Italy itin - please help!

[Amanda Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Amanda]

hi everyone. I am planning a trip to Italy for this coming June and I wanted to see if you could offer some advice as I have gotten some great advice from this crowd in the past!

I would lilke to go to Florence, Rome and a beachy area (trying not to do too much in one trip and have some relaxation in addition to siteseeing mixed in) -- an Italian friend suggested that Sperlonga is a nice beach vacation area very close to Rome so I was thinking a few nights in Florence, train to Rome, a few nights there and then train to Sperlonga for a few nights. I want to spend between 10-15 nights in total -- how should I split up the nights?

2-4 in Florence? then 3-4 in Rome? then 4-6 at the beach?

Also where would you look for good prices on hotels? I don't need anything fancy - more interested in good location for walking to sites/restaurants/bars, clean/safe and not too expensive.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! thank you!

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

For me, 4-6 days at the beach when there is soooooooo much to see would be too much, but however you divide the time up, take a look at Hotels, hotel reservations, from luxury to cheap hotels - venere.com They include reviews; they are easy to use--and most important, they easy to make changes with. We had to make a change, and I was trembling in my boots about whether it would happen, etc. Not a hitch!

If it were me, I'd definitely add a trip to Pompii; that's something you can see no where else. There's a train from Naples to Pompii; it lets you off right at the gate to Pompii. We took the train from Rome to Naples, changed to the one going to Pompii. Got off and saw Pompii and spent the night in Sorento, and the next day, we took a bus down the Amalfi coast; then, stayed another night in Sorento. It would definitely be possible to do Pompii as a day trip from Rome.

I'd also consider spending a night or two in Venice; it, too, is unique. I'm assuming you are flying in/out of Rome. You could take the train to Venice and "work your way down."

One thing is certain, no matter what you do with your time, you'll have a great vacation.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Hi Amanda,

Planning a trip to Italy, how exciting!

If it were me, I'd spend 2-3 days in Florence......5 days in Rome, and the remainder on the Almalfi Coast.

The Amalfi Coast is my favorite part of Italy (about 2 1/2 hrs out of Rome) and there are plenty of towns within easy reach of each other to easily spend a week. Pompeii, as Pstreet1 has suggested is one of them. Capri, Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano.......

You can fly into Florence, take a car or train to
Rome, same from Rome to the Amalfi Coast, and then Fly home from Naples....Just a thought!

Amalfi Coast Travel Information and Travel Guide - Italy - Lonely Planet


edited to add:

http://www.travelchannel.com/interes...s-best-beaches

hi everyone. I am planning a trip to Italy for this coming June and I wanted to see if you could offer some advice as I have gotten some great advice from this crowd in the past!

I would lilke to go to Florence, Rome and a beachy area (trying not to do too much in one trip and have some relaxation in addition to siteseeing mixed in) -- an Italian friend suggested that Sperlonga is a nice beach vacation area very close to Rome so I was thinking a few nights in Florence, train to Rome, a few nights there and then train to Sperlonga for a few nights. I want to spend between 10-15 nights in total -- how should I split up the nights?

2-4 in Florence? then 3-4 in Rome? then 4-6 at the beach?

Also where would you look for good prices on hotels? I don't need anything fancy - more interested in good location for walking to sites/restaurants/bars, clean/safe and not too expensive.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! thank you!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Positano IMO after being there is a must do, from there you can go to Capri and Sorrento for day trips by small boat. There is a small beach in Positano but you are surrounded by water.
Another place that you can spend 3-4 days at is Assasi where you can see St Frances tomb.

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

Here's a link for 1/2 off for a day trip from Florence that might be of interest:

Siena and San Gimignano Day Trip from Florence, Florence Day Trips | Viator.com

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

Also, you might join Viator (it's free). Their list of 63 things to do in Florence might help you plan even if you have no desire to purchase a tour from them.

Florence Tours, Florence Sightseeing Tours, Day Trips & Things to Do in Florence | Viator.com

[Amanda Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Amanda]

Thank you all very much!!! So much to think about and explore I should mention that I am currently living in Dublin, Ireland (since last year), so travel around Europe is much easier these days for me :-) -- I didn't want to squeeze too much into the one trip so that we do have time to relax etc since we really look forward to that during any time away from work but of course, I want to make the most out of my first trip to Italy! I will now spend the next few hours looking through the websites you sent to me and planning & dreaming! THANKS a lot!!!

[Amanda Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Amanda]

WOW Pstreet1 -- the prices on venere are awesome!!!!! thanks so much for recommending it...