Assistance with Pre-Italy visit

[sbflcruiser]

I know all the wonderful experts here give such great advise, so I am looking for suggestions. Planning on a trip next May (2012), so the questions are really about making day trips or actually staying in the town. We are flying in early so that we can "see/experience" more than just 1 day in the port. So we will have 8 days before our ship sails from Venice. So one thought is to fly into Naples spend all day that day plus one additional day, take evening train to Rome. Next 3 days seeing Rome, on third day take afternoon train to Florence, spend evening and next day in Florence. Next morning train to Venice, where we would stay until embarking ship. We will get one more additional day in Naples/Rome/ Florence from ship.

 

Does this sound too crazy? I thought about doing day trips but it just seems like a lot of time is lost when traveling both directions. Suggestions.

 

A little background, we are in our mid/late 40's, good condition and usually have very packed vacations with some down time incorporated too.

 

Thanks in advance for all your great suggestions.

[letsgo39]

I know all the wonderful experts here give such great advise, so I am looking for suggestions. Planning on a trip next May (2012), so the questions are really about making day trips or actually staying in the town. We are flying in early so that we can "see/experience" more than just 1 day in the port. So we will have 8 days before our ship sails from Venice. So one thought is to fly into Naples spend all day that day plus one additional day, take evening train to Rome. Next 3 days seeing Rome, on third day take afternoon train to Florence, spend evening and next day in Florence. Next morning train to Venice, where we would stay until embarking ship. We will get one more additional day in Naples/Rome/ Florence from ship.

 

Does this sound too crazy? I thought about doing day trips but it just seems like a lot of time is lost when traveling both directions. Suggestions.

 

A little background, we are in our mid/late 40's, good condition and usually have very packed vacations with some down time incorporated too.

 

Thanks in advance for all your great suggestions.

 

I would skip Naples and add the day to Rome.The 1 day you have in Naples will be enough if you do a tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi coast.

[CruiserBruce]

Or you could reverse it and fly into Rome, spend several days (in Rome, and perhaps down to Naples), then train over to Venice for a few days prior to cruise. Easier than doubling back. Generally, flights will be more convinient and cheaper into Rome, rather then Venice. Doubt you will pay more for a small open jaw round trip flight.

[cruisemom42]

That's a lot of time spent traveling in 8 days. On paper your plan sounds reasonable, but if it were me, I'd eliminate one of the 3 places (Naples, Rome, Florence) in favor of spending more time in the other two. I realize this is always a tough, tough choice because naturally you want to see as much as possible. Of the 3, I might recommend skipping Florence as you really have only a bit more than a day there -- it would be better to return for a longer time and see Florence + more of Tuscany. However, it all depends on your own interests (mine are skewed toward the ancient sites).

 

I do disagree with the previous poster about Naples. There is a lot to see and do in the area. Currently I'm planning a week's visit there to enjoy the area and get to some sites that cruise passengers or day visitors don't get to.... Just a partial list of things in Naples would have to include much more than Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast! There is Herculaneum, Capri, the Naples Archaeological Museum, Naples itself (many beautiful churches), Caserta, Vesuvius....... (I'm sure eurocruiser could add many more!)

 

And for those into ancient history: Oplontis, Cumae, Baiae, Puteoli (Pozzuoli), Boscoreale, etc...

[-Lew-]

 

So one thought is to fly into Naples spend all day that day plus one additional day, take evening train to Rome. Next 3 days seeing Rome, on third day take afternoon train to Florence, spend evening and next day in Florence. Next morning train to Venice, where we would stay until embarking ship. We will get one more additional day in Naples/Rome/ Florence from ship.

I, too, would recommend flying directly to Rome. Add the day saved to your stay in Rome or Florence.

 

If you do add it to your Florence visit, you could book an excursion to the hill towns of Tuscany when you call on Livorno.

 

Lew

[euro cruiser]

Overall, I think you'll spend far more time than you think either in transit or checking in and out of hotels.

 

I'd pick one and spend all my time there, but I tend to be a tad extreme in my travel tastes. Two would be good - a solid three days and three nights in each of two cities will enable you to hit most of the important sites as well as have some time to simply be there and enjoy it.

 

As Cynthia said noted in her post, it helps to identify what is most important to you. If Renaissance art and history are important to you, Florence should be one of the places you focus on. Ancient history and ruins, then Naples and Rome.

 

Lots of people simply adore Venice; it is beautiful and unique and everyone should get there at least once in their life. That said, personally it's the last place I would allocate time.

 

If you do decide to try and hit all three, the train does make the most sense between cities.

