Travelling to Ephesus, Istanbul, a couple of Greek Isles, Barcelona and Rome

Alan Edward Klein · Mar 10, 2025

ChrisGalway said:
Yes, Florence is definitely worth a visit, and you can get a fast comfortable train from/to Rome. If you book 1-2 months in advance, you can get First/Business Class at a bargain price.

By the way, my strategy in all these popular tourist places is to observe which direction the crowd is moving and then go either at 90 degrees or in the opposite direction!

We're stuck with traveling to Florence in the morning returning to Rome in the PM. But thanks for the tip.

cowanw said:
Far far too many people in Florence! Literally squeezing by crowds in the street last October.

We'll only add two more.

ChrisGalway said:
I think all the places on this itinerary can be crowded, but really it's very easy to avoid the crowds, especially in somewhere like Florence which has a few popular "attractions" but dozens/hundreds of charming places frequented mainly by locals ... and great for photography!

Alan, I see you were formerly resident in NYC, and I'm sure you're familiar with the places most tourists go ... and the real NYC away from the tourist spots. It's the same in most places. In the past couple of years I've spent many photo-days in Florence, NYC, Venice, Paris and other "tourist" cities ... but always managed to find quieter attractive areas.

My wife's in charge of this visit as she;s the one dragging me to FLorence because sh;e been there before. I'll just keep smiling.

Sirius Glass said:
Florence needs more than a day to see it and get a feel for the city, history and its art. I suggest three to five days for a starter.

Unfortunately we have non cancellable flight tickets home so we can;'t stay longer. Frankly the trip total is 16 days so we'll be pretty tired by the time we get to Rome.

MattKing said:
No apology (or blame) necessary.
Of course, starting a new thread would have been the easier way to deal it .
The last time I was at some of those destinations, I was ~45 years younger. I hope your trip is as good as mine was.

If I was 45 years younger, I;m sure it would be a better trip for me too. Everything would be better.

Arthurwg · Mar 10, 2025

Alan Edward Klein said:
Which neighborhoods are best in Barcelona and Rome. We plan to stay in hotels for three nights each. Museums, shows, restaurants, exploring, taking it easy for us old folks. No drinking or bar hopping. Early to sleep.

I can highly recommend Hotel Capo d Africa in Rome. Wonderful place, very tasteful, walk to the Colosseum, moderately priced. Only connection with Africa is that it's on Via Capo d Africa #54.

cowanw · Mar 10, 2025

One last thought about Rome. Consider being sure your mapping app on your phone will work. It is very easy to walk in circles even with a map.

Alan Edward Klein · Mar 11, 2025

Arthurwg said:
I can highly recommend Hotel Capo d Africa in Rome. Wonderful place, very tasteful, walk to the Colosseum, moderately priced. Only connection with Africa is that it's on Via Capo d Africa #54.

Thanks Arthur for the tip.

cowanw said:
One last thought about Rome. Consider being sure your mapping app on your phone will work. It is very easy to walk in circles even with a map.

Thanks, William. I've already downloaded the areas I'm traveling to into my cellphone's Google map navigation app. That way, I don't need a connection to the internet to see where I'm at and can use it for walking, driving, taking trains, etc. It will operate offline, at sea, etc. This is a great feature especially if you're in an area where there;s no cell service such as when you're hiking in backwoods areas, mountains, etc. Of course, you should take a handheld GPS in those remote conditions for safety.

Sirius Glass · Mar 11, 2025

Alan Edward Klein said:
We're stuck with traveling to Florence in the morning returning to Rome in the PM. But thanks for the tip.

We'll only add two more.

My wife's in charge of this visit as she;s the one dragging me to FLorence because sh;e been there before. I'll just keep smiling.

Unfortunately we have non cancellable flight tickets home so we can;'t stay longer. Frankly the trip total is 16 days so we'll be pretty tired by the time we get to Rome.

If I was 45 years younger, I;m sure it would be a better trip for me too. Everything would be better.

So book a week in Florence and a week in Venice next year. Two place, a week in each so you will not get worn out by traveling.

Alan Edward Klein · Mar 12, 2025

Sirius Glass said:
So book a week in Florence and a week in Venice next year. Two place, a week in each so you will not get worn out by traveling.

I told her next trip we rent a house in one place. Unpack once.

jeffreyg · Mar 12, 2025

Alan and anyone else
If you plan to return to Italy especially Tuscany I can recommend staying at Tuneta di Corsano. It’s a villa with apartments, an infinity pool , vineyards and their own wine. Great location to take day trips from Twenty minutes to Sienna, easy drive to San Gimignano, Pienza and other villages. We know the owner and have stayed there twice. We actually invited them to stay with us when they visited the US which they did. They may still give cooking classes. Lillian is an incredible cook.

Sirius Glass · Mar 12, 2025

Alan Edward Klein said:
I told her next trip we rent a house in one place. Unpack once.

There is an advantage to spend more time is one or two locations and get to know them well as apposed to constantly moving place to place.

jeffreyg · Mar 12, 2025

At the place I suggested in Tuscany you have your own apartment. different sizes depending on the size of your party. Worth a look see on their website if anyone is planning such a trip. A lot of photography opportunities in that area.

Tom Taylor · Mar 12, 2025

The last leg of my Madrid to Rome bicycle tour (actually Valencia to Rome as I took a train from Madrid to start in Valencia) was cycling through Tuscany. Beautiful picturesque countryside on gently curving roads that allowed you to glide long distances without hardly having to turning the pedals. I remember stopping at a roadside store for a soda and ice cream. It was run by an elderly gentleman and his wife. I grab a soda out of the cooler and go to the ice cream cooler and the wife comes over and gently slaps my hand away. Nobody puts their hands in the ice cream cooler, she'll get it for me.

So I pay my bill and sit down at a table for my break. Into the courtyard comes two young kids on a motorbike and they go in and select two large bottles of Coca Cola and a giant bag of Lays potato chips and bring it to the register. The old man looks over the cokes and chips and in a somewhat lengthy entreat says to them in effect, “What kind of Italians are you guys going to grow up to be drinking Coca Cola and eating potato chips ...” I knew where the old man was coming from but coke and chips sounded yummy to me.

joho · Mar 14, 2025

BARCELONA, SPAIN (cruise starts)
MYKONOS, GREECE ---------------------see little Venice at Hora-also the old wind mills -- the archaeological museum __if you can Delos_Rha islands it is a half day --go in the morning __
EPHESUS (KUSADASI), TURKEY
ISTANBUL, TURKEY-------------------the old city - walls - TopKapy and a lot more
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
SANTORINI, GREECE------------------ boat rides of Caldera__Therasa is a small island -the archaeological museum[special]
OLYMPIA (KATAKOLON), GREECE---Ancient Olympia -- for a good swim Arkoudi beach
ROME (CIVITAVECCHIA), ITALY (cruise ends)

my 2 cents ...
enjoy

ChrisGalway · Mar 16, 2025

When are you going? Spring or Summer? There have been some hot summers in Europe in recent years.

Travelling to Ephesus, Istanbul, a couple of Greek Isles, Barcelona and Rome

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