The Best Day Trips from 4 Top Destinations

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How much of your precious vacation time do you want to spend traveling from place to place, versus actually exploring (and enjoying) the destination that you’re visiting?

 It can be really hard to balance a long wish list and a limited number of vacation days. And a big part of our job as professional travel advisors is helping you to do that by making smart choices.

To that end, one of the “travel hacks” we recommend is to choose one place that’s a good home base (great hotel option, lots of good restaurants, easy transport connections) and then add some easy day trips from that base. You check in and unpack once, stay longer, and see other destinations from there as day trips.

Where does that work well? So glad you asked! Here are a few of our faves:

Florence

a street view of the Florence Duomo and the street artists next to it

This pedestrian-friendly, walkable city is the perfect home base to explore all of Tuscany. You can spend a day or two enjoying Florence’s charms. And then hop on a train/bus to nearby Bologna, Lucca, Pisa, or Siena. (all are within 1 to 1 ½  hours).

[Photo Credit: Liz via Shared Adventures. Read about her adventure in Florence here! ]

Rome is a 90-minute train ride away, and even Venice is do-able as a daytrip (two hours on the train). If you rent a car for a day (or hire a driver) you can explore Chianti villages like Greve and Radda. Or, Tuscan hill towns like San Gimignano and Volterra. And you could also do a daytrip to the coast, for hiking in the Cinque Terre.

Athens

Lots of travelers blow through Athens in a night or two because they’re focused on the Greek Islands, but there’s an argument to be made for staying put for a little while longer and using Athens as a home base. When you’ve had your fill of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the ancient Agora, and the Plaka, you can hit the beach at Cape Sounion (about 2 hours away) and check out the Temple of Poseidon while you’re there.

[Photo Credit: Alicia & Jay via Shared Adventures. Read about their family trip to Greece Here! ]

A family visiting the Acropolis in Greece

Or visit the original capital (Nafplio). Which is one of the prettiest towns in the country (about an hour and 45 minutes away). The closest island is Aegina, where lots of Athenians have weekend homes. And you can get there on a 40-minute hydrofoil from Athens’ port of Piraeus.  Or you could do an organized group day trip to Corinth, Delphi, or Meteora.

Lucerne

The Swiss rail system is easy, efficient, and scenic. Why not take advantage of that by using Lucerne as a home base and exploring the surrounding country from there! Spend a day in Zurich (45 minutes by train), Bern (one hour), or Interlaken (two hours). Or connect from there to a mountain town like Grindelwald.

[Photo Credit: Ann via Shared Adventures]

London

With so many fabulous cities/towns so accessible by train, this one is a no-brainer. Spend a few days in London itself, and then hop on a train to Windsor (50 minutes), Oxford (one hour), or Bath (90 minutes). Spend a day in the Cotswolds (about two hours), or head to the coast (Dover and Portsmouth are both about two hours away). If you get an early start, you can even do Paris as a day trip (about 2 ¼ hours each way on the train through the Chunnel)

[Photo Credit: Ann via Shared Adventures. Read about her trip to England here!]

a selfiev in front of the London Eye

I think you probably get the idea by now! You can get more out of your vacation time/money by moving less and seeing more with a smart home base and fun day trips. Let us know if you want to try this strategy for your next trip!

A Summer Family Vacation in Italy

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Regina and her family were overwhelmed with planning a summer getaway to Italy. With three kids (ranging in age from 10 to 18) and a very limited window of opportunity to get everyone together in one place, they needed to make the most of their time, without overdoing it. They wanted to see as much as they could, experience the art and history but also have some relaxing time by the sea to really feel that summer vacation vibe. We put together an adventure in Italy with spectacular views and a little bit of everything! Here is their report of the adventure:

Florence

We had many many highlights and favorite moments! Florence was literally steaming hot, but the kids surprised us by totally loving the two tours we had — the walking tour which ended at the Accademia, and then a short but awesome whirlwind into the Uffizi!

