Venice, Rome, Tuscany, and Naples

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Fell in love with the MSC yacht club!  Those that have been following along with my ever changing mind, a decision has been made. Yesterday we decided to cancel Celebrity and keep our 9 night NCL Greek Isles cruise, July 3-12. It begins in Athens and ends in Trieste. And yesterday we also booked the MSC Europa yacht club for July 15-22. This is all next summer. It’s round trip Naples. On July 11 we dock in Trieste from 6:30 AM-11PM, then disembark there the next morning.  We want to see Venice, Rome, visit a beautiful winery in Tuscany and possibly see Florence. Is the one day we’re in Venice enough or should we plan to stay in town a while the second day?  If so, what on earth would we do with all our luggage?  Or should we/can we just get off in Venice a day early and not return to the ship?  I don’t know how long it takes to get to Venice from the port. Should we just take the high speed train from Venice to Rome, get a room there and do day trips to Florence and/or a Tuscany Vineyard?  We plan to see the Amalfi Coast after the second cruise.  The plan is to see as much as we can because it’s doubtful we will go back. 

[CruiserBruce]

You are going to Venice, Florence, Rome and Tuscany all in one day from Trieste? Seriously?

 

The better plan might be to visit Venice while docked at Trieste. Then, post cruise, take a train from Venice to Florence and spend 2 or 3 nights. One day tour Florence, one day get Rome in Limo to take you on a Chianti/Tuscany tour. Then train to Rome and spend as many nights as you have to spend touring in Rome. Fly home from Rome.

[marazul]

There is only one way to do it all.

 

For sure, disembark early on June 11 and spend one night (June 11) in Venice.  Venice is wonderful at night and you do need at least two days there to enjoy it, but one full day is the bare minimum.  All the traveling back and forth to Trieste would eat up your time there.  NCL (any line) will allow early disembarkation if you notify them prior to the cruise.  You give up one night on the ship, but you get a night in Venice (gondola ride?).

 

 I would suggest train to Florence on June 12 and spend the night there.  Tour Florence on June 12.  Then on June 13 take the winery tour and have the driver take you to the train station to take a late train to Rome.  (You will have your suitcases with you in the tour.)

Stay in Rome the nights of June 13 and 14 and spend the day and next morning sightseeing. Leave for Civitavecchia early afternoon on June 15.

 

It is crazy, but it is what you want to do.

Edited June 28, 2023 by marazul

[marazul]

To maximize your time in Venice, stay at a hotel on or very near Piazzale Roma right near the train station.  That is also where the NCL bus will drop you off on June 11.  Leave your bags at the hotel desk and you will be ready to start sightseeing right away.  The next day you will be only a few steps away from the train to Florence.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

38 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

You are going to Venice, Florence, Rome and Tuscany all in one day from Trieste? Seriously?

 

The better plan might be to visit Venice while docked at Trieste. Then, post cruise, take a train from Venice to Florence and spend 2 or 3 nights. One day tour Florence, one day get Rome in Limo to take you on a Chianti/Tuscany tour. Then train to Rome and spend as many nights as you have to spend touring in Rome. Fly home from Rome.

No. We get off our NCL cruise on the 12th and get on the next one in the 15th. It doesn’t depart until evening. I was asking if one day in Venice is enough to see Venice. How long does it take to get from the ship to Venice and once in Venice to the high speed train station? 

35 minutes ago, marazul said:

There is only one way to do it all.

 

For sure, disembark early on June 11 and spend one night (June 11) in Venice.  Venice is wonderful at night and you do need at least two days there to enjoy it, but one full day is the bare minimum.  All the traveling back and forth to Trieste would eat up your time there.  NCL (any line) will allow early disembarkation if you notify them prior to the cruise.  You give up one night on the ship, but you get a night in Venice (gondola ride?).

 

 I would suggest train to Florence on June 12 and spend the night there.  Tour Florence on June 12.  Then on June 13 take the winery tour and have the driver take you to the train station to take a late train to Rome.  (You will have your suitcases with you in the tour.)

Stay in Rome the nights of June 13 and 14 and spend the day and next morning sightseeing. Leave for Civitavecchia early afternoon on June 15.

 

It is crazy, but it is what you want to do.

How long does it take to get from Trieste to Venice?  If it’s too much, we can give up Florence. Rome, Venice and a beautiful winery are at the top of my list. 
 

13 minutes ago, marazul said:

To maximize your time in Venice, stay at a hotel on or very near Piazzale Roma right near the train station.  That is also where the NCL bus will drop you off on June 11.  Leave your bags at the hotel desk and you will be ready to start sightseeing right away.  The next day you will be only a few steps away from the train to Florence.

 Noted. Thanks!

[marazul]

18 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

How long does it take to get from Trieste to Venice?  If it’s too much, we can give up Florence. Rome, Venice and a beautiful winery are at the top of my list. 

