First Trip To Italy....please help with itinerary...VERY EXCITED :)

Darlene, way too much. 14 days is plenty of time to see much of Italy but not 1 night at a time. I guarantee that you will spend more time in train stations and on the trains than you will visiting these scenic cities.

My first suggestion is to cut out the Cinque Terre. It's really out of the way as much of your itinerary is North/South from Venice to Naples/Sorrento. Second suggestion is to spend 2-3 nights in Venice and then head for Florence. 3 nights in Florence. 1 day in Siena. 3 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Sorrento and 1 night in Naples before departing. Third suggestion, 4 nights in Florence with a long day trip to the CT out of Florence.

You'll see much more and will relax much more with the multi-night stays.

Only you can decide how long to stay in each city. I spent all of my 15 days in Venice (4 nights), Florence (5 nights), and Rome (5 nights). It was also my first trip. For me, that wasn't enough time in any of those cities and your itinerary would be way too hectic for me. But I like to wander, people-watch, go to the local markets, etc. I really like seeing the back streets and the less touristy parts so for me, I need several days in these big cities to really get under their skin, to meet the people and really soak it in and experience. For you, maybe a couple days is enough. I skipped CT, and will hit it on my next trip when I just do Tuscany and CT.... you really just have to decide what you want to do in each place and how 'on the go' you want to be, no one can answer that for you because we don't know you and what we would do is probably not what you would do. maybe people here can help more if you tell us a bit more about yourselves :)

I think you're attempting too much. You'll barely taste Venice with only one night (and the night you arrive) and then spend much of the next day on a train if you try to get to the Cinque Terre. I've done a version of this schedule before (without Rome) and felt like all I was doing was riding on trains and checking in and out of hotels. So now, I try to spend four nights in each town. More than I would need in Florence (for my tastes) but too little in Venice. If you've booked your flight home from Naples it would make sense to spend a couple of nights in Sorrrento but don't try to do both that and the CT.

Good luck in your planning!

Dar,

IMHO, that's MUCH too ambitious an Itinerary for a 14-day trip! As the others have suggested, some of the travel days are longer so much of your view of Italy will be through the train windows. I'm not sure where you're flying from (SJ?) but keep in mind you'll lose the first day in flight times and will be jet lagged so not completely up to speed for a day or so.

For such a short trip, you might want to concentrate on either Rome & North (Venice-3, CT-2, Florence-3 & Rome-4 plus travel days) or south of Rome (Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri).

Good luck!

Hi Dar. My advice does not differ from that already posted, but I just wanted to also assert that 1 night in Venice is just not enough, ESPECIALLY since it is the city you arrive in. The first day you just don't feel like youself, and you need time to adjust. And Venice is AMAZING, I think you will be disappointed afterwards. Also, I believe that the Cinque Terre is just too far as a day trip from Florence. If at all possible, 2 nights in each of these cities would be best.

Keep in mind that on top of the actual travel time you spend on each train, you need to add on the time it takes to get to the station and find your train, how long it will take to find your find your hotel, unpack, adjust to the new surroundings, etc.... These are experiences that consume a lot of time!

You def. know what interests you most, but I would try to take one of these destinations out, so that you can really enjoy the cities that you DO see. And always, plan to go back!!

I can give you some advise on Sorrento for 2 days:

I those two days this would be my suggestion:
One day to see Ravello (Villa cimbrione, Villa Rufollo, the city, the cathedral, the views to the sea from a countryside place wow), Amalfi(the Cathdral dazzling, charming downtown) and Positano (trend of rich and famous, brand shopping, views) (Ravello is a gem) in the Amalfi Coast and you can easily reach by SITA Bus from Sorrento. Then enjoy a good pizza in Sorrento for the evneing and walk around the Old town.

Day 2 - Spend the day in Capri by taking the hydrofoil form Sorrento (there you can visit Villa san michele, Shopping, see and be seen, Fariglioni, Mount solaro chairlift great views, brand shopping).
Maybe a nice seafood dinner at Marina Grande in Sorrento.

