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Mad Cow's Italy trip discussion thread (2 Viewers)

Where should we go for our trip?

  • Italy

    Votes: 96 76.2%
  • France/Paris

    Votes: 18 14.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 12 9.5%

  • Total voters
    126
Doctor Detroit said:
Worst

Tourists

I lived in Europe for 15 years, so that's like 750 weeks, we are the worst. Sorry this makes people butthurt, but the :cry: about Parisians is just funny to me. They aren't any worse than Romans and are a lot better than almost any German IMO.

Americans don't adapt well, that's what I have heard before. That's a polite way of saying spoiled, and I agree with it 100%. Not all of us are this way of course, but I'd say from my experience it is a majority. Knowing you suck is half the battle. :mellow:
I haven't been to Rome. Parisians are worse than:

Germans in Hamburg

Belgians in Antwerp and Brugge

English in London and Felixstowe

Italians in Turin

Welsh in Caldicot

Spanish in Cartagena

French in Burgundy

Chileans in Santiago

Mexicans in Monterrey

Puerto Ricans in San Juan

Chinese in Wuxi and Beijing

Koreans in Ulsan

New Zealanders on the south island

In all of those cases other than China and Korea, I either speak the language or can read it. I don't send my food back. I don't get get drunk and act like a bro.

I understand - Americans have a reputation we've earned - we're the worst tourists. So do Parisians - they're the rudest.

The only place that has compared to Paris in that regard is Hawaii in isolated instances.
I wonder how are New Yorkers to foreigners that doin't speak English?

 
Doctor Detroit said:
Worst

Tourists

I lived in Europe for 15 years, so that's like 750 weeks, we are the worst. Sorry this makes people butthurt, but the :cry: about Parisians is just funny to me. They aren't any worse than Romans and are a lot better than almost any German IMO.

Americans don't adapt well, that's what I have heard before. That's a polite way of saying spoiled, and I agree with it 100%. Not all of us are this way of course, but I'd say from my experience it is a majority. Knowing you suck is half the battle. :mellow:
I haven't been to Rome. Parisians are worse than:

Germans in Hamburg

Belgians in Antwerp and Brugge

English in London and Felixstowe

Italians in Turin

Welsh in Caldicot

Spanish in Cartagena

French in Burgundy

Chileans in Santiago

Mexicans in Monterrey

Puerto Ricans in San Juan

Chinese in Wuxi and Beijing

Koreans in Ulsan

New Zealanders on the south island

In all of those cases other than China and Korea, I either speak the language or can read it. I don't send my food back. I don't get get drunk and act like a bro.

I understand - Americans have a reputation we've earned - we're the worst tourists. So do Parisians - they're the rudest.

The only place that has compared to Paris in that regard is Hawaii in isolated instances.
I wonder how are New Yorkers to foreigners that doin't speak English?
We can usually just point to where we need them to drive us on a map.

 
I've been to France. Paris is kinda cool, except for all the French people. They're awful human beings. Outside of Paris things got better.

Voted Italy.
Seriously. I won't be back to France outside of work based on the people alone. Oh, and CDG Paris airport might be hell.

 
I've been to France. Paris is kinda cool, except for all the French people. They're awful human beings. Outside of Paris things got better.

Voted Italy.
Seriously. I won't be back to France outside of work based on the people alone. Oh, and CDG Paris airport might be hell.
Yes, CDG is the most haphazardly laid out airport that I have ever been to.

 
So, starting to contact RTI and other travel sites. Would I be dumb to try solo for the first trip? I just don't want to be locked down in some van with 30 octogenarians, but at the same time if it makes a great experience to go in groups, I can understand that as well.

 
So, starting to contact RTI and other travel sites. Would I be dumb to try solo for the first trip? I just don't want to be locked down in some van with 30 octogenarians, but at the same time if it makes a great experience to go in groups, I can understand that as well.
You give up a lot of flexibility taking one of these. Personally I'd hate it, but many folks like them. Completely IMO, but if you do Rome all you really need is a block of days and a hotel room. We walked everywhere but the Vatican and Borghese, and took the subway for those. I don't see where an outfit is needed if you're willing to plan out a bit.

