First Trip to Italy

You're going to have a quick few days between Rome, the Cinque Terre, and Venice. Have you looked at the travel times? (You can check trains going this month to see what they will likely be like next June.) You'll arrive mid to late afternoon in the Cinque Terre the first day and probably leave by mid-day or earlier the third day. And then you'll have only two nights in Venice, which many would say isn't much time (I know you'll have a long third day before your night train.)

So as much as I loved the Cinque Terre, I might skip it on this first trip and take your days elsewhere. Or, take a day from Rome and add it to the Cinque Terre to slow it down a little - but many would say four nights in Rome is barely enough, too.

I think getting accommodations for 4 for $100-150/ night in high season is going to be hard. You might want to look at Airbnb for apartments in Rome, but I don't know if you'll find availability for those where you're only staying 2 nights (Venice, CT) . Maybe hostels?

Beginner,

Since this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to read Europe Through The Back Door in the near future, as that provides a lot of good information on "how" to travel well in Europe. Use the country or city-specific guidebooks for more detailed planning. You mentioned that you've "read" the other books. Do you have copies at hand for planning?

The first thing to do in planning accommodations in Rome is to determine which part of the city you'd prefer to stay in. I prefer staying in the area close to Termini station as it's so convenient for transportation. Others here prefer the Piazza Navona or Trastevere areas. Once you've figured that out, go to the guidebooks for suggestions on good, reliable hotels. With a family group, apartments are another option, but I always prefer hotels (which usually provide a good breakfast) so can't offer any suggestions on that.

I believe there are suggestions for good tours in the guidebooks. If your budget will allow, one guide that I would highly recommend is Francesca Caruso. She's an exceptional guide and you might be able to arrange a custom tour.

Your proposed Itinerary looks fine, however is there any way you could increase your time in Italy? Each change of location will generally take at least four hours (and sometimes more), so two nights really only allows a full day for touring. The trip from the Cinque Terre to Venice will be more like six hours, with several train changes. I would strongly suggest booking accommodations in the C.T. well in advance, as hotels in that area book up quickly and June is a busy month. Monterosso is the largest of the towns and therefore has the greatest number and greatest choice of accommodations, as well as restaurants and other tourist amenities, and the best beaches.

On the subject of "trains", there are a few potentially expensive "caveats" you'll need to be aware of when using trains and other public transit it Italy. If you need more information on that, post another note here.

One other suggestion - given your home location, you might find it helpful to attend the next meeting of the Denver Rick Steves group. Here's some information - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/travel-meetings/denver-travel-group-meeting-may-20

Good luck with your planning!

4 nights in Rome, including the arrival day when you'll be jet-lagged, and early morning departure? NOT enough, even for people who don't visit museums. As another poster advised, eliminate the CT. By the way, another source for inexpensive housing is monasteries and convents. I don't know the website, but others will probably chime in with it.

Moving from one place to another almost always eats up more time than anticipated. It's not just the actual train time, it's packing up, checking out, getting to the station, the train time itself, finding the new hotel, and then checking in and unpacking. Think I would skip the C.T. and use that time in Venice. As it stands now, two nights in the C.T. and two in Venice really means just one full day and (depending arrival and departure times) part of another in each. That's really short changing both. Don't mean to be Debbie Downer, just something to consider.

I agree with TC. I would skip the Cinque Terre and add the time to Venice. Both the CT and Venice are great places to visit, but you really don't have time for both. Venice would be my choice if you only have time to do one.

I suggest adding a night in Rome and Venice and skip CT.

CT is very nice but you will just be running yourself ragged to do your proposed itinerary. (One night in CT is just a waste of effort)

Finding accommodations for four at $150 or less will be challenging. If this is your budget I would suggest you line up ( find, but not book ) your lodging before buying air tickets, to make sure your budget works.

Another voice in the chorus... I love the CT and my wife LOVED it. But 2 nights was rushed, and we were coming from Florence and going to Milan, which are closer than Rome and Venice.

2 nights in Venice doesn't feel like enough. Even if you're not a museum person, you need time to just wander and lose yourself in everything that is Venice.

Out of curiosity, if not museums, what are your interests? Rome serves it all, pretty much... and to a lesser extent, so does Venice, but the art in both is jaw droppingly amazing. I say this as someone who was an unserious consumer of art with a wife with a BFA who was serious about art history, but not so much about museums... the museums of Europe in general, and those of Italy in particular... Ah-maz-ing.

I agree with the other posters who suggest cutting out CT and focusing on Rome and Venice. Otherwise you'll spend too much precious vacation time on traveling between destinations. As far as your lodging budget goes, I can recommend the Beehive Apartments in Rome. 2 rooms would be about E140 per night. I stayed in one with my DH in 2009 during our first trip to Italy, it was a great experience. The set up is private room with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. The apartment was near to the Termini, so very convenient for train, metro and bus travel. What we really enjoyed about the experience was meeting other travelers from around the world, and sharing our experiences with them each day. Plus, having a kitchen can be a real money saver.

One note to add to my earlier comments......

It would help if you could also provide some information on the Germany portion of your trip. With that information it would be easier to suggest an efficient overall Itinerary. Until an overall plan is worked out, I wouldn't cut the Cinque Terre.

For lodging in Rome, check out

https://www.cross-pollinate.com

An American couple who moved to Rome. Very helpful.

For Venice, Pension Guerrato.
I know they have a quad room, it just depends on how close you want to be with your family. Rooms in Europe are priced per person. A 20x20 is an average room.

You will probably do better price wise and space with an apartment.

Look at booking.com. Set filters for price and use city center for location and apartment for type of lodging.
Most of these are available with free cancellation you pay when you get there.

Kens suggestion to give your full itinerary will be of great help to you.

To look at trains schedules, use

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ee13721bdd69a110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD

Please keep in mind not only the travel time, but also the amount of time it takes to check in and out of your lodging plus the time consumed getting to the train station.

Roma termini-Venezia S. Lucia
Direct fast train 3:45

Roma termini-Vernazza 1 change La Spezia 4:36

Vernazza-Venezia S. Lucia 2 changes La Spezia and Pisa.
5:49

Rome and Venice really make the most efficient use of your time.

Wow, you guys are amazing! You have given me a lot to think about and talk to my husband about. We might have to add a couple days because I know we will love CT and it will be a nice break from the history/ museum portion of the trip.
The plan I'm working with is:
4 nights in Rome
2 nights in Ct
2 nights in Venice (leaving late on final day, either taking a night train to Munich or flying into Frankfurt)
Then in Germany, not sure of order yet
3 nights Rhine River
2 nights in Rothenburg (?)
3-4 nights in Munich

Yep, if you can add 1 nite to CT and 1 to Venice you'll be golden.

Logistically it makes more sense to do Munich first and then Rothenberg. The Rhine is a long river so it can be either at the beginning or end depending on your desires and route. Personally I'd opt for the end and go to the area just northwest of Frankfurt -- but that's just preference.