First Time in Europe Three Week Itinerary

If you are not set on keeping Berlin, the easiest thing to do would be to cut that stop completely and allocated those days to the cities you already have. Remember, you will go back!

That's my gut feeling as well--I would love to see Berlin but to be honest, it was not in our original plan and we maneuvered some stuff to try and squeeze it in.

I adored Berlin for its WW II and Cold War sites. I spent six days in the city and needed more. The city itself (not speaking of Potsdam here), however, is not particularly pretty. If you don't want to overdose on the historical sites (and you don't really have time to do that), I'd skip Berlin on this overloaded trip, as I suggested in your other thread (and I didn't know you were planning to go to Bayeux--that's 8 hotels in 21 nights).

You'll need to fly Amsterdam-Prague, Prague-1st stop in Italy, and last stop in Italy-Paris. That's an awful lot of time going to and from airports within a 3-week period. There's something inherently stressful about dealing with airports. Are you sure you want that much airport time on your honeymoon? Seriously, think about keeping Prague (along with Berlin) for your second trip.

I have done West coast to Amsterdam and return from Paris once and am planning my second trip for May. I'd slow it down and cut Berlin and Prague. Logistically they add 2 or 3 long travel days (which you are already locked into having two of) and 4 or 5 is too many in a three week trip. Also realize that your entire trip (except Normandy) is large cities, I'd break it up with a small town in Tuscany between Florence and Rome. Amsterdam to Venice on Easyjet (I think) and Rome to Paris on any number of carriers. That leaves some three hours or less train/bus trips through Italy. It will be hot and I'd start booking hotels with air conditioning now. Jet lag from the West coast is tough.

When you are in Paris, since you are not heavily into art, forego the Louvre and visit some of the smaller museums. The Jacquemart-Andre and the Nissim Camondo offer an interesting look at how the wealthy lived (and still do) and there is just enough art to not bore you.

If you are up in Montmartre to see Sacre-Coeur, visit the Musee de Montmartre. It is small-ish and you will find the exhibitions very accessible. Nice small garden to have a sit-down, too.

Look at the websites for these three ..... I hope they will appeal to you. Oh, and there is no law that says you MUST visit the Louvre. Standing in a small area with a huge crowd all jostling one another to get a better view of the Mona Lisa can be very off-putting.

Thank you, acraven and Richard. Totally understand the concerns about fitting in Prague. Unfortunately that is really the only place (as well as Normandy) that my FH feels strongly about seeing on this trip so I'm not sure if I would feel good about trying to convince him to cut it. I'm leaning toward definitely cutting Berlin, though.

Yeah, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

In that case, consider skipping Rome or going straight from Venice to Rome. But doing Florence (or Bologna) allows easy access to some nice smaller cities in central Italy. Rome has great sights but is large, and there's so much to do in the city, it's hard to see you having time for a place like Orvieto.

I think you are dramatically short changing yourselves at every location!

Have you thought about dropping your Italian cites and saving them for your next trip?

I have been to all these great places and you will love them. Many Americans plan to go to Europe like it is their last trip there and try to cover too much.

I would break up your trip into two parts and plan on doing the other half later, with more time at each location.

Amsterdam and Prague are places that you can see a lot in two days. Still, you will not see it all in Amsterdam and probably not get out into the Dutch countryside at all.

Berlin is fascinating, but you only stay there two nights.

Italy is wonderful and you can do a lot in Venice in 1.5 days but it is not enough.
Florence deserves 4-6 days and Rome a week.

We did a tour of Normandy in 2014 and love it. The Bayeux Tapestry is fantastic. I read two books about the history of the Tapestry and what it says. It is about the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the colors of the tapestry area as bright as ever.

"In that case, consider skipping Rome or going straight from Venice to Rome. But doing Florence (or Bologna) allows easy access to some nice smaller cities in central Italy. Rome has great sights but is large, and there's so much to do in the city, it's hard to see you having time for a place like Orvieto"

I actually am probably least excited about Rome. I know it's a must-do for so many people but given that we aren't all that into museums and churches, maybe it could be skipped this time? I would however like to see the Vatican but that could wait.

We really want to visit some Tuscan wineries, probably on a guided tour since we won't have a car. Are there other towns in Tuscany where we might be able to pick something like that up besides Florence?

