Hi everyone- my husband and I are planning our first trip to Italy, and would appreciate any help. We were thinking follow the Rick Steve's guidelines below:
4 days: Rome, Florence
6 days, add: Venice
8 days: slow down
10 days, add: Cinque Terre
Spending a few additional days open- maybe Pompeii? I would love to get some insight and thoughts, and if we fly into Rome, where should we fly out?
You really aren't doing Rome and Florence justice, with 2 days for each location. You could easily spend a minimum of 4 nights in Rome and 3 in Florence, with another 3 nights in Venice. When planning, count up nights, rather than days. Your first arrival day will be like an episode of the Walking Dead, with you and husband jetlagged and overwhelmed. Your departure day is a wasted day as well, unless you are leaving later in the afternoon or early evening.
When planning your flights, try to look for open jaw, such as into Rome and out of Milan. That way, you don't have to backtrack. I know that Rick Steves spends a lot of ink on the Cinque Terre, but I have never traveled there and may not ever go due to the crowds. Other areas like the Amalfi Coast are equally breathtaking, so you may want to consider places south. Other folks obviously feel differently than I do, so it's all good. I loved Sorrento as a base in the south, with day trips to Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. Naples is un poco pazzo for most people, but Sorrento is beautiful and calm.
I am sure you will receive a lot of pointers from this forum.
You have the same amount of days that we are staying in October. My itinerary is fly into Venice. Spend 3 nights in Venice, 3 night in Cinque Terre, 4 nights in florence, and 5 nights in Rome. Fly home from Rome. Having been to Rome before I can tell you without a doubt that 2 days in Rome will not be enough.
I can’t speak from experience, but here’s what my husband and I have for our 13-night itinerary (first time to Europe, leaving in two weeks!).
Day 1: Arrival in Venice, early afternoon
Days 2-3: Venice
Day 4: Venice to Florence
Day 5: Florence
Day 6: Wine tour in Tuscany (sleep in Florence)
Day 7: Florence
Day 8: Florence to Sorrento
Day 9: Sorrento, daytrip to Amalfi Coast
Day 10: Sorrento, daytrip to Pompeii
Day 11: early train, Sorrento to Rome
Days 12-13: Rome
Day 14: depart from Rome
We were planning on doing Cinque Terre instead of Sorrento for a long time but were ultimately turned off by all the talk of the crowds. I think most would do four nights in Rome instead of Florence, but we really wanted to a wine tour in Tuscany, so I think what we have planned will work for us. Have fun! I can’t believe that after almost a year and a half of planning, our trip is finally almost here for us!
I agree with the others.
Land in Venice and fly out of Rome or Naples. Flights depart from Venice early requiring an early and often before daylight departure from Venice.
Arrival day in Venice is nice to walk around and explore.
3 nights Venice,
3 Nights Florence
I cannot advise about heading south of Rome since I have not visited yet.
Finish in Rome 4 Nights.
Every time you change hotels and cities you lose about half a day.
Enjoy!
Wade
Hi there, Brigitt, and welcome to the forums!
I would dispense with anything short of 10 days for just Venice, Florence and Rome: 2 days each isn't enough regardless of whatever "RS's guidelines" are. Arrival day will likely be a jet-lagged haze of trying to find your feet in a foreign country, and you will kill about 1/2 a day with each location move you make. Also, count days/nights on the ground in Italy as it's more accurate. 2 FULL sightseeing days is 3 hotel nights in any one place.
Fly into Venice and out of Rome as flights out of Venice often leave annoyingly early in the morning. A common first-timers itinerary?
Overnight flight (from U.S.?). This only counts as a travel day.
Day 1: arrive Venice; partial day
2: Venice
3: Venice
4: transfer to Florence; partial day
5: Florence
6.: Florence
7. Tranfer to Rome: partial day
8. Rome
9. Rome
10: Rome
Fly home from Rome the next day
This is 3 nights/2.5 days Venice, 3 nights/2.5 days Florence. and 4 nights/3.5 days Rome. Have additional time? Add 2-3 nights for the CT and 1 to Florence for day-tripping to Lucca or Siena. That would be a really nice trip!
The RS suggested itineraries are suitable for someone traveling with a local guide and wants to see a few highlights. They may be suitable for seasoned travelers who like to move fast. Most of us don't like packing and unpacking every other day; getting oriented to a new town with different transportation is stressful for many.
Important question: What time of year is your trip? You definitely want to allow a reasonable amount of time in Venice, Florence and Rome (and Rick's suggestions are too short). Where I'd spend the extra time would be different in July/August vs. October, because of the likelihood of miserably hot midsummer weather in the south.
Do you have 14 nights in Italy, not counting the night on the plane?
Thank you all so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! Sounds like a safe bet is landing in Venice and flying out of Rome. To answer some of the questions, we will be traveling in the beginning of October. I have 14 days in Italy not counting the plane, and itinerary Kathy posted looks fantastic. I think it's best to cut the Cinque Terre based on feedback here. If I added a 3 more days, what would the suggestions be?
