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Rome... Venice (or Como/Milan?)... Vienna? Sept-Oct 2026?

My spouse wants to see Rome for our anniversary. And recently, also suggested Vienna.

Is such an itinerary overly busy? Is it romantic? Is it relaxing or rushed?

We're not really outdoorsy people - sidewalks, drives, a museum, a castle, a manor house tour, that's kind of more our speed.

Also, after 2 kids and a decade at a desk, I'm not exactly "climb every mountain, ford every steam" material.

Possible Itinerary:

5 days Rome (FLY from northeast USA & recovery day, 1 day for the Vatican, 1 day for the Ancient sights, 1 day for the Borghese & similar sights. I think this is a decent pace - not as slow as it could be, but hopefully not crammed either. I've seen the Eternal City but my spouse has not)

1-2 day departing from Rome and heading north by car ... if we drive, it's 4-6 hours, but maybe we can stop in Perguia, Paduva, Bologna or another city along the way for lunch and make it an adventure. (Why not Florence? Seen it. Trying something new.)

2-3 days Venice (arrive, see San Marco, wander, ride a Gondola, etc., depart Venice for Vienna ... by plane? It's a 6 hour drive but about 1.5 hours in the air... or..... should we skip Venice for fear of the high water? or just try to keep it flexible so if the water is high, we spend time elsewhere to catch a flight... or do we skip Venice and go instead to the Italian Lake regions and Milan and fly Milan to Vienna? Or is there another option that's even better)

4 days Vienna (arrive... activities TBD... eat a schnitzel... drink a coffee... dance a waltz...FLY back to northeast USA)

My initial thoughts for an itinerary had included Rome and some driving as described above and then was going to focus on seeing more of Northern Italy, possibly the Lakes and the Piedmont and flying out of Milan. I still think Rome + the North of Italy could be a more relaxing option than Rome + Venice + Vienna, but maybe that's only because I'm less familiar with Austria all it may have on offer.

Posted by
8881 posts

Hi, if you want Rome, Venice, something in between and then Vienna, here’s a suggestion with everything in Italy by fast train:

Rome, Ferrara (has a castle in the center of the city, uncrowded nice museums, fantastic food!, Then a hour to Venice. Fly to Vienna. The trains are very easy & relaxing.

Posted by
3546 posts

Agree that taking the trains will relax your trip. A car in the cities of Italy is a burden. Fly from Venice to Vienna because it will save you time and money.

Posted by
23960 posts

There is no right or wrong to this. And to be honest, there is no “this is relaxing” and this isn’t. I am 60-something old fart and I love train travel up to the 3-hour mark then I count the minutes. Some train routes are remarkably scenic, most aren’t. What is relaxing and enjoyable for me is seeing and doing what I am called to see and do and having no (or very few) regrets about what I missed. So, for you it that is a little Italy and a little Austria, then that’s what you do. However, renting a car in Italy and dropping it in Vienna will cost more than your RT airfare (maybe). The drop-charge to rent in Rome and drop in Venice might also be high. I don’t know. So, a trip using trains from Rome to Venice, maybe mixed with a private transfer or DayTrip.com so you can pick up a few of the great places in between cities.

Vienna is one of those world class places that I think everyone should experience. Of course, I can say the same about Budapest too and its next door to Vienna. Just to move-in get comfortable and experience one or two large cultural centers after racing around Italy on trains might be a good way to end the trip with a laid-back finish. So, sure, fly Venice to Vienna. Nothing wrong with two themes on one trip. If Venice is a bit much for you on this trip RyanAir flies to Vienna from Rome, Bologna and Milan and quite a few other airports in Italy. If you fly to Budapest instead of Vienna, then go up to Vienna after a few days, RyanAir flies from Rome, Milan, Venice, Pisa and Trieste and a few others. WizzAir offers more options to Budapest from Italy and the legacy brands offer even more options to both. These are relatively short flights into easy airports. Don rule out starting in Venice and flyng to Vienna from Rome. The time difference isnt much.

You didn’t say what time of the year, and that might change my thoughts a bit. For Vienna you want to follow Emily’s posts. You can find out more about her here: https://community.ricksteves.com/users/64764 For Budapest, if that interests you at all, I have some information here: https://community.ricksteves.com/users/50322 (always check out the profile page of those that post here…. Sometimes it provides useful context.)