[caripoo]

I would do something completly different. Rome is our favorite city and Italy our favority country. We have traveled there many, many ,many ,times. There is to much to see and 8 days sounds like alot, but there is alot to see. Since your cruise leaves from Venice, I would concentrate on the Northern part of Italy. This is of coarse is hoping you will have the chance to visit this wonderful country again!!! You can fly into Milan, Venice or Florence and do all the small beautiful towns in Tuscany, Umbria, Florence, The italian Riviera Cinque Terra, Lake Cuomo, Lake Garda, and take the train to Venice for your cruise. Yes you do miss some of the most fantastic bit of Italy and that is Rome. But you do not want to criss cross the country and do bits of it in short periods of time. Another one of our most favorite places is Positiano on the Amalfi coast. So, you really have to look at the whole country and try to concentrate on what you really want to see before you decide. GOOD LUCK this is hard!!!

[D4]

I'm similar to Euro Cruiser. We love 2+ weeks in Rome. We wouldn't want to do all that extra traveling and switching hotels. We love to see the sites in a non-rushed manner and soak up the ambiance!

 

Good luck in planning whatever will make you happiest!

[hylasgirl]

I know all the wonderful experts here give such great advise, so I am looking for suggestions. Planning on a trip next May (2012), so the questions are really about making day trips or actually staying in the town. We are flying in early so that we can "see/experience" more than just 1 day in the port. So we will have 8 days before our ship sails from Venice. So one thought is to fly into Naples spend all day that day plus one additional day, take evening train to Rome. Next 3 days seeing Rome, on third day take afternoon train to Florence, spend evening and next day in Florence. Next morning train to Venice, where we would stay until embarking ship. We will get one more additional day in Naples/Rome/ Florence from ship.

 

Does this sound too crazy? I thought about doing day trips but it just seems like a lot of time is lost when traveling both directions. Suggestions.

 

A little background, we are in our mid/late 40's, good condition and usually have very packed vacations with some down time incorporated too.

 

Thanks in advance for all your great suggestions.

 

 

You don't say... where does your ship actually dock? If you do have a day in Naples, I would get a nice, private tour and call it a day. We did sort of a reverse itinerary in 2009... we flew into Venice, stayed a few days... took the train to Florence... stayed a few days then took the train to Rome. We stayed in Rome for 5 days and then boarded the ship for a 12 day Med cruise. I reserved my whole group a private tour with Romeinlimo for the port of Naples and we had a fantastic day! (we also toured with Romeinlimo before leaving Rome to embark on our ship). We have been to most of these ports several times, but Naples is an easy day trip to see quite a few things. I wouldn't trust this gorgeous day to a ship tour though. You need a small van to travel along the Amalfi Coast.

 

If your cruise is a one way cruise, I would fly into one city and out of the other... spend some time pre cruise and post cruise. Rome is fantastic and you can easily spend as much time there as you want to give it. I adore Venice also... but think there is less to do and see there. Although I still LOVE it every time I go. I just love that in Rome, I am never ready to go home.

 

I am in my 40s and the train is a great way to get around Italy. It's a lot of work, but if we can do it with 3 kids... one grandma... and 12 suitcases... you can do it:)

 

Let us know if you have any other questions.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Skip Naples. Fly into Rome and do three nights there- then 3 nights in Florence and 2 nights in Venice. When you do the cruise, instead of Florence do the Cinque Terre. The cruise line will offer a tour and take it. Its great.

[sbflcruiser]

The actual cruise starts in Venice and ends in Barcelona and from there we are going onto Paris before returning home, so it is going to be quite the trip, a couple days short of a month. Of course it is too far out to get a firm airline pricing, but using April instead of May, no real cost difference in flying to Naples as opposed to Rome, just a little longer flight. I am thinking we may need to eliminate either Florence or Naples, not really sure yet.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Don't skip Florence. Naples is a gritty port town with Pompeii, The Amalfi and Capri being the big draw. All of these are easy excursions from the ship. Naples is one of the poorest cities in Italy and the people don't speak or refuse to speak English. So this would be the one place I'd slash.

 

If you want to cut down on days- then do two nights in Rome-Florence and Venice. Other places not on your list that I highly recommend are Lake Como north of Milan and Meran/ Merano in the Dolomites- the prettiest place I have ever been.

[cruisemom42]

Don't skip Florence. Naples is a gritty port town with Pompeii, The Amalfi and Capri being the big draw. All of these are easy excursions from the ship. Naples is one of the poorest cities in Italy and the people don't speak or refuse to speak English. So this would be the one place I'd slash.

 

If you want to cut down on days- then do two nights in Rome-Florence and Venice. Other places not on your list that I highly recommend are Lake Como north of Milan and Meran/ Merano in the Dolomites- the prettiest place I have ever been.

 

Again, I have to respectfully disagree. The Naples area includes much more than the 3 sites you list. And even if that were not the case, I don't believe you can meaningfully visit all 3 in a single day....

