7-8 days for first timers

Hi and welcome to the forum gang, lrvoorvart!
A little more information would be helpful?

Would your 7-8 days include your flight time TO Italy, and flight day home? In short, how many hotel nights will you have on the ground in Italy?

What sorts of attractions/activities are you most interested in doing/seeing on your trip? That will help determine which locations to choose.

I'd also like to see you fly into Venice, for instance, and out of Rome to eliminate backtracking but as above, which cities you choose may depend on your family's interests. What can you tell us about your family that'll help us to help you? :O)

Well, Rome for sure, then you could go 2 or 3 directions. One would be adding Naples (Pompeii, pizza, a bit of the Amalfi coast); another adding Florence (Art, churches, wine and food); and then the other would be adding Venice (Canals, food, history)

Naples, if you stayed in Sorrento, would not need a third destination, for Florence or Venice, the only thing I might consider is adding a smaller town for two nights, like Siena or Orvieto. For Florence, you could also stay in Siena and daytrip to Florence, same with Venice, except staying in Padua.

All of the above are sort of the "tried and true" destinations for a first time, so lots of info, lots of advice on here. Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door is a nice general travel "how-to" worth a read, his guides have info on all the destinations above.

So much depends on your family interests and travel style. Museums, food experiences, ruins, churches, mountains, lakes, the sea? What do your kids want to see? Maybe you and your husband pick one spot and the kids pick the other. Do you have the possibility of flying into Rome and out of Venice or viceversa on a multi stop ticket? If so, that gives you two of the frequently sought after Italian tourist destinations. I would dedicate more days to Rome than Venice. If the major tourist sites are what you want to see then consider Rome and Venice, or Rome and Florence, or Venice and Verona, or Venice and Florence. I would also suggest the possibility of combining Rome or Venice with a smaller town, that is less crowded. That gives you a feel for two different experiences. Maybe Rome with Orvieto or Asissi or Spoleto or Siena or even Pompei. Or Venice with Padua, or a small town on Lake Garda or Ferrara. A 7 or 8 day trip could be split into two cities with a daytrip somewhere. It also depends if you have to backtrack to your original arrival city in order to depart.

It will depend on whether you are going to have a car as 7-8 days on the ground is not much time. If you look at the itinerary for Rick’s Venice/Florence/Rome trip, you will see that it is 12 days for three stops. I did that tour a few years ago, and loved it, but found myself wanting more time. So with less time, I would say fly into Venice, spend two or three days there, then take the train to Rome and spend the rest of your time there. Venice and Rome are a fair distance apart, so even if you take the fast train it will take some time, factor in checking out of one hotel, and then getting to the next one and it will take a few hours. So personally, I wouldn’t add another overnight stop.

That's really not a lot of time? How many nights? It will take over 1/2 day each time you make a city change. It's always best to book MULTICITY tickets -- fly into Venice and out of Rome.

With only a week, I'd say no more that 2 cities and that's tight.

Maybe fly into Venice and train to Rome. As much as we love Florence over Rome, Rome is easier to fly home from.

More info:
8 days total once we land and including departure day is our max. So, 7 nights of hotel is probably what we will get due to flight times- arrive in morning, leave in an evening.
We enjoy a combo of sightseeing ( museums etc) and just enjoying the city we are in- food, landscape etc.
We are not necessarily a go-go-go family. We don't have to see everything this trip. (We are regular beach goers-although Caribbean/US, so not as concerned with lakes and beach this trip.)
The girls are old enough to do things aside from us as needed/desired.
We absolutely can fly in and out of two cities to help with the back and forth. If an order matters, suggest away!
I do agree it is not enough time, but it is what the schedule with college internships/jobs allows this time.
I know Rome is definitely #1 for my husband and kids, so just need to pick any city as #2 and split it.

Also- editing to add my I could also fly in/out of Milan, if needed.

Looking at all of Rick's stuff now! Thank you....

7-8 days is not much if you are paying for expensive airfare to come to Italy.

If all you can do is 7-8 days then I suggest sticking to Rome and Florence. 5 days in Rome and 2-3 in Florence.

A great area for staying in Rome is the area near the Pantheon. For Florence, I recommend the Hotel Balesteri, which is right on the Arno in city center.

