HartmannA

I apologize for being vague-thank you in advance for your help. Our budget has not been established, however, we are not consumed by having to be spend thrift. This is a 2nd honeymoon for us. We would like to see Florence, Venice, Siena, Lucca, and any other locations you may recommend...<BR>

HowardR

We'd love to help, but I think you've got to be less vague. How can we help? How long are going for? What are your interests? Etc., etc., etc.

hdw

I asked in my response to your first post, where are you flying in to and returning from?<BR><BR>Also, do you have 7 days total? or do you have 7 days to sightsee. If you're flying from the US you typically arrive midday the next day in Italy. Additionally, most flights from Venice leave early in the morning. If that is the case then you must plan for 4.5 days in italy.

HowardR

Ooops, you did say how long. Still, we need more info...Your interests? Have you been to Italy before? Do the 7 days include travel days (i.e., how many actual days in Italy)?<BR>For starters, don't expect to get to too many destinations in week's time. Just Florence and Tuscany alone will easily fill the week....and you still won't see and do everything you want to.

Grasshopper

Hi there, You have come to the right place for advice, even though you might feel kind of put off by all these admonitions!<BR><BR>To start with, if you haven't been to Italy, you will love it. Try to fly in to Venice and out of either Florence or Pisa to maximize your time. I would stay in Venice at least two, but preferrably three nights. If you are flying from the US you will be suffering from jetlag and will be tired and not yourself. Then train to Florence and stay there the remainder of your trip, taking a train to Lucca for a morning and Siena by bus for a day.<BR><BR>If you do have another 4 nights after 3 in Venice, I would recommend taking one of the CAF tours to Siena and San Gimignano. It was a fun day with lots to see. If you're interested in wine, they also do a half day Chianti tour that I loved. It will get you out into the countryside so you see more than just the main towns you stay in.<BR><BR>One afternoon, take the #7 bus from Florence to Fiesole (20 min. ride) and see Florence from above. It's a great place to enjoy a sunset.<BR><BR>Do a search on your main destinations and see what hotels you might be interested in. When you narrow it down to something that suits you, post here and get feedback from folks who have stayed there.<BR><BR>Happy planning and Happy 2nd honeymoon!

HartmannA

Not sure where we would fly into- I suppose Rome, seeing as we would like to visit Florence, Siena, Venice. So if you only had 7 days to visit these areas, please advise.

Grasshopper

Where are you departing from? Most likely you will have to do a connection so it's just as easy to end up close to your start and end point. That's why I suggest in to Venice and out of Florence or Pisa (both are easy). Call your airline and see if they can help you.

HowardR

First of all, you still haven't answered our questions:<BR>1. Is it seven days including travel days or besides travel days?<BR>2. What are your interests?<BR>Grasshopper has given some good advice for starting your planning. You could fly into Florence and do Florence and Siena is 4 days and then go to Venice for the rest and fly home from there.<BR>As for your flight, why fly to Rome if you are not spending any time there?

e_roz

This is a great board and can be overwhelming. YOu can enter search terms for each city you are interested in and read chains of chat already entered to research. Once you determine a more specific idea of what you want to do (eat/tour/cook/art lover/cycle/hike) you can ask detailed questions and get great responses from the fodorites! If I had seven days I'd go into Venice 2 nights, Florence 2 nights, S Tuscany 3 nights (not sure how that would work with flights though!) Good luck!

elaine

Here's a general suggestion for a general question.<BR>I'm assuming 7 actual days in Italy, not counting the day you return home.<BR>I'd say base yourself in Florence, spend 3-4 days there, including 1-2 days to Siena and the Tuscan country side. Then train, or fly to Venice<BR>and spend your remaining time there.<BR>I don't know where your home is, but you can either fly home directly from Venice,or change planes on the way home in some other European hub city.<BR><BR>I have files on Florence and Venice; if you'd like to see them, email me at<BR>[email protected]<BR><BR>

Grasshopper

In case you can't find your previous post. If you type your name into the search box your posts will come up.

HartmannA

Thank you all very much for your help even though I lacked details- I appreciate your time.