Italy / Switzerland Trip 15 days

Hello cindylim_hi,

My honest feedback is that what you have listed is a lot for 15 days without adding in the Dolomites and/or Switzerland.
Example schedule:
Rome 4 nights (you can't count the day you land so this is really 3 days)
Amalfi coast 3 nights
Florence 3 nights
Tuscany 4 nights
Rome 1 night (flyout)
If you try and cut 4 nights out of this for travel elsewhere the time becomes really too short. If you really want to see the alps I'd suggest that the something from your list needs to go and get replaced by that.

Don't try too do or see too much at any one time or you risk diminishing your experience - in my opinion.

Asking questions and making up a good plan is the first step in a great trip. I hope we all collectively can help,
=Tod

Tod, aka “hiredman” has given good advice regarding itinerary and you are right: it takes time to get to even the most accessible part of the Dolomites, the Val Gardena, or to Switzerland. Our favorite area in Switzerland, the Lauterbrunnen Valley, also takes time to get to and you’d want at least 4 nights if you make the effort to get to either the Italian or Swiss mountain areas. You might drop the Amalfi Coast and trade it for mountains but as Tod did, list your locations with number of nights for each and then look at transfer time between the, to see how much of a day moving form one to another takes.

Even a short transfer like Rome to Florence can take the better part of a day when you check out, get to the station, take the train trip, find your next lodging, easily 3 or 4 hours will be eaten up before you can dump your bags and get out to enjoy the sights. Florence to Bolzano and on to Ortisei, for example, will take 6 hours door-to-door. Florence to Lauterbrunnen (I am making a huge assumption that you want to be in the most scenic mountain area) is 7 to 8 hours. You could go to Lucerne which allows easy departure from Zurich. It depends on what you seek in your mountain time.

You did not say when you plan to travel. Season is important. When will you go?

Hi both, thanks for the advices! We are planning to travel in early May, will it be less crowded then? Or would April be better?

This is our itinerary for now:
Rome x 2 days (just want to visit main attractions)
Naples x 1 day
Amalfi coast x 3 days
Florence x 2 days
Tuscany countryside x 2 days

The remaining 5 days were not planned yet and we can choose where we would like to fly out from. Would really prefer nature places instead of going to a big city like Milan for the last few days, pls do feel free to suggest any alternatives :)

Early May is too early for either the Dolomites or the Swiss Alps, so that is another reason to focus on Italy. There are some lovely places to explore nature in Italy, around the lakes or beaches, so perhaps people can suggest good ideas for that.

If you count your trip in NIGHTS rather than days you’ll get a clearer picture

A 2 night stay equals 1.5 days for sights
Each location change will eat up a minimum of a half day

There are many “ main attractions” in Rome so without knowing which are your priorities it’s hard to advise but to achieve 2 full days in Rome you’ll need 3 nights. Arrival day is a jet lag day

So by that measure your itinerary above has used up 15 nights already.

More info would help-
Who is “we” ?
Have you been to Italy before?
Where will you fly in/ out of?

I like to travel during the shoulder season so April or early May will cut down on crowds. Don’t include the first or last days of your trip for anything but travel. Looking at your last proposed itinerary, you have to remember that each time you move to a new location, you’ll eat up at least a half day checking out of your hotel, traveling and checking in at your destination. To get from Amalfi to Florence will eat up about 8 hours.

There are so many “main” attractions in Rome, Naples and Florence that I think the time allotted to them is too short. When planning, check how long moving from place to place would take using Via Michelin or Road to Rio. I have just completed my 10th trip to Italy on the Best of Tuscany 12 day tour and felt that wasn’t long enough.

Dolomites or Switzerland? An ideal city to get the alpine feel and have easy access to Zurich would be Lucerne but that’s a 7-8 hour rail trip from Florence vs. 3:15 to Bolzano in the Dolomites. From Bolzano, you could fly home out of either Venice or Milan.

Good luck planning.

Everyone has their own method but as Laurel correctly mentioned you need to count the number of nights you have and include the time for travel and transfers. Trains take up a part of a day as a day trip but more if you are moving with your luggage. That requires packing, checking out, getting to the station, train travel and then getting to the new hotel and so on. I completely write off any day with an airport in it and part of any day you change hotels. I also write off the arrival date unless you have a short flight into Italy. If you have a long flight allow for some jetlag and time for necessities on your first day - getting oriented, cash, SIM cards, etc.

