Italy Itinerary

One more night in Venice definitely. And I would not be averse to taking the night train to Munich to get a bit more time.

One day in Venice is just enough to be frustrating.

If you are only having 2 full days in Rome, I would skip Civita and use that day to see things in Rome as you will barely scratch the surface. Look at Rick's recommended sites and see which ones interest you.

earlier this month we stayed at Hotel Park Junior in "suburban" Venice.......a bit of a walk to the train station that runs into Venice.....or the hotel offers a shuttle car to the train station at selected times for a mere euro. they served truly the best breakfast buffet with eggs, meat and fresh made pastry that we had the entire trip. there is a grocery store around the corner and a lot of neighborhood restaurants. 2 nights double occupancy w breakfast was about 60 euro. a night.

Save Civita until you have seen more of Italy. It's cute but it's not that compelling. More of a place to go for a walk and have lunch. To see it from Rome efficiently you need a car, which adds to the complexity. Stay in Rome and enjoy your two days.

Do carve out one more day for Venice, as others have suggested.

Fabyan,

As Laurel mentioned, a day trip to Civita is not really the most practical plan, especially when travelling by public transportation. I'd suggest planning a couple of nights in Orvieto on a future trip, and visit Civita then.

Does your Itinerary include your two flight days? Generally speaking, you'll arrive in Europe the day after you depart your home airport (although not sure if that's always the case from the east coast).

A few questions.....

• Are you clear on the transportation from Rome to Positano?
• Also are you using a flight from southern Italy to Venice?
• Could you clarify if your trip is 10 days total?
• Are you travelling this September?

The Guidebook has good information on hotels in all the places you'll be visiting. I'd suggest getting some bookings SOON! When only using public transport, I generally prefer to stay within walking distance of the main rail station. The book also has restaurant suggestions, or you could ask the staff at your hotels.

There are some potentially expensive "caveats" regarding use of public transit in Italy. If you haven't covered that part in the Guidebook yet, it would be well worth it to research that topic.

Belated congratulations!

Wow..thanks for the suggestions everyone :) ..again I really appreciate all the input. If we were to day trip to Civita I was thinking on booking a tour, not trying to do it via public transit.

@doric8 thanks for the suggestion on the place to stay in Venice..I will look it up for sure.

@ Ken, the itinerary is 11 days including two travel days and yes it will be a next day arrival from the east coast…the other travel day is the flight from Venice to Munch which is only an hour or so. I decided to fly VCE-MUC as I am using travel rewards for my flights and I think this is less expensive than a train.
For your questions:
- I thought we would take a train from Rome to Naples then hire a driver to Positano, as our host and a friend of mine who has been there suggested this.
- The same thing in reverse..hire a driver from Positano to Naples Centrale then take a train to Venice.
- 11 – 12 days total with travel days if I add an extra day for Venice. The flight times to Munich are quite early in the morning so the time we would really get in Venice is the travel day (by train) to Venice, one full day and the departing day. This is why I was wondering if I should add an extra day??
- Yes, September 2014
I am in the process of booking things now..so hopefully everything goes smoothly. Does everyone suggest booking trains from here or waiting and booking them at the station? @Ken is this what you mean by potentially expensive? I’ve looked in the guidebook regarding public transportation etc..
Thanks for chiming in everyone!! Keep the suggestions coming :)

Thanks so much James for your perspective and suggestions. Where this is a first time trip to Italy..I can't cut out Rome. Like you said we need to determine the main objectives for this trip and I believe they are to hit some of the major sights. We are tourists for the first time in Italy so I can't imagine skipping Rome..and Positano is a must for me. Already booked our accommodations there. I would appreciate any insight you have about Positano though. My main thing I want to do there is just relax and take it all in, with some sight seeing of course.. to Pompei and maybe a boat tour or something. We also don't want to skip Venice and it makes sense to go there last I guess?? as we will fly into Munich from there. If we are flying into Rome doesn't it make sense to just do Rome first then head to Positano and back up to Venice?? I am open to suggestions :) I know it is alot of ground to cover but I guess I would like to do as much as I can. You are correct though on the 9 full days. Although we should arrive early on day 1.. I'm sure we will be pretty jet lagged.

