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