Because I'm a nerdy planner I use a spreadsheet that I lay out like this:
Tue, Sep 6, 2022 Day 0 Depart Home
Wed, Sep 7, 2022 Day 1 Arrive in Milan Malpensa (MXP) (sleep in Milan)
Thu, Sep 8, 2022 Day 2 Milan (sleep in Milan)
Fri, Sep 9, 2022 Day 3 Milan to Lake Como [1 hour] (sleep in Varenna)
Sat, Sep 10, 2022 Day 4 Lake District (sleep in Varenna)
Sun, Sep 11, 2022 Day 5 Lake District (sleep in Varenna)
Mon, Sep 12, 2022 Day 6 Lake District to La Spezia [via Milan ~4 hours ] (sleep in Porto Venere)

I track the day, date and day number of the trip and list travel times and the next columns are notes on activities, tickets booked etc. By my counting this is one proper day in Milan and part of one depending on when took the train to Lake Como. (As it turned out there was a rail strike from 9-5 on Friday the 9th so we left early to avoid it. Always leave room for the unexpected in Italy because it will be part of your experience.)

If you follow this general lay out you'll have essentially one possibly jetlagged day in Rome and one partial day, essentially two partial days in Naples, two days and a partial day in Amalfi, one and partial day in Florence etc.
Getting from Amalfi proper to Florence is going to be an all day adventure - check out, ferry to Salerno, transfer ferry station to train station, Salerno to Florence is 4 hours by train at a minimum so I would budget 7-8 hours for this and wouldn't expect to get into Florence until late afternoon or early evening. Even for a transfer from Sorrento I would budget 5 hours out of the day to get to Florence.

I don't say any of this to be discouraging I just want to make sure you have time to experience and enjoy the places you've travelled so far to see. I have done this a few times and it is super easy to overlook the day to day necessities and obligations that a paper schedule has when you really have to do it. Much of the charm of Italy - especially in rural Tuscany and Amalfi - comes from slowing down and experiencing the food, the slower pace of life both la dolce vita and Il dolce far niente.
Don't schedule yourself out of these experiences.

Keep working on it and I'm sure you'll have a great trip, planning ahead and asking questions will get you way ahead of the game,
=Tod

Rome x 2 days (just want to visit main attractions)
Naples x 1 day
Amalfi coast x 3 days
Florence x 2 days
Tuscany countryside x 2 days

This is much better, if you fly round trip in and out of Rome there’s a direct train from Fiumicino airport to Naples Central station at 9:53 (2h). If you fly in later, you can take a direct train from Fiumicino airport to Florence’s SM Novella station departing at 13:53. If flying on a transatlantic flight you’ll most likely arrive in the morning.
Another idea is to fly into or out of Florence and Naples (multi-city) so you can hit the ground running.
If you spend four days in Naples / Amalfi Coast you’ll need five nights. You can take a direct train from Naples to Florence SM Novella station (3h 15m) or from Salerno to Florence SM Novella (4h 15m). Have you considered sleeping in Naples?
You need a minimum of three nights in Florence and reserve tickets for the Uffizi Gallery two-months out. In 2005 I went in March and waited in a 4h line; this museum is not to be missed.
From Florence take a direct bus to Siena (1h 15m) and sleep there one night. The next day rent a car in Siena and drive along the Sienese Crest Road (SR2) to Montepulciano (1h 30m) and sleep there two nights. The next day drive to Pienza’s old town (30m) that makes a good day trip from Montepulciano.
If driving from Siena to Montepulciano on the Sienese Crest you’ll be rewarded with views of many different landscapes. Rolling hills dotted with well-maintained farm homes and during the summer there are sunflowers. Don’t get an early start because my first hour on SR2 was foggy. Departing Siena as late as noon would be best because I didn’t get an early start that morning. You’ll pass Pienza from Siena to Montepulciano but it’s not a good idea to leave luggage in your car even if it’s locked in the trunk. Although I didn’t have problems some people have in IT.
From Montepulciano drive to Chiusi (45m) and drop off your car then take a direct train from Chiusi-Chianciano Terme station to Rome’s Termini station (2h). Enjoy your trip!

Hi all, thanks for all the suggestions!! We have decided to give Switzerland and Dolomites a miss since it is not possible within the time frame. Now trying to fit in Lake Como but it looks very packed still.

