First timers to Europe ...Italy

That looks pretty good, but I would skip Milan and fly from Venice to Paris. Add the saved night to Florence. It is lovely there in the evening ( my favorite time there).

You're probably going to hear a lot of this from other posters, but if you can possibly just stick to Italy this trip you will enjoy your trip so much more. Paris is worth a week itself! Now, regarding the Florence and onward portion, my suggestion would be to avoid back-tracking and fly "open jaw" Hopefully you've not already booked tickets arriving in Florence and departing Paris! Milan is my least favorite city that I've been to in Europe. We have family in the North, and always used to land there and do a little site-seeing before heading to the city we were required to be in. NO MORE. Florence is IN Tuscany. So, either fly into Rome, starting your week there, and head North and fly out of Venice or vice versa. Personally, with this being your first European trip, I'd advise flying into Venice and spend a few days there - no more than 3 nights, then train to Florence, base there, and do day trips from Florence to other towns in Tuscany. Florence is a major transportation hub, and it has so many museums, sites, piazzas itself, that I'd make sure to devote a full three days there in addition to the day trips. You can schedule a wine tour that will depart at 9am and return late that will take you into the countryside. Proceed from Florence to Rome, and leave 5 days for Rome at the end of the trip. I've spent weeks in Rome and still haven't seen it all, but with 5 days you will be able to hit the most important sites, and still have enough time to BE in Rome, which is important. Get Rick Steve's Italy book ASAP and take a good look at the map, and you will see why I suggested this routing. NO backtracking, less time wasted in trains! You can google a map of Italy too.

Thanks for the advice. We are actually flying into Florence & staying in a villa outside of Florence for the first week. I was hoping to see a lot of scenery from the train that second week in between stops.

Unless there is a special reason to go to Milan, I would skip it and add those days to Paris. I think for your first time it will be a nice change of pace to have experiences in both France and Italy...

I like Milan. But for most people, either one day is enough, or it can be skipped entirely. This applies even to those with lots more time than you have; in your situation, I'd skip it, and put that time to Florence, Venice or Paris. I agree that if you haven't already booked your flight home out of Paris, plan to just stay in Italy. Two to three days each in Florence and Venice, plus not losing all that time (and not having to spend the required money) in getting from place to place, will make a much nicer trip. If you have already committed to flying out of Paris, consider dropping either Venice or Florence, and just spending a few days in one of them before going to Paris. Again, you'll "see" fewer places, but actually enjoy what you see, instead of your trip becoming a slog. From Florence or Venice, I'd fly to Paris; look at Skyscanner for options. http://www.skyscanner.com/

I didn't know you could fly into Florence from the U.S.! Good for you, so, if you're flying into Florence and staying in the Tuscany region the first week, are you departing Milan to Paris? Are these air tickets booked? PM me if you want help with routing. You're going to have an absolute blast on your first trip to Europe -- even if a few logistical mistakes are made. My first trip was a mess, but it was so good, I've gone back every year that I could afford it.

Skip Paris, add a night to Venice and Florence. I'd also dump Milan and either do those 2 nights in Varena and relax on lake com and fly back to us from Milan. Very easy train from Milan to Varenna. Or add more time in other cities on your trip

I love Milano but for this trip I would say skip it, add the day to Florence, Venice or Rome.

My memory of train trips in Italy is that they aren't scenic. While you do get glimpses here and there, for the most part the tracks are lined with trees so all you see is the blur of green as you zip along.

Exactly how many days will you be in Europe total? Sounds like 2 weeks but some times an extra day or 2 over 14 days really matters. I think you plan would be possible, if carefully planned and most likely dropping Milan.

So what if I drop Milan & replace it with Zurich or Geneva?

Sheila... I think people are suggesting you skip Milan and add a day to one of your other destinations... not to just skip Milan and add another place in!!! Every time you move from place to place you lose about 1/2 day in travel and logistics for sightseeing..
Train travel is not always wildly scenic.

Personally I would skip that villa and put the whole first week toward seeing other destinations...maybe Paris ;-)

If you're spending a week in a villa outside Florence, you can make day trips into Florence during that week. So skip spending more time in Florence, and skip Milan; go right from your villa to Venice for 3 nights, then fly to Paris for your last 4 nights.

For your first time to Italy and Paris, I would like to suggest that you stay Venice at least 3 nights, Rome 4 nights and Paris 4 nights. The rest of the time could be spent in the Tuscany town that you chose ( if there is enough time, I am not sure how many nights you will be in Europe). That is the minimal that these cities deserve. Some will say 3 nights is too much for Venice, but for such a small area, there is alot to do and most of it is not in St marks square. And I agree with some posters that say don't add on another city if you drop milan. There is plenty to see in the cities you have listed that you will no regret the less is more philosophy.