1 month trip overseas

[lucy41585]

Hi, I was hoping to get some comments/critiques on my itinerary below.

The first part of the trip is just me and my sister (24 and 25).
August 9 - overnight flight from Atlanta to Munich
August 10 - Munich
August 11 - Munich, half day Dachau
August 12 - Hike in Bavarian Alps near Garmisch-Partenkirchen (?) - we like hiking but are we packing in too much? do we need another day in munich?
August 13 - Visit Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangaun Castles near Fussen, drive to the pilgrimage church Wieskirche in Steingaden, drive to Augsburg or Dinkelsbühl (??) - we were thinking about renting a car in Munich and dropping it off at the airport in Frankfurt. Can you recommend sights on the Romantic Road to stop? I just threw in a few but if you have some favs, we'd appreciate any recommendations.
August 14 - Rothenburg
August 15 - Rothenburg in morn, Würzburg in afternoon, late night 10:55 pm flight out of Frankfurt to Cairo

In Cairo, we meet up with 2 of my girl friends.
August 16-17 - Cairo
August 18 - Luxor
August 19 - Fly from Cairo to Istanbul
August 20-22 - Istanbul
August 23 - Fly from Istanbul to Dubrovnik, 10 hour layover in Zagrev (suggestions for quick trip into Zagreb?)
August 24-25 - Dubrovnik
August 26 - Bus to Split
August 27 - Split, fly to Budapest
August 28-30 - Budapest (night train to Prague on 30th) - is this too much time in Budapest (3.5 days)?
August 31-September 2 - Prague

Then, I have a couple days here where I'm unsure what to do. My sister and friends fly back to the U.S. on the morning of September 2. My boyfriend meets me in Rome in the afternoon on September 4, so I have about 2.5 days by myself. I traveled three years ago with my best friend in Europe so have already been to both Rome and Prague, but I love both cities, and my sister wants to see Prague and my boyfriend wants to go to Rome and parts of Italy. So I'm trying to figure out places that are close by to hang out for a few days. I would like to go ahead and go down to Italy and visit a smaller town but am having trouble figuring out somewhere logistics-wise (I've wanted to go to Bologna, but then it becomes difficult to travel there from Prague and then on to Rome in a span of 2.5 days). Suggestions appreciated.

September 4 - BF arrives in Rome in afternoon
September 5-7 - Rome
September 8-9 - Florence
September 10 - Cinque Terre (?) - packing in too much?
September 11-12 - Siena [visit surrounding hilltop towns - suggestions of favs appreciated (Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, Cortona, San Gimignano, etc.)]
September 13 - Fly out of Rome back to Atlanta

I'd appreciate help with the Italy trip. I have already spent 3.5 weeks in Italy with my best friend as mentioned previously. I've been to Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena, Cinque Terre, Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi Coast, and Sicily. However, it is my boyfriend's first trip to Europe and first trip to Italy, so he wants to see some of the major sights. Are there other places besides the ones I mentioned in my Italy itinerary that you would recommend so that we could be visiting some sights for the first time for both of us? We like a mix of everything - museums, churches, ruins, history, cafes, riding bikes, hiking, wandering the streets, gelato, wine tasting, going out, hanging out, eating... we love eating

Thanks so much for your help!!
Lucy

[Eagle]

lucy41585,

First of all, welcome to the Boards!

My first impression of your proposed Itinerary is that the planning is detailed but it's also very busy, even for a trip of one month. While it might be theoretically feasible, I suspect you'll be worn out after a week or two!

I'd have to spend some time going through your plans to suggest possible changes. A few possibilities you might consider for the time between Prague and meeting your BF in Rome. You could perhaps stop in Salzburg, Bolzano / Castelrotto or Verona for a day or two. The stops in Italy would of course provide easier travel times to Rome, especially if you can use the EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita (reservations compulsory).

Spending only one day in the Cinque Terre is good, however consider that your travel times from Florence will probably be in the area of four hours. You probably won't have time to hike all of the trails with only part of a day, but you could perhaps walk the famous Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola (note that a Park Pass is required to hike the trails - there WILL be people checking).

Regarding your stay in Siena, two days is not much for touring there as well as the hill towns that you mentioned. Siena deserves two days on it's own! Also, you'll need a rental car to visit the hill towns and an International Driver's Permit is compulsory for driving in Italy. Those without an I.D.P. can be fined on the spot, and failure to pay the fine will result in the car being impounded. The I.D.P. must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. and these can be easily obtained at any AAA / CAA office for a small fee and Passport photos.

Another issue with driving in Italy are the Zona Trafffico Limitato zones which are becoming increasingly prevelant in many cities (Florence is especially bad). Those who unknowingly pass through one of the automated Cameras can expect a €100+ notice in the mail a few months after they return home. This fine is charged EACH time the vehicle passes through one of the cameras. I was in Tuscany a few months ago (including Siena and most of the towns you mentioned), and the ZTL zones are ubiquitous)!!! Visiting all those towns in a space of two days is going to be VERY difficult.

Hopefully the others will have some comments and suggestions as well.

Happy travels!