I'm travelling with my boyfriend and I have been to Rome before but he hasn't, that's why we decided just to spend 2 days there for me to bring him around the key sights. He also has to catch a football match in Naples on Day 3 that's why Rome would be a rush. We fly from Singapore and land in Rome around 7am in the morning.

Taking your advice and counting the nights too, the itinerary looks like that now:
Day 1: Land in Rome, explore Rome (Sleep in Rome)
Day 2: Rome (Sleep in Rome)
Day 3: Rome to Naples (~2h), Football match (Sleep in Naples)
Day 4: Naples to Pompeii (1h), Explore Pompeii (Sleep in Sorrento/Positano)
Day 5: Positano, Amalfi (Sleep in Sorrento/Positano)
Day 6: Capri (Sleep in Sorrento/Positano)
Day 7: Amalfi > Naples > Florence (~7-8h) (Sleep Florence)
Day 8: Florence (Sleep Florence)
Day 9: Tuscany countryside (Sleep chianti?)
Day 10: Tuscany countryside (Sleep chianti?)
Day 11: Tuscany to Lake Como (Sleep Lake como)
Day 12: Lake Como (Sleep Lake como)
Day 13: Lake Como (Sleep Lake como)
Day 14: Lake Como to Milan (1h)
Day 15: Fly back

Should we cut out Lake Como? or perhaps cut Amalfi to replace with Cinque Terre which is easier to access from Florence? Would welcome any further suggestions!

Another question to add - Do we need to buy skip-the-line tickets for Rome and Florence in early-mid May? Not sure how the crowd would be!

Should we cut out Lake Como? or perhaps cut Amalfi to replace with
Cinque Terre which is easier to access from Florence? Would welcome
any further suggestions!

Since you are going to Naples anyway, I would stick with the Amalfi coast. Cinque Terre takes a really long time to get to on the train from Florence. I also found it easier to escape the crowds on the Amalfi Coast, though things have certainly changed since I was in both last.
If you are going to have a rental car, you can access nature just about anywhere--though you do not need or want a car on the Amalfi coast. I would consider adding time to your existing stops and explore nature closer to where you will be. But then I am just not a lake person...I always zoom in on Google maps when planning a trip to find the closest national park/nature reserve.

Do we need to buy skip-the-line tickets for Rome

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/st-peter-s-basilica-skip-the-line

All tickets for the Colosseum must be timed entries booked in advance now

I like this itinerary, but I might suggest you consolidate your Florence/Countryside to one location and day trip from there. OR sleep your last night there in Florence so you can catch the train easily to Milan and Milan to Varenna. I would prefer Siena and take the day tour with Tours by Roberto. One if the best tours we have ever ever done.

Day 8: Tuscany countryside (Sleep Siena)
Day 9: Tuscany countryside (Sleep Siena)
Day 10: Florence (Sleep Florence)
Day 11: Florence to Lake Como (Sleep Varenna)
Day 12: Lake Como (Sleep Varenna)
Day 13: Lake Como (Sleep Varenna)
Day 14: Lake Como to Milan (1h)
Day 15: Fly back

Having been to all of your destinations, I would skip Lake Como and give those days to the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany, so you really have time to enjoy each of them. There is a lot to explore in both locations. Are you planning to have a car for parts of the trip?

Unless you can sleep on Capri, I recommend not going that eliminates a night on the Amalfi Coast. I believe I would have liked it more after the tourists left.
Since you’re spending one night in Naples, spend all your nights in Naples, it would be easier. You can see the coast by hopping on the Circumvesuviana train (lower level inside the central train station) to the end of line (Sorrento) that takes 1h 15m. Just outside the train station in Sorrento is the bus stop to Positano / Amalfi. You can explore Positano then get back on the bus and go to Amalfi. Make sure you sit on the right facing the driver. If there are no seats wait for the next one.
Another important note is many people feel nausea while riding the bus. Make sure you wear sea bracelets to prevent motion sickness. The Amalfi Coast Road is a curvy hilly road.
From Amalfi take a ferry to Sorrento then a ferry to Naples if one's operating. I doubt if there’ll be a direct ferry from Amalfi to Naples. If there is no ferry, you’ll have to take a bus but you won’t have a coastal view. What’s nice about the bus and ferry is you see the coast from both land and sea; that are two very different scenarios.
You can take a direct train from Naples Centrale station to Florence SM Novella station (3h 15m). If you rent a car for Chianti, be sure to read about ZTL zones laws so you don’t make mistakes. These tickets are costly because it can take six months to find you and when you receive a ticket in the mail the amount can be a few hundred dollars (apparently the cost increases per day). Being in a bus lane for a few second is all it takes. I would hate to make that mistake more than once. You can also take a bus from Florence to places in Chianti.
Another idea is to take a direct train from Florence SM Novella station to Milano Centrale (2h) and sleep near the station where most of the sights are. The next day take a direct train from Milano Centrale to Varenna (1h 15m) and explore Varenna. Afterwards hop on a 15m ferry to Bellagio and walk around there before going back to Milan. Lake Como makes a perfect day trip from Milan.

