7 - 8 Day Trip Itinerary Help

Suggest into Venice and leave from Rome, to make flight time selections more favorable.

*** "" We have about 7 - 8 days we can both take off from work,""*** Is that M-F workdays? or 7-8 total days to be in Italy?

Either way you do not have time to go to Pompeii, unless you want to turn your trip into an endurance test and a check list of "I was there" places.

RS has a Best of Venice, Florence , Rome trip that takes 10 days. You are contemplating doing that , plus Pompeii, with out the door to door bus service the tour includes, in 7-8 days?

You need Jim Phelps and the IMF to pull it off.

For the best help here, be specific with the number of nights you have. There are some very savvy folk who can give you some great info, but having to guess what the time frame is makes that extraordinarily difficult

I agree you're trying to cram a bit too much into too few days. In answer to your train question, yes, there's frequent rail service from Venice to Florence and Florence to Rome. But I would say for a first-timer you're going to want a minimum of 2 days in Venice, 3 days in Florence, and 4 days in Rome. That already maxes out your available time.

There are tour operators that do a day trip Rome-Pompeii. Paying for a tour would be worth it if you have only one day. Traveling there on your own involves changing trains, and the Pompeii train station is not really walking distance from the "scavi" (ruins) -- which are in themselves the size of a city -- so it wouldn't make sense to try to do it as a day trip by public transportation.

You should count your nights - 2 nights Florence is one day sightseeing. Keep in mind that every time you change locations you lose at least a half day if not more -- packing up, checking out, to the train station, ride the train, find the hotel, check in, new orientation, etc. etc. With limited days this can suck-up a significant amount of your limited time. And with jet lag you first day or two will not be as productive as the other days. I personally would keep it to Rome and Florence with a day trip or two from Rome. However, there is some similarity between Rome and Florence so if flying into Venice, I would skip Florence in favor of more days in Rome with side trips.

There really is no reason for a guided tour from Rome. Pompeii is fairly easy BUT a long day trip out of Rome. An hour from Rome via a fast train, another 40 mins via Circumvesuviana (private commuter rail line). When you get off at Pompeii Scavi you are one block - a minute or so of a walk to the entrance to the ruins. Follow the flow. (Have no idea what the comment ....train station is not really walking distance from the "scavi" (ruins).... meant.) The ruins are vast, very exposed - no trees - and can easily suck up most of a day. In the center is a snack area with restrooms but can be hot. I recommend picking up a guide at the entrance for an hour or two tour of the highlights. The return to Rome is just the reverse. So, with some time for waiting for the trains, etc. you can do it around two and half hours each way.

Sunday and Mondays are about equal for closing. If open on Sunday most likely will be closed on Monday. I always view Monday as the big down day when traveling. Trains are easy and cheap for travel between locations.

We have about 7 - 8 days we can both take off from work

Margarita, as someone else asked, are these 7-8 WORK days with an additional 2 weekends in there, or is this 7-8 days TOTAL including travel time to/from Italy? There's a very big difference, and I'm guessing you're working with 8 nights or so including travel (from the U.S.?). And what time of year?

Would you say 2 days at each location could still allow us to seem
some of the "main" sites? Is there one city that should get 3 days
instead?

No, two NIGHTS aren't enough, and Pompeii is out of the question if it's an 8-NIGHT/7.5 day trip. You've gotten good advice about arrival day often being a wash and the amount of time changing locations can suck up. On an itinerary like this, you're also running a higher risk of your one FULL day of sightseeing being the one some attractions you most want to see are closed.

If your 8 nights includes an overnight flight from the U.S. I think you're looking at 3 nights in Venice and 4 in Rome: no Florence or Pompeii. Rome, IMHO, really deserves a minimum of 4 nights/3 full days. If you can find more time, then maybe Florence or a day trip from Rome to Pompei is possible.

