I am going to Italy in Oct. for 2 wks. Is a tour or independent travel better?Are France and Amsterdam too mu

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Jetgirly

Minimum times needed:

Florence - two FULL days
Rome - three FULL days
Venice - two FULL days
Milan - don't bother
France - you can take an overnight train from Milan to Paris (save the cost of the hotel that night) and you'd need at least FOUR full days in Paris
Amsterdam - don't know

DEFINITELY travel independently- you'll get a major sense of accomplishment and you won't be tied down to what the tour operator wants you to do (remember that they get kickbacks from hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, so they'll talk you to the places that pay them money, not the places that are best for your needs).

Julee.

Well ,i've never been to italy but i'm going soon so ive been asking around alot and researching and my friend who is a florence native says that venice is not that nice but that Milan is fantastic. I think you would be able to squeeze in France if you really wanted but Amsterdam seems like too much. You should go to each country when you have enough time so you can really get to know it without being rushed. I would not do the whole group tour thing but thats just my style and my philosphy, i never ever do tours, especially in other countries because its all by the book and your not really expirencing things on your own and you can do it on your own pace, but thats just me. either way i'm sure you'd have a great time. I dont know the weather, the only time ive been to france was during the summer and march but i went on weather.com and the average for october is 70 for florence and 59 for paris, however paris tends to be much cooler than southern france. depends where you'll be headed, but always bring layers so you can add/take away if you get cold/hot.

Dolphy

Hi, i leave nearby Amsterdam and can tell you it's a very nice town to see, I come myself from Italy and if i should suggest you what to see in two weeks, well, just one country and visit the main towns good. In only two weeks time you wouldn't see much of three countries.

nickisbox

we went to italy this past march and did the whole trip ourselves. we choose to stay in a villa out in the country and drive everywhere. this was the best way to experience the culture and way of life for us. if you can handle the difficulties that come with traveling in a foreign country - such as getting lost, not always having someone who speaks english, and all the general difficulties that come when traveling. if you prefer an easy trip then a tour group would be for you. everything will be arranged and pretty much go with ease. our trip was the best we had taken but it did have bumps in the road. we would get horribly lost (mostly bc we drove everywhere), sometimes have communication barriers, but we were getting the full experience of being somewhere new.

you just need to consider what is best for your situation. are you bringing children? do you or your traveling companions have difficulty getting around? do you have plenty of patience for some difficulties?are you open to new places and people and want the time and opportunity to explore?

put some thought into it so it is the best experience for you! :)

gabrielalaura74

Obviously in 2 weeks you wont be able to see everything, but you can get a see some key points in each city then from there you know where u want to go again.

If I were you I would go independantly, but find out where the daily tours are. This way you can chose which if u have a day of touring or just do what you want and enjoy the city for what it is.

I would skip Milan! Its not worth it.. If you are planning on just going to the island of Venice then I would plan 3 fulldays for it. You would see most of it.

Florence 4 days you can see alot of it but you must plan 1/2 a day to go to pisa preferably in the morning. There are trains every hour to Pisa takes about one to get there you can walk to the leaning towner take a few pics have lunch, come back to florence and enjoy the rest of the day there. I never been to Siena but its close and they say with one day u can see alot.

Rome 5 full days. Then fly out to amsterdam for the rest of the days you can see some of it and have a great time.

Don't worry if you dont see everything! Throw a 2 coins in the fontana di trevi in rome and thats a guarentee that you will be back there :)..

Buon Viaggio!

alcaniglia

First of all, I recommend spending the whole two weeks in Italy. You could squeeze Paris and Amsterdam into the trip, but you would waste a lot of time traveling and not get to see the smaller but amazing wonders that a country like Rome has to offer.

Be sure to do Rome, Florence, and Venice. I would suggest 3-4 (non-traveling) days for Rome, 2 days for Florence and a full day (and evening) in Venice. That leaves you with five more days (minus the two days traveling there and back). Milan is dirty without a whole lot. For the sites a half day would be plenty. If, however, you are going for the shopping, might I recommend Valmontone - which is about an hour north of Florence (by car - no public transport). This townhouses the Italian designers outlet mall. All of the same stuff, but for 1/4 the price.

I would also suggest for you to go to Cinque Terre (five seaside towns in Northwest Italy near Genoa), Siena, Lake Como, Pompeii (skip Naples), the Almalfi coast, or my one of the islands. Both Sicily and Sardegna are both worth two weeks on their own.

Have fun

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