Italia > Rome, Florence & easy day trips ideas to Lucca, Pisa, Tuscany

Hey Jac! So excited for you to explore Italy for a week! Definitely best idea to fly in, then train around Italy for the week. See below for some research and ideas. Looks like Florence is super expensive to fly in and out of - so flying in and out of Rome will be your cheapest bet. Sat 3/10 may just have to be a train/plane travel day back to Ireland. See below for my suggested schedule - but make it work for you and your friends. Can't wait to see what you come up with!!
 
When I traveled in Italy, we just bought the tickets at the train stations when we got there - it will be easy since you're traveling within the country. However, since you'll need to catch flights, make sure to check the train schedule and book in advance for your travel day back to Dublin (trust me, you don't want to miss any flights!)

Make sure to book your hostels though in advance! Rome and Florence were two of my favorite cities in Europe. Can't wait for you to see them! Use http://plnnr.com/ to plan out activities :)

Italy: Rome & Florence

DATES:
Rome: Thursday, March 1st 
Lots to do in Roma: http://plnnr.com/trip/rome/3-days/best-of/moderate/2-stars/
*Don't forget to eat your way around the city! Best Italian you'll ever feast on :)

 Rome: Friday, March 2nd

Rome: Saturday, March 3rd

Florence: Sunday, March 4th
AM > Travel by train (2 hours) to Florence
> Day in Florence

Trip Ideas: http://plnnr.com/trip/florence/3-days/best-of/moderate/1-star/ 

Florence: Monday, March 5th
> Morning in Florence
Afternoon Trip > LUCCA & PISA > Look into taking a day trip via train to Lucca and/or the leaning tower of Pisa. They are both super close to Florence, so it's an easy train ride and cool to get to see other cities too! Pisa is a quickie tourist trip but awesome to see in person, and Lucca is a little town I discovered by mistake (got off at wrong train stop once!) but it's beautiful and a great little Italy experience!
Day Trips Article: http://goitaly.about.com/od/florenceitaly/tp/florence-daytrips.htm
LUCCA: Lucca is a walled city with one of the best-preserved walls in Italy. Atop the walls are walking and bicycling paths and gardens, allowing you to walk completely around Lucca's historic center. Most of Lucca is flat so if you're tired of walking up hills, this is a good place to go. There are beautiful churches, good shopping, and several well-preserved towers from where you can get fabulous views of the city by climbing to the top.  Frequent trains run between Florence and Lucca, taking a little over an hour. The train station is just outside the walls.
PISA: Pisa is famous for its leaning tower, beautiful Duomo, and Baptistery in the Piazza dei Miracoli. Pisa also has a good medieval center and a walk along the river. Pisa is easily reached by train or bus from Florence. It's about a 25 to 30 minute walk from the train station to the Piazza dei Miracoli.

Florence: Tuesday, March 6th
Day Trip > TUSCANY > Day Trip to explore Tuscany (look up trains and buses beforehand!)
http://goitaly.about.com/od/tuscany/tp/toptuscany.htm
http://goitaly.about.com/od/liguria/ss/italian_riviera_7.htm


Florence: Wednesday, March 7th
*8AM > Train from Florence to Rome Airport
*Make sure you triple check train times for Wed AM and get your tickets in advance so you're not rushing in the morning trying to catch your flights!

10AM > Need to be at Rome Airport
12PM > Flight Rome - Dublin





BOOKING HOSTELS



HOSTEL: Yellow Hostel is the best in Rome - def try to stay here if you can! Best place to meet people and party: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-Yellow/Rome/743?sc_sau=avdc



HOSTEL: Check these out -
Florence Youth Hostel (great location) http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Florence-Youth-Hostel/Florence/27244?sc_sau=avdc
David Inn (great location too) http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/David-Inn/Florence/7236?sc_sau=avdc

Traveling Italy > Rome, Florence, Perugia (Lucca & Pisa too!)

Hey Jac! So excited for you to explore Italy for a week! Definitely best idea to fly in, then train around Italy for the week. See below for some research and ideas. Looks like Florence is super expensive to fly in and out of - so flying in and out of Rome will be your cheapest bet. Sat 3/10 may just have to be a train/plane travel day back to Ireland. See below for my suggested schedule - but make it work for you and your friends. Can't wait to see what you come up with!!
 
When I traveled in Italy, we just bought the tickets at the train stations when we got there - it will be easy since you're traveling within the country. However, since you'll need to catch flights, make sure to check the train schedule and book in advance for your travel day back to Dublin (trust me, you don't want to miss any flights!)

Make sure to book your hostels though in advance! Rome and Florence were two of my favorite cities in Europe. Can't wait for you to see them! Use http://plnnr.com/ to plan out activities :)


Italy: Rome, Florence, Perugia

DATES: 
Rome: Thursday, March 1st 
> Fly Dublin to Rome
*Aer Lingus has $88 one way to Rome - its 7:10AM arriving at 11:20AM which would give you a whole day to get to your hostel and settle into Rome (I always recommend trying to arrive earlier in the day when you get to a new city - it's nice to have daylight to find your hostel and get used to your surroundings) It would be awesome to have the whole weekend in Rome - great party city too!

