10 NIghts/Days 4 Cities too much?

I would spend no more than a 1/2 day in Milan (see the cathedral, the famous shopping arcade, and La Scala) and then focus on the other three cities spending 2 - 3 nights in each. Since travel time isn't too great between Venice, Florence, and Rome, I suggest getting very early morning trains when moving to a new city...that way you can get there and still have much of that same day to start seeing the sights!
Know that it will be a quick whirlwind, "overview" type trip though...there will be a lot that you won't have time to see. Make a prioritized list for each city and have a plan so that you use your time efficiently.
Don't drive...parking and driving in each of these cities is a nightmare and very expensive...if you search this forum you will find countless examples of traffic tickets arriving a year later from most of these places with terrible fines from driving in restricted zones without realizing it. JUST DON'T. The train will be much easier, probably cheaper, and faster than winding your way through unfamiliar streets that aren't even designed for cars.

We flew into Rome spent 3 nights, took the early train to Venice for 2 nights, then an early train to Florence for 3 nights, then back to Rome for a couple nights then flew home. Driving would be a huge mistake. Skip Milan. Italian train tickets go on sale 120 days prior to travel and you can get some really bargain tickets by booking when they become available. All three cities have hotels within walking distance to the train stations. Be sure and use the Italian names of the cities to book the trains -- Venezia, Firenza, Roma -- or the booking sites won't work. Check out www.seat61.com for all you'll need to know about train tickets. If you are visiting in March, just two months away, you've waited until very late to book things.

Since you've got four big cities there, it's probably too much unless you plan on hitting a couple highlights in each and not much else. Do you ever plan on going back? Maybe consider saving Rome for another time since the other cities are more north. And it depends on what you want to see. I personally liked Milan even if many travelers aren't crazy about it. I got to the Duomo when it opened, walked around the roof, inside and saw the museum, and then it was lunch. Then if you add on The Last Supper (which you should start looking for tickets now if you plan on seeing it) or one of the many museums, you'll need a full day. Plus, there are a some interesting churches (a little different than others). This doesn't allow for time to shop. To really enjoy Venice you probably need two full days, so three nights. I haven't been to Florence, but I imagine it's the same as Venice. For me, two big cities with lots to see was enough, and I filled in with smaller and different places. I love art and museums, but it gets to be so much to take in.

So, if you're ok with a highlights only tour, you might be fine. If you want to see more or have time to linger over lunch, maybe give yourself a break and cut back to three. You could also skip Milan and go Venice-Florence-Rome. It's a nice straight line.

The only reason to have a car in Italy is to get to places that require a car, such as out of the way hilltop towns. Your four destinations are major trainline destinations. Take the train. You can relax and enjoy each others company without worrying about getting lost. You can walk around, use the bathroom, take a nap, and you won't be crammed into a tiny car.

10 nights = 9 full days. I recommend that you eliminate Milan. Allocate 2 nights to Venice, 3 to Florence, and 4 to Rome. Flying into Milan and immediately taking a train to Venice might save you some time. Check it out. I add my voice to the chorus telling you not to even consider driving.

Thank you folks for your responses!
Very helpful!
Grazie!

"we are 4 people and having a car maybe cheaper from/to Milan to Rome"

In a word, no.

If you buy advance tickets that are non-refundable and non-exchangeable, you can get tickets for as low as €19 for each segment. There is no way that the combined cost of car rental, gas, tolls, and parking will be cheaper - and that's not counting the one or more fines you will possibly accrue from speeding (even a tiny amount over the limit will be caught by the cameras they use) or going into restricted areas (also enforced with cameras in these cities). The trains on these routes go much faster than a car can, as well.

These fines are for EVERY infraction (so if you get lost and enter a restricted zone three times in 10 minutes, you get three fines, not one). And the fine comes in installments. First, there's an administrative fee of about $45 from your rental company, for turning over your information to the authorities (you agree to this in your rental agreement). Then there's the fine itself - months later.

Since you are on a short trip, it shouldn't be hard to commit to trains and buy them when they go on sale for your dates (some March dates are already on sale). You print them at home, then show them on the train - easy. But be careful - if you buy the cheapest tickets and don't use them, for any reason, they turn into scrap paper. So be sure of your travel plans before purchasing.

If you don't feel comfortable with that, you can just buy tickets there. These will be Base Fare, which is not exorbitant. For instance, from Milan to Venice it's €38.50 per person, and from Florence to Rome it's €44.

To find these tickets, go to the Trenitalia website. You will need the Italian names of the stations:

Milan = Milano Centrale
Venice = Venezia Santa Lucia (Venezia SL)
Florence = Firenze Santa Maria Novella (Firenze SMN)
Rome = Roma Termini

There are three fare levels - Base, Economy, and Super Economy. Base is fully refundable and exchangeable, but there's no advantage to buying those ahead. Economy is exchangeable, but not refundable, and you must pay the difference between the Economy fare and the current fare. And Super Economy, as I said above, is fully non-refundable and non-exchangeable - so it's the cheapest.