You absolutely can skip Rome. It will still be there the next time you go to Italy (guaranteed to be pretty soon).

Every trip itinerary is about trade-offs. It's OK to have a must-see sight (which should be a self-determined "must-see", not something you read in a book), but the more must-sees you have, the more difficult it is to craft a trip that will actually be really enjoyable, rather than a matter of checking things off a list. One ignores the logistics of a planned trip at ones peril.

The fabulous thing about Europe and especially Italy is that if you find yourself in a town that just doesn't speak to you for some reason, you can nearly always hop on a bus or train and spend the day somewhere you will love.

Edited to add: I think--since you're traveling during peak season--you'll find tour options out of Siena as well as out of Florence. Try Googling "bus tours Florence", "bus tours Siena" and maybe "bus tours Bologna". I believe you will need a tour to get to the vineyards since you don't want to rent a car. Except on Sundays and holidays you will probably be able to reach small towns via public transportation as long as you're OK with only going to one or at most two per day.

FYI, there is no longer an overnight train from Amsterdam to Berlin. Direct daytime trains take 6.5 hours. If you skip Berlin, then I agree with flying your 3 longest legs (www.skyscanner.com).

To get smaller towns in the mix, consider day trips from Amsterdam, Prague, or Florence and/or stop at Orvieto en-route between Florence and Rome.

Or, if you drop Rome in favor of more time around small-town Tuscany, then both Florence and Pisa airports have direct budget flights to Paris. But don't use RyanAir to Beauvais airport, which is too far from Paris.

Thank you Laura and thanks for linking on my thread in the Italy forum as well, appreciate it!

I think I am heavily leaning toward dropping Rome in favor of small town Tuscany... seems more honeymoon appropriate, too!

Does anyone have any thoughts on Naples and whether or not it would be worth adding to this trip? (If we skip Rome). I've heard mixed things about visiting there but that is where my family is from, so I'd love to stop there but don't have my heart set on it being this particular trip.

I wouldn't "skip over Rome and go to Naples." Save Naples for when you have time to do both, plus the Amalfi Drive, Pompeii, etc. There's also Puglia...

That was my instinct as well but thought it was worth asking :)

My suggestion would be to keep Berlin and drop Rome. Use the days allocated to Rome for more time in Tuscany/Florence and maybe an extra day for Paris/Normandy. We loved Berlin and found Rome to unbearably crowded and hot in August 2015. We didn't mind the heat but combined with the crowds I would save Rome for another time along with the south. Its also easy to fly from Florence or Pisa to Paris. Florence/Tuscany will offer great places to stay, sights, food and wine. We loved Berlin, combining a week in Germany with 4 weeks in Italy and it was our favourite city, especially if your fiance is interested in WW2 sights. We were in Paris & Normandy this summer and if you can, add a day to Bayeux. Have a great trip!

Thank you! That's a good perspective to think about. We are really interested in WWII sites but also don't want to short change them. I don't think I would enjoy the crowds in Rome either.

Italy in August is for masochists and that's especially true for us who are from Seattle. I would save it for early spring or late fall. I would keep Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Paris and Normandy. With this global warming it can be hot in Prague and Paris, too, if you are not lucky. You can add day trips to smaller towns when or if you become bored with big cities.

Fair enough but I'm not actually from Seattle. I should be okay. :)

Amazing that someone would advocate skipping Rome. Also, skipping Rome and going on to Naples.

I understand someone concerned with the heat in Rome during August, but I visited there the first time in July and we managed pretty well.

Rome is a lot more than just museums and churches.
Unless you are bored with ancient history, then perhaps you won't like Rome. There is so much to see regarding it's ancient past.

Further, St. Peter's itself is amazing and in my opinion the Sistine Chapel is the single most amazing work of art in the World.

The Naples area has a lot to offer, but the city is generally not a great destination in itself, except for the museum.
Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast take days to explore and are not conducive to a short visit.
Yes, visiting some of the countryside in Tuscany and Umbria are great, but with the time constraints you have, you need to reduce your itinerary instead of expanding it.

Also, recommend the Hotel Balesteri in Florence is an excellent four star at a great location on the Arno.

Places you can easily reach from Bologna that (in my opinion) are romantic are Ferrara and Ravenna.

You can skip Roma and Napoli on this trip, save them for another time.

