Most do and do not miss In this Italy Ports for a first timer.

[josephml1]

I am looking for some inside tips about what to do and do not miss in this Italy ports,  family with kids.  i read a lot but i am looking for some inside tips of all the cruisers here. 

 

1) Pisa Florencia

2) Venice

3) Palermo

4) Genova Positano. 

 

Thank you all. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by josephml1

[josephml1]

genova and portofino! 🙂

[euro cruiser]

There's no way to see more than a few of the top sites in any one of these ports so it comes down to what most interests your family.  You'll need to make some tough choices among an embarrassment of riches.

 

How long is this cruise?  These ports are quite a distance from one another (other than Genova and Pisa) and encompass three different seas (Ligurian, Adriatic and Tyrrhenian).  I ask this because one issue with Med cruises is that they tend to be very port intensive and you can wind up with three heavy touring days in a row, that may also factor into your decision about what to do in any given port.

[josephml1]

Hi, our cruise is 7 days and we plans to spend an extra  week in italy, florencia, milan and venice.

 

Thank you vfor your advice. 

[tlatrice]

I have this same question...sort of.  I'm going to Italy (Rome and Florence) this summer for school.  We'll be there for a week (May 29 - June 4). I thought about tacking a cruise on to extend the trip.  There is a 7 night Greek Isles trip on the Odyssey of the Seas departing Rome on June 5.

 

I'll likely be cruising solo (I'm going to ask my classmates if they're interested but I doubt it.  They're younger and probably don't have the vacation time.  And probably don't want to cruise for a week.  LOL!)).  Any tips for a solo traveller?

[euro cruiser]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:01 PM, josephml1 said:

Hi, our cruise is 7 days and we plans to spend an extra  week in italy, florencia, milan and venice.

 

Thank you vfor your advice. 

Seven days is really not enough time for these three cities, not when you factor in the time required to transfer from one place to another.  You'll lose at minimum half of a day with each transfer.  You'll need to be in the city of your departure the night before, eating up more time, as most flights across the Atlantic depart in the morning from Italy.

 

You really need to do a little research on your own and narrow down your interests, once you've done that we can help you maximize your time.

[euro cruiser]

2 hours ago, tlatrice said:

I have this same question...sort of.  I'm going to Italy (Rome and Florence) this summer for school.  We'll be there for a week (May 29 - June 4). I thought about tacking a cruise on to extend the trip.  There is a 7 night Greek Isles trip on the Odyssey of the Seas departing Rome on June 5.

 

I'll likely be cruising solo (I'm going to ask my classmates if they're interested but I doubt it.  They're younger and probably don't have the vacation time.  And probably don't want to cruise for a week.  LOL!)).  Any tips for a solo traveller?

If you're looking for help regarding ports of call in Greece, you might have better luck posting in this forum:  Greece Ports - Cruise Critic Community

[josephml1]

Our plans is to be on a cruise MSC, that departs from civitavechia. after the cruise our plans is to rent a card and spend 2 nights in florence, 2 in milan, 2 in venice. 

All the advice is truly apreciated. 

 

 

[euro cruiser]

A car will be more of a liability than a help in Florence and Milan, as you won't be able to drive in the city (restricted to residents, research ZTLs) and obviously there is no use for a car in Venice.

 

You can travel more quickly from one city to the next by high speed train than by driving anyway.

[riffatsea]

I agree that a car for those cities is not a good idea!

I'd also suggest at least 3 full days in each city or you'll just be changing hotels and not really have time to soak up any culture or see anything

Spending time on land is not the same as cruising where you are in a port for only 1 day

[euro cruiser]

14 hours ago, josephml1 said:

Our plans is to be on a cruise MSC, that departs from civitavechia. after the cruise our plans is to rent a card and spend 2 nights in florence, 2 in milan, 2 in venice. 

The only part of this plan where a car is a bit of a help is the first leg, from the ship to Florence, or more precisely to the edge of Florence as you can't drive in.  All the rest is faster and easier by train.

 

I would start by posting on the roll call for your sailing to see if you can find someone to share the cost of a private transfer from Civitavecchia to Florence (150 miles, over three hours of driving so it will be costly). 

 

If that fails, by train from Civitavecchia to Florence is a tad cumbersome because you must change in Rome but it's doable and it gets you there in about the same time as a car service (two hours, 45 minutes by high speed train, including the change in Rome).

