doing the museums.

 

Rome is best match up for your interests. Lots of great non-museum sites: Colosseum, Forum, Hadrian's Mausoleum and the Angel Bridge that leads there, Pantheon, Piazza Navona and more. Lots of piazzas, each with its own distinctive architecture.

[chipmaster]

My 2cents...

 

Milan a day at most

Rome one can spend a week and still not see it

Florence ditto if you are into art history

Venice at least two days.

 

I'd skip Milan for another day in Rome if I had less than 3 days there

 

YMMV.

[cruisemom42]

Spend the first partial day in Milan & don't neglect to pre-reserve tickets if you want to see The Last Supper.

 

I'd divide the rest of the time between Venice and Rome. It's not worth trying to jam in another place.

 

If you decide that's what you want to do, there is no need to rent a car. It would just be a hindrance in those two cities.

 

On the other side, if you decide you'd rather see some of Tuscany (and cut short your time in Rome and Venice), a car is the better way to get around.

[CruiserBruce]

If you have not been to Italy, I would try to get 2 days in Rome, 2 in Florence and 2 in Venice, allowing train travel (and some sightseeing) on the spare days.

 

If you have been to Italy, some info on where you have been would be helpful to direct your travels.

[texancruzer]

While Venice was nice…..we weren't blown away like so many other people. It is a hassle to get around and well - frankly after you see the "big stuff" its all the same. I know I will get some responses for that !!!! :eek: Even Murano was a disappointment. We had 2 nights there (ship overnighted and then we spent one night in hotel before flying home) If you want to experience something different - book opera tickets in Venice - it was amazing !

 

But Florence was awesome. Had a warm fuzzy sweater feel to it. Nice and friendly like. We enjoyed walking the streets, ponte vecchio, Santa Croce, the Duomo and Baptistry.

 

And Rome……well we can't get enough of Rome. We are leaving in 2 weeks for our 5th Med cruise - all leaving out of Rome where we fly in early and spend a few days pre cruise. We have had 2 end in Rome also so we tack on an extra night then too……

 

Not sure where your cruise is stopping but hopefully you will not miss Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been. But Tuscany would probably fit better and a day or two there would be nice. Hiking and exploring some of the wonderful hill towns sounds right up your alley.

 

To be honest with you I think I would have flown into Rome…..working my way up to Venice where you would board your ship…….

Edited April 10, 2015 by texancruzer

[Hlitner]

I will focus on the train versus car issue since we have done a lot of driving (and some training) in Italy. Trains are perfect for those that want to spend most of their time in the major cities or just go from Point A to Point B. For many first time visitors to Italy the major draws are Rome, Florence and Venice. As to Milan, we have been to Milan, we have stayed in Milan, and we cannot think of any reason to ever go to Milan :). If you had not already committed to your air we would have suggested flying into Rome (FCO), spending a few days there, taking the train up to Florence for a few days, and then on to Venice.

 

As to driving, it is simply the best (and in many ways only) way to really see Italy outside of the main cities. But driving in Italy usually means renting a standard shift car (automatics are rare and more expensive) and having to deal with the craziness that is driving in Italy :). I love driving in Italy and even DW thinks I am nutz or perhaps a masochist.

 

But since this is your first trip to both Italy and Europe we would be hesitant to recommend that you rent a car. Take advantage of the trains and perhaps a tour or regional bus if you want to go outside of town. For example, if staying in Florence you can take a wine tasting tour through the nearby Chianti area or perhaps just grab a regional bus and go to a place like San Gimignano for a few hours.

 

Hank

[B&J1]

Thx for all the input!

So we'll probably skip spending time in Milano per your suggestions. But flying into Milan was $125 less pp than Rome so that gives us $250 (minus train) to spend elsewhere. (My original plan was just to split time between Milano &

Venice)

I'm now leaning towards taking the train to Florence on the day we arrive, 2 days inf Florence & maybe a wine tour of Tuscany (I currently drive a stick shift 5 speed ;) ), 3 full days in Rome, 2 full days in Venice plus the boarding day & overnight in Venice on the cruise.

 

Thx again for the advice!!!!

[Pet Nit Noy]

Thx for all the input!

So we'll probably skip spending time in Milano per your suggestions. But flying into Milan was $125 less pp than Rome so that gives us $250 (minus train) to spend elsewhere. (My original plan was just to split time between Milano &

Venice)

I'm now leaning towards taking the train to Florence on the day we arrive, 2 days inf Florence & maybe a wine tour of Tuscany (I currently drive a stick shift 5 speed ;) ), 3 full days in Rome, 2 full days in Venice plus the boarding day & overnight in Venice on the cruise.

 

Thx again for the advice!!!!

 

The words "full days" caught my attention. It does not appear that you've taken into account the travel time between destinations and the inevitable inefficiencies associated with checking out of and into hotels in different cities. Although many posters would not try to fit three major destinations into an eight-day pre-cruise visit, people do this all the time. I'm simply pointing out that you may want to find out more about travel times between these destinations so you don't end up disappointed.

 

If you'll be traveling by train, except for the wine tour, let trenitalia.com help you plan. The web site will load in Italian, but if you click on the word "Italian" you can switch it to English. A trip between Rome (Roma Termini) and Venice (Venezia S. Lucia) takes around 4 hours, for example.

 

I can understand why you want to go to Florence; it's quite a whirlwind experience to visit Florence from a port call in Livorno. But I'm a bit confused by your plan to include a wine tour during your eight day pre-cruise visit. This is a brilliant thing to do on the Livorno port call.

 

We all can feel your pain! So much to see and so little time!