We are planning a trip to Italy this June. We have about 5 days to be in the country and two to travel back and forth. We have six kids who will be home with Grandparents and time is of the essence. What would be recommended in that time period? We went to France a couple years ago and enjoyed a few days in Southern France and a few days in Paris. I found Paris exhausting so I want a mixture of relaxing and cool sight seeing for this trip. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
If you found Paris exhausting, I'd suggest spending three days in Venice and two in Florence. Venice has no cars, no motorbikes and is one of the world's great cultural centers. Florence is one of the others. But it is more congested and noisy.
With only 5 days I would suggest spending them all in one city. My favorite is Rome. This is a great city for just relaxing in. Sit in a piazza and sip a cup of coffee for an hour or two as you watch the people marvel at the monuments. Go to a roof top bar and enjoy a drink while watching the sun go down. Spend a day seeing the sites of Rome. Donna
I agree with Donna about one city, and with Doug about Venice. If Paris was exhausting for you, so will you find Rome. I love Rome, but considering your statement about being exhausted in Paris, is that the best way for you to spend a precious 5 days? Venice is unique and magnificent. You can see the city and go out into the laguna in 5 days. Spend one day on a daytrip to Padova. Rick Steves has an excellent Venice plan http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/venice3.htm, but even that is a bit busy for days 1 & 2, IMHO. You can slow it down a bit, even skip a museum or two in favor of savoring the city. 5 nights in one place of lodging will make for a better trip, too. Moving around wastes half a day.
Another suggestion would be to spend the entire time in Tuscany. You can relax and also have cool sightseeing to hill towns. Rent a car and stay at an agriturismo. Some have pools, some don't. You can be on the go as much or as little as you feel like it. Last September we stayed at Agriturismo Marciano, located in Siena, outside of the walls. I highly recommend it. It was just what I pictured Tuscany to be like. Views of vineyards and olive orchards from our window. And the optional dinners they have was the best food we had in our 3 weeks in Italy. It would be easy to do day trips to Florence and Siena, have time for some hill towns, and time to relax. If Paris, my favorite city, was exhausting to you, Rome is not the place for you.
Thank you for all of your good advice. I am thinking about Venice, have found some people I have known who have been there loved it, others not at all. I think in any of these places it's how high one sets there sights. I know if I go to Rome I will want to see Vatican City and other major sites and it may simply be too much for a short period of time.
Thanks again.
What surprises me is that I never found Paris exhausting. I was there for 4 nights a few years ago. I did wish I had more than 4 nights there, that's for sure. Rome on the other hand, was insane and exhausting. I was there in the beginning of December so I was not even there during busy season. I saw what I needed to see and was done with sightseeing by 2 or 3 PM, and still was exhausted. It is not the sites that are stressful. It is the city, itself. The sites are great. I actually enjoyed being a tourist there. But its the city flow that I disliked. The traffic alone makes it hard to be a pedestrian. Not too many people share my opinion of Rome, but it was not for me. I love Paris, London, NYC, LA, Miami, ETC but just did not get along well with ROme. By the time I had arrived in Venice, all my stress was eliminated. Venice was amazing and magical for me. If I had only 5 days, maybe a 3 night stay in Venice and 2 nights in Florence could be doable, but really I would just stay in Venice. If I were to return to Italy, Rome would not be on my list, but Venice would be top of the list. Not that I am trying to convince you not to go to Rome. I just wanted to offer an opinion on how Rome made me feel and if you are prone to city stresses, I am just putting out a mild warning on how Rome can affect someone.
I enjyed the sites in Paris but I think if we had tried to do less or better planned what we had done it would have been better for me. My husband didn't mind he can walk forever and doesn't seem to get tired. I found that the people were nice and everything but I guess I didn't feel the magic that I thought I would in Paris. I think it was because I was simply too tired. The crowds I hear about in Rome might not be to my liking. I feel a little claustrophobic amongst throngs of people. I wonder how early June is for crowds? Thank you for all of your helpful suggestions.
Hi Ann, I think you should pick one base and stay there. Based on what you said, you want to relax. I think either Venice or Tuscany would be superb places to relax and enjoy exquisite surroundings. I personally am doing both Rome (5 days) and Venice (8 days) in July. I'm am a little curious to see how my family likes Rome in July (because of all the negative post's I've been seeing lately); I hope we are pleasantly surprised and find we love it. I'm very excited about spending 8 days in Venice. I can't wait to get lost in the tangle of backstreets and just enjoy it all! I am very big on not rushing through a place and relaxing into it. Sounds to me that that is what you would appreciate as well. Stay in one base.
Rome, we have been several times and it never disappoints, for a slower pace take a day and go to the Borghese Gardens and museum, wander the grounds, ride a bike and be sure to take in the museum. Also you may want to spend a half day at Ostia Antica about 30 minutes from Rome, it is very much worth a visit. That leaves you three and one half days to stuff in as much of Rome as you can.
Being from the NYC area, Rome's busyness did not bother me. However, on our first trip to Italy, we avoided Rome for that reason. We stayed in Venice and Florence. While I loved Florence, Venice stole my heart.
I'd like to add to my post that we rented apartments both in FLorence and Venice through vrbo.com. Great experience. It was great being able to return to the apartment after sightseeing and relaxing before going out again. We found it less expensive than hotels. Nice to have a kitchen, even if you only use it for breakfast. Actually, I loved shopping at the supermarkets in Venice and did cook dinner in a couple of nights. Found it pretty relaxing.
I will second the suggestion for renting an apartment. It is much more relaxing to have a place to retreat to that is comfortable and a little roomier than a small hotel room. We rented an apartment in Paris for 10 nights and I found it very enjoyable to shop at the market and then be able to cook dinner. I didn't cook every night, but it was nice to have the option.
ann, Before making any suggestions, it would help to have some idea whether you've been to Italy before, and what type of sights you're most interested in seeing? Also, is there any possibility you could extend the trip by a day or two? That's a long way to travel for only five days.
Ken, Actually we have never been to Italy. What we could probably do is eight days maximum. That would include the two to travel back and forth. What I think we would like to do is a few days of sight seeing maybe Rome or Venice and I have thought about a few days on the coast. I have heard Positano is or Sorrento is very nice not terribly far from Rome by train. It is tempting to want to go to more then one place when you have never been to one of these major cities ( Rome or Venice) because of the variety it offers but the downside is whether it can be realistically done and enjoyed in that period of time. Preferences with crowds, lines, and activity level vary so much it's tough to decide. My husband can handle a little more chaos than I but the beach for a couple days seems like a decent idea if we can do a combo. The other option as many have suggested is to stick to one location and soak it in at the pace it works best for you. Tough to decide. Thanks