2 nights in Venice, 5 nights in Rome would be my suggestion. Of course, there are other lovely places to go, but I don't think there's enough time for a 3rd city. As others have suggested, fly into Venice and out of Rome.

In Venice, we stayed here: https://www.residenzadelosmarin.com/

In Rome, we stayed here: https://incentrum.it/en/apartments/

We were happy with both, and both had excellent locations.

A LOT of people recommend the Hotel Smeraldo in Rome, so you might want to check that out, as well. https://www.smeraldoroma.com/en/

We did several tours with The Roman Guy (aka The Tour Guy), and we were very happy with the quality and reliability of their services. https://theromanguy.com/

In case you might find it helpful, here is my trip report for Italy in 2021: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/amsterdam-and-italy-finally-in-november-2021

...can fly in and out of two cities...Rome is definitely #1 for my husband and kids...need to pick any city as #2...

With the above in mind, fly into Venice. Not only is it a great place to get over any jet lag, it is a very relaxing way to start a trip. It is also one of the most unique places in Italy.

Then you can take to train to Rome (or even a cheap no frills flight) and fly home from there.

We've been to both cities a number of times, and think splitting your available time between the two will make a great trip.

Let us know if you need specific info.

Venice and Rome

I agree that you should fly into one city i.e., Venice or Rome and out the other. If you fly out of Venice, make sure your flight departs late morning so you don’t have to pay for a water taxi that will cost in the triple digits. If you fly out late morning you can catch a direct bus from Piazzale Roma (square) to Marco Polo airport (30m).
You need three nights for Venice and four nights for Rome if you include Vatican City. You can take a direct train from Venice S. Lucia to the Roma Termini station: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.

I would fly into Venice and out of Rome. Venice was my young adult children’s favorite city in Italy. It is very different than Rome and would provide a nice contrast. Rome I think is a bit harder to take in jet lagged than Venice.

If you have 7 nights, I also would do 3 nights Venice and 4 Rome.

Agree with three nights Venice, four nights Rome. Fly into Venice and out of Rome.

If you only had 7-8 days, what 2 cities (3 at most) would you stay.

You have noticed all the suggestions are limited to just 2 cities.

I will add a vote for the "Into Venice-home from Rome" idea.

So, 7 nights of hotel is probably what we will get due to flight times- arrive in morning, leave in an evening.

Have you started looking at flights? In regard to your expectations for your return flight, you'll be lucky to find a flight that leaves mid-morning or early afternoon - and then factor in being at the airport 3 hours in advance. For many morning flights it could mean being at the airport by 6:30 AM. An evening departure could mean an overnight layover at a European hub.

So you may not have time for additional sightseeing on your departure day - maybe breakfast and a final stroll and then a scenic ride to the airport. Contingent of course on your departure city in the States - a major market could provide better choices.

Out of the box thought. Don't go to Rome. Or Venice. Florence is many ways is the birthplace of the Rennaissance, Small cities have remarkable sights and comforts. So, perhaps fly in to Pisa, via Milan. (You can fly non-stop from east coast US cities to Milan.) Spend a day or two in Pisa or Pisa and Lucca, which is quite nearby. Pisa will allow you to see some amazing sculpture and art from the 11th - 13th centuries. Ditto for Lucca. Both are small and accessible. You can literally walk from the airport in Pisa into downtown Pisa in about 20 minutes, rolling your suitcases, though a taxi would be more convenient.

Then on to Florence, just a one hour train journey away. Florence is very much the birthplace of the Renaissance and 3 or 4 days there is the minimum. That still allows a couple of more days for ... Siena? Volterra, San Gimignano, Chianti, or Cinque Terre, or simply more time in Florence? Should you choose to go to Cinque Terre, do that from Pisa, and not from Florence.

Cinque Terre should be for at least one night, perhaps two. The others could be day trips.

Late May will be crowded in Florence, though not as bad as June.

You could either fly home out of Florence via Rome of Milan, or take the train back to Pisa and fly home from there, whether via Milan or Rome.

Start by being honest - brutally honest - with yourself. Especially about how much usable time you’ll really have, and what you will be able to accomplish in that time. Your proposed trip is very short for a trip to Europe.