They are old enough and curious enough to have been utterly wowed by the history — and both guides we had were AWESOME! It was too hot to climb the Duomo, but no matter, we walked and walked and felt always in the orbit of that amazing dome. Of course, beautiful food and endless gelato helped keep spirits up too!

view from the florence rooftop

Plaza Lucchesi was fantastic — can’t tell you how much fun that rooftop pool was at the end of a dripping hot day, before heading out for dinner! 

Sorrento

We loved Sorrento. As you predicted, the location of the apartment was perfect. And we all enjoyed having a little more room to spread out. (you cannot overestimate how amazing it was to have a washing machine to deal with our very very sweaty clothes!)

We had some of our very best days in the orbit of Sorrento. The amazing joyful cooking class at Villa Pane, the drive through the Amalfi Coast with Carmine (who works with Fabrizio — we totally loved both of them).

I would say the boat ride — which we were able to salvage after the initial cancellation — was quite simply one of the most wonderful days we’ve had in recent memory.

So much fun! Such a great way to get glimpses of the gorgeous coastal towns without having to spend too much time amidst the crowds. I would recommend this small boat trip to EVERYONE!

Ischia

But as amazing as all this was — our favorite 2 days of the trip were on Ischia! Seriously, we didn’t want to leave! I briefly pitched the idea to Jim that we could retire there! We loved the hotel (the Continental Mare) — here was the view from our balcony:

We had the most amazing experience at a hydrothermal park/beach – Negombo Thermal Park and Preserve. So so incredible.

We got there when it opened at 9, and stayed until 7pm. The first half of the day was spent going from one thermal pool to the next

… and the afternoon was spent floating in San Montana Bay. The kids made us promise to return — and truthfully, we could have stayed several more days there happily.

Rome

So by the time we got to Rome, we were wiped out! After Ischia, we didn’t have a lot of tolerance for the 100+ heat. But — we had dear friends from White Plains (one of whom was Roman born) who coincidentally were there the exact time we were. So we canceled our tours and spent the time with them roaming around Italy, having great food, and getting some wonderful views. Such a beautiful city — we will return some November! (We would totally return as well to our awesome Hotel Dei Mellini!)

Really, for us, it was more spectacular than we could have imagined. You took what could have been a chaotic and unwieldy trip to Italy and made it as smooth as it possibly could have been! And we are so grateful!!!!

A Honeymoon in Paris & Italy

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Kelly and Chris were looking for an October honeymoon in Europe. Someplace romantic, with plenty of food, museums, and opportunities to explore on their own. The perfect combination of these? Florence, Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Paris! Here is their feedback on their European Honeymoon:

We had such a great time on our trip! Everything turned out amazing! The transfers you set up for us were very helpful. The cars were all on time and it was nice to not have to worry about finding transportation. All of the flights and trains were on time and easy to navigate.

The Highlights

We loved all of the hotels but we especially loved Hotel Le Littre in Paris and Hotel Berchielli in Florence (the views and the locations)! All of the tours were great. The guides were all very knowledgeable and helped us see the main attractions in a short amount of time.

One of the highlights of our trip was the Semi-private wine-making experience and gourmet dinner. The vineyard in Tuscany was beautiful and we had fun at the wine and olive oil tasting. We also loved getting to blend our own wine to take home.

The Sorrento Farm Experience was another activity we really enjoyed. It was nice being able to try their different olive oils and cheeses and even watch them make fresh cheese in front of us! 

Good to Note

We just had a few things to note: When we landed at the Paris airport it took us over an hour to get through customs. Luckily the driver was still there when we got through so it wasn’t a problem. The other thing was the private tour of the Amalfi Coast. The driver was so great and he recommended an excellent place to eat.

We got to visit Positano and Ravello which were beautiful but we spent almost 2 hours in traffic and were not able to stop at Amalfi due to crowds and timing. Totally understand that traffic can’t be predicted and we had a great time at the stops we did get to make! That is really the only feedback we have!

We had an incredible honeymoon thanks to you! Your planning was a great help and took a lot of stress off of our plate and the Pocket Travel app made everything so easy and accessible. We will definitely use your services again when we plan another big trip.

