I'd like to visit Venice, Pisa and Rome in Italy, 7 days on a budget! How/whatis the best way to do this?

Question

Coming from Virginia Beach Va, USA, I wish to go with my husband and daughter on March 22 to 29, 2008.

Answer 1

Hi Rose, I am from Virginia too (Charlottesville area, but lived in Williamsburg for 3 years)

I now live in Lucca, which is right near Pisa.

To visit both Rome and Venice in one trip is really difficult, not that it cannot be done, but if you don't absolutely have your heart set on Venice, I would focus on Rome and the Tuscany area.  You can easily visit Rome, Florence (which I would consider a must see) and Pisa, plus the Lucca area which is simply amazing.  Pisa is a very basic day or even half day trip, there is not much to see other than the tower and the canal.

Lucca is close by though and you could spend the other part of the day there.

I don't come here and answer to try and sell anything, I really love my new home and like sharing.  BUT, I do live at a villa where they rent vacation flats to tourists.  This is a good option to consider- will end up being much less expensive than staying in hotels.  You can choose to eat some meals in, cooking in your Tuscan kitchen, walk around the olive groves, visit the citrus garden every morning to collect oranges for juice, the herb gardens for supplies for dinner.

Plus, renting a villa that week would be considered the off-season so the rates are lower, whereas being around Easter, the prices will increase at hotels.

The villa is located in Viareggio, which is on the seaside just over the mountains from Lucca.

You can easily get to Pisa or Lucca in 20-25 minutes.  Florence is one hour by train and is perfect for day trips.  Rome can be reached via the high speed train in 2.5 hours.  You could go there one day, spend one night in a hotel and come back to your home base the next day.

In addition, Cinqueterra, Portofino, Parma and Siena are all easily reached for day trips.

Good luck with your planning whatever you decide.

-Courtney from Virginia

P.S.  please email me if you have any other questions or would like more information about the villa.

cvillecmd at yahoo.com

Answer 2

I have lived in Italy for 3 years and have been everywhere. This is a very easy thing to do. I would suggest to do Venice first because it is furthest north. Venice is absolutely beautiful but there is not much to actually see. There is the San Marco Square and the San Marco Church located within the square and ofcourse the bridge of sighs wich is about a 5 minute walk from the square. These are the most important things to see on your visit, including a suggested Guandula ride through the city (averaging about 100 euro per person BUT DEF. WORTH IT)  Venice should not take you longer than a day to see and enjoy. Another thing i forgot to mention was that the island Murano (10 minute boat ride from Venice ticket=about 7 euro per person) This island is famous for "Murano Glass" and here you can see a free demonstration of glass making (very interesting) It is for this reason there are NUMEROUS jewelry shops throughout Venice. After a day of spending in Venice AND i truly suggest only a day because you will need to save long hours for Rome anyways you should probably spend the night before making your way to Pisa (closest to Venize). You have two choices A) take train=7 hours and approximately up to 40 euro per person one way OR B) take a plane on Ryan Air, this flight is the best convinient and cheapest flight in europe and would take you about 1-1.5 hours to get to Pisa. Now in Pisa you have only 2 things majorly to see 1=the leaning tower of Pisa And 2) the museum. This is definately only a day trip. up to 7 hours to see the leaning tour, take picture, walk up (if it is open;when i went it was closed temporarily for restoration) and 4 hours to eat walk around in the town etc. hangout whatever. I would then take another flight to Rome. Train rides (especially near southern italy) can be extremely long ,uncomfortable, and extremely risky for foreigners to deal with because knowing when and where to get off and on and train switching can be complicated and with only 7 days for you, you cant afford to make a mistake and waste time correcting it. In Rome there are MANY places and things to see. This is probably a 3-4 day trip. Well this is all my opinion and if you have any other questions or concerns email me at [e-mail]

hope you enjoy your trip!

PS. below are list of tour websites including Ryan Air.

They have luggage regulations (33ibs per person) and other things concerning that factor so you may have to take trains.

Oh and i would not reccomend going to Florence like the other replyer has done. You have 7 days. 7. You dont want to be rushed o your trip trying to squeeze something else in. You want to enjoy the things that you will get to see that most people dont.  

