Hey guys! Troy and Libby here, we’ve just come back from an incredible trip around Italy. We’re going to share all the details on how we travelled from Venice to Sorrento. We’ll cover all the great spots in between.
We had been planning this trip for over a year. We wanted to make the most of going to Italy for Libby’s best friend’s wedding in Sorrento. So what better way than to do a tour of Italy before hand! We planned this trip on a budget, but not to the point where we were staying in hostels everywhere.
So how did we plan it, starting off with flights:
We flew with Ryanair from Manchester to Venice. Then on the way back we booked Naples to Manchester which we had to book separately. At first this was a good idea as it was cheaper. But in all honesty book he flights that are a little bit more but have good flight times.
Tip 1: Pay for good flight times!
Getting the cheaper flight will cost you more in the long run. We ended up arriving in Venice at 1am. We had to pay for a hotel near the airport. The only water taxi available was a private one and very expensive. And a big factor of not wanting to trail 20 minutes across Venice at 1 am in the morning.
Next, we had to decide where we wanted to visit and how we would get there. Here’s what we decided on:
- Venice to Bologna
- Bologna to Florence
- Florence to Siena
- Siena to Rome
- Rome to Sorrento
- Sorrento to Naples
So we started putting together our “rail trip”, I’d of done a road trip if I fancied driving around Italy. But in summer that was a confident pass.
How to get from each location:
Venice
From Venice Santa Lucia you can get a direct train to Bologna Centrale. This takes just over 2 hours. The train was clean and not overly busy so we stored a luggage and got a seat.
Tip 2: We recommend using the Omio App to book trains. It is much easier than paper tickets. Paper tickets need to be validated separately after you’ve bought them otherwise you get an expensive fine. Use our code: GOOMIO10 to get 10% off on the app!
Bologna
From Bologna Centrale you can get another direct train to Florence Santa Maria.
Florence
From Florence we actually got the local bus to Siena as there hadn’t been any direct trains in Summer. When we looked at the start of the year there had been. To get the bus you need to head to Firenze Autostazione and get the bus to Siena. This was much cheaper working out at 9 euros each.
The bus was very old and uncomfy. The overhead luggage storage rattled for the 2 1/2 hour journey. Therefore, the 2 stop train would be a better option.
Siena
From Siena we got the Flixbus to Rome. This again was working out a lot cheaper than getting the train. And there wasn’t a direct train again. This time it was a lot nicer experience, comfy coach and there was air con.
We got the Flixbus from Seina Viale Pietro Toselli. The stop is opposite a Burger King. You can also catch this coach from the Siena bus station.
Rome
From Rome Termini we got the train to Naples Centrale. Here you then get the train to Sorrento. There are two trains that you can get, one is only around 9 euros for 2 people. Where as the other one is around 30 euros, we wish we had gone with this one. The cheaper one is always packed full and can be un-comfy as most people have suitcases.
Sorrento
From Sorrento you get the same train as above just back to Naples Centrale.
Naples
At this point the only transport you will need to get is to the airport. We booked a taxi as we needed to be at the airport at 4am.
Where we stayed in each location:
Venice: Alle Guglie Boutique Hotel
Rating 8/10. Great little hotel in the locals area of Venice, Cannaregio. We paid £382.57 for the basic double room for 3 nights, we thought this was a reasonable price for July. The rooms were modern, clean and comfy. However, the room was like a box! There wasn’t much room to move around, but when exploring the city this didn’t matter too much. We were only sleeping in there at the end of the day.
Bologna: Hotel I Portici
Rating 10/10. This hotel was our favourite of the whole trip! For 2 nights in this luxurious hotel, we paid 311.50 euros. It was worth the extra money. It was an incredible hotel. It was only a 10 minute walk from the train station.
Florence: Hotel Cardinal Of Florence
Rating 7/10. This hotel is located perfectly as it’s only a 5 minute walk to the duomo. And all the other attractions are only a short walk. We paid £371.64 for 4 nights and again in July so pretty good price! The hotel is in need of some updating. However, the beds were comfy. They did offer free coffee, juice, and water. They also have some croissants for free too on a morning. (We didn’t get any photos of this hotel). Please note there isn’t any lifts so you have to carry your suitcase up 3 flights of stairs.
Siena: Hotel II Giardino
Rating 8/10. After 9 days of doing 25,000 steps a day we wanted to relax somewhere with a pool. So we decided to come to Siena, we paid 369 euros for 3 nights. This is a little family run hotel, the rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable. Breakfast is included with this hotel, though it is just a basic breakfast. The pool is big and cleaned every morning. It was the perfect spot the relax for a few days. If you want to explore Tuscany, we recommend hiring a car! It’s pretty cheap in Siena to hire a car. The hotel is only a 15 minute walk into the city.
Rome: History Suite Essence
Rating 8/10. This hotel in Rome was perfect location, basically being with in a 10-15 minute walk of most big attractions. (Apart from the Colosseum). We paid £487.00 for 4 nights, Rome in general was more expensive for hotels. The hotel was almost like an apart-hotel, with a kitchen communal area with water and coffee. The rooms were modern, spacious and clean with good air conditioning.
Sorrento: Hotel Zi Teresa
Rating 9/10. We loved this hotel in Sorrento. It was fairly close to the centre of Sorrento and had the BEST restaurant opposite. When I mean best, like we literally went back twice it was that good. We paid £659.84 for 4 nights. It was a lot more than we had been paying in the whole trip. But that’s Sorrento for you. Breakfast is included and they do different omelettes for you to choose from. The pool is small but still nice to dip in. Our room was spacious, comfy beds, big walk in shower, a wardrobe each and looked over the pool. There is also a rooftop bar that has a great view.
Naples: II Fiore D’Oro Luxury
Rating 7/10. We booked this hotel as it was only a 9 minute taxi to the airport. We paid £155.09 for 2 nights which was an incredible deal to say it included breakfast. It is far from the touristy area though, 20 minute walk and has a locals market outside everyday. The breakfast was delicious and the lady who worked there made an incredible cappuccino! The room was nice, needs a few touch ups of paint but overall was good.
This is part one of our Italy series. So make sure you subscribe to our blog page! We will also be posting our exact 3 week itinerary. Follow up posts on each city will be provided with all the information you would need for the perfect visit.
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Thank you for reading!
Troy and Libby, The T and L Diaries.
The T and L Diaries 