You don’t say where you’re coming from, but assuming it’s from North America, your trip that’s “7-8 days” will probably give you just 5-6 full actual days on the ground in Europe…

Most flights from most of North America to Europe depart late in the day and arrive in Europe the next morning. After a redeye flight, most people aren’t in great shape (do you all sleep easily on flights? many people do not get any sleep at all, and some of us start off the trip seep-deprived due to necessary pre-trip work/home tasks and/or stress). Remember that any group moves at the speed of their slowest/crankiest member. Some folks may be functional on arrival day, but don’t expect too much from everyone.

Flights home typically depart pretty early in the day (if it doesn’t, it’s hard to reach a lot of North America on the same day - especially true for west coast residents).

So before you do anything else, take a hard, sober look at flights. That will tell you how many days you’ll really have. For most folks, a trip they describe as “7 to 8 days” actually yields no more than 5-6 days to work with (you may be away from work/home for 7-8 days, and that’s what it looks like on a calendar, so it’s VERY tempting to set yourself up for an impossible or regrettable itinerary, but what counts is how many full non-travel days you have there). Then there’s jet lag (and simple exhaustion/sleep deprivation from the buildup to the trip and the flight) so somebody may be less than 100% even for a day or 2 after arriving.

So look at flights now before you start any more detailed planning. May is high season, and Italy is super popular. It’s late to begin the planning now, some of the best options for flights and accommodations have already been picked over; choosing options late can result in more expensive/less enjoyable variants. Do the best you can, but there’s no time to waste.

Good luck and have fun - don't regard the planning process like a root canal...early/detailed planning is enjoyable and produces a far better trip!

Thank you all for your feedback!

hey hey Irvoorvart
you have received lots of good info here. be really specific of 7-8 days, day one will be jetlagged, it's real. may be sleepy and groggy wanting to rest may be longer than you wish. check into hotels/apts is 3-4pm and check out is 10-11am. really look at your arrival times, if need be rent room day before and explain to hotel you will arrive next morning at least to have a place to check in.
fly a multi-city (into venice out of rome or vice versa) instead of backtracking, more money for trains and hotel night before departure. venice is a nice to place to land and get over jetlag and rome to depart.
you could look at venice/florence or florence/rome, no more. changing hotels to much that give you like 1 1/2 days to explore
since your first time to italy do two cities instead of go go go, checking out of rooms and checking in could take at least half a day.
leaving out of venice if departure day are usually early early morning 6-7am and cost of transportation can cost $$$.
look at your flights first then book hotels/apts. usually rooms are very small and for 2 unless you get family style and may have a sofa bed not a second bedroom. you are late in reserving since may is at high season and slim pickens in big cities like rome or venice, it will be crowded/busy so be prepared, tickets to attractions are reserved with time slots and may be sold out. besides you, have your kids plan what are must sees and if missed is it okay.
lots to think about, make an itinerary and come back to ask more questions before booking. people on this forum give you the honest truth with good bad and ugly, so you can enjoy your vacation without stressing.
aloha

Google Flights is your friend for finding multi-city flights. You can follow the links to purchase from the airlines or leave Google Flights to do the same thing.

I agree with those who recommend flying into Venice and home from Rome. I also agree that Venice is a unique and great place to arrive and get over jet lag, spending a couple of nights before going to Rome. Based on travel forum posts, I also think it must be a wretched place to fly back to the US from.

Full disclosure: I've never flown into or out of Venice. Rome and Milan are my go-to Italian airports for international travel. I have flown intra-Europe from Lisbon to Florence and from Florence to Stuttgart.

As for getting from Venice to Rome IMHO the fast Freccia trains can't be beat for speed and convenience. Flying takes longer largely because it's more complicated.

I could also see you spending all your time in Rome. Last time I was in Italy I rented an apartment for 6 nights in Rome and one for 5 nights in Venice

In case you haven't done it already, the Man in Seat 61 is a good source for info on traveling by train. Here's a link to the Beginner's Guide to Train Travel in Italy: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm.

My favorite quirky recommendation for Rome is Scooteroma: https://scooteroma.com/. I did a private tour on the back of a Vespa. It wasn't cheap, but it was so much fun and I learned a lot. It was similar to this one: https://scooteroma.com/tours/street-art-vespa-tour/.