 

No matter how you do it you will use up half of the day getting to Florence and checking into accommodations, leaving you with two evenings and one and a half days to see the city.

 

Train from Florence to Milan takes just under two hours, driving would require nearly four hours, plus time for parking, getting fuel, etc.

 

Train from Milan to Venice takes two and a half hours, while driving requires about three and a half, plus time to turn in the car since you can't use it anywhere in Venice (unless you plan to pay for parking while there so you can drive to the airport).

[marazul]

17 hours ago, josephml1 said:

Our plans is to be on a cruise MSC, that departs from civitavechia. after the cruise our plans is to rent a card and spend 2 nights in florence, 2 in milan, 2 in venice. 

All the advice is truly apreciated. 

 

 

If you decide on a private transfer between Civitavecchia and Florence, look at Stefano's Rome Cabs prices for transfers with sightseeing:

https://www.romecabs.com/sightseeingtransfers/

And for transfers without sightseeing:

https://www.romecabs.com/italy-long-distance-transfers/

Write to them for price quotes from Civitavecchia to Florence.  They provide excellent service.

 

And I second the suggestion to take the trains for the rest of your trip.  Also, if you decide to lengthen your time in each city, do Florence and Venice and save Milan for another trip.

Edited February 3, 2022 by marazul

[mascara]

On 2/2/2022 at 5:10 PM, josephml1 said:

Our plans is to be on a cruise MSC, that departs from civitavechia. after the cruise our plans is to rent a card and spend 2 nights in florence, 2 in milan, 2 in venice. 

All the advice is truly apreciated. 

 

 

In 2007 we flew into Milan, stayed there a few days, then took a train to Florence, and after a few days there rented a car outside of Florence and went to Elba island for a few days and returned to the mainland and drove around Tuscany a few days (not as far south as Rome, though, but as far as Saturnia!) and then drove to Venice where we dropped the car outside the city, stayed a few days, and flew home. It was a boring drive Tuscany to Venice - we said we would drive back to Florence and take the train if we ever did it again.

 

We also were in country like 17 days. It sounds crazy just telling it!

[slidergirl]

On 2/2/2022 at 6:31 PM, euro cruiser said:

A car will be more of a liability than a help in Florence and Milan, as you won't be able to drive in the city (restricted to residents, research ZTLs) and obviously there is no use for a car in Venice.

 

You can travel more quickly from one city to the next by high speed train than by driving anyway.

Not totally true.  There are certain areas of the cities where there is the restriction, but certainly not the whole place.  I've had rental cars in Florence, Pisa, Rome and did not run afoul of the ZTLs.  If someone is staying overnight, there are parking accommodations available.   I'll be doing it again for Florence this summer, along with Bologna.   I rented a car at Piazzale Roma in Venice and drove up to Cortina and onto Innsbruck.  Other than driving to areas outside of Venice for daytrips, not a needed thing.  

[josephml1]

Thank you all for an excellent advice I am taking notes

[josephml1]

How about going to lake como with a car, is that possible?

[euro cruiser]

Yes, and that's a trip (to/from Lake Como) where a car would be very helpful.

[marazul]

13 hours ago, josephml1 said:

How about going to lake como with a car, is that possible?

Absolutely.  And if you decide to visit Venice after Milan, keep the car and stop at Sirmione at the base of Lake Garda on your way to Venice.  

[josephml1]

Great advice thanks for sharing. 

[josephml1]

On 2/22/2022 at 7:55 AM, marazul said:

Absolutely.  And if you decide to visit Venice after Milan, keep the car and stop at Sirmione at the base of Lake Garda on your way to Venice.  

Great advice, thank you very much

[bennybear]

I would ask how old are your children and what are their interests?   Ours enjoyed a visit to Lucca, where you can rent bicycles and ride around the walls of the city.   It would be a great place to visit and would still allow for a quick visit to see Pisa. 

I liked Genoa itself, our kids were bored with cute hill towns in Tuscany but enjoyed staying in a villa with a pool and loved seeing David in the Accademia.

 

I too am concerned with you trying to do too much and cover too much ground in one week.  I would pick two spots,  Florence and Venice.   Our kids really enjoyed both of them, and remember three nights gives you only two full days to explore.  Driving can be fun or a hassle,   I think the kids would probably enjoy trains and the boats in Venice.  Save Milan for another time. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by bennybear