 

I think it's up to the original poster to do the research and decide where their interests lie. Not everyone has the same set of priorities.

 

(And incidentally, how many Americans in the US, even in heavily touristy areas such as Orlando, Washington DC, or New York can speak Italian or any other language?)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I don't want to sound like the ugly American. I have been to Naples three times. I am just comparing my experience with places in Italy and Naples is the least friendly for Americans because of the language barrier. I also found it to be poor and dirty compared to Rome, Florence, Venice, the Cinque Terre, Lake Como and Northern Italy. These places I felt safer and thought were prettier. I did the train from Naples to Sorrento and the Amalfi is stunningly beautiful and Capri is nice. Pompeii is a must see. So I am certainly not saying there aren't things to do in Naples, just that the poster will have a day in Naples on the itinerary where they can do a ship tour or a tour. Naples would not be the place I'd want to arrive after a tiring Transatlantic flight. I think Rome, Milan or Venice would be better.

[4774Papa]

I know all the wonderful experts here give such great advise, so I am looking for suggestions. Planning on a trip next May (2012), so the questions are really about making day trips or actually staying in the town. We are flying in early so that we can "see/experience" more than just 1 day in the port. So we will have 8 days before our ship sails from Venice. So one thought is to fly into Naples spend all day that day plus one additional day, take evening train to Rome. Next 3 days seeing Rome, on third day take afternoon train to Florence, spend evening and next day in Florence. Next morning train to Venice, where we would stay until embarking ship. We will get one more additional day in Naples/Rome/ Florence from ship.

 

Does this sound too crazy? I thought about doing day trips but it just seems like a lot of time is lost when traveling both directions. Suggestions.

 

A little background, we are in our mid/late 40's, good condition and usually have very packed vacations with some down time incorporated too.

 

Thanks in advance for all your great suggestions.

 

Like some of the other commenters, I think you have too much traveling in your eight days.

 

If you believe that you will never be back to Italy, covering a lot of ground may be a good idea, otherwise trying to see the Naples area, Rome, Florence and Venice in 8 days is too much.

 

Travel days typically burn up at least half a day, getting to the train station, etc. the trip, getting to a new hotel, then finally getting out into the city.

 

Buy a Rick Steves Italy. It will advise you on the main sites for each city.

 

Rome- I have been there twice and spend a week there each time and still not seen all that I want to see.

The must sites are St. Peter's Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum, Colliseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trevia Fountain, and Piazza Novona. There is more to see, but just doing the Vatican will take two days. I think you can do all the must items in three days, but at a push.

 

Florence- This city will charm your heart. There is much more there than you might examine. Must sites are Doumo, Academia (David is there), Uffizi Museum, San Croce, Pitti Palace, and Ponte Vecchio. You would need three days for this. If you dropped the Pitti Palace, you might squeeze all into two days, but not if one day includes travel.

 

Venice- This city is unique and must be savored. You will walk a lot here, but with no cars, just watch for pickpockets. St. Mark's Cathedral, the Doge's Palace and bell tower will take a day, then you want to do a gondola ride, visit some museums and Rialto Bridge. There are other places like the Jewish Ghetto and other Venetian islands that should be seen. Three days is a good estimate.

 

You can do all three cities in nine full days, but that doesn't include travel time, which adds another two days.

If you wish to stick to the eight days, then you need to plan what you want to see in each location, which probably calls for cutting some of the suggested sites.

 

You can buy your Italian train tickets on line, which shows the schedules and prices. You can choose between the fast trains or not. Be careful, since Italian trains actually fill up and with no reservation, you might miss your train.

[euro cruiser]

You can buy your Italian train tickets on line, which shows the schedules and prices. You can choose between the fast trains or not. Be careful, since Italian trains actually fill up and with no reservation, you might miss your train.

I think this is a bit of an overstatement, and unnecessarily alarming. It is actually rare for a train to sell out, especially a train that requires reservations. Also, for the routes a typical tourist is concerned with (Venice - Florence - Rome - Naples) there are trains every hour all day long, so if one happens to be filled, wait 60 minutes. It's not a big deal.

[4774Papa]

I think this is a bit of an overstatement, and unnecessarily alarming. It is actually rare for a train to sell out, especially a train that requires reservations. Also, for the routes a typical tourist is concerned with (Venice - Florence - Rome - Naples) there are trains every hour all day long, so if one happens to be filled, wait 60 minutes. It's not a big deal.

 

I remember a couple of times going to the train station in Italy and the next train was so full of people that we had to stand up our entire trip. It does happen. Some of the fast trains do fill up, as I have read on internet sites. It probably doesn't happen much, but why gamble. Also, waiting in lines at Italian train stations can take a while. Those machines are not so great to use if you are not familiar with them.