Two hours. Seriously consider giving up the last night on board and staying in Venice instead.

[princeton123211]

35 minutes ago, marazul said:

To maximize your time in Venice, stay at a hotel on or very near Piazzale Roma right near the train station. 

Efficient maybe, but there are far more picturesque places to stay in Venice. Personally if it were my first time to Venice I would bite the bullet and use water taxis to stay somewhere nicer than what is essentially the bus depot. 

[marazul]

Just now, princeton123211 said:

Efficient maybe, but there are far more picturesque places to stay in Venice. Personally if it were my first time to Venice I would bite the bullet and use water taxis to stay somewhere nicer than what is essentially the bus depot. 

Agree, but she has one night there and is trying to "see it all."

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 Or should we/can we just get off in Venice a day early and not return to the ship?

You need to check your itinerary and see where your ship is actually docking. Ships of MSC's size are not legally allowed to call on Venice proper-- it will be a satellite port that can be a decent distance from the city. 

 

I agree that you should get off the night early to have 2 full nights in Venice but just make sure you know when you get off that day early where you'll be because it won't directly be in Venice. 

[marazul]

You get off in Trieste. On June 11 take the transfer from the ship to Piazzale Roma in Venice and stay in Venice.  Going back to the ship for the last night does not compare to staying in Venice.

 

Note: Check my post #3 above. You may have read it before I edited it and added a lot of stuff to it.

Edited June 28, 2023 by marazul

[euro cruiser]

16 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

On July 11 we dock in Trieste from 6:30 AM-11PM, then disembark there the next morning.

 

I started to say I don't understand this, given that the ship is not going anywhere that night, but then it occurred to me that 11 PM is probably the time they close access to the port, so you couldn't get back on board if you arrive back later than this.

 

It's a little over 1 km/about three-quarters of a mile on foot from the cruise port in Trieste to the train station, so allow at least a half hour to get there, buy tickets, and find your train.

 

There are trains to Venice at 7:07. 7:16, and then not until 8:16.  I don't know if you can make the first ones, it depends on how quickly they start letting you off the ship.  Because of this, I would not purchase these tickets ahead of time (well, also because only the first one is a seat reserved train, the next two are regionales, so they can't sell out).

 

The train trip takes a little over two hours in each case.  The Frecce is no faster than the regionales.

 

The last train you could reasonably take back departs Venice at 19:39 (7:39 PM) and arrives to Trieste at 21:44 (9:44 PM).  The next arrivale at Trieste isn't until 22:55, too late for you to get back on time.

 

So you'd have about nine hours in Venice.  You'll see what you can see in that time, which won't be a whole lot because of the crushing crowds.  

 

I agree with Marazul, don't waste time and energy going back to Trieste that night, only to leave again the next morning.  Yes, it's more money (paying for a night at a hotel that you've already paid for on the ship), but on vacation time is at least as precious as money.

Edited June 29, 2023 by euro cruiser

[NCteacherlovescruising]

16 hours ago, marazul said:

Two hours. Seriously consider giving up the last night on board and staying in Venice instead.

It’s 2 hours one way from where we dock to Venice?  I told my dh this and he agrees we wouldn’t want to waste all that time. 
 

16 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

You need to check your itinerary and see where your ship is actually docking. Ships of MSC's size are not legally allowed to call on Venice proper-- it will be a satellite port that can be a decent distance from the city. 

 

I agree that you should get off the night early to have 2 full nights in Venice but just make sure you know when you get off that day early where you'll be because it won't directly be in Venice. 

 

Our first cruise, Athens to Venice, is on the NCL Pearl.  We are docking in Trieste. I talked to dh last night and I believe we will stay the night in Venice. 
 

16 hours ago, marazul said:

You get off in Trieste. On June 11 take the transfer from the ship to Piazzale Roma in Venice and stay in Venice.  Going back to the ship for the last night does not compare to staying in Venice.

 

Note: Check my post #3 above. You may have read it before I edited it and added a lot of stuff to it.

 

I agree now that I realize how long it takes to get there. 
 

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

 

I started to say I don't understand this, given that the ship is not going anywhere that night, but then it occurred to me that 11 PM is probably the time they close access to the port, so you couldn't get back on board if you arrive back later than this.

 

It's a little over 1 km/about three-quarters of a mile on foot from the cruise port in Trieste to the train station, so allow at least a half hour to get there, buy tickets, and find your train.

 

There are trains to Venice at 7:07. 7:16, and then not until 8:16.  I don't know if you can make the first ones, it depends on how quickly they start letting you off the ship.  Because of this, I would not purchase these tickets ahead of time (well, also because only the first one is a seat reserved train, the next two are regionales, so they can't sell out).