Day 3 - Take the train to Naples, but stop to see Pompeii ruins on the way. If your flight is late, see also Herculaneum Ruins. Then upon arrival in Naples, you can take a bus they have to the Naples airport.

Hi Dar,

I'm also going to Italy (for the 1st time)in October for 17 days and have a similar itinerary. I posted it on here a few weeks ago and many people wrote back that it was fine; in fact, one person mentioned that they had virtually the same itinerary and didn't feel rushed at all. So based on that, I think it's really up to you and what you want to see/accomplish. My plan is similar; Venice-Florence-Cinque Terra-Amalfi Coast-Rome. I'm happy with that plan and confident it will be great.

If your intent is to just see as much as you can, this schedule works. But seeing is not experiencing. You will view a blur of the gorgeous landscapes as you wizz by inside the train. In my opinion even 2 nights in each location (1 full day) is not enough. 3 nights is ok - but 4 to 5 nights is best to really get a feel for where you are and know you have been in Italy. But everyone has their own opinion of the perfect experience.

I'd save the CT for another trip to uncomplicate things a little, but it seems to me that in 14 days you can visit Venice (2 nights minimum), Florence, Rome & Sorento, particularly if you can find flights into Venice and home from Naples as you say.

This is not an itinerary with much slack, and you might reasonably prefer to move a little slower and have more time in Tuscany. But if the idea is to cover a lot of ground in two weeks I have to disagree with those who seem to say it can't be done and in a satisfying way.

If CT is a top priority consider dropping Sorento and visiting CT after Florence--a restorative break before Rome.

If you're only planning one night in Venice - don't bother! The costs associated with getting from the airport to hotel (depending on arrival times), etc... aren't worth the hassle. That being said, doing 3 or 4 nights in Venice would be worth it! I would limit to 3 destinations for that period of time and maybe throw in a day trip. If you're going to take the train between Venice and Rome, then it would make sense to do a couple of nights in Florence or Siena since they're on the way. But you'll spend most of your time on the road with your itinerary. It's ok to leave a few cities to come back to the next time!

All excellent advice especially Larry and Sally. The one item that many traveler don't think about and especially someone like yourself is the time lost moving between cities -- pack, unpack, checkin, checkout, find the hotel, find the train station, wait for the train, find the TI, getting oriented in the new city, get unlost, finding places to eat, etc. When we change locations I always plan on wasting half a day (4 to 6 hours) plus the travel time. If I follow you posting, you are doing six location changes -- for us that is three lost days and maybe three days of transportation. If your 14 days includes a travel day on each end plus the lost time in Italy, you vacation is now 6 days. I would do a tight triangle -- Rome, Florence, Naples -- save Venice for another time -- or something similar with short travel. Think about !!

http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours08/product.cfm/rurl/code/VFR08/

Check out this RS tour; see how much more can be accomplished when you spend at least 3 days in each city. Travel days at beginning and end are TIRING and must be taken into consideration. Travel time between cities must also be considered. I have only been to Italy once, but if I were going for the first time, I would make these three cities, Venice, Florence, Rome, my basic trip, with 3 nights minimum in each. Day trips from Florence and Rome would be great additions. Staying several nights in each city will allow you to breathe in the essence of Italy. You will want to see these cities in the bright of day and in the sweetness of night. Make your way to Naples slowly.

Dar I have to agree with most everyone & especially Frank when he talks about travel time. It just takes longer than you sometimes think. Especially if there is a train strike which happened to us. Short story, got the last train out of Rome to Florence & a late train at that causing us to lose time in Florence. As a matter of fact had we not gotten on that train we would have lost our first nights stay in Florence & still would have been charged. That was our first trip to Italy back in 2005. This May we will be visiting again but guess what? We will have more than a couple of nights here & there. Just my two cents.

Hi Dar,

I went to Italy for my first time this past October for 14 days. Here was our itinerary: Flew to Venice (2 nights), went to Florence (3 nights), went to Cinque Terra (2 nights), Siena (2 nights), and Rome (3 nights). We flew out of Rome. I have to say I would not change a single thing. We are planning our next trip to fly into Rome and then do Southern Italy. It is way to much to include South of Rome when you are starting in Venice. We felt like our pace was perfect. Just the right amount of time in each (and we are young 35). You can't miss hiking the CT trail and spending the night there is really what makes it so magical. Don't cheat yourself from enjoying all the pesto pizza while sitting on the rocks at sunset.