HOSTEL: Yellow Hostel is the best in Rome - def try to stay here if you can! Best place to meet people and party: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-Yellow/Rome/743?sc_sau=avdc
Other choices: http://www.hostelworld.com/search?search_keywords=Rome%2C+Italy&country=Italy&city=Rome

Rome: Friday, March 2nd
Lots to do in Roma: http://plnnr.com/trip/rome/3-days/best-of/moderate/2-stars/
*Don't forget to eat your way around the city! Best Italian you'll ever feast on :)

Rome: Saturday, March 3rd

Rome & Travel to Perugia: Sunday, March 4th
Pergugia Hostel: I've never been here, so I'm not sure best location... here are some ideas (*always triple check hostel locations - you should always be near the center of the city - its safest and best to travel!):
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Ostello-di-Perugia-centro/Perugia/36271?sc_sau=avdc
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Ostello-Mario-Spagnoli/Perugia/11489?sc_sau=avdc

Perugia: Monday, March 5th

Perugia & PM Train to Florence: Tuesday, March 6th
> Train to Florence in the PM

HOSTEL: Check these out -
Florence Youth Hostel (great location) http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Florence-Youth-Hostel/Florence/27244?sc_sau=avdc
David Inn (great location too) http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/David-Inn/Florence/7236?sc_sau=avdc

Florence: Wednesday, March 7th
Trip Ideas: http://plnnr.com/trip/florence/3-days/best-of/moderate/1-star/

Florence: Thursday, March 8th
> Look into taking a day trip via train to Lucca or the leaning tower of Pisa. They are both super close to Florence, so it's an easy train ride and cool to get to see other cities too! Pisa is a quickie tourist trip but awesome to see in person, and Lucca is a little town I discovered by mistake (got off at wrong train stop once!) but it's beautiful and a great little Italy experience!

Florence: Friday, March 9th

Travel Day: Saturday, March 10th
> Early AM (like 6AM) Train back to Rome to catch plane (approx 3 hour train)
> Fly back to Dublin *Aer Lingus has $91 one way from Rome back to Dublin - it is 12:10PM - 2:30PM

HOSTELS TO BOOK:
Rome, Italy: 3 nights (Thurs 3/1 - Sun 3/4) *book Yellow Hostel
Perguia, Italy: 2 nights (Sun 3/4 - Mon 3/5)
Florence, Italy: 4 nights (Tues 3/6 - Sat 3/10) *Make sure you have a place to stay in Rome or Florence on Friday 3/9

Spring semester schedule

Semester 2 Visiting Students
Orientation	5 January 2012
Teaching begins	9 January 2012
Teaching ends	31 March 2012
Easter Vacation & Study Week	2 April-16 April 2012
Examinations*	17 April 2012
Examinations End	18 May 2012

Best Travel Websites To Use

For finding the best hostels:
1. http://www.hostelworld.com/

For finding cheapest flights:
1. http://www.ryanair.com/en
2. http://www.kayak.com/

FOR EVERYTHING: http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Trip Advisor is amazing and you can get real people opinions and feedback before you go. Make sure you use this!


For Planning
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/travel/useful-travel-websites-bt

1. Bing Travel
Buy plane tickets at the best possible time.
Like other booking sites, Bing lets you comparison-shop for tickets across more than a hundred sources. Yet unlike most other sites, it also analyzes historical data to predict whether the price you see on the screen today is likely to rise (or drop) in the coming week, clearly marking the bargains with a big, green Buy Now icon. What's more, Bing is the only airfare search site to have its predictions independently audited. With an accuracy rate of 75 percent, it's not perfect -- but those are better odds than blind guessing gets you. bing.com/travel.

2. AutoSlash
Lock in the lowest rate on rental cars.
Here's how it works: Reserve a vehicle from a favorite agency through the AutoSlash site, and the site will instantly begin tracking rate changes for your reservation. If a sale pops up later -- snap! -- it automatically locks in the lower price on your behalf. You can even use AutoSlash if you've booked independently. Just enter your confirmation number, and the site will notify you when it's found a lower rate (which you'll have to rebook on your own). Neither AutoSlash nor the company you first booked with charges a fee for the service. autoslash.com.


3. Fly or Drive Calculator
Determine the cheapest way to reach your destination.
Coupon site befrugal.com crunches data from sources such as AAA and Google Maps to power its Fly or Drive estimator (found in the site's Tools & Calculators tab). The more details you supply -- the make and model of your car, the number of travelers in your group, whether you'd be springing for a taxi to the airport -- the more accurate the estimates. For the eco-minded, it even includes a carbon-footprint estimate for each mode of travel. (Note: The calculator only works for trips within the continental U.S.) befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/.

4. Plnnr
Get instant itineraries tailored to your tastes.
Whether you have a full week or a few hours, Plnnr can craft a (free!) customized point-to-point trip guide for 20 popular urban destinations across North America and Europe. You supply the length of your stay, desired activity level, and interests (such as outdoors, kids' activities, and culture), and the site spits out a fully formed itinerary, factoring in each attraction's opening and closing hours and travel times between spots by taxi or on foot. You can further fine-tune the results by adjusting the priority level for even more specific subcategories -- architecture, breweries, and even cemeteries -- or reject individual suggestions outright. (Plnnr won't get its feelings hurt.) plnnr.com.

