Help! Two weeks in Italy on our own?

Vincent,

First of all, congratulations to both of you!

IMO, you're going to need to drop several of the destinations on your list. Trying to visit 7+ destinations in a two week period is just not realistic (especially as some of these are quite a distance apart). Dropping Pisa would be a good start and you might want to leave Capri and Positano for a future visit ("assume you will return").

Yes, using open jaw flights into Venice and out of Rome is a really good idea. You could start in either city, but my preference would be to start in Venice as you'll be moving towards the warmer city as your trip progresses into October.

For lodging suggestions, you might want to have a look at the Italy 2009 Guidebook, as there are lots of suggestions there in different price ranges. Your best bet would probably be budget Hotels, with an occasional splurge if your budget will allow.

Good luck with your planning!

Hi Vincent,

To elaborate on Ken's recommendation that you probably will need to drop some places, you have a couple of options for doing a trip. You can either have a slow-paced tour, a fast-paced, or a blitz. Each have their benefits and drawbacks, but allow me to discourage you from trying to blitz through Italy.

Since it is your honeymoon, are you looking for a relaxing, romantic perspective of Italy... or are you more concerned about seeing as much as reasonably possible in that time? You could easily fill up more than two weeks in Rome, Venice, and Florence. If you only want to see the most major touristy sites, you can probably fit everything in, but remember that you will have a fair bit of time lost to travelling around (presumably by train, which I recommend).

To help plan out your trip, use the Italian rail website to work out the times for travelling between your destinations. Ignore getting a rail pass as you will almost certainly spend less money just purchasing point-to-point tickets.

As for recommending places to stay, what are you looking for in terms of services and price range? Venice is one of the most expensive places to find a good hotel, and most people on these forums would recommend that you spend the extra money for a place inside Venice rather than just outside on the mainland. Since you are looking for a reasonably-priced place, if you do not mind having a shared bathroom then I strongly recommend the B&B San Paolo as it is well located near the Rialto bridge and is a great deal price-wise. If you are going to book here, message me first as I know of a slightly cheaper way of booking.

Enjoy the planning stage for your trip - it's a lot of work, but worth the effort!

Thanks- We thought we might fly into Venice and stay overnight. Take the train to Florence and stay 2 nights so we can take side trips to Capri (blue grotto) Pisa. Two nights in Cinque Terre. Train again to Rome and stay 3 days and see the usual sites. From there train again to the Amalfi area Sorrento and Positano.

I don't know if that's 2 weeks and alot of travel but...it will be fun. Any suggestions are appreciated. Would like to stay either in intown quaint hotels, farmhouse, villa, etc. not too expensive. Eat where the locals do, take in the sights.

Obviously it's a very personal thing, but I would spend more time in Venice.

If you just want to day-trip through Pisa, then see it on the way from Florence to the Cinque Terre. You will pass through Pisa on the train between the two places anyways.

Hi Vincent,

This itinerary might make some heads spin, but this is what my husband and I did in March 2007 (and includes everything on your wish list). I wouldn't necessarily say it would be the most relaxing, post-wedding way to go, but we had the time of our lives and I thought it might give you some ideas.

Day 1: Arrive in Venice {overnight (O-N) Venice}

Day 2: Venice, side trip to Murano (O-N Venice)

Day 3: Venice to Florence (O-N Florence)

Day 4: Florence (O-N Florence)

Day 5: Florence to Cinque Terre (O-N Cinque Terre)

Day 6: Cinque Terre (O-N Cinque Terre)

Day 7: Cinque Terre to Siena, via stop in Pisa (O-N Siena)

Day 8: Siena to Rome (O-N Rome)

Day 9: Rome (O-N Rome)

Day 10: Rome (O-N Rome)

Day 11: Rome to Sorrento (O-N Sorrento)

Day 12: Sorrento, day trip to Capri (O-N Sorrento)

Day 13: Sorrento, day trip to Positano (O-N Sorrento)

Day 14: Sorrento to Rome (early morning), flight home

After all was said and done, we would not have changed a thing. However, there were towns we liked over others, and would like to go back to those at some point and spend more time. It's just that there is so much more of the world to see...

Again, this is a sample itinerary for you of what we did, but at the end of the day it will depend on you and your fiancee's travel style. Either way, I hope you have the time of your lives, too!