 
So, starting to contact RTI and other travel sites. Would I be dumb to try solo for the first trip? I just don't want to be locked down in some van with 30 octogenarians, but at the same time if it makes a great experience to go in groups, I can understand that as well.
You give up a lot of flexibility taking one of these. Personally I'd hate it, but many folks like them. Completely IMO, but if you do Rome all you really need is a block of days and a hotel room. We walked everywhere but the Vatican and Borghese, and took the subway for those. I don't see where an outfit is needed if you're willing to plan out a bit.
We were wanting maybe some Tuscany and some either Amalfi Coast or the Cinque Terre, which seems about the same,

 
I did my first trip solo and was glad I did. Especially in Italy, there aren't a ton of complicated accommodations you have to make. I cannot recommend Rick Steves' books highly enough if you go this route -- it has a ton of information on clean/cheap high quality B&Bs. Worth its weight in gold, IMO. Tours are ok, but it tends to be a lot of "hop on the bus, hop off the bus" -- I prefer to make my own schedule. And some of the best experiences will be in the evenings, long after the tour buses have departed.

Amalfi Coast is a perfect example of this. The experience between breezing through the towns in a day on a tour and spending a night or two in one of the towns is night and day.

 
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I did my first trip solo and was glad I did. Especially in Italy, there aren't a ton of complicated accommodations you have to make. I cannot recommend Rick Steves' books highly enough if you go this route -- it has a ton of information on clean/cheap high quality B&Bs. Worth its weight in gold, IMO. Tours are ok, but it tends to be a lot of "hop on the bus, hop off the bus" -- I prefer to make my own schedule. And some of the best experiences will be in the evenings, long after the tour buses have departed.

Amalfi Coast is a perfect example of this. The experience between breezing through the towns in a day on a tour and spending a night or two in one of the towns is night and day.
Ordered. Thank you

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?

 
I did my first trip solo and was glad I did. Especially in Italy, there aren't a ton of complicated accommodations you have to make. I cannot recommend Rick Steves' books highly enough if you go this route -- it has a ton of information on clean/cheap high quality B&Bs. Worth its weight in gold, IMO. Tours are ok, but it tends to be a lot of "hop on the bus, hop off the bus" -- I prefer to make my own schedule. And some of the best experiences will be in the evenings, long after the tour buses have departed.

Amalfi Coast is a perfect example of this. The experience between breezing through the towns in a day on a tour and spending a night or two in one of the towns is night and day.
Ordered. Thank you
:hifive: Highly recommended for DIY Europe, wherever you go. Rick is the man in my book!

 
So, starting to contact RTI and other travel sites. Would I be dumb to try solo for the first trip? I just don't want to be locked down in some van with 30 octogenarians, but at the same time if it makes a great experience to go in groups, I can understand that as well.
My wife and I did a group tour of Italy last year. This one: http://www.globusjourneys.com/Product.aspx?trip=4LB

It was fine for us. We were definitely the youngest people on the tour by at least 15 years (we're about 35). We wanted to see a lot in a limited amount of time, and thought it was the only way we could make it work; we definitely saw a lot more than we would have if we were on our own. Our intention is to go back, and do a trip by ourselves, and have a bit more of a relaxing time in Tuscany, Amalfi, or Lake Como.

It really depends on the pace you are looking for. If you want to lounge around with a relaxing breakfast and morning, a group tour is not the right trip for that. It's a pretty on the go pace.

 
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So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Sounds awesome. For us, a big part of planning is to try and get direct flights. American flies direct to and from Rome and Milan. If you drive from Florence to Siena make sure to take sr222, the Via Chiantigiana. You can stop in all little town in the Chianti region.

I would consider taking the train from Rome to Naples.

 
So, starting to contact RTI and other travel sites. Would I be dumb to try solo for the first trip? I just don't want to be locked down in some van with 30 octogenarians, but at the same time if it makes a great experience to go in groups, I can understand that as well.
You give up a lot of flexibility taking one of these. Personally I'd hate it, but many folks like them. Completely IMO, but if you do Rome all you really need is a block of days and a hotel room. We walked everywhere but the Vatican and Borghese, and took the subway for those. I don't see where an outfit is needed if you're willing to plan out a bit.
We were wanting maybe some Tuscany and some either Amalfi Coast or the Cinque Terre, which seems about the same,
We did the Amalfi part of the trip, so I can expound there greatly (and loved it - it was awesome). I have heard nothing but good things about Tuscany and Cinque Terre, though.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).
Good info. So train and bus would be very doable for that area?

