Italy itinerary

Two nights in Florence only gives you one full day there, so a day trip to Siena (or anywhere) from Florence is out given your schedule.

Four nights in Rome only gives you three days and Rome has more than enough to keep you busy for three days.

CT is just not possible.

Yes, public transportation is preferable to visit those locations, but your issue is that you do not have enough time. Sorry I can't be more encouraging.

Day trip to Siena is possible, and you'll have plenty of time there - do it from Florence.
Day to the CT is harder. It takes longer to get there, and it's really 5 towns, really hard to see in a day. My advise is to skip the CT this trip, you want to enjoy your time, not rush through it, just to say you were there!

I always tell people to see Orvieto and Ostia Antica from Rome, both good day trips, but do that only after you've seen all of Rome that you want.

Siena - use the BUS to get here, if you use the train, you are dropped off far from the center and it will cost you a taxi to get where you need to be.

Orvieto and Ostia..Orvieto is a train ride, and Ostia is a Metro ride, both really easy.

Thanks for all your help!!

We'll be in Florence for about a day and a half. We are planning to take the train from Rome to Florence early in the day (Wednesday, 5/20), have the rest of that day to explore Florence and then have another full day in Florence (Thursday, 5/21) to sightsee or do a day trip. We will leave Florence early on Friday, 5/22 to maximize the time my sister and BIL have in Venice since they're only there one day. We've heard that Siena and CT "shouldn't be missed." But should we miss seeing things in Florence to try to see either of those areas??

Again, thank you so much for your advice for this first time visitor to Italy!

I agree with the other posts that you should save Cinque Terre and Siena for another trip since you only have 2 nights in Florence, and it would also be best to use your 3 full Rome days to visit sights in and around Rome. Sounds like a fun trip!

I would stick to Florence in this case, and be sure to reserve spots for the Uffizi (and possibly the Accademia as well) for Thursday (5/21) if you wish to see them!

But should we miss seeing things in Florence to try to see either of those areas??In my opinion, the answer to that question is no. This is a case when less is more.If you just gotta see Siena, you could change your itinerary to 3 nights Florence and 3 nights Venice (taking one night from Venice). Even if you do that, you won't have enough time to see both Siena and CT.

Kent is exactly right. You don't EVER want to do the CT in a day, or even two. That's the place you won't ever want to leave, not hurry to catch the train at the end of the day to get somewhere else.

Cut a night off the Venice portion of the trip if at all possible and do three nights in Florence. Then you can take the 8AM - 6PM bus tour (Grayline affiliate) to San Gmignano and Siena that leaves from the train station. For 65 Euros you get a guided tour of the sights in both towns, a running narrative in between them and lunch in Siena. If you don't mind spending a little extra, skip the free lunch and eat at a restaurant on the square, which is great for people watching.

If you can't change your hotel schedule, plan a trip back as soon as you can and do three nights in Florence with the side trip to Siena then, and two in the CT. Easy connection by train. It seems to me like you're trying to cram a little too much into this trip. Italy is to be savored like their food and wine.....very slowly. Try to make it quality over quantity and you can't go wrong.

If you're in Florence on a weekend, they have great opera performances in an English speaking Anglican church for 33 Euros per person, and that includes dinner and champagne. Talk about stopping to smell the roses. I hated opera until this.

If I understood correctly, your sister and BIL only get one day in Venice...so I wouldn't cut that out completely for them. It would make more sense to take one of the Rome nights. You could leave your luggage somewhere (where you stayed, train station), spend most of the day in Rome, catch a late afternoon train to Florence and check in to your hotel. The express trains get you there in less than 2 hours. That way you would only be giving up 1/2 a day in Rome and you would have 2 full days in Florence. You could use one of those for your day trip to Siena.
Having said all that..the original plan was good. It just depends on how much you want to see Siena. I was there in 2003 and 2008. I probably would not have gone back except my sister and BIL had never been. It doesn't have the kind of sites the other places your are visiting do. It is more about relaxing and soaking up the charm. When we stayed there in 2003, we enjoyed the evenings in Siena, but spent the days visiting other places.

robin - Unfortunately, traveling sometimes has to be about compromises and saving some things for the next trip.

My suggest is don't try to re-arrange your schedule to fit in either the CT or Siena. Your original plan was and is a good trip. You will have lots to see and enjoy without the CT or Siena and you won't be scurrying about trying to cram a lot of stuff in.

You have to make your own decisions, but in my opinion you barely have enough time to appreciate Florence as it is, so it doesn't make sense to add more time to Florence only to spend that time going to Siena.

You do not have enough time for all these cities. You have to pick and choose. Think of it like a smorgasbord or buffet-- sure you like all the entrees, but you need to choose.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice!! When I first started planning the trip, I thought we should stick to two cities...Rome and Venice...but then everyone wanted to do Florence. I was worried that we wouldn't have time to appreciate Florence...and then everyone wanted to add CT or Siena. :) I think we've agreed to stick to the 3 cities and hopefully come back to visit Siena and CT.

Happy Easter to you all!
Robin

Robin: I'm glad we were able to help you come to such a good decision: IMO (and everyone else's!) you made the right judgment call between seeing enough but not trying to see too much. Happy travels!

It's possible from Rome or Florence, but you won't be able to see much of it. CT is a 5 train stops, so it takes some time to go from one to another.
I know it's too late now, but 4 days in Venice is too long in my opinion. Venice is small and can be visited in 2 days or less.

Robin,

I've read a lot of posts and I can tell you as long as you have planned out what you want to see, you can do major cities in a day (or as many days as you want) as long as you have a game plan and only want to see certain things..Understandably most of us don't go to europe several times, so this is our one shot to take it all in and see as much as possible. for someone to say that 3 days in Rome, etc isn't enough, it's all a matter of perspective. Plan to see certain things, etc. Have a game plan. You'll have fun and not feel like you have to see every street in the entire city. Again, people who reply saying "that's not enough time", are offering their opinion from THEIR perspective. Some people could see what they want to see in Rome, Florence,etc in a day or two. Others would claim they couldn't see it all in 2 weeks...Highlight some areas you want to see and go explore.

I would much rather see highlights of MANY cities, then every single portion of just 1 city..

Siena is lovely but for my money I wouldn't rob one of only two days in Florence to go there. And at the risk of infuriating the Venice-ophiles, I think 4 days is a long time for Venice. Would you consider a day trip from Venice? Padua is about 45 minutes to the west, and Verona another 45/60 minutes or so beyond. I thought Verona was extraordinary. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time whatever you choose. It's all fabulous!

I would not trade one of your limited days in Rome or Florence for a day in Siena. But you might want to consider taking an early morning train from Rome to Orvieto (easy ride and just an hour away). The duomo in Orvieto is magnificient and the medieval city is among my favorite. The train station in Orvieto is located just across from a funicular that takes you right into the center of the city. Best of all, you can arrive back in Rome early enough to enjoy more of Rome. Have a nice trip!

I want to make a correction to one of the posts. The funicular across from the train station takes you to the top of the hill then you either catch a bus that takes you to the center of the town or you can walk it in about 10 minutes. It has an incline but not too strenuous to walk. It is great to see some of the side streets and the shops along the way. You can either go right or left from the funicular to get in to the main part of the town. I think Orvieto would be a great experience for you to spend a day - heading back to Rome. I would not try to go to CT because it needs more than a "quick" stop. Siena is bigger than Orvieto and would again take more than a "quick" stop. Orvieto is charming and a wonderful Cathedral. Let us know what yo decide to do.