5. Hipmunk
Find a hotel you'll fall in love with.
The folks behind Hipmunk's airfare and hotel searches know that good trips are about more than mere numbers. That's why they've incorporated an "agony" scale for flights with multiple legs and long layovers, and an "ecstasy" rating for hotels based on a combination of a property's amenities, rates, and user reviews on TripAdvisor. Even better, Hipmunk's hotel search tool has built-in color-coded heat maps to display a given destination's best spots for dining, shopping, nightlife, landmarks, and -- ahem -- "vice." So you'll always end up in a neighborhood that fits your specific needs (or noise tolerance). The site displays real-time prices available on Orbitz, Getaroom, Hotels.com, HotelsCombined, or Airbnb and links out to the appropriate site to close the deal. hipmunk.com.



On the road

6. TripIt
Keep every last confirmation number, arrival time, and prepaid reservation fee straight.
Don't have an über-organized type among your travel crew? Don't worry. TripIt consolidates every important detail of your vacation into a single handy document, which you can access on the go via laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Just forward each email receipt from booking a flight, hotel, rental car, or cruise to your TripIt account, and the site will cull and compile the flight numbers, gate information, and other relevant items so you never show up in the wrong place at the wrong time -- or with the wrong confirmation code in hand. Not satisfied? The site also supplies seat-selection advice for flights, links to check in online, flight status updates, weather forecasts, and driving directions. tripit.com.

7. Tripping
Connect with the locals -- through a trustworthy community.
While any old travel site can add some social-networking features and call itself "the Facebook of travel," Tripping paves the way for true face-to-face interactions in about 130 countries across the globe. Primarily a homestay network -- but just as effective for setting up a casual coffee meeting or a video chat with a looped-in local -- Tripping manages the risk factor with its stringent membership policies and strong user-reference system. (To join, users must display a passport via Skype and prove a home address.) When you're not traveling yourself, you can earn some good travel karma by playing tour guide for visitors to your own hometown. tripping.com.

8. Google Maps
Expertly navigate unfamiliar territory.
Thanks to constant refining by its mapmakers and graphic designers, Google's gold-standard mapping tool just keeps getting better. Live traffic information was recently added for 13 European countries; the site's maps for New York City, London, and other major cities now have public transit options; markings for tunnels and highway signs become easier to read every year; and you can plot your route by car, bicycle, or foot -- although the latter two options are still in beta. There's simply no more comprehensive and user-friendly way to explore. maps.google.com.



Once you're back

9. Award Wallet
Never let another frequent-flier mile expire.
Consider it the loyalty-program counterpart to TripIt's travel-info collector. Award Wallet streamlines your family's assortment of frequent-flier and loyalty programs, compiling them in a single, simple, point-tracking package. The setup takes minutes. For each account, just enter your log-in information; Award Wallet automatically pulls your points balances and expiration dates -- so you know to take action if you're on the verge of losing them. And because the site saves your log-in information, you only need one password to access all your accounts. awardwallet.com.

10. Blurb
Preserve your photographs in a format that people can't keep their hands off of.
Custom book publisher Blurb lets you design and print a soft-cover or hardcover travel photo album using impressive design tools and high-quality inks, paper, and binding. Most important, it also leaves you broad creative control. (No floral borders or faux photo-corners necessary.) Price is based on size, paper stock, cover material, and shipping fees, but single copies start at $11 for a 20-page book. Think your book has potential beyond your own coffee table? Blurb can also share your images as a free online slide show or sell copies of the book through its online shop. blurb.com.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

I looked up flights from Dublin to Amsterdam (kayak flexible date search: http://www.kayak.com/#flights/DUB-AMS/2012-02-24-flexible/2012-02-28-flexible) and they will range from $200 - $300 for a long weekend.

Amsterdam is a must do for you this semester because there is a possibility they are going to outlaw tourists from smoking in Amsterdam. Which is ridiculous, because that is how that city makes money. Anyway, its still totally safe and fun now so you should go enjoy it while you can!

Coffeeshops - so chill

HOSTEL

This is the hostel I have stayed in several times before: Youth Hostel Meetingpoint

Warmoesstraat 14, 1012 JD, Amsterdam, Netherlands

It is in a great location, great prices and very safe!
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Youth-Hostel-Meetingpoint/Amsterdam/5052?sc_sau=avdc
*Make sure you book in advance!

Favorite hostel!

WHAT TO DO/SEE

- Rent bikes! Cheapest transportation and SO FUN!
- Walk around and explore the city
- Van Gogh museum

Spring 2012 - Semester Schedule

Can you put in the semester sched?

Southern France (Nice, Cannes)

I didn't go to the South of France my semester abroad, but next time I went back this was the first place I went! I wouldn't put this region at the top of your list, but it would be great to spend a few days exploring the southern cities.