EDIT: Rebooted the itinerary as I decided to cut Rome for this trip in favour of Lake Garda (love lakes and mountains!!). Also found that Air France allows us to fly into Florence and out of Venice for the same price as a return ticket!
We're traveling to Italy for our honeymoon in early March 2014, would really appreciate help with our itinerary and options in Tuscany.
It's Carnivale in Venice until 4 March, which we want to avoid (we are really averse to crowds and noise and chaos), hence we will start in Florence and end in Venice.
We are not into art or museums, so have decided to stay in the Tuscan countryside (we love natural beauty) and make Florence a day-trip.
Here's our tentative itinerary, with questions in bold:
Day 1 - Arrive at Florence 11.55am (Air France)
Travel to Tuscany accommodation from Florence (by bus or train?)
Day 2-5 - Stay in Tuscany for 4 days (where: Siena? San Gimignano?)
Include a day trip to Florence and one more town in Tuscany (where to visit for natural scenery?)
Day 6 - Leave Tuscany for Lake Garda
Leave early and go to Florence main train station, switch train in Bologna. Have lunch at Bologna. From there take the train to Desenzano or Peschiera del Garda, both located along the southern cost of the Lake.
Day 7-9 - Three full days to explore Lake Garda, including Northern Shore
Day 10 - Travel from Lake Garda to Venice.
Day 11-14 - Four full days in Venice with day trips to Veneto, Verona etc
Day 15 - Depart Venice
As it stands, we are spending 5 nights in Tuscany, which is effectively 4 days excluding arrival day.
Questions:
1) Lodging: Any suggestions on which town we should use as our base in Tuscany? Somewhere beautiful, not crowded, romantic...?
2) Transport: We will not be driving, so will need to stay in a Tuscan town/accommodation that is reasonably well-served by public transport.
3) Where to go: Where could we day-trip to see the best of Tuscany in March weather? We are there for four days but want to plan at a relaxed pace, so I reckon we can schedule two day-trips on alternate days.
4) Things to do: We prefer to explore on our own (it is our honeymoon!) instead of joining a tour. Is this possible to day-trip with public transport?
Would really, really appreciate any advice on our itinerary. Thank you in advance!!
We're traveling to Italy for our honeymoon in early March 2014, would really appreciate help with our itinerary and options in Tuscany.
It's Carnivale in Venice until 4 March, which we want to avoid (we are really averse to crowds and noise and chaos), hence we will start in Florence and end in Venice.
We are not into art or museums, so have decided to stay in the Tuscan countryside (we love natural beauty) and make Florence a day-trip.
Here's our tentative itinerary, with questions in bold:
Day 1 - Arrive at Florence 11.55am (Air France)
Travel to Tuscany accommodation from Florence (by bus or train?)
Day 2-5 - Stay in Tuscany for 4 days (where: Siena? San Gimignano?)
Include a day trip to Florence and one more town in Tuscany (where to visit for natural scenery?)
Day 6 - Leave Tuscany for Lake Garda
Leave early and go to Florence main train station, switch train in Bologna. Have lunch at Bologna. From there take the train to Desenzano or Peschiera del Garda, both located along the southern cost of the Lake.
Day 7-9 - Three full days to explore Lake Garda, including Northern Shore
Day 10 - Travel from Lake Garda to Venice.
Day 11-14 - Four full days in Venice with day trips to Veneto, Verona etc
Day 15 - Depart Venice
As it stands, we are spending 5 nights in Tuscany, which is effectively 4 days excluding arrival day.
Questions:
1) Lodging: Any suggestions on which town we should use as our base in Tuscany? Somewhere beautiful, not crowded, romantic...?
2) Transport: We will not be driving, so will need to stay in a Tuscan town/accommodation that is reasonably well-served by public transport.
3) Where to go: Where could we day-trip to see the best of Tuscany in March weather? We are there for four days but want to plan at a relaxed pace, so I reckon we can schedule two day-trips on alternate days.
4) Things to do: We prefer to explore on our own (it is our honeymoon!) instead of joining a tour. Is this possible to day-trip with public transport?
Would really, really appreciate any advice on our itinerary. Thank you in advance!!
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