Italy - Amsterdam - Norway
In June and July of 2023 we're heading back to Europe. Starting in Rome, we're taking the Globus Italian Treasures tour to explore Rome, Tuscany and Venice and lots more in between. Then we're going to see more of Rome, Pompei and the Amalfi region on our own.
The next stop will be Amsterdam, a wonderful city that we've been to before. Over four days we plan on exploring museums, visiting the Aalsmeer flower auction, and just walking the streets of the city.
The final segment of the adventure is Royal Caribbean's 12-Night Arctic Circle cruise along the Norway coast, past the Arctic Circle and on to North Cape. Along the way we'll be exploring the towns and fjords dotting the beautiful coast.
| Date | Day # | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Jun | Day 0 | Fly to Rome |
| 20-Jun | Day 1 | Arrive in Rome |
| 21-Jun | Day 2 | Rome Connection |
| 22-Jun | Day 3 | Globus Italian Treasures - Begin |
| 23-Jun | Day 4 | Globus Italian Treasures - Rome |
| 24-Jun | Day 5 | Globus Italian Treasures - Rome-Lucca |
| 25-Jun | Day 6 | Globus Italian Treasures - Cinque Terre and Pisa |
| 26-Jun | Day 7 | Globus Italian Treasures - Siena-Chianti-Florence |
| 27-Jun | Day 8 | Globus Italian Treasures - Florence |
| 28-Jun | Day 9 | Globus Italian Treasures - Venice |
| 29-Jun | Day 10 | Globus Italian Treasures - Venice |
| 30-Jun | Day 11 | Globus Italian Treasures - Assisi |
| 01-Jul | Day 12 | Globus Italian Treasures - Orveito |
| 02-Jul | Day 13 | Globus End in Rome ("Laundry day") |
| 03-Jul | Day 14 | Train to Naples |
| 04-Jul | Day 15 | Naples - Sorrento and Amalfi |
| 05-Jul | Day 16 | Naples - Capri Adventure Tour |
| 06-Jul | Day 17 | Pompei - Half day tour |
| 07-Jul | Day 18 | Train to Airport/Fly to Amsterdam |
| 08-Jul | Day 19 | Amsterdam - Van Gogh Museum |
| 09-Jul | Day 20 | Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum |
| 10-Jul | Day 21 | Amsterdam - Anne Frank House? |
| 11-Jul | Day 22 | 12-Night Arctic Circle cruise departs Amsterdam 5PM |
| 12-Jul | Day 23 | Cruising at sea |
| 13-Jul | Day 24 | Geiranger, Norway 10AM - 7PM |
| 14-Jul | Day 25 | Molde, Norway 7AM - 4PM |
| 15-Jul | Day 26 | Cruising at sea |
| 16-Jul | Day 27 | Honningsvag, Norway 8AM - 6PM |
| 17-Jul | Day 28 | Tromso, Norway 7AM - 5PM |
| 18-Jul | Day 29 | Arctic Circle |
| 19-Jul | Day 30 | Flam, Norway 8AM - 6PM |
| 20-Jul | Day 31 | Stavanger, Norway 8AM - 7PM |
| 21-Jul | Day 32 | Kristiansand, Norway 7AM - 6PM |
| 22-Jul | Day 33 | Cruising at sea |
| 23-Jul | Day 34 | Disembark in Amsterdamn - Fly home??? |
'Filled with the country’s famous jewels and hidden gems, this dazzling tour leads you from Rome to Venice and back again, with time in the sultry Italian Riviera, vineyard-dotted Tuscany, and picturesque Umbria, Tuscany’s “gentler sister.”
'Savor a boat ride along the dramatic Cinque Terre coastline with its pastel-hued fishing villages, stroll through the serene streets of Assisi, and sip Chianti in a Tuscan cantina. Michelangelo’s David, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the perfectly preserved medieval town of San Gimignano are more reasons this tour of Italy truly shines.'
Notes
- This is our plan as of the begining of April, 2023. The dates are set for the Italian Treasures tour (Jun 22 - Jul 2) and the cruise in Norway (Jul 11-23).
- There have been some changes highlighted on the calendar to the left. What I've done is add an additional day in Naples and remove a day from Amsterdam, giving us a less rushed experience in Naples. There will still be plenty of time to explore Amsterdam before we head out on the cruise.
- Accocmodations: We're set on Star Hotel Metropole in Rome and Terminus Naples. Both hotels are located convient to ther train station. In Amsterdam we'll be staying at the Doubletree near the train station. We've settled on a full day tour of Rome before heading out on the Globus trip. Then Naples and the Amalfi region, followed by Amsterdam.
