Italy - 9 days, October 2011

Andrew, My first impression is that this trip is very rushed, especially the "Siena" portion. There doesn't seem to be any allowance for travel times, which in most cases will be a minimum of a half day each time you change locations. It would help to have a bit of further information. For example, does the nine days include your flight times? You'll lose a day in the trip to Europe (arriving the day after you depart) and the last day will be spent on the flight home. How long is the entire trip? Also, could you be a bit more specific on where you'd like to visit on the Amalfi coast (it's a big area!). Good luck!

I agree with Ken. You list Siena for 3 days but you're not giving yourself any time to see it with visiting 3 cities during those 3 days. Nine days is not a lot of time for the agenda you have planned. Donna

My wife and I like to see the sites, but we are more interested in walking around, and enjoying the atmosphere. Its our first trip to Italy, and I tried to base the itinerary on what tour groups were doing, then adding a day. We are going for a total of 15 days, but are traveling to France for a couple of days on the backside. There is some wiggle room for additional days in Italy if needed.

I'd suggest skipping the Amalfi Coast as it is a ways out of the way and takes significant time to get there. You can do great hiking in Tuscany. Spend 4 nights in Siena and 4 in Rome. Rome has so much to see, 2 days/nights does not allow you to experience the culture.

If you are really avid hikers, check out the book "Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria." Great ideas!

I agree with Laurel. Tuscany has some beautiful hiking and you will get more out of dividing the Amalfi time between Siena (or base in Florence) and Rome. And you can take a day out of Siena to add to Milan. Arriving there and seeing the Last Supper and more in one day isn't very much.

Andrew, Thanks for the additional information. I agree with the others that it would be a really good idea to drop the Amalfi coast this time, as the travel time there and back will use a lot of your very limited time. As you have a bit of "wiggle room" on your time, could you add a day to the Italy portion of your trip? I'd probably consider something like this.... > Rome - 4 days Train or Bus to Siena > Siena - 3 days (with day trips) Train to C.T. > Cinque Terre - 2 days Train to France (it's a relatively easy trip from the CT to Nice - about 5 hours - travel from Nice to Paris via TGV is very quick, about 5H:40M with no changes). Where are you planning to visit in France after the Italy portion of your trip? As this is your first trip to Italy, it would be a good idea to have a look at the Italy Guidebook, as there's a LOT of good information in there on sightseeing, avoiding queues, Hotels, restaurants, etc. BE SURE to wear Money Belts! Cheers!

Instead of the Amalfi Coast, would you recommend Cinque Terre? We are looking for some "eye candy" along the coast i.e. views, not people ;)

Instead of the Amalfi Coast, would you recommend Cinque Terre? We are looking for some "eye candy" along the coast i.e. views, not people ;) CT is accessible for you from Siena, but it is a full half-day to get there (and 4 trains) just so you know. If you only stay 2 nights you only get one decent day on the scene. try to stay 3 nights. If you go to the CT, consider driving Siena to La Spezia, ping the car there, and then taking the train to your CT town of choice. I still think 9 nights spread among 4 places is a little fast-paced. Maybe you should skip Rome. I know, heresy, and it is one of my very favorite places, but better to see two areas reasonably well and at a relaxed pace. 1 night Milan, 3 nights CT, 5 nights Siena? BTW, Siena/Bologna is 2.5 hours each way by train, so a lot of travel for a day trip. If you want to see Tuscany, stay in the Siena area and rent a car, see the hilltowns, hike. We hiked for 2.5 hours one day out of Montalcino and saw no people for more than half of that time. People are in the cities and towns, including the A.C. and the CT. The views are everywhere.

We plan on renting a car and traveling up to Mont St Michele, spend the night, then stop by Givenry on the way back to Paris, maybe find a BnB or two. After that, we'll hang around Paris and people watch until our flight home. We drove to Normandy in 2009 from Paris (LONG day trip but worth every minute). We live in Texas, so its nothing for us to drive 45 minutes just to go eat out!!

When you talk about how many days in each place, what about how many nights? Every two nights in a place equals one full day. Don't forget about your travel time each location change. I agree that you should drop the Amafi Coast and the Cinque Terre is a good alternative.

Andrew, It would be a LONG trip to go directly from the C.T. to Mont St. Michelle in one day, as you'll likely have to pass through Paris. That's why I suggested an intermediate stop in Nice. Although I don't usually like one-night stops, in this case it might be the best method (unless you have another route in mind?).

I REALLY appreciate all the insight everyone is providing.

Much better Andrew! I would add the extra day to Rome - so much to see!

Ok experts (i.e. Ken and others), we have decided to cut France out of the trip so we could go to the Amalfi coast. Any suggestions to our itinerary? We are now looking at 13 days on the ground (that does not include travel days). We are planning on flying into Milan and out of Rome. Milan - 1 day Siena - 4 days Amalfi Coast - 4 days, includes a 1 day trip to Capri Rome - 3 days 1 day held in reserve for recommendations.

Love your latest itinerary! Agree with ekc to add the remaining day to Rome, a fantastic city.

Better and doable trip. Recommend Positano as your hometown in Amalfi.
Have fun!

Andrew Yes! Great itinenary! So glad you modified your itinerary. And you have plenty of travel time allotted too. Consider returning from Naples instead of Rome. If you are going to have to make a stop on your return, just leave from Naples. Saves you 2 trains back to Rome and then Rome Termini to Airport. So saves time and money. There is a direct bus from Sorrento to Naples Airport, about 1 hour. Go to the bus station in Sorrento and buy ahead of time. Ask your hotel for help, if you need it. Have a wonderful trip in Italy! Bobbie

Andrew, That's an interesting change of plans, but it should work well. A few comments..... You'll be jet lagged on your first few days, so probably won't get as much done in Milan as you planned. Be sure to make reservations for The Last Supper. I'd consider dropping one day from Siena and adding to Rome. There's a LOT to see and do in Rome and it really deserves more than three days. The suggestion to fly home from Naples is certainly something to consider, however I have no information on the flights available from your area so Rome may still be the best option. If you do decide to leave from Naples, you may find that you'll need to connect in Frankfurt or other major hub. For a "home base" on the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento would be a good place to consider. It's a very convenient location for visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius and also Capri. Be sure to leave room in your luggage to bring home a bottle of Limoncello! I'm assuming you know the "usual" route to reach Sorrento from Rome? The Guidebook has lots of listings for Hotels there. For a restaurant suggestion (provided you have a "generous budget"), you might consider L'Antica Trattoria for a fine hot meal! Positano is also a good location, but not as convenient as there's no rail access. You'd need to take a Bus from Sorrento. If you decide to take a day trip to Positano, you'll see why there's no rail access! Cheers!