Ann’s Tuscany Adventure

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I’ve been to Tuscany before, but always with Florence as my home base. Doing day trips to Siena or Lucca, or heading out into the countryside for a day of winetasting before retreating back to the city. When the opportunity arose to spend a whole week in Tuscany, I jumped at it! 

The focus for this trip was romance travel (destination weddings and honeymoons). We had the opportunity to tour some gorgeous properties and meet some fantastic local business owners (florists, caterers, event planners, and photographers). And, of course, eat and drink some amazing local food and wine.

If you’ve ever dreamed of getting married in Tuscany, we can absolutely hook you up!

[Photo: The dining hall of Corte dei Papi villa in Cortona]

But I am really excited about Tuscany in general, and what a different experience it offers vacationers when compared to the big cities.  

Accommodations

We stayed at the Buccelletti Casali and Cantina, in Castiglion Fiorentina. It’s a charming property that has been in the Buccelletti family since 1625. They’ve been growing olives and making olive oil for generations, and they now make wine as well.

They have converted the old farm workers’ houses into clusters of villas and apartments. Plus, they’ve turned the olive oil mill into a stunning event space. It was the perfect home base for a week spent exploring the surrounding countryside.

[Photo: Buccelletti Casale and Cantina]

The accommodations themselves were the first big difference from previous trips to Italy. I was in a cute little house with two bedrooms and bathrooms, a living/dining area and small kitchen, and a private yard/garden.

We could prepare our own breakfasts of farm-fresh eggs, homemade bread, and locally produced yogurt, jams, honey, and fruit. We had bottles of wine and olive oil produced right there on site. And the cuisine could not have been more “farm to table”. So different from staying in a hotel! 

When you’re out in the country at an agriturismo like this, it does help to have a car, so that you can get out to the local shops and markets. But at the Buccelletti Casali, we had a basket of provisions (replenished mid-week) and it was more than enough for breakfasts and snacks.  

The Countryside

We were a group, with a very organized itinerary (and drivers/guides), but I would highly encourage clients to rent a car and enjoy a more independent stay in Tuscany. The roads are great, the traffic is light, and they drive on the right side of the road. It’s very manageable for American drivers.

[Photo Credit: MIP Studios via Shared Adventures – a road in Cortona]

While we were there, we had a busy itinerary filled with site inspections at hotels/inns/B&Bs, guided tours of Tuscan hill towns, tastings at local vineyards, and many lengthy multi-course meals with wine pairings. Brutal, I know.

We learned how cheese is made. We met mayors, hoteliers, restauranteurs, and the fascinating couple who purchased and renovated the villa featured in “Under the Tuscan Sun”.

[Photo: Ann & Kristy at Villa Laura]

Highlights

Some of the highlights, for me, included: 

  • Cortona – a town of steep streets, gorgeous views, Etruscan history, and tempting shops.
  •  Pici – traditional hand-rolled Tuscan pasta, made from just the “poorest” of ingredients (flour and water).  
  • Podere il Casale – a pecorino cheese producer, organic farm, and farm-to-table restaurant outside of Pienza, where we enjoyed a fabulous meal completely sourced from right there onsite. (So delicious that I purchased and carried home their very heavy hardbound cookbook in the hopes of recreating that magic) 
  • Brunello di Montalcino wines – made with 100% Sangiovese, bold and fruity, one of the best Italian reds!

The Tuscany Takeaway

Tuscany is all about the slow food movement, slowing down to take it all in, and enjoying the views.

There’s no long list of “must-sees”. You can while away an afternoon (guilt-free) sitting by the pool sipping wine and snacking on prosciutto. Or riding an e-bike through the countryside. Or rolling up your sleeves for a cooking class.  

I realize now that I was doing it all wrong when I visited Tuscany as a quick side trip from Florence. Tuscany invites you to stop, linger, indulge, experience, and enjoy. And I can’t wait to come back and do it all again! 

[Photo: Villa Le Prata in Montalcino]

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