- Flights:
- Traveling to Rome and returning from Amsterdam makes the most sense if you're taking part in the entire trip.
- For just the Italy segment there are good round trip flights from NY to Rome.
- For just the cruise segment, there are flights from Toronto (Air Canada), JFK (Delta and KLM), Newark (United), Philadelphia (American), and Washington/Dulles (United).
- The Globus tour is Tour LK - Italian Treasures, June 22 - July 2, 2023. We'll be starting and ending in Rome. Once we finish the last day of the Italian Treasures tour in Rome we plan one 'maintenance day' before heading to Naples.
- Working out of Naples we have jsut a few days to explore the Amalfi area and Pompei. Right now we're looking at diferent options for day tours of the Sorrento, Amalfi, and Postiano areas. Also on the list are half day options for Pompei and Capri.
- In the spirit of keeping things flexible, we've structured it so travelers can selectively choose segments. For example, if you just want to take the Norway cruise, you could just show up on the 11th and leave on the 23rd.
- From Italy, Amsterdam is the next target. Julie and I love Amsterdam. The city is friendly, has pleanty of friendly English speakers, and has a wonderful pallet of things to do.
- This trip finishes with a Royal Carribean cruise along Norway's coast, all the way to Cape North.
Italy - June 20, 2023 to July 6, 2023
The Globus Italian Treasures tour originates and ends in Rome. Our first stops are centered on Tuscany as we first spend two days in Lucca (Pisa), visiting Cinque Terra, Pisa, and Siena. The next two days take us to Verrazzano and the iconic city of Florence.
Leaving Tuscany, we'll have a stop in Verona and then spend two days exploring Venice. I'm looking forward to my first gondola ride! On the way back to Rome we'll spend a day in Assisi and stop in Orvieto.
Italy Weather| City | Avg High | Avg Low | Sunny |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | 83° | 59° | 78% |
| Pisa | 80° | 58° | 73% |
| Siena | 82° | 57° | 73% |
| Florence | 82° | 62° | 70% |
| Venice | 78° | 64° | 35% |
| Assisi | 80° | 58° | 73% |
You can see the daily temperatures along our route in Italy in the above weather table. Most of the trip should have clear skies and temperatures around 80. It'll be warm, but we avoid the heat of late July and August.
Naples, Amalfi and Pompei
Once we're back in Rome we plan to relax a day before taking the train south to Naples. Using Naples as a base the plan is an afternoon exploring Naples, a day in Sorrento, Amalfi and Postiano, and a second day in Capri. I've heard some nice things about the island of Ischia, but Capri is more well known.
We plan to spend the last morning in Naples on a half-day truip to Pompei. Then, after lunch we'll get organized and ready to move on to Amsterdam. After an early train to Rome, we have a noon flight (July 7) north to Amsterdam.
Amsterdam
Like Rome, Amsterdam is one of our favorite European cities. There will be four days to explore the canals, museums and culture of Amsterdam before our Norway cruise.
The morning of our first full day begins with the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is known as the home of the Dutch masters. It hosts 800 years of Dutch history, with the great Dutch masters as Rembrandt, Vermeer and others
On the second day we'll explore more of the city after exploring the VanGogh that morning.
A few other things we hope to do in Amsterdam include a visit to the Anne Frank House on day 3, a canal tour, and maybe the 'Free `Dam Tour' of the city.
Norway Cruise - Jul 11-23, 2023
Starting on July 11, we'll strike out on the 12 Night Arctic Circle cruise. From Amsterdam it progresses up the coast of Norway to North Cape, a distance of about 2,500km. Approximately 45% of the trip is north of the Arctic Circle.
When we arrive at Honningsvåg and North Cape, the ship will be 80% of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, at 70°+ latitude. The sun will remain above the horizon 24 hours a day in both Tromso and Honningsvåg. Bring a sleep mask!
The following weather table highlights the daily temperatures. Not hot, but neither will it be freezing. The best recommendation is to plan on dressing in layers.
| City | Avg High | Avg Low | Sunny |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honningsvåg (North Cape) | 56° | 47° | 40% |
| Tromso | 60° | 48° | 40% |
| Molde | 68° | 54° | 40% |
| Geiranger | 67° | 53° | 40% |
| Flåm | 72° | 57° | 41% |
| Stavanger | 66° | 54° | 57% |
| Kristiansand | 70° | 53° | 45% |
| Amsterdam | 71° | 55° | 58% |
| Paris | 77° | 60° | 62% |
| Normandy, France | 71° | 55° | 60% |
| Luxembourg | 74° | 58° | 60% |
| Basel, Switzerland | 77° | 57° | 63% |