Florence Itinerary Help

lro1012

New member
We will be visiting Florence in mid-October. We will be coming in on a Sunday from Paris and will be leaving Wednesday. We would love to see some interesting things in Florence plus take a side trip to Pisa and Siena if possible. Problem is, we are meeting friends for dinner Monday night and have a cooking class scheduled for Tuesday night. We know we want to see the Duomo (the museum will be closed) and I think Accademia. Truthfully, we are going to be seeing a lot of museums in Paris so might want to see something a little different than Uffizi. So, it boils down to the fact that we only have about 1/2 day Sunday, all day Monday (when museums are closed) and all day Tuesday (but have to be back by dinnertime both of those nights). We were also debating whether or not to fly into Pisa from Paris. Could you please give me some suggestions of how to best utilize our time? We are 3 women in our 60s and it's all getting to be a little overwhelming. Thank you!
 
Itin help in Florence

Buongiorno -

I know exactly what you mean about maybe being a bit overdone on the museums. Perhaps you could check out having a guided tour of Florence on Sunday and let your tour guide turn the streets of Florence into your museum. Many times they know lots of fun places to stop by that aren't normally on your list of things to do, and this would make your memories of Florence extra special. I have lived here for several years but I never pass up the opportunity to tour the city with a professional, in fact just yesterday I spent the morning with Elena, and I found her to be enthusiastic about what she does, speaking with a very clear English and extremely knowledgeable.

As for Pisa and Siena - you can easily visit via bus or train on Monday and Tuesday - and be back in time for your programmed events. Or you could look into a programmed tour, which takes any hassle of clock watching off your mind.

Buon Viaggio
 
Florence - Pisa and Cinque Terre

Hello - we will be travelling to Florence in May (arriving afternoon of May 14 and leaving evening of May 18), this safely gives us 3.5 days. We wanted to visit both Pisa and Cinque Terre. Due to time we can only visit Riomaggiore and not all 5 villages. We wanted to get your opinion on the how best to divide our time and whether going to both places is a good option given the time.

1. divide over 1.5 days: Start early on May 15 and go to Pisa. Spend half a day in Pisa then go to Riomaggiore. Spend the remainder of the day there and stay the night. Return to Florence on May 16.

2. one day trip: Start early on May 15 and go to Riomaggiore. Spend majority of the day there and then head to Pisa and return to Florence at night.

We would spend the remainder of the time in Florence.

In your opinion is the above doable or too ambitious? Is it best to make the trip ourselves or book a tour?
thank you for your help.
 
Ciao Amasud,

I'd go for option #1 as it gives you more time to enjoy both Pisa and Riomaggiore - although I would suggest to take the train all the way to VERNAZZA or MANAROLA and see/stay there. The trail along the coast between Riomaggiore and Vernazza is completely closed, while you can do a piece between Vernazza and Monterosso. It is just that these other two towns I think are more symbolic of the CT than Riomaggiore and only a few more minutes on the train so not that much further ;-).
 
First Pisa

Buongiorno,

I totally agree with Lourdes. Once you get to CT, it is so easy to get caught up in all that there is to see it will be hard for you to tear yourself away and go to visit Pisa.

Plus, I must admit one of my best memories of CT is being there to watch the sunset and then a leisurely dinner at one of the restaurants. It's magical.

You can definitely take the train and hike a bit, but try to get a boat taxi at least for a short trip back, CT is absolutely amazing seen from the ocean.

Buon Viaggio
 
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