May I also reccomend checking out "Fodor's Venice" and "Fodor's Rome" from your local library. This gives you info on decent eating plaaces and site seeing operating hours and other things. VERY handy to have with you traveling.

Answer 3

If you are truly on a budget you really need to go to the this website http://www.cheaptravelineurope.com. The term cheap means affordable not crummy and the recommendations are priceless for anyone traveling in Europe on a budget. 7days is a pretty short time to get the most out of this trip but I wish you a great journey. I am on my way to Venice in May and I am flying to London and then flying Ryan Air (ryanair.com) to Venice (Treviso) from Venice to Brussels (also ryanair) and later returning to London direct from Brussels. This is much cheaper than an "open jaws "flight into and out of different cities. Just a thought!

Answer 4

You're going to be there at Easter Time so beware that shops will be closed Mon and probably Tues too - Easter Sunday you should catch some good processions - just hang out near the centre of which ever town you're in - you'll find them! For more info on Italy check out http://lissiearticles.com/italy-travel-i...

Answer 5

Hello! if you are travelling with your family to Italy I suggest you to visit this website www.ariannandfriends.com, they are specialized in Tuscany, but they will help you to organize the transfer also from Venice to Pisa and from Pisa to Rome.

contact them and ask for a tailor made package. enjoy Italy!

Answer 6

When you sleep in rome:

The Felice Hotel: a tradition of hospitality and service. A truly convenient downtown and peaceful location reflects the preference of distinguished travellers. The hotel is located in a wonderful district, within walking distance of historic sights, restaurants and only five minutes from the famous street “Via Veneto“:

http://www.hotelfelice.com

Answer 7

Two places I can recommend for staying at on a budget are Alba di Oro in Venice and Camping Roma in Rome. Check out their cabins.

http://www.plusvillages.com/

Answer 8

My husband and I did a similar trip in 2006.  Since you're only going to be there for 7 days, I would not make a circle (start in Rome, end in Rome), but rather fly into Venice, take the train to Pisa, and end up in Rome.  Then you won't waste as much time on the train.

Venice is quiet and romantic and probably a good place to start.  It is very expensive though, so if you're on a budget, maybe just stay a couple days.  Pisa doesn't really have a lot, a lot to do - just the tower - we made it a day-trip from Florence.  Florence is beautiful and has a lot to see and do - I would try and go there if you can.  And then end up in Rome.  By that time you will be comfortable in Italy and able to easily handle the craziness that is Rome.  It was a really fun city - we had a great time.  Please feel free to send me an email from my page and I would be happy to answer any other questions or give you recommendations on areas or hotels to stay in.  I think I can even remember a few good restaurants!  Have a great time!!!

Answer 9

Skip Pisa -- it's out of the way and there is nothing to see there but the tower and the Cathedral  -- better to spend more time in Rome and Venice. But they are pretty far apart.

Answer 10

Sarah's advice is good. There are some additional points you should consider though. That week will be fairly expensive everywhere since it's Easter. It will be cheaper to stay on the mainland and take the train or boat into Venice. You might look for a place in Mestre or Jessolo. This is the site I use for hotels here in Italy. I'm in Venice now for Carnevale. http://en.venere.com/ You can pick a particular section of the city and sort by price. Try the surroundings and Venetian Riviera links for less expensive options.

During the Easter period many of the trains require mandatory reservations. The regional trains don't, but the faster intercity and Eurostar trains will. You can check schedules and prices at: http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

The suggestion to stay in Florence and take a day trip to Pisa is what I would do. See the tower, and then take the train from Pisa to Lucca (20 - 25 minutes). There's more to see in the old town there. Florence has one of the more interesting Easter celebrations here if you happen to be there on Easter Sunday http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht...

In Rome, the cheaper hotels will be in the Termini area or the outlying districts. You might want to consider something a little further out, but close to a Metro station. You can get a Roma pass http://www.romapass.it/english/index.htm... or a 1 or 3 day transportation pass.

You can use the Venere site for your whole trip.