cinque terre or venice?

Venice and the CT are two distinctly different and wonderful places to visit. I'm curious to see the comments. For me, I would pick Venice for three reasons. First, much more to see. True, its not villages perched on the hillside but there is more to see. Second, you have great high-speed trains to and from Venice. When you walk out of the train station, you're looking at the Grand Canal. Third, great shopping if you can find the right places.

Rachel, It would help to have a bit more information. How long will you have to visit other locations, and what are your interests - art, museums, dining, historic sites, hill towns??? I assume you'll be flying home from FCO, so will have to get back there eventually? Happy travels!

I think we wil have 3 days. Yes, we will have to get back to Rome. I am nervous about all the connections as I have not been overseas for 13 years, and that was with a group, and my husband has never been, so we are definitely novice. Of course I have the RS pocket rome guide and Italy 2012 :). I don't know I would say we have any particular interests, just want to enjoy a nice taste of Italy as I am not sure if we will ever be able to go back or not. Thanks so much for all your help, everyone!

Another vote for Venice. It is an easy train ride from Rome.

Rachel, Three days doesn't provide much time for enjoying Italy, but will give you a "quick look". There are lots of possibilities, but my suggestion would be to focus on the area north of Rome on this trip. If you'd prefer history and art and more of a "city" environment, Venice or Florence are good choices. If you'd prefer a slightly smaller city in Bella Toscana, Siena would be a good place to consider. While there you could perhaps take a day trip to one of the other hill towns. If you'd like a much smaller and more "informal" area to relax, the Cinque Terre would be a great choice. All of the above areas are easy to reach by train from Rome. I'd suggest doing a bit of research on rail travel in Italy, as there are a few "pitfalls" to be aware of. It will be easier to provide more specific travel information once you've decided which place you'll be visiting. Whichever location you choose, it would probably be a good idea to pre-book accommodations. Be sure you're both wearing Money Belts!

Having been to Venice twice and CT once (but returning to both this year)...my heart belongs to Venice - but if you want peace/quiet/relaxation, do CT. I think Venice is my most fav place of all - mind you, we go in late Sept, so the crowds and heat are less. But to me, Venice is like a fairytale place...

My pick would be Florence if you aren't planning to go already. But if you want to pick between Venice or Cinque Terre I would view some of the Rick Steves video which will really help your choice. Cinque Terre is very pretty and more rural, you go for the views. But you don't need three days for the cinque terre. Vencie is the history and canals and three days works pretty well. You could also head south to Sorrento or Positano on the Almalfi Coast. One day to visit Capri, another for the coast itself and then there is Pompeii. So much to see it is hard to decide so look at the videos they are so helpful in making decisions for your personal choice

when are you going? CT and Venice are both amazing destinations, it could depend on what time of year you are travelling as to which location I would suggest. Like others have mentioned Florence and Siena are also excellent ideas. You really can't go wrong with any of the choices.

Rachel Leave very early from Rome 7.45 or 8.20 train direct to Venice Santa Lucia Station. takes 3.45hrs. Walk out the doors and you are at the Grand Canal. I am sure you will not be disappointed. This will be our 3rd trip this fall and will probably go again. The quaintness of the area and walking the back streets, picking a bar and restaurant to relax in cannot be beat IMO. Please pick up RS book on Italy and most of his suggestions are bang on. Where to stay in relation to what you want to see and good suggestions on where to eat. We have deviated from the book after our explorations but certainly first timers will appreciate his insight. We have been to CT but you don't have all that much time to do the 5 towns justice. You will not be sorry with Venice.
If you want any further help send me a private message.

I'm in Venice RIGHT NOW for the first time--definitely visit here!! We are anamoured with it and already planning our next trip back. Absolutely amazing and indescribable!!

Ok, so we are getting things naled down more. We will be leaving mid-June, so it is coming up fast! we will be done in Rome on a Thursday noon, and need to come back by Tuesday evening (for an eary Wed. flight out). So, we could 1)stay in Rome longer and plan day trips from there. Has anyone done a Pompeii/Vesuvius tour from Rome? any castles in the area? 2)Leave, and go to one or two other cities/areas. Again, very open to any/all suggestions. Thanks so much for the advice you have all already offered!

We did our own day trip fr Rome and did Herculaneum and Vesuvius, so can't speak for Pompeii, but it was totally doable in a day trip. We took the fast train to Naples (and we are late risers, and got off one stop too far and had to wait 45min for a train to take us back). Walked down to Herculaneum, spent a few hrs exploring - eat before you go or take a snack if you tend to get hungry/grumpy. In 08, there was nowhere there to get a snack (at Herc). We walked back towards train stn, stopped off for a pizza (what else are ya gonna eat in Napoli?!), then took a van fr right outside the train stn up Vesu...we paid there, no reservations or anything. I think they gave use about 60-75 min to go up and look around, back to the stn and (slow train I think) back in Rome by 8pm-ish. If you do Vesu, wear good footwear - loose rock/soil makes for quite the trek...that being said, I still wouldn't exchange Venice for ANYTHING!

Love both, but if you truly think you might not return I would take Venice over CT unless you absolutely want to hang out at the Sea. I would definitely not stay in Rome... give something else a chance to entice you to return.

Just returned from Venice. While it was very crowded, in my opinion it should still be your choice on this trip. It's a beautiful place to visit. As Rick recommended, one thing I did on this visit was to intentionally get lost for an afternoon. I put the map away and just walked around the back streets. It was quiet and fascinating. So many ways to enjoy Venice, you won't go wrong there.

I prefer Cinque Terre + Portovenere, here you can find recent photos after disaster :(
http://cinqueterre.a-turist.com/alluvione.php

Go to both.

I cannot thank you enough for the advice! We decided we could make it work to go to both, with 2 nights in Venice and 2 in Monterosso. Hoping for a great trip!

Good choice...a couple nights at each place is enough to get a taste of each place....you will want to go back no matter what!! :)

CT is nice, Venice is magic and unique. I wouldn't put the two in the same class, but I would visit both if I had the time. It's a long travel leg between CT and Venice - which will consume a lot of travel time. If you have limited time, I wouldn't do both. Make an intermediate stop along the way to Venice that makes sense.