I love Berlin but it seems out of the way. If you do go, fly. Other options in Germany could be Bamberg or Nurnberg.

I think your original plan is too rushed, especially for a honeymoon. My suggestion would be to skip Italy and focus the trip on Amsterdam, Prague, Paris, and Bayeux. It's not a question of not wanting to visit Italy, but rather of how much time you want to spend moving from city to city vs. in the cities themselves. Your plan calls for spending one third of your days in transit, with hotel changes, packing/unpacking, and the rest. Save Italy for your next trip (preferably not in the hottest time of year).

I too am a big fan of the Bayeux tapestry, depicting the original Normandy invasion (in reverse). I hope you have time to see it.

I think you've already received some great advice about slowing down and not rushing through a bunch of cities and also about trimming long stressful travel days from your itinerary, so I won't rehash that. But I did want to encourage you that just because a particular city is more famous or touristy or whatever doesn't mean that you have to want to go there. (i.e. Rome) I've been to Europe 3 times and have yet to go to many of the major places (Paris, Rome, etc.) that a lot of Americans think you have to go to when you go to Europe. I did my first RS tour this year and almost made the mistake of choosing the best of Europe because my family and friends were asking me why I hadn't been to those places yet and giving me a hard time about it. Not to say that I won't do that tour someday, I probably will, but I'm so glad that I chose to prioritize where I really wanted to go first and not where other people thought I should go. If Rome doesn't interest you as much as the other cities, skip it. Don't go just because it's Rome. Save something for your next trip. :)

Thanks, Allie! I appreciate that. :)

Here's a revised itinerary... I cut Berlin and Rome and added nights in Amsterdam, Prague, Paris, and Florence/Tuscany (not sure where we'll stay/visit yet so I just labeled it that way for now). Thoughts?

7/30 Depart for Amsterdam
7/31 Arrive in Amsterdam @ 1pm
8/1 Amsterdam
8/2 Amsterdam
8/3 Amsterdam
8/4 depart for Prague
8/5 Prague
8/6 Prague
8/7 Prague
8/8 depart for Venice
8/9 Venice
8/10 Venice
8/11 depart for Florence/Tuscany
8/12 Florence/Tuscany
8/13 Florence/Tuscany
8/14 Florence/Tuscany
8/15 Florence/Tuscany
8/16 depart for Paris in the am, arrive mid-morning, train to Bayeux
8/17 Bayeux/Normandy
8/18 depart for Paris
8/19 Paris
8/20 Paris
8/21 Paris
8/22 Depart for Seattle

Do believe the warnings about heat, and possibly not just in Italy. The only place you can be sure of not needing a/c is up in the mountains.

Small shops and cafes in Europe are often not air conditioned. The same can be true of museums other than those holding paintings. On really hot days it can be difficult to find a place to escape the heat. Being able to retreat to a cool hotel room becomes very important at such times. You should not assume that all nice hotels are air conditioned. In areas where hot weather is perceived to be uncommon, there are lots of charming lodgings where you'll be lucky to get a fan--if they haven't run out.

Rachael,

A few thoughts on your most recent Itinerary......

I'd cut one night in Amsterdam and add that to Bayeux. Three nights is sufficient for Amsterdam (IMO). As the D-Day sites seem to be important, you're going to need at least three nights (two full days) to see even a small part of them. I would highly recommend taking one of the excellent D-Day tours in the area, as you'll learn far more abut the history of the landings, and that will provide a more interesting and memorable experience. One other significant point is that many of the tours provide transportation. Without a car, it will be difficult to reach the sites as they cover about a 50 mile front and extend many miles inland. If you need information on some of the tour companies there, post another note.

Are you clear on the exact rail stations you'll be using in each city? You'll need to know that when buying tickets.

It looks like flights will be the best option for your three longest travel segments. easyJet appears to have flights on all routes you'll be travelling.....

• AMS to PRG - at least one flight every day. The 10:55 departure would be the best option.
• PRG to VCE - easyJet doesn't operate flights every day on this route, so you'd either have to adjust your Itinerary to fit, or use another airline.
• PSA to ORY - at least one flight every day. The 15:15 flight is the earliest.