I like the itinerary idea. Anyone else have any similar suggestions?

Here's how we spent our 2 weeks (actually 15 nights/16 days) in Italy). In my opinion, you should really spend 3 nights (giving you 2 full days) most places:

Days 1 - 4: Rome - arrive mid-morning, stay for 4 nights (3.5 days)

Day 5: Rent car, spend day exploring Vesuvius and Pompeii, ending in Sorrento (3 nights).

Day 6: Explore Amalfi Drive

Day 7: Hydrofoil to Naples, National Archaeological Museum, return to Sorrento

Day 8: Drive to Florence (3 nights)

Days 9 and 10: Explore Florence

Day 11: Drive to Vernazza (Cinque Terre), visiting Pisa along the way (2 nights in Vernazza)

Day 12: Enjoy Vernazza, hike from Monterosso to Vernazza, swim, swim, swim

Day 13: Drive to Venice (3 nights)

Days 14 and 15: Explore Venice (1 day city, 1 day islands)

Day 16: Head home

Italy is a wonderful country and I hope this will be the first of many trips there for you! I like the itineraries posted above but they both sound better for a summer visit. I also live in Florida and Italy is much cooler in October than it is at home. Swimming will probably not be something you will enjoy at that time of year so consider that when planning coastal locations. IMO October would be best spent exploring ruins, hill towns, hiking, etc. - things that are not as much fun in the heat. Save the fun in the sun spots like the Amalfi coast and Capri for another visit. Museums are great to see anytime. Look on weather.com for average monthly weather conditions. Flying into Venice out of Rome is an excellent idea. I was in Venice in December for my first visit and it was just as wonderful then as when I saw it in the summer. The great thing about being in Italy in October is that the crowds won't be there and you will be able to enjoy everything at a "local" pace and see so much more without waiting in lines. Also, check the concert and opera schedules as everything will be in regular performance season.

Vincent,

Another thought that occurred to me after reading your post....

Especially given the circumstances of your trip, do you want to be rushing through a "blitz" travel experience or would you rather have a more relaxed trip and enjoy the occasion and the beautiful surroundings?

Cheers!

Hi Vincent,

It is alot of travel for a short period of time, however, I just got back from an 8 day trip that spanned Rome, Venice, Geneva, Montreux and Zurich. It was a decent time period to see the main sites but also to decide which places I want to return to and spend more time in (Venice is definitely one of them!). The train travel I found was pretty efficient and I wouldn't spend the extra money on 1st class seats- we had these and noticed they really weren't that much better than 2nd class, but were much more expensive!
Make sure you bring snacks and water on the train with you for the longer trips because I found that the selection from the dining cars were expensive and often limited!
Enjoy your trip!

I agree with many of the folks here. I would concentrate on Venice/Florence/Rome. Pisa would be first on my list to skip-you can stop there and see the Leaning Tower on a future trip....like when you come back to go to the Cinque Terra. All 3 of the main cities have so much to see and if you want a change there are lovely day trips you can make from all of them. Stay in the city near public transportation. Last thought, be sure to stay in Venice rather than in Mestre. Venice after the tourists leave is magical.

I heartily endorse Angelas's itinerary. We did a similar trip in May going the opposite direction. Overall we were very happy we devoted 2 nights to Venice, 3 nights to CT, and I think we could have done 2 instead of our 3 nights in rome. We were so taken with Siena that we postponed our early morning train departure for later in the day. have a wonderful trip.

Hi Vincent,

We just got back from two weeks in Italy. Loved it! We started out in Venice and drove across the north, spent several nights in Liguria (Osiglia - where we have friends) drove down to Florence and then the hill towns. We stayed at a little agritourismo just outside of Pienza called Terrapille. It was simply lovely..wish we had had more than just two nights. We me two couples on their honeymoons there. My husband and I definitely plan to return WITHOUT the kidlet ; ). If you like slow and quiet the hill towns are the place.

Happy nuptuals!

Vincent, I appear to be in the minority here, but my personal suggestion would be to save Venice for last. Last November I flew into Venice, spent 5 nights there, then went to Florence for 5 nights. I really wish I would've done it in reverse order. I think Venice is a perfect and magical way to end a trip to Italy ~ especially for a honeymoon. But no matter what, I'm sure you'll have a blast.