 
There are some similarities between Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, but they are both very different. AC more for the higher end, CT for a more local experience.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).
Good info. So train and bus would be very doable for that area?
Also, ferries between towns

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).
Then I change my recommendation to not getting a car at all.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).
Good info. So train and bus would be very doable for that area?
We had no issues. Positano, where we stayed, was only by bus, but we found a schedule and made do just fine. (Positano was the "romantic" part of the trip and it was certainly that - we stayed right next to the Le Sirenuse with those views). Parking there was almost impossible anyway. We managed a trip to Amalfi and Ravello by bus without issue. So many tourists are there without cars a lot of the restaurants will send a car to pick you up. If you wanted something more centrally located with train service Sorrento is an option.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Just to throw a wrench in your plans, you could consider Milan (with day trips to Lake Como region, Verona, or even Venice), then to Florence with day trips around Tuscany and Cinque Terra and end the trip in Rome.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Just to throw a wrench in your plans, you could consider Milan (with day trips to Lake Como region, Verona, or even Venice), then to Florence with day trips around Tuscany and Cinque Terra and end the trip in Rome.
I would love other suggestions to consider. Thanks.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).
Video of the coast road. Very tight and lots of cases where cars have to reverse to let buses through, etc. Parking is also a bear, so if driven that would be something to have planned out. Not saying it isn't doable, but I'm glad we didn't have to drive this thing.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
:no:

The Amalfi coast road is nuts. We went local and took a train to Naples, the local train to Sorrento, then a bus to Positano. Worked great for us. But driving that road? Yeah, that would be a no.

And there is zero need to have a car in Rome. You can walk or subway anywhere (except the catacombs out of town).
Video of the coast road. Very tight and lots of cases where cars have to reverse to let buses through, etc. Parking is also a bear, so if driven that would be something to have planned out. Not saying it isn't doable, but I'm glad we didn't have to drive this thing.
A friend of a friend's family rented a car and were driving on the Amalfi Coast and literally drove off the cliff and the family died. So yeah, I would not drive at all in the Amalfi Coast region if at all possible. And honestly with the public transportation, there is little need to. The only place I would consider a car is the Tuscany region, because if you want to get to some of the smaller towns it is tougher using public transportation. But we did a bus to Siena and a train to Cinque Terre and that worked out fine. No need for a car in Rome, buses will suffice. And the train system is good enough connecting from town to town that you will be fine using that (book italo where possible over the national train, it's cheaper/faster/newer).

One other thought -- for us, Milan and Rome were the two cheapest places to fly into. We ended up flying into Rome, then going South to Sorrento to do the Amalfi area, then backtracking a bit to take the train up to Florence. It's really only 2.5 hours from Naples to Florence, so you're only backtracking an hour and a half or so.

 
There are some similarities between Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, but they are both very different. AC more for the higher end, CT for a more local experience.
The time of year that you go would make me favor one of these areas more than the other too.

 
With the internet and other resources, I would avoid group tours I have found most cities/towns in Europe to be very easy to get around in.

 
Myself and everyone I was with on the Amalfi Coast got car sick with all the twists and turns on the roadways. I would definitely not feel safe driving a car on those roads either. I only spent a day there, but as I mentioned earlier I preferred Cinque Terre.

Also, we flew into Milan due to the cheaper flights and started in Cinque Terre (which was a cool way to kick off a vacation) then a train to Florence, then a train to Rome, then a train to Naples, then amalfi coast/capri, then pompeii, then overnight train to venice, then an overnight train to Paris.

This was Oct. of 2010.

I also highly recommend the Rick Steves books and he also has dvds/videos which you could probably get at your local library.

HTH

 
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I can see taking a train from Rome to Naples but I think you're missing out if you don't drive through Tuscany to Rome.

 
I can see taking a train from Rome to Naples but I think you're missing out if you don't drive through Tuscany to Rome.
Can Americans drive in Italy without a special license of some sort?
Yes.

I asked in the South of France thread about an International Drivers License but people seem to think it isn't necessary. We've been to Italy 4 times and never had an issue with car rentals.

 
our 20th will be sept of 15. we are talking about delaying it a little and skiing austria and switzerland that winter.