I've suggested easyJet as I've always had good luck with them, and the flights have all been "easy". I've found that opting for Speedy Boarding or some of the other add-ons makes things more pleasant, and provides better carry-on baggage limits. Those who book earliest get the best prices, but be aware that the cheapest tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable after purchase so check details carefully before booking.

Are you aware of the route you'll need to take from Paris (ORY) to Normandy? While in Bayeux, be sure to have a look at the famous Tapestry that describes a much earlier battle. There's also a great WW-II Museum in Bayeux.

Each flight day is going to require at least six hours, when all is considered (basically a full travel day). I detest the usual airport hassle, so use rail as much as possible even if that means an eight hour trip. However sometimes flights are the best and most efficient option.

Depending on which sights you plan to visit in Paris, you might find it beneficial to buy a Paris Museum Pass. You can buy those at ORY when you arrive. You'll probably find extremely LONG queues in August, so the Museum Pass will help with that.

During your time in Paris, I'd certainly take some time to see some of the famous galleries and museums. The Louvre is huge and it would take days to see all three wings. Nothing wrong with spending a few hours in the Denon Wing to see La Gioconda (even if it is touristy). Be especially vigilant for pickpockets there! You could also spend a few hours in the Musée d'Orsay, which is one of my favourites. It has an awesome collection of impressionist art and is located in an elegant old railway station.

If you're planning to visit the Château de Versailles, don't visit on a Tuesday! The Louvre is closed Tuesday so Versailles will be packed. Knowing which days various sites are closed is covered in all the RS guidebooks, so you may want to pack along something like the Pocket Paris book. For another glimpse of French military history, you could also visit the Invalides Museum and Napoleon's Tomb. For a somewhat different and fun experience, you could try a Paris Segway Tour. Those are also available in Prague and other cities.

You mentioned that Prague was a "must see" stop. Which sights are you planning to see there?

Ken,

Wow, thank you so much for that. Incredibly thorough and so helpful.

Re: an extra night in Amsterdam vs Bayeux: we are considering a day trip to Belgium (possibly Antwerp? maybe Brussels?) from Amsterdam which is why we added the extra night--but this is just very early planning/thinking so we are not committed to that yet. We are planning on doing a guided tour of the D-Day sites as you suggest. I believe there is a company called Overlord that offers a tour based around Band of Brothers and that is the one my fiancé has his heart set on. I believe that from Paris we'll need to take a train to Caen and then a connection to Bayeux. I have not researched on all of the rail stations in each city to determine which we'll be using.

We have not decided exactly where in Tuscany we'll stay but are currently leaning toward Siena. Would you recommend flying out to Paris from Pisa or Florence?

Thank you for the Paris tips! We likely will not feel the need to see every single famous site/museum but instead will probably choose 1-2 to visit per day. We prefer a mix of site seeing and casual wandering/getting lost/people watching on our trips. But we will still absolutely look into the museum pass as I am definitely interested in anything that will help shorten the wait times.

As for your question re: Prague, we do not have a huge list of things to see there other than Old Town and the castle. The bigger reason we want to go there so badly is that is where my grandfather and his family on my mom's side is from. We are considering different day tour options; possibly to Dresden, or to Terezin.

Rachael,

Overlord Tour would be a good choice as they offer both full and half day tours. I've never travelled with them, but have heard good reports. There are a number of exceptional guides in that area. I would highly advise booking your Normandy tour(s) well in advance.

One of the sites you'll visit on the Band of Brothers tour is the small church at Angoville au Plain, where two 101st Airborne Medics performed heroically. You may find this interesting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDvBrGDFs . You'll also visit the control bunker at Longues sur Mer (which was featured in the movie The Longest Day. I'd suggest packing a small flashlight during that tour (it's a bit dark inside the bunker).

There are several possibilities for the trip from Paris / ORY to Bayeux, but this is probably the method I'd use......

• Take the OrlyVal People Mover train from the airport to Antony station.
• Take the RER "B" to Châtelet – Les Halles and then transfer to Metro Line 14 (direction St. Lazare). Châtelet is a larger station so may seem a bit intimidating, but I manage fine. You'll need to walk upstairs from the Metro station to the Gare St. Lazare.
• Take the train to Bayeux

You could either buy tickets for the trip to Bayeux at the St. Lazare station or buy in advance. A very user friendly website to note is https://www.trainline.eu/ which sells tickets for trains in France, Italy, Germany and other countries. There are some direct trains from St. Lazare to Bayeux with a travel time of 2H:09M.

