Help with Italy Itinerary/ Is this logical?

Hi Joan. First, by all means fly open jaw. Ideally into Venice and out of Rome. It's much harder to fly out of Venice than out of Rome because you have to leave so early, and by doing open jaw, you save time and $$ becasue you are not backtracking.

Having traveled in the Dolomites by bus and train, I would encourage you to do so. You can read about our experiences last summer here and here.

I would skip the Cinque Terre and the Lake Como region and add those days to Venice and Tuscany. 3 nights in Venice is a good start at overcoming jet lag. So I'd recommned something like this, given the number of nights you have stated above and the mention of hiking:

Fly into Venice - 3-4 nights. Do not skip the outer islands! Get to Burano and Torcello as a day trip.

Train to Bolzano, bus to Ortisei or Alpe di Siusi -- 3 nights (and you'll wish you had more time).

Rent car in Bolzano and travel to "Tuscany" -- 4-5 nights. I liked our base in Montalcino; Montepulciano also great for wine lovers. There is good hiking, too. With 5 nights you can stay in two small towns for comparison.

Drop car in Orvieto, train to Rome -- 4 nights. There is so much to Rome! Our first trip here we spent 5 nights and left wanting more. Second trip, we spent 9 nights and now look: we live here! Still haven't finished my list of to-dos. Fly home from Rome.

That's 16 nights in 4 or 5 towns, a very nice pace for people who like to get out into nature and not spend every day in a museum. (Like us!)

If you can carve out 3 more nights making your vacation close to 3 weeks, then add the CT, Go there after Tuscany, drop the car in La Spezia. The train to Rome from La Spezia is very nice Freccia.

Hi Joan,

We are also going back to Italy in September, but for three weeks. We will be covering your exact itinerary, except in reverse order. We fly into Venice and out of Rome. I had the same ideas regarding the car vs. train and we finally just decided to rent the car for the whole trip. Yes, there will be days where it's parked and we won't use it but we prefer having the option to drive if we decide we want to go some where or deviate from the itinerary.

Have fun on your trip!

I like Laurel's suggestion. If you really want to have that 'lake' experience, spend a couple of days at Lake Garda. It isn't far from Venice and you won't have to travel as far as Lake Como. I would definitely not rent a car for your entire trip. In Tuscany we stayed at a fabulous Agriturismo on the outskirts of Siena. We stayed 4 nights and I wish we had stayed longer. For me, a car was a must in Tuscany. If you would like information about the Agriturismo, sent me a private message.

Laurel's advice is perfect. Two nights in one place and packing up is a terrible way to see Italy. Did it once, and never again. Every location change eats up a minimum of half a day, by the time you check out, drive, etc. I am also in favor of Andrea's suggestion for the BnB in Montepulciano. Make sure you have at least two full days for Florence, and stay after dark and enjoy those romantic piazzas! Siena is a nice day trip.

Thank you ladies. Montepulciano is a definite on our list, everyone raves about it.Thanks for all of your tips. I love the planning. It consumes me.

Definitely price put the car rate options between Orvieto and Rome. Everyone says Orvieto, but we found it cheaper to pick up in Florence and drop in Rome. Since the rental places weren't in the middle of the chaos, the traffic wasnt too terrible. I have to say that we loved the Cinque Terre, so if you like the ocean, small towns, and hikes, that seems like a winner for you. We didn't ,are it up to the Dolomites, though.

Also, we flew into Venice and out of Rome. Many gave us the same advice that Venice is easier for jet lag, but we strangely didn't have any. Outside of the early airport logistics being easier for Rome to go home, we probably would've done it in reverse (since we didn't have jet lag) because we were somewhat tired by the time we got to Rome no at may have impacted the fact it was our least favorite place (because it was so busy, crowded, noisy -- where Venice is much more relaxing).

Orvieto is a favorite drop off for those traveling south and pickup up point for those traveling north by rental automobile. I think it was about a 90 minute drive from Siena.

It's also a very popular hill town to visit, with many great bed and breakfasts to stay in. Civita is also an incredible sight, and it's a short distance southwest of Orvieto.

The ride into Rome Termini is about 70 minutes, and you don't have to worry about finding your rental car operation to turn your car in if you left it in Orvieto.

Thank you Becky & David. Civita was on our list, it looks adorable.

Definitely have a car in the Dolomites. We have been there quite a few times and done it both ways...public transport and rental car. Having a car will save you a lot of time and you can get to places for which public transport is sketchy at best. The third time we went was the first time we had a car and we could have kicked ourselves for not having done this earlier.

Three nights is not much in this area...you will either want to stay longer or return again. First time we went was only 4 days and we almost cried when we had to leave...have been back 5 times and still can't get enough!

If you like easy/moderate hikes then the Dolomites are perfect. Ride the lift up, hike, have lunch at a beautiful little refugio, hike some more and then ride the lift down. Amazing!

For hiking I highly recommend the Seiser Alm and the walk around the Drei Zinnen. If you only have a couple of days then these will give you a good feel for the area and the views are second to none. If there is time and you want to, take the gondola up to the Marmolata. It's one of the most breathtaking gondola rides in the world and the view from the stop is spectacular.