First time to Italy: Rome and Venice in October

Having a good travel guide is important. Check out Rick’s. First time we visited Rome we also took the DK Eyewitness Guide to Rome- it has wonderful sections on each neighborhood and we enjoyed many of their suggested walks.

The best source for a first trip is, IMO, Rick Steves' Italy guidebook along with Europe Through the Back Door if you have not traveled to Europe before. Also watch Rick's TV shows on both cities, available right here on this site. Nothing substitutes for a good guidebook. You don't know what you don't know....

A day trip to Pompeii is a very long day. As there is so much to see and do in Rome, maybe don't decide on Pompeii until you have read up on how arduous that day trip is. Also, I would caution an Airbnb may not be your best choice if you have not traveled extensively in Europe. There is a lot to be said for a nice small hotel or B&B where you get the advantage of local advice. Location of lodging is very important in Rome, especially, so that you are not staying too remote from the center and spending a lot of time in local commuting.

I love Rome. It is loaded with Ancient History as well as the amazing Vatican. St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel are very special.

Check out TripAdvisor's things to do in Rome.

watch out for pickpockets, especially if you ride the subway.

Don't miss the Pantheon, Trajan's Market and the Capitoline Hill Museum as well as the obvious Colliseum, Forum and Palantine Hill.

If you've already booked your flights ignore this post. If not, consider flying into Venice and home from Rome. Flying back from Venice can be difficult from the standpoint of getting to the airport really early in the a.m. Not always -- depends on when you have to be there. We've always found it much better to fly into Venice. Just food for thought if you've not bought air tickets yet.

Gosh, quick replies! Thank you, all, this forum seems to be a great resource!

I am doing lots of reading before the trip, to be somewhat prepared. I have Rick's guidebooks for Rome and Venice.

I realize seeing Pompeii is a long day, but my husband and I are really keen to see it. I was just wondering what the Herculaneum visit is like.

We have stayed at AirBnB's many times in the US, and find them to be very nice. I'm not sure how it would be in Europe, but I would think they have the homey feel to them, at least. The website for AirBnB really screens the hosts, they have to meet certain criteria, and give a lot of detail. They are usually cheaper than hotels, and I have not been disappointed at all in the accommodations. The ones we have booked for this trip are very conveniently located, also, close to the main areas of the cities.

I was last in Europe in 1989 (was in Paris when the Berlin Wall came down!), so it has been quite awhile.

Thanks for pointing that out, TC, that is good to know, but we did already get our airplane tickets ($800 each, whoo whoo!). We are leaving Venice mid-day, so we won't have to get up at the crack of dawn. I have a fear of missing flights :) so I always plan on getting to the airport at least 3 hours early.

My point on Airbnb or any vacation rental is that it is nice on the first trip somewhere to get some guidance from the front desk or host, to have someone you can ask questions of. Also, things in apartments in Italy do not work the way they do in the U.S. and sometimes it is confusing. At least check the reviews to see if the hosts are available and helpful.

Chip,

I wouldn't go overboard on an early arrival to Marco Polo. For most airlines, the check-in counters don't open up until about 2 hours before a flight. And there's not a whole lot of places to sit prior to check-in in the departures hall. Bottom line, look at the airlines web site for that particular airport recommendations.

The best book for Venice I think is “Venice” by James Morris. About fifty years old, but nothing changes in Venice anyway.
If architecture is your thing, the Architecture Biennale is happening May to November this year. I am going to Venice for a couple of weeks late September /early October for the Biennale.

We visited Herculaneum last year. We have never visited Pompei. The Herculaneum site is smaller by far than Pompei, also closer to Naples. We spent about two and a half hours on the site, and thought that we had seen pretty much all there is to see.

Have you considered going to Ostia Antica, rather than the all day trek to Pompeii?

Hi Laurel, that is a good point, that staying at a hotel or similar enables the visitor to get tips from the proprietor or other hotel staff.

Hi Peter.S.Aus, do you mean this book:

The World of Venice: Revised Edition

I just started reading Venice: Pure City by Peter Ackroyd, and it's very interesting, learning the history of the city.

Thanks for mentioning Ostia Antica, Joe. Wow, I didn't know about that, it looks fantastic. If I had to decide on there or Pompeii, which would you do?

Regarding Ostia Antica vs. Pompeii: Ostia has a long history, having been founded in 620 B.C. (!!!), but as the Roman Empire declined, Ostia became less important. There were invasions and pirate sackings, and eventually, due to floods, the Tiber River shifted and land-locked Ostia. What the volcano did to Pompeii, politics, flooding and time did to Ostia.Ostia gives wonderful insight into Roman town planning, life, and construction.

Good sell, Laurel. Just kidding, but that was a very nice description. We don't want to do both Pompeii and this, but I think we will end up seeing Ostia. So happy to find out about it!

Yes, The World of Venice is the same as Venice. I have the 1960 edition, by James Morris.
Morris underwent gender reassignment about 40 years ago, so now is Jan Morris.
It is interesting, in that there was a noticeable change in her writing style following the reassignment.

A second hand copy of Venice will serve you well.

Another bonus for Ostia is that is way less crowded thanPompeii; in fact when I was there with an R S tour in October it was our group, one other group and some archaeologists, bliss! I loved Herculaneum, yes it is a relatively small site as the majority of the old city remains buried under the modern city but I think you get a better feel for daily life.