Italy itinerary

It'll work, but it might be tight. I only know how to get to Abruzzo by car, public transportation might suck up too much time. If you have to ditch something, make it Pompei and Sorrento, especially the latter - - even if you have to make the tortuous trip to Pompei as a day outing from Rome. Give more time to Rome than anything else except Paris.

I hear overnight trains are tough; a lot of people say they do not sleep well, and arrive exhausted, thus really not enjoying the next day. Perhaps you already have experience with them? I know Paris is fabulous, but since it's only three days, it might not be worth traveling between the two countries;especially since the bulk of the trip will be in Italy. If you drop Paris you could fly into Venice and work your way south...Venice (3), Florence (3), Abruzzo (3), Sorrento with Pompeii (3), and finally Rome for the remainder of daysor something to that effect...flying out of Rome. Unless of course, you've already booked your flights. Or the other way around from south to north. It is hard to cut things out once you've got them in your head - I know!

Maria You might want to check to see if there are any European discount airlines that fly from Paris to Venice. Look at www.skyscanner.com. Just remember to read the FINE PRINT since if you do not follow the luggage guidelines which are strict, you will have huge fines. Must check in online, seat assignments require a fee, no food, etc, etc. The earlier you buy your ticket, the less expensive it is. That said, I think it would be better to drop one destination. And much as it breaks my heart, Paris is your outlier destination and is the first choice to cross off. To get a better idea of your actual time in each destination, do these things: Go online to get a calendar in Word (WinCalendar has a free version). Choose the month you are traveling and save. Add your international flights. Your first day in Europe will be a Recovery Day. The last day will be all getting to the airline 3 hrs in advance and then waiting and waiting. Now plot out your itinerary above. But include not only the train time but also the hotel to hotel time. Add the hotel to train station, wait time at the station, train, and time to the hotel. This shows you the real time you will have in each destination. Now you know why the PP and I recommend you cut down the number of stops you take. Hard, we know but important to have a really wonderful time on your trip. And not only spend time traveling from place to place. Keep us up to date on your plans! Bobbie

I personally would just do Paris and Venice, and enjoy these wonderful cities. I'v been to most of the places you mention, except Pompei/Sorrento, but not all on one trip.

Thanks for the suggestions may cut one city off of the list I thought it might be a little overwhelming.

Maria, I think your ability to see everything is based largely on the type of tourist you are. I have found that a lot of people on these boards are of the "need to spend at least 3 nights in each place" variety. I'm not that way. You really have to know yourself and how you travel to determine if you have enough time. Make a rough outline of everything you want to see in each place, work in a 2-3 hour block of nothing (for cafe-sitting or napping or other relaxation) each day, and see if you think you have enough time. I like to stay busy, so I think i could easily do your itinerary in 16 nights. When you say 16 days, do you mean 16 nights? If so, I think I'd do 4 in Paris (day trip to Versailles too), one on the overnight train to Venice, 3 in Venice, 4 in Rome, and split the other 4 among Abruzzo and Sorrento. I always like to keep in mind that my first day in Europe, following the overnight flight over there, is largely wasted due to exhaustion. Your first day in Venice may be the same way after the overnight train. If you can afford to do a 4th night in Venice, it would be worth it. When i went to Italy last year, i did Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Siena, Vernazza, and Rome in 16 nights. I only spent one night each in Bologna, Vernazza, and Siena. The only thing I would have changed was to not do Vernazza (too hard to get to/from) and add that night to Siena (which was amazing). You might consider doing Siena between Venice and Rome instead of Abruzzo or Sorrento; and you can easily day-trip to Florence from there. It is beautiful, and was absolutely my favorite place in Italy. Good luck and have fun!

Sorry, forgot to mention this above, but make sure you PACK LIGHT. If you're going to be doing a lot of train travel, it is ESSENTIAL that you can do this trip in a carry-on sized bag. A lot of stations require dragging your stuff up large flights of stairs, plus you'll have to stow it on trains and planes, and it becomes a LOT if you have too much with you. I know the idea of traveling for 16 nights with only one small bag is daunting if you're not a seasoned traveler, but believe me, if you can do it you'll be thankful. I had to do a lot of convincing to get my mom to do it when we went to Italy, and she must have thanked me a hundred times. :)