First trip to Italy-Self planning-Please help

Not knowing yet where you are staying so the easiest way to your hotel in Rome is by taxi. But could you just go right to Sorrento since your arrival is so early meaning you possibly will not be able to check in to a hotel that early

On the way from Sorrento you can catch a direct train Naples to Florence in 3 hours. Buy that ticket as early as possible to save$$
Same with Florence to Venice train buy as early as possible.

Can you do it in reverse? Fly into Venice, out of Rome? Sometimes you wind up with an early flight out of Venice, and it can be expensive and challenging to get to the airport early in the morning there. In Rome, there are 2X per hour trains between Termini station and the airport.

Any chance you could fly out of Naples instead of Rome? It doesn't work well for some people - Rome may still be better but it's worth checking.

I think some would suggest not doing so much in the short time you have - either stick to the north or the south of Italy on this trip. You're covering a lot of ground quickly and trying to see way too much I think. Try to slow it down and enjoy yourselves instead of trying to cram absolutely everything in that you can.

I've never driven in Italy, but it sounds like you DO NOT want a car in Florence proper due to ZTL restrictions (finds for non-residents without a pass driving in the center). Stick to smaller towns in Tuscany with a car if you want to drive there.

Day 1 you arrive, and will be jet lagged. Day 12 you leave. So you really only have 10 days (11 nights).
I would fly into Venice (much easier) and fly out of Rome or Naples.

You have too much traveling time in between, remember you have to pack, check out of hotel, get transportation, check in hotel. Can take a good part of a day. I would pick 2 places, maybe 3 at the most. Do day trips if you want.

Just curious, why don't you want more time in Rome?

Your trip can work, although it’s a shame you are only allowing one jet-lagged day to see the main attraction, Rome. It looks like you’re allowing for three nights in Venice. I’d steal one of those and put it on the front end to at least give you some time to settle in on arrival in Rome. The train ride from Florence to Venice can take as little as two hours, so an early start out of Florence would still give you a good half day on arrival plus one full day. On my first trip to Italy, we followed a route similar to yours- Rome to Sorrento to Venice via Florence, then to Florence. We took a train from Rome to Naples, and were met be a driver from Aldo Limos (aldolimos.com), who drove us to Sorrento. The next day they provided another driver for a day along the Amalfi Coast, and on the fourth day took us back to Naples to catch our train for Venice. (We were two couples sharing the cost.). Their service was excellent throughout. As for you stay in Tuscany, without a car- and for just four night- you’d be better off starting in Florence. Each of Siena and Lucca can be reached by direct train from Florence in about 90 minutes, and both cities are great for exploring on your own. Assisi is a little farther (it’s not in Tuscany), and the return trip from Florence would make for a long day. There are lots of tour companies and private guides that would be happy to take you to some wineries in the area- I’m sure others on this forum will have names to offer. One more suggestion: don’t try to plan too much! You will never see all Italy has to offer, so pick a few places and enjoy them.

You are trying to squeeze in a lot and I understand but have a couple of suggestions:
Unless you are dead set on Naples/Capri, why not think of a future trip for Rome and Naples.
Instead, think of cinqua terra (also fantastic coastal area) and more time in Florence area which includes lucca, Conway terra, piss, Siena by easy train connections.

Take train from Rome airport to Assisi. Stay at least one night (2 better). Get driver there or nearby Perugia, drive through Tuscany area (stop at lake or montepulciano wineries on way to Siena. Overnight in Siena, take bus into Florence (easier than train) or train to Pisa. Lucca and cinque terra are short train rides . Fast train Florence to Venice.
Your time would allow more quality experiences.
Future trip could combine Rome and Naples/Capri.
Venice deserves 3 nights; visit muralist and/or burbank islands as day trip especiaalif good weather.

Thank you for all of the responses!
The input is extremely helpful and much appreciated!
My itinerary is a version of a tour I had seen and I actually am making less stops but I definitely see the point made that perhaps I am trying to fit too much in still. The point about the jet lag in Rome is very good! Rome is a very historic and impressive place but the other areas are calling to me more. I chose to fly into there because I couldn't get a nonstop flight into or out of Naples. Flying nonstop is a big priority for me. I don't like to fly and I like to just get it over with.
Thanks again!