Day 1: arrive Venice; partial day
2: Venice
3: Venice
4: transfer to Florence; partial day
5: Florence
6.: Florence
7. Tranfer to Rome: partial day
8. Rome
9. Rome
10: Rome
Fly home from Rome the next day
Again, thank you all SO much for the help, I truly appreciate it.
October will be a very nice time to travel Italy! The summer heat will have eased as well as some of the tourist hordes, although the cities will still be very busy.
The possibilities for your 3 extra days are many!. As I mentioned before, I'd add to time to Florence as it's such a great base for easy day tripping. You mentioned doing a wine tour one day, and a day each for Siena and Lucca might be fun for you: both of them have been enjoyed by oodles of RS posters who've done them. Lucca can also be combined with Pisa, if you wish, although you'll want to save the lion's share of the day for Lucca. Rent bikes and ride around the old city walls. Or take the bus up to Fiesole: just minutes away from Florence and overlooks the city.
We found a LOT to see in Florence itself but whether you'd enjoy all of those places would depend on your interests. We're all different!
You might also consider adding one day or even more to Rome for a more leisurely visit before having to head home. There's a ton of stuff to see there too, and being able to do that at stroll pace versus dead run is a plus! Extra time allows you to detour away from the tourist hot spots into less crowded corners.
Can't make up your mind? Add 1 day to all three cities. Unpack and settle in. You won't lack for fun places to explore in any of them. LOL, that you have MORE time to work is a great position to be in: we too often see itineraries which try to cram all of the above into half the time you'll have!
with 3 extra days, you could spend all 3 in Bologna before Florence and day trip to small towns nearby - Modena, Ferrara, even Ravenna. Or you could go from Florence to Assisi, then Orvieto, then Rome. 1 night in one, 2 nights in the other.
I always tell first timers to Italy that while the 3 heavyweights of Venice, Florence & Rome are great, at least take one day and see something different, away from the cities.
Pompei is barely doable in a daytrip from Rome--it's to my way of thinking about a 12-hour day minimum. It can be done, however. I only say this because you mentioned it. If you do, check this forum on how to do it efficiently.
Another option--that we did ourselves and really enjoyed--is a daytrip from Rome to the Umbrian hilltown of Orvieto. Well known by RS and on these forums, it's an easy 80-minute train trip from Roma Termini station, is a charming medieval village atop a plateau, has a spectacular cathedral and wonderful food. We left at 11AM and were back by 7PM.
Both these options, unfortunately, take a day away from Rome. I'd choose one of these and add a day in the Eternal City.
Enjoy your planning!
You've got a wonderful trip planned! You have enough time to do the trip justice.
When adjusting your schedule, I'd explore add a day or two to Florence for more time to explore Tuscany. As much as I love the big cities, the countryside and smaller towns present an entirely different experience. A Lucca day trip would be nice and easily done. Siena is fairly large, but completely different from Florence. I'd also consider visiting San Gimignano and/or Volterra, but the logistics of getting there with public transportation is a little more involved.
Plan to get up early and stay out late, especially in Venice and Rome. This will help avoid the crush of cruise ship day trippers.
Others have already made good suggestions for your 3 'extra' days.
To get Pompeii into your trip you could head to Sorrento after Florence and before Rome. Pompeii is easily reached from Sorrento. Sorrento is a nice place to just 'coast' along and enjoy being there and not be under full throttle 'doing touring' ( except your day to Pompeii)
brigitte,
Just curious, where are you flying from? As you may be aware, you'll generally arrive in Europe the day after you depart your home airport, and the last day will be spent on the flight home.
Regarding the Cinque Terre, it would be possible to make a day trip there from Florence just to have a look at the five towns. It's a long day but easily possible (I've done it).
As this is your first time in Italy, there are a few potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit. If you need more information on that, post another note.
I agree with others that adding the Amalfi Coast with those three extra nights would be fantastic! (The Cinque Terre is terribly crowded still in October.) Most people here base in Sorrento, but I prefer Ravello. If you will be using public transport I would recommend staying in Sorrento.
chrisann has a good itinerary above.
I would go to a village or town in Tuscany, between Florence and Rome, a nice change of pace. Consider Siena, Panzano, Radda, Pienza, or Montalcino. Rent a car when leaving Florence.
I will be flying out of LAX in (Los Angeles, CA). I'm thinking the trip below based on all your amazing suggestions- again I can't thank you enough!
Day 1: arrive Venice; partial day
Day 2: Venice
Day 3: Venice
Day 4: transfer to Florence; partial day
Day 5: Florence
Day 6: Florence
Day 7: Florence- Sienna
Day 8: Florence – Lucca
Day 9: Transfer to Rome: partial day
Day 10: Rome
Day 11: Rome
Day 12: Rome- Orvieto
Day 13: Rome
Day 14: Fly home from Rome the next day
I would also love any advice on the trains and public transit as well. Thank you!!!!
Looks like a great trip to me!
