My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy. Does this itinerant make sense?
Rome - 6 days.
Train to Naples - 4 days.
" " Venice - 2 days.
" " Florence - 3 days.
Train back to Rome for flight back.
Is 15 days ample?
Also, are Airbnbs okay in Italy?
Vin
Is anything booked? If not, I would check open jaw flight options. It's quite a trek from Naples to Venice for just two days, and you don't say how you plan to do it, so I would rearrange if the round trip to Rome is already booked.
Airbnb is fine.
Thank you for the valadelphia.
We have not purchased the tickets to Rome yet. Probably tonight.
We plan on taking a train from Naples to Venice. Should we rearrange the cities? Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, and back to Rome to fly back.
Vin
I took my first trip to Italy in October 2024 and included the same cities.
My flight arrival was into Venice and I departed from Rome.
I stayed in Airbnb’s in each city. Loved them all.
2 nights Venice
4 nights Florence
4 nights Naples
5 nights Rome
If flying open jaw is not an option, I think I would immediately head to Naples on arrival in Rome, then go to Florence, then Venice, then Rome. That puts all your Rome time together at the end and makes the train trips shorter.
If you arrive early in the day, you could also do Venice, Florence, Naples, Rome. I think both of those orders reduce your train time.
Venice really needs more time, especially if flying in, as one loses the first day to jet lag.
Google Flights offers a great tool for researching possible flight routes. Always purchase airline tickets directly from the airline, however.
Have a great trip!
I would agree that a multicity ticket, flying into Venice and home from Rome or Naples would be ideal. This would avoid all the backtracking that your RT would require.
If you decide on a RT Rome, then I'd fly or take the train to Venice on your arrival day. You're going to be tired and jet lagged on that day anyway, so might as well travel to your furthest point and work your way to your departure airport.
In any event. Venice needs another night. Take it from Rome or Naples if necessary. If flying home from Rome, you need to be there the night before, so you might as well leave all your Rome time til the end.
Thanks for the replies.
The flight gets in from Detroit on September 10th at I believe 10am (we leave the evening of the 9th). Since Venice is the furthest, I like the idea of the train circuit and go to Venice (do the extra day) 3 days, Florence 3 days, Naples 4 days, Rome 6 days. We would like to take trains for the scenery. So, a total of 16 days. Do the days each city look okay or is it too rushed?
Vin
Here's another vote for planning an open-jaws (multi-city) trip, where you fly into one city and out of another. Even if the air fare is a bit higher, you save on travel time and transport time, in not having to travel back to your arrival city.
Is 15 days ample? I could make a joke about a year in Italy not being enough, but very few of us can afford to vacation for a year in Italy! I would also suggest to think of your trip in terms of the number of nights, not days. It makes it easier to plan.
In spending time in Rome, Naples, Venice, and Florence, it depends on what you want to see and do. For example, if you love Renaissance art, then you might want to spence 4 nights (three full days) in Florence.
Six days/nights in Rome is good, especially if you want to see the sights of ancient Rome.
I love Rome and Venice, and would add at least one night to Venice. Let's say you have three nights in Venice, that's only two full days. Venice, I think, is the type of place to spend time just wandering around the "streets," and spending time at cafes watching the people (and the boats, if you're on a canal). (I like Florence for its art, but I don't think it's as beautiful a city as Venice or Rome.)
I have never been to Naples, so can't speak to that, but when I visit, I will spend lots of time at their museums, where a bunch of Pompeii artifacts are located.
Enjoy your trip!
At a glance, it looks great to me (the refined plan)--if you want to share your detailed list of to-dos, people can advise further on the breakdown of days. For example, do you have day trips like Pompeii planned while you are in Naples? (not that you must, as Naples can fill three days on its own.)
Did you say when this trip was?
Keep in mind the Pope's Jubilee is 2025, bringing millions more visitors to Rome.
I'm also a fan of multi - city air tickets. Not all train rides are scenic, and most of the route Venice from Rome isn't.
I'd suggest changing if you can, and start in Venice.
Have a great trip!
The trip is September 9 to October 1 (ish) 2025. Will that be a problem?
Vin
No, it's not a problem. As long as you know that September is still high season and everywhere will be crowded. And hot.
Should I go later in September into October? Will the weather still be good?
Vin
We were in northern Italy in mid-October a couple years ago and the weather was great. As long as you aren’t planning to lay out on the beach, October may be better. We just got back from a two week trip and I must say it was really nice having no crowds at all outside of a day or two in Rome.
As far as itinerary, flying into Venice and out of Naples would reduce the train time and give you the most time to acclimate before the shock of Naples (graffiti everywhere, even the nice areas look like the bad side of Detroit!).
Good luck with the trip!