Good luck,
Julie

Dar,
Many years ago I went on a 2 week Bus Tour to Europe and in that time we were wisked in and out of many country's. This was fine because we were on a planned itinerary and with knowlegable guides. It was a great way to visit europe for the first time and see many things and to find out what you really liked and wouldn't mind seeing again. We have been back many of times and we now like to limit our home bases and travel out from there. You must remember that everything might not go as planned and time may be taken away from you during those unplanned events. We are going to Italy in April for 12 days. This is how we planned our trip. We are flying into Munich and taking the train to Bolzano (2 nights) then taking a train to Florence and renting a car and driving to Pienza (5 nights), doing day trips from there, then driving to Pisa and taking a train to Vernazza, staying 3 nights there and leaving out of Genova. Good luck planning your trip.

Thanks for the feedback....we are thinking of changing the itinerary a little bit - extending the trip a couple of days new itinerary should go something like this.....hopefully this will not be as hedctic :) Any thoughts?

• Flying into Venice (2 nights)
• Cinquentera (3 nights)
• Florence (2)
• Siena (1)
• Rome (3 )
• Sorrento(2) dar

Dar, it looks good--you're going to enjoy the revised itinerary much more than you would have the first one!

Dar,

Looks good!! I did a very similar trip this last September. I hope we didn't bully you, but I really think you'll have a better experience with this new itineray. Have fun, I'm jealous!

Dar,
You have many people telling you that you are trying to see too much. Look at all the posts they have among them, very well travelled and experienced! Isn't it nice to have such a tool?
I wish that I had a tool like this when I began
traveling many years ago! I would have preferred
not learning the hard way! You will regret trying to visit all these places in a two week period! This experience will offer you the opportunity to see the places you would like to return to for longer periods of time. I equate it to visiting ports on a cruise for 4 to 8 hours. You see where you would like to return some day!

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!!!
Debbie
Sherman Oaks, CA
USA

From your posted itinerary, you wont have 14 days in Italy but, rather - 11-12. Remember the first day you arrive you will be useless. Maybe hang out at a cafe for awhile, but you won't feel like much else. Also, most flights to the states (I'm assuming that's where you're from) leave VERY early in the morning. I'm also planning my first trip to Italy in June. We have 10 days in Italy but are flying in from Athens, Greece so no jet lag issue - a two hour flight. Our current itinerary (since it seems to constantly change:) is CT - 3 nights, Florence & a few hilltowns- 4 nights, Rome with a day trip to Orvieto - 3 nights. Home to Chicago from Rome. Just try to tell yourself that someday you'll be back. You can't possibly see it all. We're still trying to decide between CT and Venice because we can't do both. Also - think about what you like to do. Do you LOVE art and museums - plan more time in Florence & Rome. Do you love hiking and small, quaint towns? Spend more time in CT>
Have a great trip - planning is really part of the fun don't you think? :)

Oops - didn't see your latest itinerary. To me it compliments the advice I've been getting from this board for the last few months. Have a wonderful trip!

Hmm. "Flying into Venice (2 nights) - Cinquentera (3 nights) - Florence (2) - Siena (1) - Rome (3 ) - Sorrento(2)"

I think that your new itinerary is better, but you're still probably going to regret packing one too many places in. If you want to go to all those places, consider shaving one day off the Cinque Terre and adding it to Siena. (Staying only one night in one place is not appealing at all to me.) As charming as the CT is/are, there's not that much to do there other than relax and hike. When we went there, we found two nights was just right.

I would also suggest saving Sorrento for a future trip that's more southern oriented and instead reallocate those 2 days to Venice and Rome. The Sorrento experience is pretty similar to the CT experience and it's sooo far south.

