2 Month Checklist!!!

Looks good, lots of ground to cover but at least you're staying put in each city for around 3 days. I would have cut out 1 day in Venice and added it to the Cinque Terre, especially if you're budget travellers. 80-100 Euros/ night is what my wife and I did over a 6 week tour. Plus the crowds in Venice will drive you nuts after 1 day. Beautiful place though. I would have recommended not booking out all your hotels so far in advance, as well as your trains. We did booked our hotels a week or so or even a day or two before as we travelled in case we wanted to adjust our schedule. That being said, that hotel price point is hard to stick to in Venice and Cinque Terre, are you staying in Levanto on the island outside of Venice or a hostel? As for overall budget, hardest to stick to in Venice, everything is spendy. The rest of the stops have more options so it's up to you.

Have you contacted your credit card and/or debit card company to let them know that you will be in Italy on those dates? If not, they may deny the charges to your cards.

You are going to be in Florence for a very short time, if you want to see the Uffizi or the Acadamia getting tickets in advance would be a good idea. If you want to see the Vatican Museums advance tickets help there two. There is a fee in all cases. About money, we found that our credit union would see us Euros for a flat fee. We bought over 1,500 and saved a bundle on ATM and other fees. You might check your bank and credit union's rates. Call your credit card and debit card companies and find out what their foreign currency transaction fees are. If the aren't good apply for better ones soon. I'd add up the museum fees and then add daily budget for food. Salami, fruit, bread and cheese lunches from grocers are cheap and good in Italy. I'd plan on making most lunches a picnic. Better yet, have lunch out and make dinner the picnic.

Finally! An excellent itinerary! Allow me to congratulate you. You're giving yourself enough time in each place to appreciate it so much better than those people who try to cram as many places as possible into their limited time. And you've chosen wonderful locations. It's a shame you're in Florence for only two nights, but perhaps you're not museum people, in which case more power to you! Do you know about purchasing train tickets in advance to save a TON of money? They have super economy fares that start as low as 9 euros. Srsly. Go to Trenitalia.com The catch is that they're nonrefundable, but could easily save you hundreds of dollars. They sell a limited number of tickets at the low rates. For example, standard 2nd class tickets between Venice and Florence are 45 euros. Right now you can buy tickets for Sept 17, departing at 8:57 am for 19 euros. And these are the high speed trains. As far as how much to set aside, that really is up to you. It all depends on which and how many restaurants you go to and what museums/places requiring tickets you decide to visit. Churches are a much lower cost alternative to museums, and are often free, if you just want to see some cool old art. (You do have the Rick Steves Italy book, don't you?) Happy travels.

Elle, Your proposed Itinerary looks very reasonable and well organized. What type of transportation are you planning to use in Italy - $1100 seems a bit high? IMO, the time you've allotted in each place is perfect. Keep in mind that it's going to require at least half a day each time you change locations, so three days in a particular spot will actually be two and a half. Of course, that will vary somewhat depending on the route. One of your longest trips will probably be Assisi to Sorrento. The trip by train from Assisi to Napoli Centrale will take ~4 - 6 hours (depending on which train you use) and then of course the time on the Circumvesuviana. Are you pre-purchasing rail tickets or just buying when you arrive in Italy? Pre-purchase can save money, however it will "lock" you into a specific train and departure time. If you miss that train, you'll have to buy new tickets at full price. DON'T forget to validate tickets on Regionale trains, or you'll risk a hefty fine, which will be collected on the spot and it won't be cheap! The same is true when using Buses in Rome (validation machine is often on-board the Bus). Of course DON'T forget to wear Money Belts and be wary of scammers. Be especially careful if riding the infamous #64 (and to a lesser extent #40) Buses in Rome! It's great to hear that you have all your Hotels booked. That's also the method I prefer to use. Are you using the Italy Guidebook to plan your sightseeing? Buon Viaggio!

It is a very good schedule. We have had similar in the past and it worked well. I would just try to put two full days into Florence. Right now it appears you have a day and half at best with travel time. Florence is a beautiful city that deserves a bit more. I would cut a day out of Riomagiore to pick up the day in Florence. Everything else is very good. As far as expenses, travel expenses seem right. Food is really dependent on the type of places you eat at. You can do it on 25 euros if you pick the right places or $150 Euros if you really live it up.

Venice: We are staying in Venice (near the Biennale Gardens) at a great place we found on VRBO for 120 Euro. The owner knocked 20 Euro off for the honeymoon it's our most expensive stay in Italy right at 100 Euro. By picking highly recommended pensiones and more intimate bed and breakfasts we stuck to our 100 Euro and under budget, relying heavily on Rick Steves' Italy 2012 guide and Trip Advisor (always read the bad reviews first!) Florence: We are definitely museum people (memberships to most of the museums here in New York) but are staying with a friend and thought three days might be an imposition. I was in Florence for a day and a night and I remember saying to myself "Well, this is no Venice!" We are spending a half-day in Florence en route to Riomaggiore so all in all it evens out to two full days. Trains: Rick Steves Italy guide said to set aside, if I remember correctly, 550 dollars per person for transport? Is this overkill as Ken mentioned? I thought it seemed a bit high as well. We will definitely check out the Trenitalia discounts as well. Thanks for all of the replies. Really nice to hear from everyone!

I'm not sure where Rick came up with the 550 number for transportation, but it's probably a "rule of thumb" thing for itineraries that aren't set. Yours is and you can easily figure out how much the various tickets will cost you, at the low and high ends. To save money, get 2nd class tickets on the trains. It's perfectly fine and the way we always travel. A quick glance at some of those routes on Trenitalia shows that you should be able to get tickets for somewhere between 20 and 35 euros a pop, assuming you go for the nonrefundable fares. You're doing five train trips, so it should cost you somewhere around 140 to 200 euros for each of you for all your train travel (2nd class). As for validating train tickets, the rule is simple: If you have a reserved seat, you don't need to validate. (You can't reuse those tickets, so no need to validate.)

Hi Elle. Congratulations! Great trip plan. I think your number of days per location is great, and that you are ending with two 4-night stays in Sorrento and Rome (although you'll wish you had MORE time and you will be back. Ken and Michael have given great advice so I won't repeat, but I will reinforce: Don't take a night away from Venice . It's a magical city! To avoid the tourist hoards, get away from San Marco and the march to the Rialto Bridge. Go to Dursoduro, Cannareggio, Santa Croce. Food budget: When traveling here, we average about 77 euros per day for two, always with a bottle of (house) wine at dinner. Some days we splurge, and other days we eat pizza (not that it's a bad thing!). If you can spurge a little one night, I'd make it at La Zucca in Venice. But call ahead for reservations before you leave the U.S., or have your hotel do it. They are always fully booked. Where are you staying in Rome? I might have some suggestions for you. PM me if you like.