Venice for New Years Eve 2021/22

Optimistically planning a month long visit to Austria and Italy in December.

Our initial plan was to spend five nights in Val Gardena (have booked an apartment in St Cristina) and five nights in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

We're now considering spending five nights in Dobbiaco/Toblach or San Candido instead of Cortina, as I've been told the landscape is entirely different than Val Gardena and it will provide a nice contrast. It also looks like its easier to get to (we're traveling by train and bus).

I'm having trouble finding apartments in Cortina that won't break the bank, and I get the distinct impression that Cortina is sort of the St Mortiz of Italy. Correct assumption?

We prefer quiet, laid back areas. We will not be skiing, but rather winter hiking, and it looks like both areas offer plenty of winter hiking options.

Thoughts on differences between the two and which would provide a more low key holiday would be greatly appreciated (we'll be there from December 17-22 if that makes a difference).

Should we choose to forgo Cortina, is there any reason to choose Dobbiaco/Toblach over San Candido, such as easier access to cable cars that lead to groomed hiking trails, etc?

Hey there. We are planning a trip to Italy (and Paris) next June. We are bringing our DDs, first timers to Europe, ages 21 and 16. I’ve been reading through itineraries, guide books, youtube videos of Italy and getting so excited. We have limited time (only 10 nights in Italy) and we are packing in A LOT I know. We are considering using Zicasso or another company to make the most of our time, especially since we are trying to do so much...Here’s our latest itinerary so far. (we like to see as much as possible/get a taste so we know where to spend more time the next time:)

. Summary. 2 nights, 1 1/2 full days in Venice,

4 nights in Florence with day trip to Cinque Terre, 5 nights in Rome with day trip to Pompeii and Amalfi

*We already bought our tickets flying into Venice

Day 1. Arrive Venice from Paris on the 13th. Half day in Venice

Day 2. Venice

Day 3. Take a late train from Venice to Florence.

Day 4. Florence

Day 5. Florence. (Day trip to Cinque Terre)

Day 6 Florence

Day 7. Train to Rome by 7pm. Stay near Piazza Novana

Day 8. Rome

Day 9 Rome

Day 10. LONG day with private guide to Pompeii/Amalfi

Day 11. Rome

Day 12. Departure day

Grazie!

After cancelling our 2020 Italy trip, I've just booked a trip for spring 2022. We fly into Venice in late April and will be in the country for 21 nights before leaving from Rome. I've booked accommodations online but everything is cancellable so I'd love to know you suggest any changes to my itinerary. And I have a few questions. Any input would be much appreciated as I've never been to Italy!

Here's what I've booked:

3 nights Venice - Wander, see Doge's palace & St. Mark's Square

3 nights in Sirmione, Lake Garda - explore Roman ruins, drive around lake, maybe boat trip to Isola del Garde

3 Nights in Florence - Museums & sights. Rent car when leaving & drive to Montepulciano via Chianti.

3 Nights in Montepulciano - Wine tasting, explore hill towns in Tuscany (& maybe hot springs?)

4 Nights in Sorrento (day trips to Capri & Amalfi Coast & maybe Pompeii, but that would be all the days and I want to just relax & wander in Sorrento too)

4 Nights in Rome - Colosseum, Vatican, and maybe day trip to Tivoli or Ninfa Gardens (though my husband won't be that excited about the latter so may skip it)

Does this look like a good number of days / nights in each place?

Also, I have a few other questions... From Venice to Sirmione - Would I be better off to simply take the train from Venice to Desenzano and rent a car there, meaning I could drop it at the end of my Sirmione stay and not pay one-way charge? Or rent a car in Venice and drive to Desenzano? And when we leave Montepulciano to go to Sorrento, am I better off dropping the car in Chiusi and taking train from there to Sorrento, or driving back to Florence & dropping it there, taking the high-speed traing?

Or should I re-order the whole trip, driving from Venice to Sirmione and then to Montepulciano, then take the car back to Florence, spend 3 nights there and then train to Sorrento?

