Italy in 9 days

Sarika This question is asked multi times by posters. It depends on what your interests are. History, Art, Food, Scenery?
If you gave us an insite of your interests we would be glad to help with our suggestions. Heading back this year to my favorite(not to some) Venice.

Yes I did see it posted many times. We like to enjoy the city, not interested in too many museums. Mostly walk around, take in the culture, the wonderful cities themselves. It's like site seeing yet enjoying the vacation. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I don't want to do something too hectic because we will be with family and a toddler. Thanks!

No offense intended, but rather than relying on the responses of a few people who happen to see your extremely broad question here, you really should instead buy a good guidebook or two. The RS Italy book should be one of the ones you buy and read. That way you can pick what appeals to you and come back here with more specific questions. Right now, you'll definitely get some responses, but you won't know what you're NOT learning about unless you get the guidebooks. Happy travels.

Totally agree! I am picking up the book in the next few days. I just wanted to get an idea so I sort of know where to start. I've used RS's books in the past and it's been a great help. We used the self guided tours for both Paris and Barcelona and it worked out great!

sarika, The "big three" in Italy are Venice, Florence and Rome, so you could start by looking at them. All have very interesting history and each city has a unique character. As you're not interested in Museums, you could substitute Siena instead of Florence. With only a very short nine days, you'll need to be a bit selektive, and consider transportation times so that you don't waste ANY time getting from one place to the next. Of course, using open-jaw flights would be the best idea, perhaps inbound Venice and outbound Rome. Happy travels!

Flying is generally not faster because you have to factor in getting to the airports an hour before your flight AND allow for security. Plus, as pointed out, you'll end up dumped outside your destination city and have to take a train/bus/taxi into town.

sarika, "I was originally thinking of flying because it's faster." NO, it will generally NOT be faster to fly on the routes you're considering. Travel by Freccia (fast) trains is a far better option! The fast trains run at ~300 kmH once they get moving, so it's a quick trip. One point to note is that many cities in Italy have more than one station, so it's IMPORTANT to know the stations when you're buying tickets. In Venice you'll be using Venezia Santa Lucia, in Florence you'll be using Firenze Santa Maria Novella (often abbreviated to Firenze SMN) and in Rome you'll be using Roma Termini. All Freccia trains require compulsory reservations, and those will be provided with the tickets. You'll be assigned a specific Car no. (Carozza) and a specific Seat no. (Posti). BE SURE to check the train number listed on the ticket so that you board the correct train. Riding on a different train than the one specified on your ticket may result in hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot (and they're NOT cheap)! If you're travelling on Regionale (slower) trains, BE SURE to validate your ticket in the yellow machine prior to boarding, as unvalidated tickets will also result in fines. The same is true for riding city Buses in Rome. You can check train details on the Trenitalia website. It's possible to buy tickets online at lower prices, but the website seems to be a bit erratic at times. NOTE that pre-purchased tickets will "lock" you into a particular departure time and train. If you miss that, you'll have to buy new tickets at full price. I would highly recommend having a look at the Italy 2012 Guidebook! Cheers!

I agree with Ken about open jaw so you have more time and not backtracking to catch a plane. We went to Venice, Florence Rome - 9 days + 2 for travel. Venice first (and not last) because it seemed longer and had limited options to go across the water to get to the airport to catch early morning flights back to the US. Rome was easier because it was a simple taxi ride to the airport any hour of the day. Venice is unique and I loved walking and getting lost trying to locate which bridge actually took me to the right path back to my hotel. A toddler might find it fun to walk up and down small bridges crossing the numerous small canals and peering into the canals, the houses on the canals and the boats moored or traveling in the canals. The narrow streets always lead to a small or large piazza and you can let your toddler run into the piazza without fear of cars on the streets. And it is small enough that you can walk back to your hotel easily for naps and go back exploring after nap time. I would suggest not using a stroller in Venice because you will end up carrying it over many bridges. Luggage + toddler can be tricky too if the path to your hotel has bridges so try to ask the hotel about the number of bridges before you book. I insisted my daughter pack only what she can fit into a large carry on sized bag so we can drag it along easily.

Rome and Florence should be absolutes. I think you want four full days in Rome considering that the first day is a travel day and you won't get to see much. Florence you will need two full days. From there it is a matter of do you see the Tuscan countryside and cities like Pisa or just end you trip in Venice for the last two days. If you don't plan on going back for some time you might want to go with Venice.

Wow thanks so much for the info on the cities, especially Venice. I was originally thinking of Venice, Rome, and Florence. I need to read a bit more about it. Thanks for the details on the toddler! It's good to know that there are places my son will enjoy as much as us! In terms of traveling between cities, I was originally thinking of flying because it's faster. Does that not seem like a good option? I want to spend more itme in the cities and less time traveling between cities.

You are better off by the Fast train in Italy, especially if you are going into or out of Venice from other Italian cities. Fast train takes much less time considering you go straight into the heart of the city - be it Venice, Florence or Rome Venice to Florence is 2hrs and a few minutes - getting to the train station can be 30 - 40 minutes depending on which part of Venice you stay. Getting to Venice airport, you need to give yourself 1.5 to 2hrs. Florence to Rome is 1.5 hrs. Venice to Rome is 3hr 40 min. And the train ride is very comfortable and enjoyable. You happen to be in Sunnyvale. I am in San Jose. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk.

Hello, my advice would be to spend the time in Rome and Florence and skip Venice due to time constraints. Venice is amazing and beautiful and unlike any other place I've ever been. However, if you have not been to Italy before I might spend 3-4 nights in Rome, 3 in Florence and a night each in towns such as San Gimignano, Siena, Assissi, Orvieto, Lucca, or Cortona. This would greatly reduce travel time. I would save Venice for a second trip when you might have more time. It is difficult to advise skipping a place like Venice altogether but I really think the extra time in Tuscan or Umbrian cities will be well worth it.

There are endless sightseeing possibilities in Rome; Florence is wonderful but you could really do it in a day if you wanted to have more time for other cities. Just saying. Someone suggested two full days; that would be nice, but it's not necessary, especially if you're not interested so much in the museums.

I vote Florence, Venice and Cinque Terre! Rome deserves more than a passing through.

One suggestion I would make is to include a non-big-city, if you are the type of person who doesn't LOVE tons of people and the big city. We were happy to have a few days in Cinque Terre in between Florence and Rome - it gave us a more mellow, nature-filled, peaceful break (and a nice dose of the sea) in between the big cities. Castelrotto in the Dolomites could provide a similar "break" from the big cities, though Cinque Terre is closer to Rome and Florence. If, on the otherhand, you totally love big cities, then this might not apply to you. But living in a state that has a smaller population than the city of Rome, we appreciated the break.

Thank you everyone for the feedback on the cities to visit and the train system. It helps a lot! I think I still want to to Venice, FLorence, and Rome, maybe make it a 11-12 day trip. But I do want to see small cities surrouding Florence. I am not too keen on big cities and tons of people, but I like a mix. It will be a nice break. We really like to take in the culture and the local people. After a read a bit more on Italy from Ricke Steve's book and review the feedback here, I'll let you know what kind of itinerary I've chosen. Thanks a ton!