Trains: this is a great primer on the ins and outs of Italian trains:
https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm
You can save some $ by pre-booking tickets on the fast trains...which you will be using from Venice to Florence and Florence to Rome. Check schedules and prices on Trenitalia (Italy's national rail service) and Italo (private service between larger cities):
http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
The main station in Venice is Venezia S. Lucia; in Florence, it's S.M. Novella; in Rome, it's Termini. We can chat about your day trips later when you've done a bit of reading. :O)
Public transport: you really don't need any in Florence as it's compact and easy (and fun!) to walk. Rome is bigger but we've used transport very little there as, again, it's much more fun to walk. Venice, you'll want to do some reading about using the boats. Have you purchased a good guidebook yet? Highly recommend that you do that and even take a browse through more than one. Your public library and/or local bookshop should have an assortment to look at.
You'll want to stay IN the cities and not out on the fringes. It's most efficient to be closest to the things you'll want to see/areas where you'll be spending most of your time, and to transport hubs.
brigitte,
I second the suggestion from Kathy to buy a good guidebook and pack it along on your trip. The Rick Steves books are excellent, and provide a wealth of information that will help your trip to go smoothly. Most of the books are also available as E-books, should you be travelling with a Kindle or iPad.
Be sure to pack Money Belts, and if travelling with electronic gadgets, you'll need to check each one to ensure it will operate on 220 VAC. You will of course need Plug Adapters.
Regarding the trains, you may find THIS short video helpful. It's a bit dated but still good information. To provide a summary, the express trains (Freccia, Intercity) have compulsory seat reservations. The tickets for those are specific to train, date and departure time, and can only be used on the one train listed on the ticket. If you board the wrong train by mistake, you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
On the high speed routes, you can also use the competing Italo Treno trains. If you wish to buy advance tickets for the high speed trains, you might try www.trainline.eu which is very user friendly. They sell tickets for several rail networks in Italy (and other countries) at the same prices as the rail networks.
If using the slower Regionale trains, Metro, Buses, etc., locally purchased tickets must be validated (time & date stamped) prior to boarding the vehicle on the day of travel. Failure to validate may also result in hefty fines. The validation machines are easy to spot as they're usually located close to the tracks - https://goo.gl/images/BbPNZM . On buses the machines may be onboard the bus.
Vaporetto tickets in Venice must also be validated, but this is electronic. Touch your ticket to the reader and if you get a green light, you're good to go - http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/validating-actv-travel-documents-simple-0 .
Bridgett,
Here is our mostly similar itinerary - leaving in two weeks. We are flying in and out of Venice, because we found a great RT deal for Venice (and non-stop fro Atlanta). Our trip is also three days longer (and after I booked it, I wished i had added one more day).
Day 1 - arrive in Venice in A.M.
Day 2 - Venice
Day 3 - Venice
Day 4 - morning train to Florence
Day 5 - Forence
Day 6 - Florece
Day 7 - Florence
Day 8 - pick u rental car. Drive to Volterrra, then San Gimignano, end up at Siena
Day 9 - Siena
Day 10 - Drive to Montepulciano, exploring along the way
Day 11 - explore around Montepulciano, inlcuding Pienza
Day 12 - Drive to Rome in A.M. We considered a stop in Orvieto, but ultimately decided we wanted the time in Rome
Day 13 - Rome
Day 14 - Rome
Day 15 - Rome
Day 16 - A.M train back to Venice for one last afternoon and evening
Day 17 - Mid morning flight home
The RS suggested itineraries are suitable for someone traveling with a local guide and wants to see a few highlights. They may be suitable for seasoned travelers who like to move fast. Most of us don't like packing and unpacking every other day; getting oriented to a new town with different transportation is stressful for many.
Ditto.
Day 9: Transfer to Rome: partial day
Day 10: Rome
Day 11: Rome
Day 12: Rome- Orvieto
Orvieto is much better as an overnight. You could go from Florence for 1 (or even 2) nights and then on to Rome.
Oooh, a good idea from Chani! So instead of your current itinerary, it would look like this:
Day 7: Florence- Sienna day trip
Day 8: Florence – Lucca day trip
Day 9: Transfer to Orvieto
Day 10: Transfer to Rome: partial day
Day 11: Rome
Day 12: Rome
Day 13: Rome
Day 14: Fly home from Rome the next day
As you intend to leave Rome for a day to do it anyway, staying there 1 night night en-route to Rome instead doesn't use up any more time + saves some backtracking (Rome> Orvieto >Rome)
For your first trip (not sure if first to Italy or also Europe) I'd limit the number of bases. You can equally split your time in Venice, Florence and Rome, or do one day less in Venice, but it could end up being your favorite city and you would have short changed it (It's not my favorite...yet). Florence is my favorite and I've yet to bother with any day trips from there or Rome. The most stressful part of travel, IMO, are the base changes, so if you are unsure how you manage them, limit your transfers and take day trips only if you get bored. I wouldn't pre-arrange day trips, but rather place the possibilities on your calendar for reference just in case. Cities have so much to offer beyond the main tourist sites, that it would take weeks to really get to know a large city, IMO, so to think one spends only one or two days in these amazing cities blows my mind. I wouldn't add the Amalfi Coast onto this trip, as pretty as it is. YMMV
