Italy Travel Answers

From Florence is not difficoult to get to Cinque Terre, have a couple of nights in Liguria before going to Milan enjoy your trip

btw you coild go to Cinque Terre also biking ilt will be not more hilly than Tuscany

Go to Venice........fast train from Florence, then fast train from Venice to Milan. Venice is.........amazing, So differemt to other parts of Italy, and VERY romantic. You will love it.

Well, depending on what time of day your bike trip ends in Florence, you could have 4 nights but just a little over 3 days left before flying home. And I'm not sure what time of day you'll arrive in Florence the day before your bike trip begins?

Florence is a wonderful city that deserves some time: lots to see and do there! You might consider resting up after your bike trip by doing some sightseeing in the city over a couple of days, and taking one day to explore the CT: leaving early morning and returning in the later evening.

As you're bikers, I'm guessing you have a love of outdoor activities so a day hiking around the CT villages would probably be something you'd enjoy?

You have several choices really:

• Staying in Florence (which itself has loads to see, more than you will see on your previous brief stay) and exploring a bit more of Tuscany using the trains and buses. Lucca, for example, is easy to get to and brilliant to bike around (bikes are for hire), and then there's Pisa, Siena, Fiesole, San Gimignano......

• Taking the train from Florence to La Spezia (from where you can use the cheap, frequent trains to visit the CT villages...or walk to some) and either basing yourselves there or in one of the CT settlements.

• Staying in Venice for all 3/4 nights.

• Or, and entirely dependent on the timing of your arrival in Florence and your departure from Milan..... staying 1/2 nights in CT, then just 1/2 night in Venice before travelling to Milan. It *is* possible to fit both in as long as you are aware that you cannot visit each one in great depth..but you will be able to see a good chunk of each.

I'd spend the time in Florence and take one of the days for a train trip to Lucca. You should be ready to relax a little before returning to reality. Then you can start planning a future trip to include Venice.

Enjoy your trip.

You may be Tuscaned out after 7 days riding around, but a couple of days in Florence and then Venice would be a good way to provide for four nights. Or, do a couple of days in Venice, then a couple on Lake Como, either Lecco or Bellagio. It is easy to take the train to Lake Como from Venice, and then from Lake Como to Milan. I would not down play Milan. We found it very enjoyable. Karl

Since you're asking for votes, I would spend another night in Florence, then go up the road to Venice and find a hotel in the islands (i.e., real Venice, not the mainland), spend each day hand-in-hand just walking slowly, and spend each evening eating and drinking just a little too much and wandering the calli (streets) late at night. It's the end of your honeymoon, and you need to remember why you're in Italy.

Note: I don't know what time of day you are flying out of Milan (Malpensa, I assume?) - you may have to go to Milan the day before and spend the night there...

Bill

I would also spend more time getting to know Florence--it's simply amazing and beautiful, plus you'll be going at the perfect time of year when it's warm and the throngs of tourists haven't arrived yet. Venice and Cinque Terre are definitely a once-in-a-lifetime sees, but I would also consider Verona, which is just as romantic. It's a small little town with a lovely center. If you're going up to Venice, I would suggest spending a night in Verona--it will save you a little money on your hotel (http://www.prontohotel.com/ita/verona/) and it will let you see the town of Romeo & Juliet.