Florence & Bologna

Cal

Cal

Bum Chum
Jan 27, 2006
6,469
8
#1
Hi Ladies (& Gents).
I'm going to Bologna and Florence in early May. We're flying into Bologna and thought we'd catch the train to Florence as it's only an hour away. Has anyone done this? Do I need to book the train? I have accommodation sorted, but any shopping, eating and touristy information would be greatly appreciated. Any ideas on distractions for my husband so I can run away and look in the shops? TIA!!!
 
#2
You are so lucky! We are thinking of doing the same in Dec. Joe wants to find the Genovese family. Haven't been to Florence since the 70's but we did go from Milano to Bari by train. Don't know the bookings :sad: You can tell me when you get back.
Isn't Gucci in Florence?
 
#3
OMG!! Florence was SOOOO amazing! Your DH will be besides himself w/ things to do and look at while you weave in and out of shops!
I was so sad we only got to spend an afternoon there.
 
#4
You can buy the tickets online (which is better because you can book non-smoking seats and have a seat in general!). Book through EuroStar. Make sure you go into the Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence. It's the one near the Centro Storico. There are several great museums. Send him to the Uffizi or Academia (Michelangelo's David). He could also just chill at a cafe with some espresso and watch the foot traffic. There are so many great shops!! Buy a leather coat for me!! They'll even tailor it for you. If you're feeling adventurous you can climb to the top of the Duomo.
 
#5
Hi Cal, I did exactly the same route when I went to Florence from Amsterdam. I think we took the bus to the train station from the Bologna airport and changed onto the train to Florence. I don't remember the details even I planned everything (getting senile here). I remember it was very straight forward, no hassle at all.
Are you hitting the outlets outside of Florence? There are tours to go there, you will see them asking you at the station if you want to go. And even taxi drivers offer you a a day trip there. We just took the train ourselves and hooped onto a taxi at the station to the Mall. It was easy enough to do it yourself without paying for a tour guide. It was fun too doing it the local way.
Are you staying at Bologna at all? It's famous for its cuisine, its restaurants.

KK
 
#6
Well, you guys have been everywhere! We're flying from Amsterdam into Bologna. We have 4 days there (just want to chill, eat, snooze and eat) then catching the train to Florence for 4 days (where can can chill, shop, eat, look at stuff, eat and chill), catch the train back to Bologna then fly back to Amsterdam. Not sure if I can swing the outlets in Florence, unless they are fabulous - are they worth it? Looking forward to the trip as it's our 10th wedding anniversay. My mother is flying up from Australia to look after the boys! Woohoo!!!!! Any advice, restaurant, shopping tips are really appreciated! Thanks!

BTW - David is on our list - any excuse to look at a naked guy!
 
#9
OMG! You're going to love it. I didnt buy my train tickets in advance only because we wanted to keep our schedules flexible. I think the price difference wasnt that big either. While you're in the area, you might want to visit Pisa and Sienna too which are both small towns with lots of charm. I actually saw the italian singer Andrea Bocelli in one of the tiny streets in Sienna. I would love to go back and am so jealous of you!
 
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