Italy for 2 Weeks in July

doc_17

We would like to go to Italy for minimum 2 weeks net summer. Would like to see as spots as possible, Rome, Venice, Lake Garda, etc. Does anyone know if there's a good package deal out there? Thanks for any suggestions!

Yamanoto

I'd recommend you focus on one region and concentrate on that area alone - maybe choosing two different centres to base yourself over the 2+ weeks. Otherwise you'll feel like a Chinese tourist on a whirlwind bus tour, ticking off the sights, but having no real time to appreciate them.

Add in the fact that the likes of Venice & Rome will be thronged & hot & such an itinerary would test the patience of many folks.

Living Off The Splash

You are really better off doing a DIY holiday than booking a package deal. The Travel Department will have many guided excursions but by doing it yourself you can save serious money. Stay somewhere with good train and bus links to other parts of Italy.

Loveinapril

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

You are really better off doing a DIY holiday than booking a package deal. The Travel Department will have many guided excursions but by doing it yourself you can save serious money. Stay somewhere with good train and bus links to other parts of Italy.

I agree. We spent three weeks in Italy on our honeymoon travelling around a few major towns/ cities. We used the trains. They were great, clean and fast. We organised every trip ourselves and no doubt saved a fortune doing so.

lawred2

doc_17 wrote: »

We would like to go to Italy for minimum 2 weeks net summer. Would like to see as spots as possible, Rome, Venice, Lake Garda, etc. Does anyone know if there's a good package deal out there? Thanks for any suggestions!

Forget package deals for Italy. Best to arrange it yourself.

You're prob best not trying to do too much in one trip. There is literally so much to see and do that trying to do too much will mean that you're always going somewhere but actually being nowhere.

The best way to enjoy Italy is to almost stand still and take it all in.

Prob advise against Venice personally but it's somewhere that everyone will feel that they need to see.

lawred2

Loveinapril wrote: »

I agree. We spent three weeks in Italy on our honeymoon travelling around a few major towns/ cities. We used the trains. They were great, clean and fast. We organised every trip ourselves and no doubt saved a fortune doing so.

Agreed. The high speed trains are brilliant.

Loveinapril

lawred2 wrote: »

Prob advise against Venice personally but it's somewhere that everyone will feel that they need to see.

I second this. i felt Venice was over rated and very touristy. A day and night is plenty of time to get a feel for it. By the time the novelty wears of you could be on the train to the next spot! I would highly recommend Florence for a few days. Maybe a trip to a vineyard?

You could fly into Rome and spend a few days there. The train to Florence is 1hr 30 mins. After a few days in Florence, you could take a train to Venice for a day or two (2hrs), then finish up in Lake Garda (less than two hours by train from Venice). You could fly home from Verona then.

lawred2

The Amalfi coast is unmissable in my opinion

wintear

A sample 2 week trip using the train could be:

Fly into Pisa with Ryanair

Spend a couple of days in Lucca (easily reached by train or bus from Pisa) Lucca is a wonderful walled Tuscan town.

Then train to Florence for 4 or 5 days (again train), Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Second only to Rome in my view.

From Florence get the train to Rome but stop in Orvieto for 2 nights. This is a hilltop town in Umbria, you step straight out of the station and across the road is the funicular railway to the old town.

Then back on the train and finish up with 4 or 5 days in Rome the eternal city. So much to see and wonderful just to walk around.
Fly back from Rome from De vinci with Aer Lingus( can get a train from termini) or ciampiano with Ryanair (needs a bus or taxi)

Glass fused light

Get your health cards here www.sspcrs.ie/portal/ehic/
Check your travel insurance do you need to buy it now pre-booking to be covered?

Are you backpackers or kitchen-sinkers? 
Because while most rail stations have left luggage and hotels will keep luggage, the logistics of baggage and living out of a suitcase will make and break most people's holidays. Use net laundry bags to pack 'outfits' if you are moving about as it makes life easier to have a filing system rather than a multiple of individual items to unpack and repack. There are laundromat  www.google.it for  lavanderia.

Fly in to one area and fly out by another.
Car hire locally, return and then use the train to move areas.
Try doing any long train trips at night and confirm late hotel check in by email.
If leaving luggage at the hotel after checkout pick a hotel near your transport route.

The restaurants below are not cheep but I would be planning to spend lunch time as a sitting siesta (riposo, pisolino), where you are up early, take time out in the middle of the day, and keep going late into the night (morning).
  
Fly to Naples, ferry to Capri Stay at least overnight 
Buy a bunch travel tickets as soon as you arrive
Note cars are not allowed in summer so light amounts of carry luggage or wheelies for this island check with hotel on deliveries of luggage if heavy baggage. Take the funicular train from the port to walk your hotel or or the local bus. Note island hotels facing the main port can have the sound of the ferries.
Stone beaches so hotel with pool is a good idea
Boat Tour  Blue Grotto Capri  just a cave but good sea views around the island, or get the the bus from Anacapri.
Anacapri from here, take the chairlift to the summit of Monte Solaro. Cafe at top for meal and drinks.
On the way back for a treat, book lunch/dinner and views, book via www.caesar-augustus.com/en/restaurant or stop in for a glass of wine lovely staff and service or in the main square www.quisisana.com/en/restaurants-and-bars lovely staff and service too.

