Another first timer itinerary feedback

You have just one full, usable day in Venice (stop counting your arrival day for much of anything -- you need to recover from your flight and all the stress of getting there).

Even those who are jaded, cynical, "above" the whole Venice experience (I was, or so I thought before I went there), owe it to themselves to give it more than one day. Give it at least one more day at a minimum, you will be glad you did.

Hi James,

Good planning & good locations! And I’ll give the first pushback for Venice - LOL! Why? A couple of reasons. You said you like walking around & getting lost in cities. Well, Venice is the ultimate place, set up as a huge maze of piggly-wiggly streets & small bridges - a fantastic, exciting maze! Also, that first arrival day & some of the second, you will be affected by jet lag. So, your quick time in Venice will seem even shorter. I would recommend taking a day from Rome and giving it to Venice. But part of that decision is looking over each day and seeing how you want to fill it.

Siena is an easy bus ride from Florence, so it’s a good choice. The bus station is near the main train station in Florence to go there.

No problem about not drinking alcohol. My husband doesn’t drink - not an issue. For lodging, I like to search on Booking.com. You can filter on price & other options, and the reviews have always been very accurate from my experience.

Have a great time!

James,

I'll give a different perspective than most will offer probably on here. I've been to Venice I think four times now, the last being this past summer when I spent five nights there. I love Venice, but it is kind of IMO adult Disney Land for those of us who love Italy. It is gorgeous and you absolutely must go there as you have planned, but it doesn't feel like "real Italy" like Florence, or like ancient Italy like Rome. If you really want more time in Venice, I think leaving on a late train on day 3 would give you enough time to see the main sights, perhaps go out to at least one of the islands in the lagoon (riding on the vaporetti is one my favorite things to do in all of Venice). Four nights in Florence, especially with a day trip to Siena (a must!) and five in Rome sounds just about right.

Other day trip ideas in case you feel you have the time:

Florence: Pisa and/or Lucca. You can see both on a busy day depending on how you like to sightsee
Rome: Orvieto is an easy day trip on the train. Ostia Antica isn't really a day trip since it's so close to Rome, but it's an easier trip than all the way to Pompei (which I did my first time in Rome!)

If you're comfortable using an apartment rental website like Airbnb, they would be way cheaper than hotels and you can get a lot more for your money. I've had great experiences using Airbnb for the past seven years and even in the VERY rare times when there has been some problem the customer service with Airbnb has been excellent at finding a solution. I do still sometimes use hotels when there aren't any apartments in my price range or location I want. But I think you'll find in those three cities that apartments are a better budget option.

It is my contention that the people who say one night is enough in Venice are the ones who spent only one night (or, worse, no nights) there. That gave them insufficient time to see much other than the massively crowded stretch between the train station and the Rialto Market plus things around Piazza San Marco. You need to allow time to see other parts of the city. There is no better place to wander around and get lost.

I think Siena is a fine place, but I'd prioritize more time in Venice over a day-trip to Siena.

You can explore lodging costs on booking.com. I've found the reviews to be reliable. It's my impression hotel rates for this spring are a bit lower than usual in many cities. Perhaps that will hold true in Venice, Florence and Rome. I think Venice is usually the most expensive of the three, so you may find you need to pay a bit more there but can cut back in the others, or at least in Rome. I'd try to get something (fully cancellable!) booked ASAP, because I suspect rates are going to increase as more people decide it's safe to travel this spring.

You'll probably pay more for the Venice-Florence-Rome trains if you wait to buy Freccia (express-train) tickets until you're in Italy. You may still want to do that, but it's best to know ahead of time that there will almost certainly be a price penalty for doing that. You can compare fares for tomorrow to fares for late May to see the difference. You'll want to take one of the faster trains to maximize your sightseeing time.

Trenitalia

Italo

You'll need to use the Italian station names on the Trenitalia website:

Venezia S. Lucia
Firenze S. M. Novella
Roma (Tutte le Stazione) - for all stations, in case a station rather than Termini is closer to your hotel.

It's best to take a bus from Florence to Siena.