I've noticed that a lot of accommodations are booking up already for next spring so if my itinerary isn't logical, I want to switch it around now while there's lots of options. I know there's plenty of time for booking cars & trains, but does the order make sense? Thanks in advance for any input!!

We are optimistically planning a trip to Austria and Italy for December. Our current itinerary has us in Val Gardena for five nights and then we'll head to Cortina d' Ampezzo for five nights the week before Christmas.

One of us skis, but doesn't plan to. We're more interested in winter hiking, and we've found plenty of options in Val Gardena.

What we're not sure about is Cortina d'Ampezzo - because it's ski season and so close to Christmas, we're finding accommodation is quite expensive (and limited - we're looking for a moderately priced apartment) and we've been unable to determine if this area offers ample winter hiking opportunities, or if we'd be better off basing elsewhere and perhaps making a day trip to Cortina d'Ampezzo.

We're experienced winter hikers - not mountain climbers. We've spent many Decembers in Europe hiking (we prefer hiking over snowshoeing) and usually find plenty of trails, but these areas are completely new to us so we're not sure what to expect.

Would appreciate any insight or suggestions.

I am the organiser of our school ski trip and we are off skiing in Italy feb 2022.

We have a day to fill before our flights on the last day and there is the option of coming into Venice for 3-4 hours.

I was wondering how easy it is to get street food in Italy (not time to sit and eat) and how much would it approximately cost to get a drink and some pizza?

Hi all,

Hope you could help me with this little dilemma. I have also posted in the Venice Forum.

I am currently planning a trip to Venice with a friend at the end of September for three days. Both have never been to Venice, I have been to Florence on a day trip from Rome in February years ago, and despite the rain, liked it a lot. My friend has never been. The question is now, do I stay all three days in Venice or take one day to visit Florence? Please list pro's and con's. Thanks in advance!

We are traveling to Italy for our 25th Wedding Anniversary - we will be going from Rome, to Cinque Terre, to Florence, to Venice and Milan. We plan on traveling exclusively by train. Is there a need to buy any/all tickets in advance? Is a pass worth considering or do we by individual tickets for each journey?

Thanks in advance!

Would you recommend flying from Venice to Naples, taking a train or driving and stopping 1/2 way for a few nights in Tuscany (our original plan).

We fly into Venice for a few nights and then out of Naples. Originally was planning on spending 1/3 of our trip in Venice, 1/3 in Tuscany area and 1/3 around Amalfi Coast. Now I'm leaning towards longer time in Venice to day trip and longer time in AC area.

Our family is planning to ski 3 to 4 days in Italy in late December 2021. We are intermediate level, 2 adults (late 50's) and 2 teenagers. We plan to visit Milan and Venice either before or after the skiing.

We are looking for some advice on the following:

1. Is there usually enough snow in late December or early January?

2. Which ski resorts will be suitable and easy to travel to from Milan? We do not have a car.

3. Will it be easy to rent skis at the resort? We plan to bring our own boots and helmets.

4. We have not skied in Europe before. Will it be very different from US and Canada?

Thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions you can provide!

First off- thanks in advance for any advice! (first time posting)

We are planning a ~2.5-3 week trip to Italy for May 2022 with our 2 kids (6 and 8).

My idea of a dream Italy vacay is cozy farms, beautiful scenery, amazing food, space for the kids to run and explore, bike rides, horse rides, and an authentic feel.

We also like to take our time in places vs trying to rush and see it all. I feel we have to see Rome and Venice but also know our kids will easily get overwhelmed and tired by the big cities.

Based on that, I have loosely come up with the following itinerary:

Fly into Rome (found a great points flight from our city); 3 nights here

5 nights in Umbria (agriturismo)

5 nights in Tuscany (agriturismo)

? 1-2 nights in Bergamo (my hubby has been and loves Citta Alta neighbourhood)

3 nights in Venice - fly home

Any thoughts on this? I love the idea of Cinque Terre but perhaps best to save it for another time (without the kids!).

Thank you!! Cait