Thank you again for commenting and have a wonderful trip yourself!! I would love to visit Tuscany some day :)
Cheers
Fabyan

Fabyan,

the itinerary is 11 days including two travel days and yes it will be a next day arrival from the east coast

With three flight days, you'll only have eight days for actual touring. Each change of location will also require about half a day. That's a lot of moving around for such a short time frame, so be sure to plan your touring efficiently.

I thought we would take a train from Rome to Naples then hire a driver to Positano

If you can afford it, that's a good method.

This is why I was wondering if I should add an extra day

Regardless of where you use it, I'd suggest adding an extra day if possible.

Ken is this what you mean by potentially expensive?

Booking tickets is one method of saving a few bucks, but here's my usual "boilerplate" on the transportation issues....

When travelling by train or other public transit in Italy, there are a couple of VERY IMPORTANT potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of.

When using Regionale trains which don't require reservations, it's VERY IMPORTANT to validate (time & date stamp) the tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. This includes the Leonardo Express between the airport and Roma Termini. The validation (Convalida) machine will either be bright yellow or green & gray, with a small digital display on the front. These are easy to find and located near the tracks, but may also be in the tunnel between platforms. If the machine is out of order, writing the time & date on the ticket MAY be acceptable (ask the Conductor as soon as possible). Those caught with unvalidated tickets may be fined on the spot!

The fines start at €40-50 per person and if not paid on the spot, they DOUBLE and increase from there! The same fines apply to those travelling via Bus and other transit in Rome and other places (in that case, validation machines are sometimes located ON the Bus, often behind the driver). Conductors are now carrying portable debit/credit card Terminals, so payment of fines is easily accomplished!

Those travelling on the "premium" trains such as the Freccia high speed or other premium trains MUST have a valid reservation or again may be fined on the spot! These fines also start at €50 per person, in addition to the cost of the reservation, which is currently ~€10 PP. Reservations on these trains are compulsory and are specific to a particular train, date and departure time. It's NOT POSSIBLE to simply buy a ticket with reservations and then board any train. The ticket or reservation will specify the train number (ie: ES 9718), so it's important to verify that before boarding. The reservations will specify a Car No. (Carrozza) and a Seat No. (Posti), which is where you MUST sit.

The cheapest tickets usually sell out very quickly, but some may still be available for September. You may find it helpful to have a look at the excellent Ron In Rome website, as there's a good tutorial there on buying tickets on the Trenitalia website. You could also try ItaliaRail as their website is reportedly a bit more "user friendly".

As you are on your honeymoon do try and stay in a hotel actually in Venice. You don't want to be dragging in and out of the town each morning and evening. Nothing more romantic than wandering the streets which seem to empty out in the evening.

...another good reason to stay in Venice proper - get up early - like - early-early - 7am - and head for St Marks Sq and Rialto to enjoy them with maybe 1-2 dozen other early birds - nothing like it, considering a few hours later they are mobbed. Get up early and head back to your room at 9-ish for breaky. My mom, husband and I are also going to be doing Amalfi/Rome (2nd time)/Venice(4th time) from early to mid-Sept - you'll fall in love! If you could get another night in Venice, you won't regret it. You could certainly spend 3-4 hours to go to Murano - but if you do, don't do what we did our first time there (when we only had about 30hrs)...don't wait til mid-afternoon to go to Murano - the demos usually only run in the morning, and the shops are closing by 5pm generally.

You have chosen a wonderful country in which to spend your honeymoon. So that you doenjoy your time and so that you are able to create many happy memories, I encourage you to think very very carefully about how much time you will be spending in transit. Like many on this board, I enthusiastically support your desire to go visit three locations, however, it seems to me that you do not have enough time to do. Yet different folks like different pace of travel, so only you can make that decision. If you calendar out what days you will be traveling and exactly when so that you have an accurate impression of when you will be in transit and calendar what days you will actually be in the city enjoying it, you may have a better sense of whether your timing is workable or not. Enjoy your trip!

