Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiran403
My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy in September 2023 for 2 weeks. Neither of us have ever been. We both like food and looking at the history/art but would also like to relax a couple days too. We've been deciding whether to do the following travel plans:
Option 1
Milan
Venice
Florence
Rome
Somewhere on the Amalfi Coast
Naples/Pompeii
Option 2
Florence
Rome
Somewhere on the Amalfi Coast
Naples/Pompeii
Sicily
Any recommendations on which would be better or places to check out?
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I went to Italy this summer with my wife for just over 2 weeks and visited all of those locations.
We went
Rome
Naples (day trips to Pomepi/Mt Vesuvius, Amalfi Coast and Capri)
Florence
Venice
Milan
Our tips:
Rome is overrated. St Peters/Sistine Chapel and the Coliseum/ancient ruins areas are must sees. Once you do those, leave Rome. We found the city pretty over rated. I'd only spend a day and a half there if I did it again.
Naples - We stayed in the Spanish Quarter. Naples is hot, crazy and frantic. It was super interesting. Pizza is fantastic there (its where pizza was invented). Many people skip Naples and stay in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast instead. You either love or hate Naples. We loved it, but others hate it. It is rough and has character. The Spanish Quarter is incredibly cool.
Sorrento is nice and you can take the public bus a short distance away to Positano, which is another luxury town in the Amalfi. The town of Amalfi itself is not interesting.
Ferries from Naples and Sorrento go to the island of Capri. It's a very popular day trip. Capri was a highlight of our trip. It's amazing. Words don't do it justice. You must visit. The ferry is a bit shorter from Sorrento than from Naples. If you can find a hotel that isn't too crazy priced, then try to stay a night. Get ferry tickets in advance. The Ferry is 30 mins or an hour depending on where you are coming from.
Pompei is closer to Sorrento than Naples, by about 20-30 mins. We took the train/subway and just booked a 2 hour guided tour there. There's no reason to book a full day tour from the town you're staying in including transportation costs to Pompei. The train/subway stops right at Pompei.
We took a public bus to Mt Vesuvius from Pompei. It takes you right to the top, where you then hike the last bit. You must get tickets in advance which have a set time. We took a public bus back to the train and took a train back. Very easy and way cheaper than a full day tour. My spouse really liked Pompei, it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. There's no bathrooms on Mt Vesuvius, be ready to hold your bladder for several hours. The view is really cool. The ride up the mountain is "interesting".
Florence was great. There are lots of places you can walk to and get great views of the city. The highlight of our trip was doing a half day scooter tour in the Chianti Hills (wine area just outside Florence). We stopped for a prepared lunch in a vineyard. It was incredible. You meet up in Florence and then they bus you to the garage in Chianti and then you ride out. Tuscany is beautiful. Try to do a trip or two outside of Florence. We saw "the David statue" which is a big attraction. The scooter trip was insanely fun. Probably the most fun I had the entire time in Italy.
Venice is interesting. We felt one day there is enough. Get a private water taxi through the canal to your hotel, rather than the crowded public water taxis. It was mesmerizing, like being in a dream when we took the private water taxi to our hotel from the train station. It cost 90 Euros and is worth every penny.
We spent a day at the island of Lido at a beach club (take a public water taxi, it takes 20 minutes). The beach club is like being at a resort in Mexico. It's like $25 for a beach chair. Lido is where the Venice film festival is held.
Milan is a boring big city. We went to an AC Milan soccer game which was a crazy experience and the only thing I really liked about the city. We went to "the last supper" - meh, my wife loves art.
We did a day trip to Lake Como from Milan. That was outstanding. It's amazing there. Take the train to Varenna, explore and then take a ferry to Bellagio and then ferry back to Varenna to take the train back. Very easy. The sights were incredible.
1. Always take the train. It's really efficient, good value and a great experience. Very easy to do. Always take the train.
2. Any attraction you want to see will always require tickets. No exceptions. Always get your tickets in advance. Many attractions/exhibits/sites require you to book months in advance. They have specific times, too.
3. It's very hot in Italy. Air Conditioning isn't widespread. Get ready to sweat.
4. Crowds are insane. Venice has narrow alleys and is insanely packed with people. Florence is also packed. Likewise with Rome.
My advice: skip Milan (but still try to find a way to get to Lake Como!) I'd also spend more time in Tuscany (outside of Florence itself)
Also considering going to Cinque Terre from Florence for a day or two. Many people do one of Cinque Terre or Amalfi coast, but I wish I did both.
I can't offer any advice on Sicily as I haven't been there.