Hello!
Hi.
Florence is highly recommended, the galleries are amazing and the cathedral is a must-see. It is beautiful. The restaurants really are 'the real Italy' I suppose and there are plenty to choose from!! If you research I'm sure you can plan your perfect trip. I hope you have fun :-)
From Milan, Venice, Turin, Bologna, Florence and Pisa are within easy reach. There can be long queues at attractions, museums and galleries so book them before online.
From Milan's Bergamo airport you can pick up a budget Ryanair flight to Rome, an hour's flight away but it needs to be booked soon as prices quickly rise. Going 18th July with carry on luggage is under 14 euros one way but if you've brought the kitchen sink with you, it'll cost you. If you do go by Ryanair, make sure you print out a boarding pass.
Watch out for pick pockets anywhere there are tourists.
Milan is the "real" Italy but not very attractive or interesting. Also very expensive and not really worth a visit. Florence is very touristy but beautiful. If you take the train to Milano it is worth stopping in Lugano.
Thanks for the advice! I'm thinking Florence, it is! I did some research and Florence seems like a worthwhile trip. I'm a biiiig art lover, and I love seeing art museums, so it sounds like that's the city for me. I also found a pretty decent hostel there.
And thanks for the advice about booking museums online! I didn't even think about the long lines of tourists. I'll definitely have to do that.
Planning has been really difficult because my friend who lives in Switzerland is in a completely different time zone. It's hard to catch her! But I'm going to run the plans by her hopefully today, and hopefully we can go ahead and get the train tickets soon so that they're not too pricey.
As one who has been in Switzerland twice, I can only suggest that you are very very VERY WRONG to rush off to Italy so fast. Switzerland is breathtaking, and you should make every effort to see this country FIRST. Zurich and the other large cities are the least interesting places in my opinion - go on the train or almost any other long distance train in this country and enjoy the spectacular beauty of the Alps. If money is a problem, don't despair - just stay in a hostel. I found that expensive restaurants was the major problem for me - answer is to stock up at a deli with wonderful cheese, bread and all the fixings. Italy is not all that much cheaper by the way.
As one who has been in Switzerland twice, I can only suggest that you are very very VERY WRONG to rush off to Italy so fast. Switzerland is breathtaking, and you should make every effort to see this country FIRST. Zurich and the other large cities are the least interesting places in my opinion - go on the train or almost any other long distance train in this country and enjoy the spectacular beauty of the Alps. If money is a problem, don't despair - just stay in a hostel. I found that expensive restaurants was the major problem for me - answer is to stock up at a deli with wonderful cheese, bread and all the fixings. Italy is not all that much cheaper by the way.
Um, I never said that money is a problem, or that Italy is cheaper. I don't know what lead you to jump to that conclusion. Money isn't an issue, I've been saving up for a trip like this for years. Time is what I'm short on, and I frankly want to see Italy more than I want to see Switzerland. Italy is the #1 country in Europe that I want to visit, so if I'll be only a 6 hour train ride away I'm going to make a point to see it. If it weren't for my friend living in Switzerland and my undying love for chocolate, I would simply spend the whole trip in Italy.
I realize that Switzerland is gorgeous, but as someone who has seen A LOT of gorgeous scenery (from mountain scenery to beach scenery to gorgeous, lush forests and grasslands) scenery only entertains me for so long. I'm a city girl, as is my sister who I'm traveling with, so four nights in a city like Florence would be more worthwhile for us than four nights visiting the Alps. This is simply personal preference. But thanks for your input.
Rome is fantastic, I found Florence to be overrated, and Milan has great food, but it's a business center. Go to Bologna if you love food. Italy has the best coffee in the world - the aroma is the difference (I am not talking about Starbucks!!!)
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