Feedback on my itinerary

That's a pretty busy itinerary. Don't think it's what I would choose but to each their own, I say. You might consider paring back some just to eliminate the constant re-packing and time spent traveling from here to there. That gets really tiring.

I spent a week in Paris and that wasn't nearly enough time but 4 days is good. 5 days in Rome is always good enough for me. It's such a hustlin' bustlin' place that I need a respite after five days. 2 days in Siena with one of those in San G works. At least 3 days in Florence and Venice is necessary. I think it's the places that you've given only 2 days to that are gonna get you. You'll no sooner arrive and it's time to leave. No chance to even settle in a bit.

If I had 24 days (with a travel day on each end) I'd spend it like this
5 days Paris (4 at the front end, 1 at the back end)
3 days Naples
5 days Rome
2 days Siena, San G
3 days Florence
4 days Venice (can do a day trip to Verona with one of the days)

Purchase an open jaw flight after researching best cost and then arrange your itinerary to meet that need.

Happy planning....it's much of the fun in traveling.

Thanks so much for your reply Becca :)

It is very full and I didn't buy an open jaw ticket because of the massive savings on my airfare Syd-Paris return that I bought back in April... (60% of what I thought i'd have to pay, and hence not minding to make my way back to Paris)! And I've also managed to limit redoing legs of the trip! :)

I was thinking of maybe staying in Venice three days and doing Verona as a day trip... and thus i'm a staying a minimum of 3 nights in each place except Siena and Milan at the end. I'm planning on taking a ~70L wheeled backpack so unpacking/repacking doesn't bother me too much :)

Looks like a fun, action-packed trip! I'd take that extra day and stick in the middle somewhere as a "rest" day. Or, stay an extra day in Verona, perhaps? It's slower paced, and sitting in an outdoor cafè in Piazza Brà watching the people go by is quite pleasant! Would be a nice wind-down to the trip. Have a great time!

Laurena,

That's a fairly "busy" Itinerary, but it looks feasible. One point I was wondering about was which airlines you'll be using to fly Paris-Milan and Milan-Naples? Some of the European "budgets" use somewhat "out of the way" airports, so you'll need to allow lots of time to get to the airport, check in, go through security, etc.

"I was even thinking of maybe flying somwhere for the day"

That's not something I'd suggest to use the one day you have left over. By the time you get to the airport and go through all the usual procedures, you'll probably end up spending 3-4 hours each way for your "flight day trip". As someone else suggested, you could either take an extra day in Verona OR add a day to Milan and take day trips either to Stresa (only a short ride and the Borromeo Islands are beautiful) or Lago di Como (the small town of Varenna is only about an hour from Milan and you could also take a short boat trip to Bellagio).

You might want to tour Herculaneum on the same day as Pompeii as it's only a short distance away. Mt. Vesuvius is a "bit farther afield". Either way would probably work, but something to consider.

Happy travels!

Thank you everyone for your feedback!

Half of one of the days in Naples will be a rest day (hence i'll only do mt vevuis and herculeneum during the morning... I thought doing herculeneum and pompeii might be too much) and i've also decided to make the spare day (either in Venice or Verona) a rest day / sit at a cafe and people watch :) Given i'm going in winter it will be reasonably early nights... but don't worry... even with working full time and studying part time I know travelling around Paris & Italy is going to take it out of me! :)

I'm flying with Lufthansa. Paris Charles De Gaulle - Milan Malpensa... then Milan Malpensa - Naples IT Capodichino Airport... then Milan Malpensa to Paris Charles De Gaulle. So main airports from a quick google and relatively close to city centres (noting Malpensa is like 45km away...) :)

Ciao Laurena,

What a fun and exciting trip!

I would add a day (or two) to Paris, particularly because the first day or two will be jetlag plaqued.

I didn't really enjoy my time in Milan while the lakes are very relaxing there isn't alot to do.

Rome is amazing and vibrant however I would trim back (or spend a rest/laundry day there) a day. One day for the Vatican, one day for Forum/Coliseum area and one day for miscellanous. I prefer exploring many of the Rome sights in the evening (Rick's night strolls are great).

I would suggest staying in Sorrento versus Naples. Unless you love ancient ruins, Herculeneum and Pompeii may be redundant. I would toss in a day exploring the Amalfi coast (even in November, however many tourist places will be closed). If you have free day.... The island of Capri is nice but in November it may be pretty empty.

Buon Viaggio

-Chris

Hello there Chris - thanks so much for your reply!

I'd love to add more time to Paris (especially on the front end) but given I want to see so much in Italy I don't have much to play with. I've planned a very easy first day (one of the hop on/off tours, eiffel tower and the arch de triomphe)... so fingers crossed that lets me adjust! :)

I've basically only added Milan to my itinerary because I booked Giselle Ballet tickets at the La Scala Theatre on the Friday night. I thought 1.5 days isn't too bad in Milan (I fly out around 5pm on the Saturday).

Very good advice - I'll definitely add a rest/laundry day on my last day in Rome :) I was actually looking at some night tours in Rome and found a really good one so i'll definitely add that onto my list as well. Maybe even a night walking tour.

I have heard that I should stay in Sorrento given it's much safer than Naples... I will definitely look into exploring the Amalfi Coast - thank you so much for your advice :)

Laurena,

"I have heard that I should stay in Sorrento given it's much safer than Naples."

Sorrento is a beautiful town and it probably is "safer" than Naples, but I have to say that I've enjoyed Naples and haven't had any problems. Even though I was walking around with expensive Camera gear on my last visit I had no problems at all, either during the day or at night. Of course, there are parts of Naples that one shouldn't venture at night, but the area I was staying in seemed quite safe.

Cheers!

If you want to experience Naples, check your bag at the train station and take the Metro over to the Archaeology Museum. Walk around a little. Some people love Naples. I find it overwhelming. I stayed overnight there near the train station once; it is not an experience I would care to repeat. On the positive side, there is a lot of interesting street life and many great bakeries. Go for the museum and the pastries; then take the train to Sorrento.