I've been to all those areas (except Cinque Terra. I only stayed 1 night in Venice & easily saw the "highlights" & the islands of Murano & Burano.
I love Florence, but think 2 nights would be enough time there unless you are planning to visit some of the hill towns throughout Tuscany. If so, then you need to allow 3-4 nights in Florence.
Rome is my favorite city in the world & you won't even scratch the surface of all there is to see in just 3 days. I have been twice (and am going back in November)& still haven't seen everything I want to see. I would suggest at least 4 nights in Rome.

Naples & Sorrento are very close to each other (1 to 1 1/2 hours apart) with ferry, train & bus service between them. I would suggest staying in one place or the other for the full 3 nights. Be sure to visit Pompeii & some of the beautiful small towns along the Amalfi Coast. Buy your museum & tour tickets online before you go. It will let you skip the "waiting" in long lines to get in. Have fun!

Dar, your second itinerary looks better, but having done many trips to Italy I concur with everyone else........you are trying to pack in too many places in not enough time.

Make sure that you know exactly how you are going to get to all of these places, and the travel time you will incur. Three days min. is always a good rule.

If this is your final itinerary, combine Siena and Florence into one three day stop; stay in Sienna, and take the bus into Florence. Fast, easy, and relaxing. This is Rick's reccomendation, and we loved seeing the area by basing ourselves in Siena.

Hi Dar,

I would recommend seeing as much as you can on your first trip to Italy. Some areas you will love and others you will not. After your trip, take stock of what you loved, and plan a second trip only to those destinations (one or two) that you really loved and have a vacation that you will enjoy.

I did the whirlwind trip last year - hated Venice and Florence - fell in love with Siena and Montalcino. I'm going back and will spend a week touring Tuscany, tasting wine, and relaxing - a real vacation of leisure.

Best of luck!

Gosh, I'm worn out just reading your plans, but then, I'm old. :)
Hubby and I went to Italy 2 years ago, first time. We spent 2-3 days each in Rome and Florence, one in Pompeii, could not manage to squeeze in Venice (next time!). Hubby also spent a day in Sienna and loved it. (There was some sort of car race going on that day.) Loved the history of Rome but not the city itself...dirty crowded, unfriendly. Loved Florence, period. If you go to Pompeii, save time for the museum in Naples, as that is where the artifacts are.

Take your own washcloth; they are not provided, and learn to love tepid water, as they don't use ice cubes. And wear comfy shoes! And have a GREAT time!

You know, it really all depends on what you enjoy doing. Are you a museum/cathedral person? A "lie around in the sun" person? A food/wine person? A "stumble upon out of the way places" person? An indoor or outdoor person? A "checklist of famous sights" person? A shopper? A hiker? Are you on a limited budget, or can you afford to splurge? How important is physical comfort to you? How about aesthetics? How do you feel about spending hours on a train? All that and more will help you figure out where you should go, what you should do and where you should stay.

The itenerary is not too aggressive if you are with someone who knows their way around the train stations, buying tickets, finding the right platforms, connecting buses, etc. Once you have figured most of that out and return for the second time, it gets easier and easier to understand. Each of my experiences in Italy and making connections is to realize that somewhere along the way, there will be a frustrating moment that will slow down a punctual schedule. Build in these contingencies and you will have much less stress.

Cinque Terra is beautiful, but for a day trip, it is quite a lot of work (walking, connecting trains, etc.) I have done that before. You might consider Sienna between Florence and Rome.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Dar
Seeing your revised itinerary as of Jan 24th. In my opinion still too much. You will be spending too much time figuring out how to get around and where things are. I would skip Cinque Terra and spend those three nights in and around Florence and Tuscany. Maybe a day trip out of Florence to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa or go to Lucca but still there is so much to absorb in Florence and Rome. I was planning Venice to Sorrento in 14 days and felt I was stretching it out way too much and I have been to Italy 3 times. My fourth coming up in about 5 weeks. You have to ask yourself, will you ever go back? I would say Venice (3nights), Florence, Siena Tuscany (6) Orvieto (1) Rome (2) Sorrento (3) Rome (1) and home. I thinks that works out. Good Luck.