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First time in Italy-but only 6 days, 4 full days- Potential itinerary? Venice, Florence- but Rome?

Hello! My husband and I will be stopping by Italy at the end of a trip to Israel for our ten year anniversary. We will be there from April 13-18. Currently, I have us flying into Venice and flying out of Milan, with the plan of only seeing Venice and Florence. I've been hearing though that I should really go to Rome. Did I plan it all wrong?? Should I just stay in Rome the whole time? Should I do Venice and Rome? I know I will lose time traveling and checking in, so I don't want to be too ambitious. We love good food, walking around local streets, and experiencing the authentic culture. We don't get to travel much because we have four young kids, so I want to make the most of this trip! Thank you for your help!

Posted by
2455 posts

Well, with only four full days, you really could spend them in any of those three cities (Rome, Florence and Venice) and have a wonderful and quite relaxing visit. If you wanted to spend just two days in each of two cities, I would suggest your original plan of Venice and Florence, but then you would be losing one or two half days to travel, once you count packing up, checking in and out, getting to and from stations, waiting for your train, and the travel itself. I think Rome is just too big to even try to visit in two days. What time is your flight out of Milan, and if In the morning you will probably need to spend your last night in Milan. Have you read Rick Steves 2016 Italy Guidebook, or another good travel guide, to see which city or cities turn you on the most?

Posted by
2 posts

I'm reading Rick Steve's Italy 2016, which is where I got the idea for just Venice and Florence. But I would LOVE to see the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican museum... I'm so torn. 2 days Venice and 4 days Rome, skip Florence? Reading about Florence, it sounds pretty small? Is it possible to "pass-through" Florence?

Posted by
11247 posts

If you only have 4 full days, pick one city only. Arrival and departure days -- especially departure days -- are not really sightseeing days what with getting oriented, checked in-or-out, transportations to/from airport. If, God forbid, you do not find enough to do in your chosen city for 4 days, there are endless side trips you can take from any of them. Pick one and plan to come back when you have more time.

Fly in-and-out of the city you want to visit.

Posted by
7175 posts

I think you can see the highlights of both Venice and Florence in a day. Rome is a different story. You will need to come back regardless.

April 13 - arrive Venice - 2 nights
April 15 - train (1hr 55min) to Florence - 2 nights
April 17 - train (1hr 40min) to Milan - 1 night
April 18 - depart Milan

You have short train times. Don't let people tell you all your time will be spent travelling - just be smart and organised.

Posted by
4730 posts

Agree 100% with Laurel -- with your limited amount of time pick only one city. It almost always takes more time to go from one place to another than anticipated. I'd rather really get to know a place than just "glance" at it while passing through so to speak. You can do two cities, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Just food for thought. Have a good trip and enjoy wherever you wind up.

Posted by
616 posts

Another option would be to skip Venice and either arrive and depart from Milano, easy and numerous fast trains from Milan to Florence and Rome. You could see Venice another time and do at the same time Verona, Trieste, Padova, Italian Lakes or Ravenna and Pula ( Croatia).

Another options would be to
- arrive and depart from Rome
- arrive in Rome and depart from Milan
( this would give you time to see the Milano Duomo and its Last Supper) and if you are staying the night there, maybe go to see an opera at the Scala?
In either way, you would loose less time.

Posted by
1231 posts

I agree with Laurel and TC. Pick one city, in your case since you are flying into Venice, that would be my choice. Besides, it is beautiful and unlike other cities. You can always day trip to the islands, Murano and Burano, or to Verona and/or Padua.

Posted by
616 posts

In April, although not every year, Venice could still be subject to Acqua Alta.
In that case, Piazza San Marco and all the low parts of Venice are not accessible because Venice is covered with waters.
Make sure you get reimbursed for your hotel, should this happen.
Hope acqua Alta does not happen while you are there.
Verona is Wonderful. I also love Ravenna Trieste and Pula ( Croatia).

Posted by
32519 posts

What reimbursement? They will lend you wellies. And when the tide changes so does the water.

Posted by
15560 posts

Flooding in Venice is neither frequent nor unusual. It can happen when there's a convergence of high tides, winds and - can't remember the third. Anyway, when it does happen, it almost always subsides within 3-4 hours, and many parts of the city are still accessible using the temporary ramps that are set up in advance. I arrived in the middle of one, while it was a little annoying, it was also pretty interesting to witness. Had to sit in a tiny, uncharming cafe for a couple hours until it subsided, so I could walk the last 200 meters to my hotel with my suitcase. If I hadn't had the luggage, it wouldn't have stopped me from sightseeing.

Posted by
11247 posts

Piazza San Marco and all the low parts of Venice are not accessible because Venice is covered with waters.

Whaaattt? We've been to Venezia during acqua alta and had no trouble! In fact, it was fun to see and figure out how to get around it. I can understand a problem if, like Chani, you had luggage when arriving in the middle of it, but it is such an interesting experience. Do not let concern over AA keep you from visiting Venice!

Posted by
15560 posts

I did get from the train station to Ca' Rezzonico by vaporetto, then on the temp walkways but there was a small lagoon the width of the little alleyway that blocked my path. There was another acqua alta that night, but from about 2-4 am. Then it was dry and sunny.

The day before, I waited out a snow fall in Padua - it was too slippery to walk in a couple inches of slush, so had a long lunch break until the sun melted most of it.

February in Italy!

Back to mkim - whatever you see in Italy means you are skipping other wonderful places, no matter how often you go or how much time you spend there. Less is more. The Colosseum will still be there when you go back. Once isn't enough for Israel or for Italy. And the gelato in the north is much better.