I can't keep saying thank you enough to everyone. I really do appreciate all the insight. I guess my tentative itinerary would be day 1 arrive in Rome early in morning..that evening maybe stroll around Rome or go to Spanish steps and Trevi fountain. Day 2 Vatican/St.Peter's, Day 3 Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill, day 4 travel to Positano Days 5 - 7 in Positano day tripping to Pompei one day and R&R the rest. Day 8 travel to Venice. Day 9-10 in Venice, maybe a trip to Murano one day, Day 11 travel to Germany. Does this seem doable?? Where it is our first time we are not trying to cram every museum etc.. in. Is there anything else that we should/could do?
Again all info is appreciated. thanks :)

Looks like you've had some good advice.

Hi Fabyan,
Congratulations on choosing Italy for your honeymoon. The only tweak that I would suggest is on Day 4 - Instead of travelling to Positano only, I would travel by the Circumvesuviana train and stop at Pompeii Scavi to tour on your way to Positano. It is a short walk from train station to the ruins and there is a baggage check available to check your luggage while you tour. Then you can carry on to Sorrento by train and board the bus to Positano, giving you an extra day to tour or relax. Have a great vacation together.

A...hey - fellow Nova Scotian - didn't notice that!
and B...the Trevi Ftn is undergoing restoration right now, so I'm not sure that there is much to see (just don't get your hopes up)...I'm disappointed as well - but at least this trip I get to see the Fountain of the Four rivers in Piazza Navona uncovered (it was really under wraps in 2008)! It was my 3rd trip to Venice before I got to see the Bridge of Sighs in all its glory.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/06/09/Trevi-Fountain-restoration-begins/9251402330225/

Oh - I downloaded the RS Rome book on my iPad, but if you have an iPod/phone or maybe even an android - I'm sure you can download Rick Steves night walk of Rome on the Rick Steves app (if you don't want to pay for the guidebook). Starts at Campo de Fiori and hits the highlights (I am trying to find a link - maybe someone can help). I am planning to do this on our arrival day to Rome...there are some other great walking tours on there as well...we used it for the St Marks Basilica and ST Marks Sq in Venice as well - you really will notice stuff that you would otherwise miss...take some headphones and a headphone splitter (it's not fun with 2 people using one set of headphones shuffling along like Siamese twins thru the crowds!)

...and you will def want to think about prebooking your tickets/entrance to the Vatican museum - we didn't do the museum on the last trip, but I guess the lines can be VERY long and a waste of your precious time in Rome. You can also book tours. We are going to do the Vatican museum this time and I booked an after-hours tour thru Walks of Italy - I haven't used them before, but they seem to get great reviews. They also do early morning tours as well...

Thank you Nicole P..that sounds like some great tips. I don't mind getting up early as I want to take in as much as possible!! Enjoy your trip with your family! Any other tips you have would be great :)

Hey yeah I did notice Nicole that you are from Truro..I am just down on the South Shore. Funny! Too bad about the Trevi Fountain, but thanks for the heads up..I would never have known. I do have the RS Italy guidebook and have looked at some of the suggested walks. Good to know that you have done a few as I was not sure about it. Again any tips or info you have about your trips to Italy..what you liked most or would do different etc. don't keep it to yourself lol. I am open to suggestions on things to do, although I know we will hit the major sites sometimes it's nice to stumble along an unexpected or unplanned experience.
Thanks again

I'll send you thru a private message when I have a little more time...my mom-in-law is from Lunenburg, and had an aunt-in-law from LaHave and a cousin-in-law who lives in Mahone Bay area - we get down a few times a year - always love going down - and the treats at JoAnns in Mahone Bay (always have to get a lemon square! And last time down I got a piece of coconut cream pie - thought I'd died and gone to heaven!) and the cheese rolls from the LaHave Bakery - drooolllll... :)

Thanks again everyone..getting excited by the day.. ;)
@ Sherry You had mentioned about going straight to Pompei and touring there before heading on to Positano. Has anyone tried this? I am thinking on this but will most likely be hiring a driver to do the Naples to Positano drive. I don't know how long we will spend at Pompei..could be 2 hours, 4 hours who knows once we are there. I wouldn't want to be rushing through seeing Pompei trying to make it back to the main station to meet my driver. Have you or anyone one here tried this? Any suggestions on day tripping to Pompei?
thanks peeps :)