Rhine Cruise + Florence?

[sharks48]

Would love to hear from anyone who has advice on the feasibility of combining a Rhine cruise with some time pre or post in Florence. Specifically, which way to go [Amsterdam to Basel then Florence or the reverse]? Also advice on flying into/out of Europe, i.e. fly into Amsterdam and out of Pisa or Milan or vice versa? We'd basically be flying from NYC and would love to go both ways without a stop, if possible.

 

Thanks for any and all advice!

[beverlyjack]

There are many airlines and non-stop flights between JFK and Amsterdam and Milan and JFK. I would recommend using http://matrix.itasoftware.com to research them. Many cruise lines do the Amsterdam to Vienna itinerary. Our favorite is Grand Circle, http://www.gct.com. They are not as fancy as some others, but their tip content, in our opinion can't be beat. The flight from Vienna to Milan is only 1:35 and the train from Milan to Florence is about 2 hours. You can research this at http://www.eurailtickets.com/. I would suggest flying to Amsterdam a day or 2 early to get extra time there. Most river cruises depart from the center of the city, very near the central train station, so hotels are plentiful. I would also suggest an extra day or so in Vienna, before leaving for Italy.

[CasaM]

Also, Easyjet is a low cost airline within Europe so you might want to check your departure/arrival city there and see if they fly that route.

[caviargal]

I think it is quite feasible and agree that you should check Easyjet and the budget airlines to see what works. Florence Peretola Airport has quite a few flights and should not be difficult to get to.

 

I suspect you will have more options from AMS but not sure.

[sharks48]

Thanks for the answers so far.

 

Actually, we were thinking about taking a train between Basel and Florence, in order to view the Alps and to avoid airports. Anyone have thoughts on that?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for the answers so far.

 

Actually, we were thinking about taking a train between Basel and Florence, in order to view the Alps and to avoid airports. Anyone have thoughts on that?

 

As a regular Top Gear viewer, I would love to DRIVE that route!

[beverlyjack]

See http://www.raileurope-world.com/train-tickets/journey-insights/article/vienna-florence. I am not that familiar with the site, but it would probably be at least 12 hours with at least 3 connections. Trains in Europe are a wonderful way to travel, but with connections and luggage, it could be a challenge. One of the route possibilities goes through Venice. The train station there is in a nice area, right on the Grand Canal. If time (and money ) is not too big an issue, you could add another very interesting city. Please post what you decide to do.

[jpalbny]

Thanks for the answers so far.

 

Actually, we were thinking about taking a train between Basel and Florence, in order to view the Alps and to avoid airports. Anyone have thoughts on that?

 

Looks like a 6 1/2 hour journey with one connection in Milan though some itineraries require two connections. check the specifics at sbb.ch. Might be fun with a reasonable amount of luggage.

 

Driving? We will be in the area in May with a new Audi S7 that we're picking up at the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. Probably won't have time to make that drive, but would consider it next time! :)

Edited March 12, 2014 by jpalbny

[Host Jazzbeau]

Driving? We will be in the area in May with a new Audi S7 that we're picking up at the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. Probably won't have time to make that drive, but would consider it next time! :)

 

That would sound great going through the Alpine tunnels!

[TravelBugM]

I have to ask as I'm curious...... why Florence after a Rhine Cruise? Why not somewhere closer like Bruge or even Paris?

[cole]

As a regular Top Gear viewer, I would love to DRIVE that route!

 

Have you checked the cost of renting in one country and dropping off in another? We were considering driving from Portugal to Madrid, which is a 6hour drive and the cost was almost $700! Obviously, we changed our minds.

Cole

[jpalbny]

That would sound great going through the Alpine tunnels!

 

That is so tempting! If this trip goes well we may do it again in a future year.

 

cole, you're right that the one-way rental fees between countries are exorbitant - someone needs to remind them of the Eurozone! If you amortize that amount over a several day rental period or a week, it's not as horrible. But to pay that same fee for just one day? Back on topic, you'd be better off on the train.

 

We are doing a European delivery at the Audi factory in Germany so it's our personal car we'd be driving. :D I just don't think we'll get that far south.

[sharks48]

To TravelBugM: Our main interest is actually a trip to Florence. But we've been to Venice, Rome, etc. and wanted to add some other interesting places. We thought of Lucerne [which seems incredibly expensive!] or perhaps Paris [though it's not high on our list of "must-do's"]. Would love to do Bruges, but unless we did the Rhine cruise [and even then...] it would be just too much.

 

We have a "free" flight to/from Europe and are having fun considering the possibilities.

 

Thanks for the input, everyone! [Enjoy that Audi!}

[4774Papa]

To TravelBugM: Our main interest is actually a trip to Florence. But we've been to Venice, Rome, etc. and wanted to add some other interesting places. We thought of Lucerne [which seems incredibly expensive!] or perhaps Paris [though it's not high on our list of "must-do's"]. Would love to do Bruges, but unless we did the Rhine cruise [and even then...] it would be just too much.

 

We have a "free" flight to/from Europe and are having fun considering the possibilities.

 

Thanks for the input, everyone! [Enjoy that Audi!}

If you go to Florence, consider taking a day and visit nearby Sienna.

 

Florence deserves at least three days.

I recommend a four star reasonably priced hotel in the city on the Arno river. The Hotel Balestri.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187895-d203902-Reviews-s1-Hotel_Balestri-Florence_Tuscany.html