I’m not sure when tourist crowds hit Capri, but we had no problem with crowds on May 2 of 2017. We followed several of the suggestions in the RS guidebook. We did not try to see the Blue Grotto.

When you think that in April or early May Italy will be less crowded, just remember three dates:
April 9th Easter and April 10th Easter Monday
April 25th, Liberation day
May 1st, Labor day

Many Italians try to "make a bridge" between a couple of these dates and have an internal trip. This year the dates are spaced as Easter is distant from Liberation day, but the extended weekends, April 22nd to 25th and April 29th to May 1st, looks like good times to develop crowds.

Thank you for all the suggestions! We are travelling between 5 to 19 May, hope that we will miss the crowd then.
We are thinking of doing the Path of the Gods hike at Amalfi coast, will we need to extend our time at the coast then? Would really like to see Capri as well and prefer to stay somewhere at Amalfi instead of Naples though so that we can experience waking up at the coastal area and also have more time to visit the towns. Which is the best area to stay in? Positano is quite expensive, Amalfi seems like a possible option.

Seems like a great idea to take a day trip for lake como from milan, that saves us a change of location. We could extend time at Amalfi coast and probably Tuscany. Planning to rent a car at Tuscany if it's easy to drive the roads there. My boyfriend is a right hand side driver though, would it be a problem switching to left hand on Tuscany roads?

Update: We have decided to fly into Naples instead to save the back and forth. Here's how the itinerary looks like now:
Day 1: Naples (sleep Naples)
Day 2: Naples, football match (sleep Naples)
Day 3: Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius tour (Pompeii>Amalfi, sleep Amalfi?)
Day 4: Amalfi, Positano, Ravello (sleep Amalfi)
Day 5: Capri day trip (sleep Amalfi)
Day 6: Path of the Gods hike (Amalfi coast-> Naples-> Rome (~5h) (sleep Rome)
Day 7: Rome (sleep Rome)
Day 8: Rome (Rome> Florence (3h, sleep Florence)
Day 9: Florence (sleep Florence)
Day 10: Florence (sleep Florence)
Day 11-13 Tuscany countryside
Day 14: Milan (sleep Milan)
Day 15: Fly back

Would welcome any other comments or suggestions :)

Thanks!

From Amalfi- take the ferry to Salerno and catch train to Rome there. It's closer/easier than Naples.

Otherwise looks good.

Thanks!! Great idea to go to salerno than back to Naples. Never thought of that!
Where is a good place to stay at Amalfi coast that is convenient to reach other towns but also not as expensive as Positano?

Where is a good place to stay at Amalfi coast that is convenient to
reach other towns but also not as expensive as Positano?

Anywhere on the ferry line is an option: https://www.travelmar.it/en/index
Also Atrani because it is a short walk to Amalfi.

Oh I thought you were staying in Amalfi already!

Amalfi was our choice, it’s the transportation hub, more of a real town and not as steep

We stayed at Hotel Bussola

We also stayed 2 nights in Salerno and enjoyed that very much
Definitely cheaper, way less touristy

Hi. I clicked on your Q b/c I (we) 1) have friends in Zurich and 2) want to visit Ravenna and Padua on our next trip.

Even with such limited goals, it would be hard to have quality time with them AND see the sights at these two Italian cities.
It is the travel that makes it so bad.

Last time we visited our Swiss friends, we flew into Zurich for the fist weekend, then flew to Naples for Mon-Th, and then back to Zurich for then last 4 days. Limiting ourselves to one spot in Italy made it tolerable :-)

When in Switzerland, side trips (day trips) take enough time that it's better to try to not squeeze much in per day.