Don't forget to do some research on the "caveats" of public transit in Italy (I can send a PM with my usual "boilerplate" if you're interested).

Siena is certainly one place you could stay in Tuscany, but Florence might be a more convenient "home base", especially as it will be easier to access transportation. It will also provide more activities in the evenings. One other point is that the rail station in Siena is at the bottom of the hill below the town, so you'd need to use a bus or Taxi down to the station each time you wanted to take a rail trip. OTOH, Florence has both good rail and bus facilities from the vicinity of Firenze SMN rail station.

I'd probably fly out of Pisa. It's a short trip from Firenze SM Novella to Pisa Centrale, and the new Pisa People Mover train should be in operation in the near future for transport from Pisa Centrale to the airport.

One other point about Paris is that the Museum Pass does not cover the Eiffel Tower. If you want to ascend the tower, you can make reservations online. The reservations are sometimes difficult to get, so if that's a problem, you could either wait in a queue or book a local tour.

The reason I asked about Prague is that there's a significant WW-II historic site there also. If you're interested, do some research on Operation Anthropod. There was a movie released not too long ago with the same name (I thought it was a bit of a "snoozer" but it did describe the events somewhat accurately - a more dramatic movie was Operation Daybreak which was released in 1975). If you're interested, you might want to visit the small Museum at the Saints Cyrii & Methodius Church, where the partisans made their final stand.

You are sensible to cut the number of destinations to 6 maximum. Five would give you a more relaxed pace, which you indicated you wanted. Personally, I wouldn't touch Italy in August - far too hot and busy.

Normandy needs 2 full days as has already been stated. IMO you now have too long in Amsterdam, but part of this will be getting over jetlag.

For me, Berlin and even Budapest beat Prague a million times over, but each to their own. Look at taking flights rather than trains for some of your transfers. Easyjet flights and other carriers are already available and prices only head one way.

Def plan on having some afternoon siestas. It would be a good idea when you are booking accoms to try and be a little more central so you can return to them if need be in the heat of the afternoon.

We generally travel mid Sept to mid Oct. A few years ago when we were in Florence the 3rd week of Sept, it was crazy hot. We did an early Sept trip in 2014, and more often than not (especially in Rome, luckily, we had a spot right near the Colosseum) - ended up back at our room for a few hours mid-afternoon to wait out the worst of the heat.

A great way to beat the heat (and crowds - and maybe someone already suggested this) is to try and get out early - go out at 8am and see some sights before the heat and tourist hordes kick in, go back to room if needed in the afternoon. You'll have lots of light later in the evening as well when it's cooler. I'd recommend doing three nights in Venice - gives you a chance to get off the beaten path and visit Murano/Burano, but then again, Venice is my fav place ever (maybe not in August tho - I've heard it's super crowded)

Seriously - don't discount how much the heat will affect your sightseeing...

Thanks, everyone. So hypothetically if we did decide to cut out Italy because of heat and crowds, do you all have any suggestions for what to replace it with in our itinerary? We spent some time looking at the map last night but ultimately the thought of not going to Italy was leaving me pretty unhappy so we decided to keep it.

The thing is, weather is an uncertain commodity. Yes, the odds are that it will be quite hot in Italy, but it would be a shame to substitute other destinations and run into hot weather there, anyway. It's not like it never gets really hot in central Europe in August; it's just happens less frequently. To be nearly certain of avoiding heat you'd have to go way north (far northern Germany worked for me in 2015), to the northern coast of Spain, or into the mountains.

Seriously: Altitude always works. Although it gets hot in the valley cities of Bolzano and Bressanone, you could spend a few days up in the Dolomites and be sure of comfortable weather. Ortisei is a charming mountain town well-equipped for tourism (meaning it is not untouristy) with lots of great walking opportunities, from flat and easy to more challenging. There are other pretty villages to check out, as well. You can get around in the Dolomites by bus and ski lift; you don't have to rent a car. Although it's in Italy, the Austrian influence here is very strong, and the area is more German-speaking than Italian-speaking. It would be an interesting addition to your itinerary and break up the city-city-city pattern. A plus is that you get a beautiful mountain region without paying Swiss prices. Bolzano and Bressanone both have picturesque historic districts. Bolzano's is larger--worth a couple of hours of wandering, at least--and Bolzano also has museums, including the one housing the Ice Man.