 
So, would it be reasonable to say, fly into Florence, spend a couple of days in Tuscany via Siena, hit Rome for a few, then head to Amalfi and fly out of Naples? Would you do auto, trains, bus, drivers?
Fly to Florence, bus from there to Siena and other day trips. Train from Florence to Rome. I cant speak to the train system along Amalfi. Something tells me a car might be better there. But don't drive in Rome.
I can't recommend Walkabout Tours enough for their Best of Tuscany Tour. Trust me on this...

https://www.walkaboutflorence.com/tours/best-tuscany-tour

 
Lots of 20ths! Good to hear.

Ours it Oct 1st and we're doing Paris/Lyon/South of France/Milan in the middle of September.

 
I've been to France. Paris is kinda cool, except for all the French people. They're awful human beings. Outside of Paris things got better.

Voted Italy.
Seriously. I won't be back to France outside of work based on the people alone. Oh, and CDG Paris airport might be hell.
\/\/o\/\/

I've been to CDG ~20x and I disagree completely. Sounds like someone is intimidated.

 
So I got that Rick Steve's book, and :eek: It is immense. I am sure I will love it either way, but I need someone with experience to offer their best recommendation on where to fly in, out of and what would be great for a noob. It is overwhelming. I read a section and think, I cannot miss that. Then another. My head is spinning.

Oh, and is theft and pickpocketing as bad as he makes it seem? You read about Rome and it seems like you will be lucky to get out of there with 2 cents to your name.

 
So I got that Rick Steve's book, and :eek: It is immense. I am sure I will love it either way, but I need someone with experience to offer their best recommendation on where to fly in, out of and what would be great for a noob. It is overwhelming. I read a section and think, I cannot miss that. Then another. My head is spinning.

Oh, and is theft and pickpocketing as bad as he makes it seem? You read about Rome and it seems like you will be lucky to get out of there with 2 cents to your name.
I've been 4 times to Rome and never saw an incident around me happen. I do usually carry my wallet in my front pocket whenever I'm in Europe though. And my wife makes sure to carry her handbag with the strap across her. I wouldn't get too concerned but take precautions. I saw 2 incidents in Amsterdam on the same trip.

 
So I got that Rick Steve's book, and :eek: It is immense. I am sure I will love it either way, but I need someone with experience to offer their best recommendation on where to fly in, out of and what would be great for a noob. It is overwhelming. I read a section and think, I cannot miss that. Then another. My head is spinning.

Oh, and is theft and pickpocketing as bad as he makes it seem? You read about Rome and it seems like you will be lucky to get out of there with 2 cents to your name.
I've been 4 times to Rome and never saw an incident around me happen. I do usually carry my wallet in my front pocket whenever I'm in Europe though. And my wife makes sure to carry her handbag with the strap across her. I wouldn't get too concerned but take precautions. I saw 2 incidents in Amsterdam on the same trip.
A girl I was with in Rome did get her wallet stolen but she opened up her purse to get her camera and left it open while she took pictures. That kind of thing could happen anywhere. Don't be stupid and you should be fine.

 
So I got that Rick Steve's book, and :eek: It is immense. I am sure I will love it either way, but I need someone with experience to offer their best recommendation on where to fly in, out of and what would be great for a noob. It is overwhelming. I read a section and think, I cannot miss that. Then another. My head is spinning.

Oh, and is theft and pickpocketing as bad as he makes it seem? You read about Rome and it seems like you will be lucky to get out of there with 2 cents to your name.
I've been 4 times to Rome and never saw an incident around me happen. I do usually carry my wallet in my front pocket whenever I'm in Europe though. And my wife makes sure to carry her handbag with the strap across her. I wouldn't get too concerned but take precautions. I saw 2 incidents in Amsterdam on the same trip.
Good advice. It's an issue but not a big concern. Just follow general street smarts and you'll be OK.

 
So I got that Rick Steve's book, and :eek: It is immense. I am sure I will love it either way, but I need someone with experience to offer their best recommendation on where to fly in, out of and what would be great for a noob. It is overwhelming. I read a section and think, I cannot miss that. Then another. My head is spinning.

Oh, and is theft and pickpocketing as bad as he makes it seem? You read about Rome and it seems like you will be lucky to get out of there with 2 cents to your name.
Steves has that pickpocketing advice in all of his books - not specific to Rome.

 

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