I answer you by the order of the days mentioned. From Rome airport to the hotel if you do not want to waste too much time my advice is to take a taxi or rent a limousine http://www.airportshuttleitaly.it/ncc-roma.html regarding the transfer from Naples to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast tour my advice if you want a driver is to ask a quote to https://positanolimoservice.com in Florence my advice is to rent a car with driver it is not so easy to drive in Tuscany and it is very easy to get fines for ztl access.
I've never been to Venice and I could not advise you.

Jillyk, we just did the trip you mentioned in Sept/Oct 2017..flying from PHL to FCO then VCE to PHL (all non stop). We have been to Rome several times, so when we landed, we used the Fiumincino Express bus directly to Naples and then took the CV train to Sorrento. Realizing the first day you are jet lagged, as mentioned above, you loose 6 hours on the flight traveling east, it will be a rough day and I wouldn't bother spending an overnight in Rome, as you will have time to check in/see one or two sights/check out the next morning. Rome is worth 4 days and 3 evenings at the very least. Stay in Sorrento and day trip to the almafi coast and then train from Sorrento to Naples and take the fast train to Florence. You can day trip there to other places, but Florence should keep you busy for a few evenings. We flew out of Venice, but stayed in Verona because we had a 11:45 departure flight and had plenty of time to get to the airport. We also wanted to go to Lago Garda and other places and Verona was a good spot. If you need more info, please message me . Thanks

This website will help you know available transportation time & options to your hotel, etc. It's www.rome2rio.com
Use it, also, to see how much time you will be spending between locations. Each day that you're going between locations, it's going to be a bit stressful, so aim to have several days when you can relax and be at the same location for a couple of days.

If you haven't purchased a Rick Steves Italy book, yet, that will be very helpful to understand how to enjoy your trip more, i.e. hints for riding the trains (validate tickets to avoid fines), walking maps, the strategy for top sites to see, etc. His recommendations for lodging & restaurants will be helpful.

As soon as you have a firm plan, start reserving your lodging. Italy is very popular, so the good places go quickly. I like to use either Booking.com or Expedia.

I have found Rome2Rio wildly unreliable on travel times and fares. It seems accurate with respect to whether there is bus service, train service, etc., but you really need to drill down to find the web links to the appropriate transportation companies, then check schedules and fare on their websites.

For buses it is sometimes just as easy to Google "Bus Siena to Volterra" or something like that. For trains I use the Deutsche Bahn website for schedules and Trenitalia for fares (or to purchase tickets in advance). Trenitalia expects to see city names in the Italian form (Roma, Napoli, Firenze, Venezia). There's a schedule change on June 10 or 11, I think, so you probably won't find information yet for your actual travel dates. You may need to look up schedules for early June instead. There probably won't be much in the way of adjustments when the schedules shift.

Good advice here, but this piece, from Jean is the best for self-planners

If you haven't purchased a Rick Steves Italy book, yet, that will be very helpful to understand how to enjoy your trip more, i.e. hints for riding the trains (validate tickets to avoid fines), walking maps, the strategy for top sites to see, etc. His recommendations for lodging & restaurants will be helpful.

There is nothing like a guidebook to help you as you do not know what you do not know. Also, his "Europe Through the Bac Door" is essential, IMO, for a first-time traveler.

If Rome is low-priority, why not just catch a train to Naples on that first day? You can spend that day getting oriented and recovering from jet-lag.

If Rome is low-priority, why not just catch a train to Naples on that first day? You can spend that day getting oriented and recovering from jet-lag.

We spent 3 weeks in Italy - 4 days in Sorrento and we did a day trip to the Amalfi Coast w/a company Rick Steves recommends - Mondo - website is sharedtours.com. A van picked us up in Sorrento - it was fantastic. The road is super narrow & curvy- I certainly wouldn't drive myself, plus you wouldn't enjoy the scenery as much. We loved Sorrento- some of the best food we had in our 3 weeks in Italy. We also took the train to Herculaneum (similar to Pompeii, but smaller, less crowded - it was ruined by the same volcano- we used the RS Italy guidebook and followed his tour - it was amazing. The skeletons at the end are incredible. Plus mosaics, the history is incredible. Best pizza we had in 3 weeks was in Herculaneum.