Edited to add: Nicole's point about getting out early is an important one. Even on really hot days it is usually perfectly pleasant early in the morning and late in the evening. Take advantage of those times for some of your outdoor wandering.

You know - Italy in the summer is better than Italy not at all...

: Altitude always works. Although it gets hot in the valley cities of Bolzano and Bressanone, you could spend a few days up in the Dolomites and be sure of comfortable weather.

Example in point. We rented a chalet up in the small mountain town of Rabbi for a week one summer. The temperature at night dipped to near freezing, and remained very comfortable during the day. We drove town from the mountains into Trento one day, and I think the temperature difference was close to 15-20º C. Suffice it to say, we didn't spend very long in Trento before heading back up into the mountains.

Another point, however... the Dolomites are often mentioned on this website as if they are synomous with "Alps in Italy". They are not. The Dolomites represent only one subrange of Italy's very vast Alpine territory. Why is this important? Because other Alpine regions may be much more accessible on some of the proposed itineraries we often read.

I agree a second day in Normandy makes sense. Air France has late afternoon flights from both Venice ( and Rome ) to Caen via Lyon. You could change the order of Florence and Venice then fly out of Venice at about 5pm getting to Caen around 10:00. You would then have 3 nights and 2 full days in Normandy.
This works well if you rent a car and drop it off at Caen railway station.
It would give you time to see the museums in Caen and Bayeux, the cemeteries, beaches and floating harbour, plus the Bayeux tapestry. Nor,Andy is a wonderful place to wander with small monuments, plaques and cemeteries in every small village.
If you want the tour, you can take it on day one then, on day two roam around to the places that were left out.
Your most recent plan is starting to make sense to me with more time outside big cities and less travel. I suggest that your next step would be to work on the travel within Europe to see what works from a cost and timing point of view.
Enjoy.

Thanks, everyone. We did some more tweaking of the itinerary and ended up cutting Prague after all... it was an easy decision once we started looking at flights/trains and realized we would be taking three flights in 8 or 9 days, including the flight from Seattle to Amsterdam.

We substituted Belgium for Prague and plan on spending a few nights in Bruges and one in Brussels and flying to Italy from there... It's a much more manageable travel schedule for us and though we'll still be flying twice within our trip (from Belgium - Italy and then Italy - France), we have a good amount of time on either end and between those flights so hopefully we won't feel too crazy.

Hmmm, I was just thinking that it might be a good idea to fly to Brussels from Italy and see Normandy on the way to Paris. As for your newer plan, there's a lot of time in Tuscany.

Here's another idea. Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague. 6 hour train from A'dam to Berlin, 4.5 hours to Prague. The train stations are all in or very near the city centers. Then fly from Prague to Brussels, see Bruges and Ghent, Normandy and end in Paris, all by train. Save sweltering (hot and humid) Italy for a shoulder-season trip or great winter getaway.

Thanks, Chani, but we're pretty set on Italy for this trip. We'll manage the heat. It's unlikely that we'll be able to travel during the shoulder or off seasons any time soon because of my job anyway. :)

Of course you should go to Italy if your heart is there! If you really are not into churches and art why not see more small village Italy? How would you feel about renting a car and staying in an agriturismo in the countryside with a pool? Then you can spend a few days relaxing, drive to some hill towns, maybe less populated ones early in the morning and return to spend the afternoon at the pool. When the heat goes up, just jump in and relax!

Europe is amazing in every way! You will love it. But, take it slow, keep it as simple as possible and enjoy the journey. You will be running, but take some down time too. It is your honeymoon!

Your plan sounds better and better as you work it, but one thing we really like is to balance cities with countryside or large cities with small cities. I gives you a nice break and different perspective. Normandy and Tuscany will help with that.

We loved our Overlord tour! They were great.

Thanks, Susan! My heart is definitely with Italy. It's been number one on my must-visit list since I was young and I never thought I'd get there... I just can't bear to give it up this time. We haven't looked into renting a car too much--we have been thinking that we wouldn't need one but I'll definitely do some research. Are there any hill towns that you recommend? I was hoping to be able to see some little towns in Tuscany without renting a car but I haven't dug deep enough into my Italy research to know how accessible things are via train.

