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17 day Rick Steves Italy tour + 5 nights

We hit Lake Como, Dolomites, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Siena, Assissi, Orvieto, and finally Rome on 15 & 16th night. We have 5 additional nights after tour to explore surrounding areas of Rome or alternative destinations before return flight from Rome to US. Given we have no car, would you suggest we extend our stay in Rome or recommend alternative destinations reachable by bus or train? I've heard the Amalfi Coast is beautiful, but may be too far given we'd need to reserve 2 of the 5 days for travel to/from Rome.

Posted by
15681 posts

Hi Al -
Looking at the itinerary for that tour, it only spends 1.5 days in Rome. IMHO, that's very little time for a city with a lot to offer so I'd probably just spend your remaining 5 days there. We often schedule a longish stay at the end of our trips so that we head home nicely chilled out, :O)

The plus is that you'll have the opportunity to experience the city at a deeper level than many tourists do, and explore more of the places that fewer tourists go. A day trip is also possible as is time to just settle in, slow down and rest the heels a bit after a vigorous tour involving lots of moving around?

When are you taking your tour?

You will love this tour, I did it in October, 2016! Rome is intense but 2 nights is only scratching the surface of what Rome has to offer. I was tired at the end of the tour and glad to fly home on the last morning. However, I returned 5 months later to concentrate on Rome alone with RS 7 Days in Rome tour.

To answer your question, it would be helpful to know if you are looking for relaxation or more time to delve into Rome?

You can easily spend the 5 days in Rome but I sense you would like to see the Amalfi Coast. I have no experience here.

But I have taken the train to Naples and spent 2 nights there and also taken the train from Naples to Pompeii. Highly recommend seeing Naples, the Archeological Museum contains many original artifacts from Pompeii. This would be an adventure!

Posted by
11247 posts

Time of year is a factor. If it is summer, stay in Rome and take your days easy: out early in the AM, rest after lunch, take in an evening activity (ask if you need ideas). As others have said, Rome needs time.

If itโ€™s April or October, you might enjoy the Amalfi Coast. You could head there as soon as the RS tour is over and stay in Sorrento for three nights, then back to Rome for the final two nights. However, I sincerely recommend staying put in Rome and enjoying a day trip to Tivoli or Castel Gandolfo if you would like to escape the city.

Posted by
4730 posts

Been to Rome four times and still haven't seen or done it all. I'd spend the extra time in Rome. If you need a change of pace, do a day trip to Ostia Antica. It's easy to get there on public transit, usually not crowded, and only takes about three quarters of a day.

Posted by
11294 posts

"To answer your question, it would be helpful to know if you are looking for relaxation or more time to delve into Rome?"

Just to add that these are not mutually exclusive! If you spend five more nights in Rome, you can see sights in a relaxing way, which is what I prefer. One major sight in the morning, a long lunch break, a smaller sight in the afternoon, more resting, then dinner. When not sight-seeing, I enjoy walks around Rome, and find these very relaxing, particularly if you go into any church that's open that you happen to pass on a walk.

I also agree that the Archeology Museum in Naples is a wow. Naples itself is very interesting, but intense. I wasn't as taken with the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento as others are, but obviously that's a minority opinion, and I might have enjoyed them more if I had settled in for a few days, instead of seeing them as a day trip from Naples.