Pisa Rome and Florence

OLDYELLAR

Right so Monday fortnight myself the bf and a couple of mates are off to Italy for 5 night.

We fly into Pisa at 11.00ish at night on the monday night and we leave Pisa at 5.00 pm on the saturday so we have 5 nights.

The plan we came up with is spend the first night in Pisa and do the Leaning tower and a quick look arouind on the tuesday and then make our way to Rome to stay there Tuesday and Wednesday , Travel up to Florence on the Thursday stay there Thursday night and then back to Pisa on the friday to stay there so were near the airport for saturday.

Now as it stands this is all up in the air and seems very rushed Ive no idea of the distance between these places or the prices of trains or if the above is even possible in 5 days , anybody here done anything similar?

Id be interested in suggestions on the best way to go about the above if it is possible and advice on the trains such as prices etc , none of us have a word of Itlian either so if train tickets could be gotten online itd be great

Thanks in advance.

killbillvol2

You can check the train situation here:

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Florence to Rome is just over an hour and a half and trains are very reasonable in Italy, about €30 for that trip.

The whole itinerary seems a bit rushed tbh. Florence is an interesting city and you won't see much of Rome in 2 days.

OLDYELLAR

I guess cutting out Florence could be an option , itd be a shame but Im thinking myself the whole thing would be very rushed and unrelaxing if its all train time tables an stuff.

Thanks for that link by the way

Ive found a fairly nice and cheap hotel in Rome only problem is it appears to be 40 mins from the city centre , theres 4 of us so I dunno how thatd work out with a taxi price wise , Ive to look into if theres a metro near this place but Im open to suggestions on Hotels in a good situation in Rome and fairly reasonably priced.

SoupyNorman

Me and the gf went to rome in Feb for 4 nights and being extremley active in our sightseeing we still did not get everything in. Its definatly worth while spending a bit of time there, heres some tips.

Get in line for the vatican museum(inc. cistine chapel) at 7:30am at the latest because by the time it opens at 8:30 the queue is at leats a half mile and it closes at 12:30pm so there is people who queue too late and dont even get in.

If you do go to the vatican museum DO NOT take a tour, you will be approached by people you operate independantly from the museum and its about 60euro and takes a mind numbing 3hours.

At the colleseum you will be approached by the same crowd, here DO take the tour as its 20-30 euro which includes the entrance fee and you get to skip the queue to get in.

Other then that, its gorgeous but really really rip-0ff expensive especially taxis, you would be by far better to pay a little extra for a hotel in the centre of Rome as it would save a great deal of hassle, money and you could walk to nearly all the sights.

killbillvol2

OLDYELLAR wrote:

I guess cutting out Florence could be an option , itd be a shame but Im thinking myself the whole thing would be very rushed and unrelaxing if its all train time tables an stuff.

Thanks for that link by the way

Ive found a fairly nice and cheap hotel in Rome only problem is it appears to be 40 mins from the city centre , theres 4 of us so I dunno how thatd work out with a taxi price wise , Ive to look into if theres a metro near this place but Im open to suggestions on Hotels in a good situation in Rome and fairly reasonably priced.

The metro in Rome is excellent so a hotel near it would be handy. Last time I stayed in Rome I stayed in a hotel near the main railway station (Termini). Hotels in that area are reasonably priced and obviously, as a transport hub, it's easy to get around from there. A lot of buses terminate there as well and it has a metro stop. Unfortunately, the area's pretty dodgy, especially at night. It didn't really bother me as I live in a part of Dublin that has its fair share of vermin but it could be an issue.

I'll see if I can root out some details tomorrow and post them then.

MrJones

5 days is not much but sure you can pack all the sights in!
apparently pisa is a lovely little town/city as well/not just the place where leaning tower is.
florence is really nice. small city with an old town part. lots of narrow streets. the doumo is amazing.
rome is fanstastic. best city in world imo (although ive still to go to mexico city and new york!). best thing to do in rome is just walk around and you will stumble across all the great monuments.

Begs

Just back from 2 weeks in Northern Italy. I would agree that Rome needs more time and you may be wiser spending more time around Pisa than spending your hols in a train to Rome, Florence, etc.

I would recommend going north by train from Pisa to La Spezia and onto the Cinque Terre area. Not sure what you and your mates are into but these 5 towns are excellent to visit and explore around. I hate visiting cities on hols - too much hassle and bother - this area is very relaxing. A 3 day ticket that includes unlimited train and walking between the 5 towns costs 13 euro.

Beruthiel

Oldyellar
You could spend a week in Rome on it's own.
I think you are trying to get too much into such a short space of time, you'll spend half your holiday traveling.
I'd just do Rome this time and take in Florence next time you go, which you will, because Italy is fantastic.

OLDYELLAR

Yea Im thinking the plan is now first and last night in Pisa for the airport and all that an spend the 3 nights in between in Rome.

Any recommendations on a hotel in Rome at all?

Ill check out that train site properly tonight and Hopefully Ive a hotel a bit more central than the one Im originally lookin at which is Petra , any of ye have any experince with this hotel?


Ryanair site says its 10 or 16km from the centre of Rome I cant remember off the top of my head but the reviews I read said it was between 40 and 50 mins out , Actually looks very nice and its fairly cheap I dunno though getting to and from it will be the real decider .

Ou so excited Yayness .

Ou and thanx for all the tips so far folks , much appreciated

jester77

If you are only spending 5 days then maybe leave out Rome, lots to see round Tuscany. I know it's the main attraction but you could spend the whole 5 days there. I would say 1 day in Pisa, nothing to see besides the tower but you have to wait for ever to get up the tower, 2 days in Florence, a day in Siena (lovely medieval city) and a day in Livorno. Make Rome a full on trip next time. At least this way everything wouldn't be rushed!

The Hill Billy

If you're going to the Vatican here's one that not too many tourists find & it's quite spectacular...

Inside St Peter's Basillica - there are large columns on either side. The very last column on the left has a doorway in it. It is not sign-posted, but there may be a small sign above it with something like "Grotta del Morto". Go though the door & down the staircase. This brings you into a crypt that contains St Peter's remains & the tombs of a whole heap of Popes. When I was there the basillica was quite packed, but there were only 4 or 5 other people down there. A good find.

Only climb the Cupola if you are not even slightly claustrophobic. It's worth the view, but the climb & descent are a bit hairy.

bornok

Planning to go to Rome by midterm break with my son and my wife, thinking of taking a plane or bring my car, which one you suggest the best to travel?

TS thanks for the thread it gives me a window:)