Italy by Train: Milan, Pisa, Florence, Sorento and Rome

The Trip — We took the train through Italy - Milan, Pisa, Florence, Sorento and Rome.

Duration — 13 Nights

Origin — London

Type of Trip— Historic Sites, airbnb, Beach, Culture, Food, Wine, Relax, Temple Visits, Bars

Group Size— 2 people

Trip Dates and Average Temperature — End of August / beginning of September. End of the European Summer. Actually it worked really well for us - no real issues.

Mode of Transportation — Train

Arrival Logistics — We took the Eurostar to Paris and then, as it was the cheapest option, got a train to Zurich for a one night stay then took a train to Milan.

Cost per Person — $2000 plus

General Route — 1 night in Milan, 2 nights in Pisa, 2 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Sorrento, 3 nights in Rome then a flight back to London.

Accommodation — In Milan, Pisa and Florence we used Airbnb and it was absolutely brilliant, then a posh Hotel in Sorrento and a fantastic little hotel in Rome.

Main Activities — Beaches, Cultural experiences, Food, Wine tasting, Historical visits, Relaxing , Temple visits, Bars

Food and Drink Highlights — Our host in Pisa recommended his son’s restaurant in the old part of Pisa where his son chose our meal for us along with a different wine with each course - a superb meal and incredibly good value.

Essential Packing for this Trip — We just took one rucksack each - would it be unfair to say my wife took way too much and I could probably have got away with less too?!

Our Experience

Fantastic trip. If you haven’t already used Airbnb you must try it. All our hosts were wonderful. In Milan, Chantal made us a delicious breakfast that even included her home made Panacotta; In Florence, Fabrizio served breakfast on the patio with a bit of Pink Floyd and Stevie Ray Vaughan - well I loved that anyway - and where else would you find a double room with ensuite shower and cat (really) 2 minutes walk from the Piazza della Signoria for 45 euro a night?

Best Bits

Oh where to start?! Italian trains are fabulous - comfortable, fast, good value and on time! They put British trains to shame. We booked through SNCF who were excellent, especially in terms of picking out the discounts and savings available.

The Airbnb places we stayed were also brilliant. Wonderfully friendly hosts, top local knowledge and advice and excellent value for money. No more hotels for me from now on.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is extraordinary, the Duomo and Giotto’s Tower in Florence are awe inspiring, the €2 tour of the Palazzo Vecchio is essential (and read Dan Browns “Inferno” before you go - its set in Florence and in particular the Palazzo).

Pompei is mind blowing, quite incredible. We splashed out on private guide who was outstanding and we got in an hour before the doors open to the public.

And Rome is majestic - The Colosseum, The Vatican, the architecture, the Pantheon, the food, all of it!

Worst bits

The only real disappointment for us was the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It was rammed, the audio guide was very limited and it didn’t live up to expectations.

But other then that, the trip was tremendous - but we planned it very carefully and booked much of it in advance as, on the trains especially, it was much cheaper that way, whilst we probably wouldn’t have been able to get in to many of the places we visited as they may well have been sold out.

Ratings

Rate the overall trip — 9/10

Rate the activity on your trip — 10/10

Rate the ease of logistics — 8/10

Value for money — 8/10

About The Traveller

Gender & Age Range
Male, 45 - 60

I’m from
Devon, UK

My favourite trip as of late
We drove down to Tignes for a week skiing with all the family.

Travelling Style
Book the important stuff, but leave some flexibility in the schedule.

I like to go on the following types of trips
AirBnb, Beaches, Culture, Historical, City Breaks, Camping, Skiing.

It’s a dealbreaker when
I’ll try anything once!

Continent I know the best
Europe