Glad to hear you loved your Overlord tour! We're about to book ours. :)

Hill towns often mean buses. Don't limit yourself to trains. For one thing, the train station for a hill town will typically be located an awkward distance below the town itself, whereas buses often (not always) take you right up to the town.

Rome2Rio.com will tell you whether there is train service, bus service, or both between any two points. The difficulty comes when you want to see a bunch of small places in one day. Public transportation usually doesn't work so well then. There are also one-day bus tours that sometimes are worth doing if only because they get you to multiple places you want to see. I believe San Gimignano and Volterra is a combination available via bus tour.

It's great to hear that you're going to keep Italy on the list, despite the heat. If you prepare for hot weather with a hat, sunscreen and lots of water, it won't be as much of a problem. I normally structure my touring accordingly by sightseeing in the morning, having a siesta in the air conditioned hotel in the hottest part of the afternoon, and then continuing with supper and touring in the evening. It's usually hot in September when I tend to travel, but I don't find it too bad.

Did you consider reversing the itinerary?
Rome - Florence - Venice - Prague - Berlin - Amsterdam - Paris
I think there is less back tracking that way.
You probably need to fly a few of the legs.

Thanks, all! We may decide to station ourselves in Florence for this trip and take some day trips... that way we can still see Florence and easily fly out from Florence to Paris, but we will also have access to trains/busses should we want to explore. We also may pay to take a guided winery tour into Tuscany which would allow us to see some of the area. Maybe we'll be adventurous enough to rent a car next time.

We were thinking Lucca & Pisa for one day trip--any thoughts? I don't care much about the leaning tower but I suppose it would be cool to see, especially if we're already in Lucca. Does anyone have other suggestions for day trips from Florence?

Also, Nestor, we already have our flights booked and are flying into Amsterdam so that won't work but thank you for the suggestion!

I'm a big fan of staying longer in fewer places and taking day-trips. I think you're doing the right thing. Not having to switch hotels is wonderful, and I appreciate the flexibility to do something previously unplanned, adapt to challenging weather, etc.

Siena's good for a day. Definitely one of Italy's top stops. Lucca definitely. Pisa if you want to see the calendar view.

When there are lots of attractive possibilities--nearly always the case in Italy--I'm a big proponent of doing what is practical rather than jumping through lots of hoops to try to pull off the very difficult, so I'd take a look at what Rick's guidebook (plus Lonely Planet and Rough) say about bus and train options out of Florence. The other two may give information on more of the surrounding towns since Rick tends to provide more detailed information for fewer places. Be aware that "6 buses a day" does not mean a bus every 2 hours between 9 AM and 7 PM. Dig for actual schedules sooner rather than later.

There will be lots of accessible destinations if you'll settle for visiting one town per day. Buses tend to be scheduled for the convenience of commuters and students, so there may be multiple departures to a town rather early in the morning, then quite a gap until the Italian lunch period, then another gap until the late afternoon.

Sometimes one has a choice between returning or moving on to Destination #2 at a convenient time and eating lunch, but you'll have other opportunities to eat lunch, right?

My first stop in every city, even before I go to my hotel, is the local tourist office. It will have lots of useful information on the city (including special events you might enjoy), but it's also great for tips on good neighboring towns to visit and how to reach them. Often you will be handed printed schedules. If your trip is going to extend into September, it's important to check the validity period for any schedule you see (especially for buses; trains tend not to vary as much). In some areas schedules are adjusted at some point in September.

And always be leery of planning an out-of-town bus trip on a Sunday or holiday. Tends to be a frustrating experience.

Thanks! I have Rick's Italy book coming soon and may order the one specifically for Florence/Tuscany as well now that I know we'll be spending a good amount of time there. I think one town per day is fine for us, and we do have a Sunday planned so I think we'll just use that day as our Florence sight-seeing/getting laundry done day. ;)

I think you'll hugely regret Italy without Rome.

Amsterdam - 3N
Belgium - 2N
Fly Brussels to Rome
Rome - 3N
Florence & Tuscany - 5N
Venice - 3N
Fly Venice to Paris
Bayeux - 2N
Paris - 4N

I don't think we will, but thank you! We're happy with our itinerary at this point. We'll do Rome next time!