James,
I would ditto Jean’s recommendations. Venice is a great place to explore the neighborhoods and go “off the beaten path.” Even better if you can add another night! Agree, you picked the best for your first trip to Italy! Enjoy your planning. https://gypsynester.com/how-to-avoid-the-crowds-in-venice-italy/

One full day in Venice, three in Florence, four in Rome, plus partial days in each. Not much time for any of them, but if that's all you have I wouldn't change the plan. And I love Venice and agree with others that one full day isn't enough. But I wouldn't take time from the other cities either. I think you're right, people either love or hate Venice. If you find yourself in the first group, hopefully you'll find a way to return for a longer visit. If you're in the second group, well you gave it a shot.

it is a tough call as we love Venice, but we also love Florence. I'd def use the train - it's so easy.

If you've never traveled internationally before - get the Rick Steves book, EUROPE THROUGH THE BACKDOOR - you can get it here, but sometimes it is cheaper on Amazon. It is full of vital info - how to use a Debit Card, the best NO FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE credit cards, how to take the train, how to book tickets, how to tip, so much good stuff - and then the back of the book is full of info about different countries.

Def download the Rick Steves app BEFORE you go (FREE) - go under the ITALY section - there are LOTS of amazing audio tours in Venice, Florence, and Rome - do as many as you can. The canal cruise around Venice is VERY good -- all FREE.

Also get his Pocket Books for Venice, Florence, and Rome.

Rick Steves also offers a Venice, Florence, Rome tour - def read through that itinerary.

If you need a tour company for your Florence Day trip - we loved WalkAboutFlorece - check out their webpage and check them out on TripAdvisor. If you do book, go straight thru their website. We LOVED their BEST OF TUSCANY TOUR (which goes to Siena) and their CHIANTI WINE & FOOD SAFARI TOUR.

You probably won’t regret giving Venice that extra day but it’s your choice
We love Venice and especially enjoy the lagoon islands Burano and Torcello which you don’t have time for
The late train might work well for you

Be sure your lodgings have air conditioning
Booking . Com is very good for finding what you need
Use the filters and don’t get hung up in # of “”stars” that means something different in a Italy
Only folks who have actually stayed at the property can leave reviews there so do read them, they are reliable

Thank you all for the replies!
I have only been able to give them a quick glance over and will think about them more in depth, but I did want to ask a few quick questions that jumped to my mind reading them:

1. Jean, great to know about the alcohol! May I ask what does your husband typically order to drink? Just wondering if there is another typical non-alcoholic Italian drink I should keep in mind.

2. Bill, thanks for the different perspective. It seems many people on this forum are pro Venice ha. I will say, I've encountered many others on other forums who feel like you do regarding "Disney Land" haha. I'm still debating this.

3. Bill mentioned AirBnB. I have used it before on other trips and am not necessarily against it. Does Italy regulate it? When looking for places, should I look for any type of registration number for example?

Thanks again all!

Hi James, my husband usually orders sparkling water or sometimes iced tea. The tea is like a soda container and usually is sweetened. (Europe typically doesn’t serve ice in a glass.)

When I’m traveling by myself, I order sparkling water, occasionally a glass of juice and at dinner sometimes a glass of wine. I love to finish a meal with espresso but unfortunately, tha caffeine at night keeps me awake.

Venice - one of the best things to do is ride the vaporetto from one end of the Grand Canal to the other, once during the day and once at night. Rick has a lot of audio tours you can download for all 3 of your cities. It's helpful to print the maps as well. One of them is the Grand Canal by vaporetto. Another is to go to Saint Mark's Square very very early and watch the sunrise over the lagoon - magical.

Florence is for art lovers. Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture are all in ample quantities. If that's not a big draw for you, consider cutting one of the nights here and adding it to Venice.

One other perspective is that the current itinerary you have will give you a "taste" of all 3... and that's not a bad thing. Plan on going back and target more time in the area you enjoyed. I have been to Rome many times, as its my fav city. I very much enjoyed Venice, and yes, you can spend more nights there, but you just don't have those nights this trip. Verona is only a short train from Venice, and I really enjoyed Verona. You can essentially spend an entire vacation at any of these destinations, so you just can't maximize your time given the number of nights. Only suggestion would be to cut down to 2 locations, and spend a bit more time in those 2.

I have travelled solo to Rome a few times, and absolutely loved the experience - so much to see and do!

The bottom line is your itinerary is def doable, and given the number of nights (and desire to see all 3), I probably would keep it as is.

Glenn