Help Refining Itinerary

"will I have enough time to visit Florence as a day trip from Rome?" The station to station train time from Rome to Florence is 1hr 35min one way. But to get total travel time, add to this an estimate of the time to get to the Rome train station, wait for the train, then the same for the return trip. The most user-friendly train website for quickly finding schedules and station to station travel times is the Deutsche Bahn website find it by clicking here and then click the link near the top of the page. The Trenitalia website is difficult for some people to navigate, so I suggest trying the Deutsche Bahn site first. And you can't use the Trenitalia site for buying tickets in advance, as it doesn't accept 99% of American credit cards. You don't say what month you're going. The Uffizi has infamously long lines to get in, so unless you're going off-season, it will be essential for you to have an advance reservation for the Uffizi, in order to make a day trip feasible. After you get into the Uffizi, 2 hours seems to be an average time, but of course this varies depending on the person. It's not enormous like the Louvre but you probably don't want to have your visit to the Uffizi cut short because you run out of time. So make a reservation. The Baptistery, Duomo (cathedral), and Duomo bell tower (Giotto's Tower - these, for your time planning purposes - should be thought of as 3 separate things. They're close together, of course, but the time to climb to the top of the dome will depend on the line, which is often long, and how fast or slow you can do 450 steps (dome climb) and 400 steps for the tower.

One source you can use is the Trenitalia website, at www.trenitalia.com . To navigate the site more easily, click on the word "English" at the very top of the screen. In the big section labeled "Tickets", type in Rome or Roma in the first box (From), then Florence or Firenze in the second box (To). Play around with the departure days/times, then click "Send". This should give you a basic idea of travel time from Rome to Florence. Be careful - some departure times result in a more time-consuming journey than others. And, second class rail cars are perfectly okay.

My suggestion would be to do what you proposed as plan B, go to Florence for a few days and then catch up with the partners in Rome. While you possibly could go to all the places you mentioned as a day trip, it would be a very long and tiring day. If you got up early in the morning to catch a train you could be in Florence around 9am. Figuring 20-30 minutes between the sights you mentioned, thats a couple of hours just making your way. Add in waiting in lines, a stop for lunch, etc. and the actual time you have to visit the things you came to see will be limited.

I am a Florence fan and a hater of Rome, so of course you should go to Florence and then catch up with your friends later;)

Rainie, if you have the time to do more than a day trip to Florence, i would do that and meet up with your travel partners in Rome. Florence is worth more than a day trip and that way you won't feel rushed to squeeze everything in before you have to catch a train. As for Kelly's comments, i undersand how someone could like one city more than another (i would also choose Florence over Rome if forced to), but not sure how someone could hate Rome.

Rainie, In the same situation, I'd probably try and drop a few days in Paris, to allow some flexibility in planning the Italy portion of the trip. As you're "very interested in museums and history", there's more than enough to keep you busy in either Rome or Florence. You've received some excellent advice in previous replies. I wouldn't bother taking a day trip from Rome to Florence, especially given the number of sights you want to visit there. A more logical approach is to stop there for a day or two on the way to Rome, since it's "on the way". As Kent and the others mentioned, getting reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia would be a really good idea (this is more critical at the "busier" times of the year). While you'll still have to queue, you'll avoid waiting to purchase a ticket. Note that you'll have to go through airport-style security at many Museums in Italy, so keep that in mind (as I recall, one of the Museums in Florence doesn't allow bottled water). Which airlines / airport were you planning to use for the flight from Paris to Venice? Good luck with your plannning!

Thank you for the great advice. I believe that I will adjust my plans and spend 3 days in Florence. Thus now looking like..... 7 days in Paris. Get an early morning flight from Paris to Venice for 3 days. Take the morning train to Florence for 3 days Take the morning train to Rome for 4 days I would like to hang on to the 7 days in Paris as we have friends to visit. I am comfortable with 3 days in Venice and 4 days in Rome. In Florence the Uffizi and Accademia are an absolute must for me. I can then add the Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, San Lorenzo Market and the Baptistery Cathedral & Tower. Unfortunately, I have had bad knees since a child and climbing the numerous steps would ruin my knees for the rest of the trip. Walking is great, a few steps is good, but not that type of climbing. And, of course, everyone says make time to shop in Florence. I think 3-days will work.
I am a great believer in having some rest & relaxation time instead of running to make the next sight. I will be traveling in late May, early June. Ken, I had not looked into which airline / airport to use from Paris to Venice. Did you have a suggestion? As always thank you.

Rainie, I would recommend adding the Bargello to your Florence itinerary, since you say you love art. Personally I don't like paintings but I do like sculptures and the Bargello is awesome. I visited it in early September - the Accademia and Uffizi were super busy - but there were maybe 20 people in the Bargello with me. And the sculptures are awesome. you also want to see at least a couple of the "major" churches like Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, and I quite liked the Medici Chapels. I think you've made the right choice and you will have a great time! Everything is pretty compact in Florence so you can see a lot in a fairly short amount of time. 3 days isn't enough of course but is much much much better than a daytrip. You'll love it. ~From another biased Florence-lover/Rome-"hater" ;)

Rainie, "I had not looked into which airline / airport to use from Paris to Venice. Did you have a suggestion?" My first choice would be a flight with EasyJet from either Paris / CDG or ORY airports (whichever you're most comfortable with) to VCE. I believe Air Berlin also offers service from ORY to VCE. If you haven't used Euro budget airlines before, be sure to pack light so you don't have to pay an overweight luggage charge. Also, Euro airlines usually only allow ONE carry-on item (NOT one plus a "personal item" but ONE ONLY of the approved size and weight). Read the Terms & Conditions carefully when you book so that you're absolutely clear on the charges. Cheers!

Rainie Now that sounds like a perfect itinerary for you (and for me for that matter). Well done... and a perfect time too...