 

The train trip takes a little over two hours in each case.  The Frecce is no faster than the regionales.

 

The last train you could reasonably take back departs Venice at 19:39 (7:39 PM) and arrives to Trieste at 21:44 (9:44 PM).  The next arrivale at Trieste isn't until 22:55, too late for you to get back on time.

 

So you'd have about nine hours in Venice.  You'll see what you can see in that time, which won't be a whole lot because of the crushing crowds.  

 

I agree with Marazul, don't waste time and energy going back to Trieste that night, only to leave again the next morning.  Yes, it's more money (paying for a night at a hotel that you've already paid for on the ship), but on vacation time is at least as precious as money.

I agree. I think we will disembark early and stay in Venice. Our time in Venice is worth more that!

[marazul]

32 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

It’s 2 hours one way from where we dock to Venice?  I told my dh this and he agrees we wouldn’t want to waste all that time. 

It is two hours if you get on the shuttle bus at the pier and drive straight to Venice. It is longer if you have to go to the train station and wait for a train that also takes 2 hours to get there.

 

I am glad you decided to skip the last night in the ship and stay in Venice. 

 

Also give some thought to spending two nights in Venice and the rest of the time in Rome.  You can't do everything and shortchanging Florence will not do it any justice.  Consider saving Florence for another trip. Quality time in Venice and Rome is best given the time you have.

Edited June 29, 2023 by marazul

[NCteacherlovescruising]

49 minutes ago, marazul said:

It is two hours if you get on the shuttle bus at the pier and drive straight to Venice. It is longer if you have to go to the train station and wait for a train that also takes 2 hours to get there.

 

I am glad you decided to skip the last night in the ship and stay in Venice. 

 

Also give some thought to spending two nights in Venice and the rest of the time in Rome.  You can't do everything and shortchanging Florence will not do it any justice.  Consider saving Florence for another trip. Quality time in Venice and Rome is best given the time you have.

I’d like to stay in or near the center of things. What area is that?  Any hotel recommendations?

[marazul]

20 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I’d like to stay in or near the center of things. What area is that?  Any hotel recommendations?

The center of things in Venice is St Mark's square.  Look for hotels in that neighborhood.  Hotel prices range from stratospheric to reasonably-priced (for Venice).  Go to Google maps and bring up Venice and search for hotels. They will pop up with prices.  Search this board for hotel recommendations.  

[ollienbertsmum]

We stayed near to the two transport hubs, Santa Maria train station and Piazzale Roma.  This required us walking over just one bridge to our hotel when arriving on the bus from Venice airport.  It was then convenient for travel in and out of Venice.  It was also right opposite the Vaporetto stop.   The hotel was called La Locanda di Orsaria.  It was quite basic but clean and comfortable, good breakfast and i loved the location.   We went to St Marks Square a few times (some intentionally and some by accident as we were just wandering around Venice).     I just searched it and notice that it is currently much cheaper than we paid in Sept 2019.  I suspect there are fewer overnights in Venice.  

 

Spending the last night of the cruise in Venice makes complete sense.  I am sure that you will not be alone.  

 

I am trying to decide if I would spend a night in Florence and then move on to Rome, but think that you would then be moving on to Naples rather than Civitivecchia.  It does seem like a lot of travelling.  It will only work if you travel light.  Here I mean Rick Steves type rolling luggage.  You will be an outfit repeater in your photos but it will make a great deal of difference as you are moving about.  

 

Where is your second cruise going??  Sounds like a fantastic summer. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

2 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

We stayed near to the two transport hubs, Santa Maria train station and Piazzale Roma.  This required us walking over just one bridge to our hotel when arriving on the bus from Venice airport.  It was then convenient for travel in and out of Venice.  It was also right opposite the Vaporetto stop.   The hotel was called La Locanda di Orsaria.  It was quite basic but clean and comfortable, good breakfast and i loved the location.   We went to St Marks Square a few times (some intentionally and some by accident as we were just wandering around Venice).     I just searched it and notice that it is currently much cheaper than we paid in Sept 2019.  I suspect there are fewer overnights in Venice.  

 

Thanks!

2 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

Spending the last night of the cruise in Venice makes complete sense.  I am sure that you will not be alone.  

 

Yes, we agree now that we know how far it is from the ship. 

2 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 It will only work if you travel light.  Here I mean Rick Steves type rolling luggage.  You will be an outfit repeater in your photos but it will make a great deal of difference as you are moving about.  

 

We plan to travel light. 

2 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

Where is your second cruise going??  Sounds like a fantastic summer. 

Second cruise is Naples, Messina, Malta, at sea, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples (July 15-22) We just have to decide what’s most important for us to see between Venice, Tuscany, and Rome before we head to Naples. I’m hoping to spend a couple days in this area post cruise to see the Amalfi Coast and possibly Pompeii.