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Italy itinerary critique

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My girlfriend and I are heading to Italy in early September. Nothing is booked yet, so I am open for suggestions. I have been to all the places we are thinking about going to save for Cinque Terre (and Sienna). This will be her first time in Italy. We are thinking about skipping Pompeii and spending a day in Sienna instead. We also might try to fit as much of Florence in one day and take a guided tour of the Chianti wine region. I think everything is doable, but I don't want to be overwhelmed. It also seems like day 4 might be a little ambitious, and a lot of travel time. We are also planning on using nothing but trains and public transportation. Thoughts?

Day 1 Arrive in Rome
Day 2 Rome
Day 3 Rome
Day 4 Rome-> Pompeii-> Florence
Day 5 Florence
Day 6 Florence
Day 7 Florence-> Cinque Terre
Day 8 Cinque Terre
Day 9 Cinque Terre-> Venice
Day 10 Venice
Day 11 Venice
Day 12 Venice-> Home

Posted by
32487 posts

jonathan,

I'd suggest a few changes in the order.....

  • D1 / N1 - Arrive in Rome
  • D2 / N2 - Rome
  • D3 / N3 - Rome & day trip to Pompeii
  • D4 / N1 - Rome to Cinque Terre (which of the five towns are you staying in?)
  • D5 / N2 - Cinque Terre
  • D6 / N1 - Cinque Terre to Florence
  • D7 / N2 - Florence
  • D8 / N3 - Florence
  • D9 / N1 - Florence to Venice
  • D10 / N2 - Venice
  • D11 / N3 - Venice
  • D12 - Flight home

This method minimizes the travel times between locations.

A few other thoughts.....

You might consider travelling in the reverse direction. Many travellers here have reported that flights from Venice typically depart very early, which is not always desirable.

Spending a day in Siena rather than visiting Pompeii would be good. Travel to Pompeii is more of an effort, as you'd have to take the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Pompeii. OTOH, Siena is an easy one hour bus ride from Florence, so could easily be done as a day trip.

For travel to the C.T. in September, I'd recommend getting a hotel booked SOON, as it can be busy at that time of year. If possible I'd suggest adding a day there, as with your present Itinerary you'll only have one full day to explore the five towns. Once you arrive there, you may wish you had booked more time.

As you've been there before, I assume you're aware of the potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using trains and other public transit? If you need suggestions on each of your rail trips, post another note.

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