The cheapest tickets sell out first; when they're gone, they're gone - hence my advice to book as soon as you are sure of your plans.

By the way, unless you have a special interest, I agree that on a short trip like yours you could skip Milan. I like it, but most don't, and you don't have time for the B-list. You'll be rushed seeing just Venice, Florence, and Rome in 10 days (and is that days on the ground or does that include time getting to and from the US?)

Since you don't have much time at each location, be sure to stay at hotels that are in the historic center to maximize your time.

Vincenzo,

I agree with the others, and would also suggest skipping Milan and focusing on "the big three", unless there are specific sights you want to see in Milan (but your time there will be at the expense of the other locations). If you haven't yet bought tickets, use open-jaw flights, inbound Venice and outbound Rome.

"Also, planning to drive instead or taking the train since we are 4 people and having a car maybe cheaper from/to Milan to Rome"

I agree with Harold. That's not the best idea, for a number of reasons.......

• With a group of four people plus luggage, you'll have to rent a larger vehicle which is not only going to be difficult to drive and park in cities, but also expensive for fuel. The vehicle will probably be a manual transmission, so you'll have to be proficient with that.
• With a car you'd have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas which are prevalent in most Italian towns or cities. Florence is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras, and EACH pass through one will result in hefty fines!!!
• Speed limits are often also enforced by automated cameras and there's no leeway if you're only a few km/h above the limit. There's also the Traffic Tutor system on motorways which not only registers instantaneous speed but also average speed. Violate either or both and expensive tickets will follow.
• EACH driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. If you're asked to produce an IDP and don't have one, hefty fines will be collected on the spot!
• Especially with such a short trip, a car is NOT the most efficient use of your very limited holiday time. Getting between cities will be MUCH faster if you use the high speed Freccia or Italo trains, which travel at up to 300 km/h. If you're willing to commit to a specific train, date and departure time, you can purchase tickets online for the fast trains at considerable discount. Those tickets can ONLY be used on the ONE train listed on the ticket. If you board the wrong train by mistake, hefty fines may result and those will also be collected on the spot! The same fines will result when using Regionale trains, Buses, Metro, etc. if the tickets are not validated. You can purchase tickets for the fast trains up to 120 days in advance using either the Trenitalia, Italo or capitaine train websites.

Look at it this way. You are spending thousands of dollars for this short trip. Don't economize if it's going to use up your precious time. If you save $100 ($25 each) and waste 2 hours, you are squandering your trip.

Do you have plane tickets yet? If not, best to fly open-jaw, into Venice and out of Rome.

If you fly into Milano and spend the night there, you can easily get to Venezia the next day for as little as 9€ each, by buying your tickets up to 120 days ahead, and not worry about missing a super-economy train because your plane comes in late. Milano is a great city, get a room at a hotel near the train station, see the Duomo (take the elevator to the roof), the Galleria, the Castello Sforzesco and its museum. The Castello is a good place to walk off some travel fatigue.

Trains are faster than cars for your route, and you can buy all tickets in advance. You also will not waste time parking.

And another vote for taking the trains; they're going to be a faster and more economical way to get from place to place for all the reasons already listed. Fly into Milan and out of Rome.

1 night Milan
2 nights Venice
3 nights Florence
4 nights Rome

The only way to decide how long you need for a city is to make a list of what you want to see and do there. You may find that there is a weeks worth of things you would like to do in Milan or you may find there is just a single thing that is of interest. You won't know until you make a list. Just randomly choosing a number of nights means you could end up not having enough time to see what you want to see or having extra days with nothing to do.

Which ever cities you choose I would take the train. You can buy 120 days in advance and take advantage of some really great discounts. A car will be an expensive waste of time and money. You cannot drive into any of the cities you mention and parking and gas are very expensive.

Donna

Only thing I would add to all this is assuming you are flying into, and out of Milan, then i would spend my last night in Milan, rather then the first night. Arrive late morning and spend the afternoon seeing couple of Milan sites then fly out the next day.

We visited Tuscany in December and rented a car. I agree with others, a car would be a liability on the trip you planned.

We stayed outside Florence and rode the bus when we went into the city. After what I saw, ZTL or no ZTL, there's no way I'd try to drive anywhere near downtown. The same goes for Rome. We stayed at the airport after returning our car and took the free shuttle into town.

Even though I don't recommend a car for this trip, we had a wonderful time driving in Tuscany. Yes, you have to pay attention, but every city we visited with ZTL's (Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra) had the zones clearly marked. Speed limits on country, main roads and the Autostrada are posted. Our base town, Greve, had an automated speed check, but I couldn't drive faster than the 40km/hr that was posted. I'm sure parking is tougher during peak season, but we never had a problem parking outside the ZTL's and walking into the towns. I did obtain an International Driver's Permit before leaving. It was easy and relatively cheap. It was good to have, but nobody asked to see it. I found driving in Italy much easier and more pleasant than I was led to believe by some here and on other sites.