Traveling there on your own involves changing trains, and the Pompeii
train station is not really walking distance from the "scavi" (ruins)

As Frank said, this isn't really true. People do this trip on their own all the time, and the Scavi Villa dei Misteri train station they most often come into from Naples - where you'd change trains - is directly in the front of the main entrance. It IS a long day, though, and the excavation of Ostia Antica is the usual recommendation as it's so much closer to Rome, and less expensive - as far as transport costs - on top of it.

You need more time to do justice to those three cities. Save Florence and more of Tuscany for another wonderful trip.

How many nights total including the evening you fly from the U.S.? That will help us help you with what is and isn't practical.

Thank you all! Some really great stuff here...I knew I would get the "jamming in too much" statement, but wanted to see if anyone out there thought it was doable or had tips. We would likely be okay with cutting out Florence as many suggested. So it would be a total of 7 nights/8 days or 8 nights/9 days with the first day travelling and arriving to Venice or Rome the next morning...we haven't decided yet. We actually found some decent flights for an upcoming trip in July...I know cutting it SUPER CLOSE! If doesn't work out then likely later in the Summer. This was something that just came up as a possibility and although the time period is close, we don't want to miss out on it due to fear of figuring it all out. My husband has mentioned the following as items he'd like to experience - Venice Canals, St Peter's Basilica, Pantheon, Colosseum, and Pompeii. If he could get those done, he'd be a happy camper! He is very into architecture, so for him this wouldn't be much of a "let me learn and hear about all the history" although that's always a perk, but more staring at structures kind of trip for him. Again, I appreciate all the advice and honesty! Could this be more doable leaving Florence out? Thank you all!

Just an FYI as I'm not sure you came across it in your search. The conventional wisdom (which I agree with) is to fly into Venice as getting to the airport for an early departure can be difficult and or costly.

Have a great trip.

Pompeii seems like a stretch, personally it is a long day trip, although this seems to be the ONE archeological site many tourists want to visit..it is grueling in summer and a long way to go from Rome. Consider Ostia Antica just outside of Rome as it is closer and very shaded, really interesting, and save Pompeii for a Naples/Campania trip in future.

7 nights in Italy? You only have time for Venice & Rome. Maybe cut Venice to 2 nights and 4 in Rome if you go to see ruins. If you had 10 nights then I would say 3 Venice for sure but I think under circumstances Rome needs more time and you can see main sights in Rome in 3 days, and go to some ruins.

Fly into Venice out of Rome.

So it would be a total of 7 nights/8 days or 8 nights/9 days with the first day travelling and arriving to Venice or Rome the next morning...we haven't decided yet.

OK, you have just enough time for Venice and Rome, and I'll agree with the previous advice to fly IN to Venice and OUT of Rome: international flights from Venice tend to leave very early, which can cause some expensive issues getting to the airport depending in where in Venice you stay.

If you have 8 nights, travel overnight on night #1, and have to return home after night #8, you have 5 full and 2 partial sightseeing days to work with.
Night #1: fly
Night #2 - arrive Venice, partial day
Night #3. Venice, full day
Night #4 - Venice, full day
Night #5 Rome (train), partial day
Night #6 Rome, full day
Night #7 Rome, full day
Night #8 - Rome, full day
Fly home

Or:
Night #1: fly
Night #2 - arrive Venice, partial day
Night #3. Venice, full day
Night #4 - Rome (train), partial day
Night #5 Rome, full day
Night #6 Rome, full day
Night #7 Rome, day trip to Pompei?
Night #8 - Rome, full day
Fly home

If you only have 7 nights, then Pompeii needs to be scratched, IMHO.
Your husband is into architecture? There are a lot of important structures in Rome in addition to what's on his list. I'd do a Roman bath, such as Terme di Caracalla, and some of the churches, such as San Clemente, with Roman temples under the foundations.

Kathy's advice is spot on.

You all are absolutely awesome! Thank you for the honest and very helpful advice!