We spent 6 nights in Florence and took 2 days trips with WALKABOUT FLORENCE - you can see reviews & photos on TripAdvisor - but if you book, use their website - we did the BEST OF TUSCANY (went to 3 small Tuscan towns and also had an incredible organic lunch) and CHIANTI WINE & FOOD SAFARI - we thought these tours were a great way to see and learn about Tuscany without renting a car - they were professional, educated us, and the bus was clean.

Def get the RS Italy guidebook - it is fantastic.
feel free to PM me if you have questions. My recommendation would be fly into Venice and work your way south via train - so easy - and then fly home from Naples (or you could fly back from Rome if it's a lot cheaper). All that said - I still think the RS Venice, Florence, Rome tour is great. There is so much to see and do and learn, it's hard to get it all in on your own - St.Marks, Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, David. We did the tour, flew into Venice a few days early, then after the tour - did Sorrento and back to Florence for Tuscany and more Florence on our own. There is lots of on your own time during the tour.

Venice is really the best place to start. It's very low key and it's easy to relax, get over the jetlag and just soak up the atmosphere. Rome is about the worst - big, bustling city with major sights. If you can't get a non-stop into Venice, fly into Milan. If you land in the morning, you can take the train to Venice and be there in the afternoon. Rome and Milan are easy to leave from, easy to get to in an hour or less from the city.

REalistically, you have 10 days to sightsee. Most of Day 1 is usually lost getting through the airport, into the city, and to your hotel. Unless you're flying from the West Coast, don't expect to get a lot of sleep on the flight. For instance, it's a 9-9.5 hour flight from Chicago to Rome. It's about an hour after they close the doors that you're soaring and they begin to serve drinks, then dinner, then clearing up. If you're lucky, it's less than 2 hours total. About 1.5-2 hours before landing they start to wake you up, then serve breakfast. At best you have 6 hours uninterrupted to fall asleep and hope no one wakes you to climb over you to the bathroom or a fussy baby starts bawling . . . And noon in Italy is 7 pm in Chicago, so you're going to be pretty tired by mid-afternoon. On Day 12, even if you have an afternoon departure, you won't have time to do much more than a leisurely breakfast and maybe a walk.

10 days - I would limit the trip to 3 locations. More than that will waste too much transfer time. Taking into account the time to pack, check out, get to the train station, lead time to find and board the train, then get to your new hotel to check in, drop your luggage and get oriented to the new surroundings . . . every change eats up about 1/2 day. A corollary is that every x number of nights equals (x-1) days. So 4 nights = 3 days. For example, your original plan has 3 nights in Sorrento. That gives you about 1/2 day to explore the city or visit Pompeii with a private transfer. Then one day to Capri and one day to the Amalfi Coast, and then you're going back north. Personally, I think it's too far for a short trip. Either add a couple of days to your trip or omit it.

Hi,
Thank you everyone for taking the time to help me with this! It is so appreciated!
I did order some of Rick's books and maps.
The referrals and advice from everyone has been so helpful and I am less stressed about planning it myself. I definitely feel better about the transportation issue. I found things on line for car services etc but it can be overwhelming and unnerving to plan blindly. So I appreciate the recommendations from people who have been to places and used the services. I am trying to tweak the trip a little bit differently, taking into account the recommendations of it may be too much in too little time.

Thank you again!

When we went to the Amalfi Coast in 2012 we used Sorrento Silver Star for transportation. We had small children traveling with us and did not want to navigate the local train. We were picked up at the Naples train station and driven to our destination on the Amalfi Coast. Another day we booked a driver to take us up and down the coast, stopping at several towns including Positano, Amalfi and Minori. I found the service excellent.

You asked "...what is the best way to get from the airport to a hotel in Rome?"

The best way is a private car service. After a long flight, some jet lag, not being familiar with the area, there is nothing better than having your private driver meet you inside the terminal and whisk you to your hotel. No fending off the so called "independent" cabs, waiting in the regular taxi line, or just having a "lost" feeling. It is not the cheapest way, but it is definitely the best. We can not say enough good things about Rome Cabs. It is a private car service (not a cab company) but only a little more than a regular taxi. We always use them and have always been very pleased. Go to romecabs.com and see what you think. We just send an email and they answer us with a quote within 24 hours. You do have to pay cash (Euros) and the end of the journey but not in advance. I'm not sure, but I think they may have driver service to Sorrento. Just have to ask them.