No matter where you go or what you do, you're going to have a lot of fun and eat very well in Italy.

You said your husband wants to go to Rome. If you have a strong preference, your choice should be the other city. If you don't have a strong preference, you and kids should watch videos of Florence and Venice that are on this website for help in making your decision for city #2.

In Rome I would get rooms in a convent and get the girls a separate room. I think the one we stayed at was il Rosario and it was walking distance to the Colosseum.

Venice and Rome would work, or you could center the trip in Rome and spend just one or two nights in a contrasting nearby place, like Orvieto (where I have not been but read good things about). A smaller city or town that interests you and doesn't take long to reach. You could put it in the middle of your stay ("vacation from your vacation") or go there right after landing in Rome, and then to Rome itself, to minimize the risk of missing your homebound flight. The first option means changing hotels twice, the second means just one change. This plan would mean flying round trip to Rome and back rather than "open jaw."

I suggest this to minimize the time you spend getting between cities and to recognize that a week just in Rome isn't an ideal introduction to Italy. Whatever you decide, take our host's advice to "assume that you'll return" rather than trying to "do everything" in the short time you have.

Florence is one of my favorite cities, so I would pick that city. Your husband wants Rome, so there is your second city.

Otherwise, just stay in Rome and do some day trips if you feel the need. A week is not much for a large city like Rome.

Venice is way down on my list, but this is why you need to figure out what you all want.

Our first trip to Italy was 8 nights in Rome and we never tired of it. If you stay a week, recommend and Airbnb or apartment with a washer and where you could make breakfasts or light meals as desired. It’s fun to get to know a neighborhood in a foreign country. My favorite daytrios from Rome were Ostia Antica, Orvieto and seeing the ocean Lido. Rome has many parks, like Borghese, if you feel the need for quite and greenery.

You’re wise to limit things to 2 cities

If there’s any way to add a couple of days, you’d be getting a lot of vacation value. Your $3000 of airline tickets are a massive sunk cost, plus you’re gonna lose a day to jet lag.

Lots to do in Rome, but honestly I find the vibe exhausting after a couple days. YMMV
I might choose Venice because it’s such a singular setting. I’d suggest that 2 days is plenty.
Florence is really special. Easily could spend 4-5 days there with a daytrip to Sienna

PACK LIGHT! Especially with that short of a trip, you should be able to do strictly carryons. I prefer a travel backpack to a roller but again YMMV.

You're getting a ton of excellent advice and it really sounds like you are on the right track with your planning. As the parent of a 20 and 24 year old who is also planning one last big family trip to Southern Italy in May, it TOTALLY hear you on the time/dates restrictions of planning with everyone. So you have what you have, and it's going to be great.

Last year my husband and I went to Italy for the first time (and the first international travel together in probably 15 years!). We are outdoorsy science people who really love design, appreciate art but aren't really museum types, and really wanted to just immerse in "vacation". We flew from the US West Coast into and out of Milan with 8 nights in Italy. We spent one night in Milan (we loved it) and then did an Inntravel self-guided inn-to-inn walking holiday for the rest of our trip in the Northern Lakes region (www.inntravel.co.uk). For us this was just perfect -- we got a slow but in depth look at the Northern Lakes district, got a lot of activity, we didn't have to do a ton of planning, etc.

We're headed back this May to Rome for 3 nights and then will be spending 7 nights on another self-guided walking trip in Puglia (this time with the 'kids'). I'm throwing this out there not to promote the travel agency (though we are going again, so that should say something), only to emphasize that it's really worth it to figure out what you're interested in, what you want to 'get' out of your vacation, and where you want to go. The drop thinking about all the rest and focus on that :). It has been more challenging thinking for 4 of us, but also I think we're gonna get a good mix.

Carrie

I'd fly into Venice & out of Rome. I would do 3 nights Venice. One you'll be jet lagged. Use that 1st day to walk as much as possible. You can't get lost. Well... you can & you will but thats ok. I loved the cathedral & Doges Palace. Do that your 2nd day. Either stay put or go out to Murano or Burano the last full day.

Spend the rest of your time in Rome. No shortage of sights there.

Whatever you decide its Italy so you cant go wrong! Happy travels!