Clueless first-timers need help with itinerary

Tracy , If you are as you say " clueless " , the first step would be to read the first half of Rick Steves " Europe through the Back Door " , which will begin to acquaint you with the nuts and bolts of travel , as well as the practicality of an itinerary such as you propose . I don't think there is any particular advantage to having a travel agent ( read : middleman ) book air fare and hotels . The daily practicalities of travel are there ,regardless , and you need to address them no matter how you deal with the bookings .

In reality, you have 8 nights in Italy? Follow Ricks 8 night plan for Rome, Florence, and Venice. Use train travel between the cities. Think about ordering tickets to main attractions such as Sistine Chapel in Rome, Accademia in Florence and the Secret Itineraries tour at Doge's Palace in Venice ahead of time so you minimize waiting in line. Use TrenItalia website nd do not waste time at the Eurostar website.

Book everything yourselves. An agency was great back in the day when they could access online ticket systems and knew about more hotels than most travelers. Now with the internet that advantage is gone. As a compromise if hubby wants advice from a pro, Rick Steves offers a trip consulting service. They don't book things for you, but it may be worth talking to them for an hour. Click "Plan Your Trip" at the top of page, you'll see the "Need Help" link. Drop Cinque Terre. When all is said and done you're not going to get to the CT in time to have much more than an afternoon there. Stay all 3 nites in one place in Tuscany or Umbria. Every time you pack up, move, park and find the new hotel, check in, its going to take you to about lunchtime even if its just an hour away, and Tuscany to CT is more than an hour plus you'll need to drop off the car (eg more time burned). We have stayed at several hilltowns over the years. Just pick one that sounds interesting to you. Can't give any advice on villas, though, never stayed at one. Perugia is a hilltown we like since there is a car rental place right at the train station. We parked the car outside the city wall. Safe if you leave nothing in the car. Did the same with a car at Cortona in a town lot outside the gate. If you rent a car then bring a GPS. You will be glad you did! Never heard of a rail/drive pass. Simply buy train tix point-to-point, usually cheaper than any rail pass in Italy. If you start in Rome they have self-service machines at Roma Termini with English menus and you can buy all your train tickets at once. There is a discount for advance purchase. Rent a car (before the trip) thru any of the car rental agencies such as AutoEurope. Happy anniversary, and have fun!!

Tracy, I'd suggest dropping CT (out of the way, and it's likely to be chilly in April) and spending the 3 nights in Tuscany/Umbria, lodging in one location. You mention a visit to Orvieto. It is wonderful and I'd suggest definitely keeping it on your schedule. One possibility would be to take an early train from Rome to Orvieto (about an hour), explore Orvieto, and if you decide to get a car, pick it up there to continue to your lodging elsewhere in Tuscany or in Umbria. Then return the car (Florence?) and take the train to Venice. If you decide not to drive in Italy, just pick a small town on a train line. I really love Assisi (Umbria) for its art and the feeling of the town, and there are a number of hill towns nearby you can explore, with no need for a car. With some folks, Assisi has a reputation of being a tourist zoo, but I've not had that experience (have stayed there in May, Sept, and Oct; 7 days on my last stay); I much preferred Assisi to the more commonly acclaimed Siena, so it depends on individual tastes/interests. (Also, without a car, Orvieto is an easy day trip by train from Rome, or an overnight stop on the way from Rome to your next destination.) Finally, I can't imagine Italy without a visit to Florence... if you enjoy art or Renaissance architecture or history.

There is info about the rail/drive combo pass in the Railpasses section of this website. You can't purchase it on this website, but you should be able to determine if it would work for you from the info provided.

To answer your questions: 1) Two nights in Tuscany means one full day there, and less then one day in the Cinque Terre. That doesn't give you much time in either location. Skip the Cinque Terre for this trip. 2) Yes, stay in one location for all three nights, so you don't start like you're packing up and moving on so much. One issue with a rural villa - unless you plan to eat your meals there, someone will have to drive on narrow windy roads in the dark after dinner, and will have to seriously limit dinnertime wine consumption. Even Orvieto isn't that big a town. Another location option is San Gimignano, which is incredibly full of tourists in the daytime, but delightfully quiet at night. Smaller town, but has a number of really good restaurants and two fabulous gelaterias. 3) I don't know anything about a rail/drive pass. Rent a car if you're spending time in Tuscany, then drive from there to Venice, and drop the car off as you enter Venie (at Piazzale Roma). 4) Yes, you can book everything yourselves. One thing I've seen when friends / family use a travel agent is they they end up in hotels where the agents can get a commission, which might not be the best hotel choice of location for your interests and desires. Give some thought to dropping Paris from this trip - you really don't have much time in any of your locations. I like the idea of retaining Tuscany - I enjoy trips where I spend some time in the country, and some in the city. But your decision, of course! Every place you visit will be wonderful.

Hello Tracy
I wanted to add my two cents. I agree with everyone but most important, do it yourself. My husband and I have been many times to Europe and other places and you can do it yourself. Read the hotel reviews in trip advisor and expedia. I agree, stay in one place and skip CT. You must go to Florence. Paris is magical but I think this trip might be best all in Italy. When you spend so much time in between traveling and unpacking, not so good. Happy Anniversary. It will be wonderful.

Thank you, everyone, for the great advice! You all gave me a lot of good information which I will put to good use!

Hi Cliff, I noticed you recommended following Ricks 8 night plan for Rome, Florence, and Venice. Is this plan located in the Italy tour book or somewhere on this site? Sounds like a wonderful resource.