Capri ferry to Sorrento, Amalfi etc and pick a hotel stay a week or two:D
Amalfi coast tour and pick your pleasures
Pompeii or Herculaneum www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?titolo=Getting+here&idSezione=3367

train up to Rome or fly in to here
On the bucket list.......
Edit
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057625292


Train to Venice I would fly out from here if only doing Rome and Lake Garda then Venice.
I would skip Venice in July it will be packed, the bottle necks are on the bridges. Just do a city break off peak in spring or autumn.  The hotels in Venice can be expensive and service can be iffy. But if you are set on going plan what you want to see using an actual google map (place a to place b) and figure out the walking or waterbus/ferry routes. If staying over,  look at the Mestre and Lodo for hotels.  Figure out what high traffic public buildings are open early or late and try to get in early or after 5/6 when the day trippers leave.  If day tripping plan, no bags, and have active internet (< even if u buy a italian sim)  with an interactive map.
The bar of www.londrapalace.com is a good watering hole before or after a ferry ride.  For dinner/lunch I would recommend www.bauerhotels.com/bauer-de-pisis-restaurant?mobi_bypass=true

train up to Lake Garda
On the bucket list.......

Or lake Como
On the bucket list.......

Train trip over the Alps summer to winter to summer again
On a last 1.5 or 2 days from Lugano near Como bus to Tirano to catch the Bernina Express www.rhb.ch/en/panoramic-trains/bernina-express#info to Chur to Zurich Switzerland and fly out from Zurich 

A good starting point for trains in Italy www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm

If you are very brave you could just book flights in and out and hold off booking hotels until you get there so you can extend your stay or change your destination, but risky in July.:D

careful_now

Cinque Terre is absolutely beautiful. It's on the Italian Riviera, I spent 4 nights here and then moved on to Milan. You can easily go to Rome from Cinque Terre aswell by train so that would be a nice option. All train tickets can be pre booked online before your trip

Living Off The Splash

Next year I will base myself in Bologna for 4 nights. I will visit Parma, Modena and one other city from there on day trips.

I will move down to Ravenna for one night.

I will then move on to the seaside town of Rimini for 3 nights. Then back to Bologna and fly home.

mfceiling

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

Next year I will base myself in Bologna for 4 nights. I will visit Parma, Modena and one other city from there on day trips.

I will move down to Ravenna for one night.

I will then move on to the seaside town of Rimini for 3 nights. Then back to Bologna and fly home.

Bologna is smashing. Really laid back vibe, lots of young people (student central) and food to die for!!

I love Italy more than anywhere I've ever been.

ncmc

Italy is very easy to do DIY, public transport is very good as are the roads if you decide to drive (and Italian drivers aren't as scary as you'd think!) I would concentrate on 3/4 places in two weeks, you don't want to overwhelm yourself. We did Italy a couple of years ago, we spent 3 nights in Rome (we had been before and spent 5 nights so had already seen a lot of the tourist sites) we then went to Lake Garda for 4 days and rented an agriturismo in Tuscany for a week.

We absolutely loved Lake Garda, if it's scenery you're into, go as far north as you can, the real spectacular mountain scenery is up in Malcesine and Riva del Garda. Venice would be easily done from Lake Garda. We only did Florence for a day, I must be the only person in the world who didn't love it. I just found it too manic and busy (although in fairness, we were trying to see the same sites in 1 day as 100'000 Japanese tourists!

pjproby

where is the best place to be based for cinque terre and how many days would you need? Have you any recs for accommodation?

careful_now

pjproby wrote: »

where is the best place to be based for cinque terre and how many days would you need? Have you any recs for accommodation?

I stayed in Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre, beautiful town. It's the smallest of the 5 Cinque Terre towns. The towns are so close together though so you can visit them all so easily. The train line runs between the 5 towns and it only takes 15 mins if you were to travel from the first to the last town and you can hop on hop off. "There are hiking routes between the towns and ferries going to and fro also. I loved all of the towns to be honest. Riomaggiore is probably the steepest town, not ideal if you have hip problems or dislike walking. Manarola, the next town to Riomaggiore is bigger and has more shore line, really lovely spot.
I did 4 nights, I didn't want to leave! But 3 nights you would see everything.

pjproby

thanks very much for information on cinque terre

mfceiling

pjproby wrote: »

thanks very much for information on cinque terre

We stayed in a nearby village called Castlenuovo Magra. Nearby towns were Szarana (lovely night time market) and Carrara (famous marble quarries).

Found Cinque Terre very busy and very touristy.

Fleawuss

I'm going to take you at your word OP about wanting to see as much as possible. It depends on what's a holiday for you: I couldn't stand trying to book everything myself or looking for trains etc. I need total freedom from responsibility if I am to enjoy a holiday. A bus tour can tick a lot of boxes for a first visit to Italy. If you do that go as upmarket as possible: a good hotel at the end of the day is essential.
I would do Rome, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Florence, Milan and Venice. Some bus tour!
PS you will be trampled in July