Itinerary Advice for 1 week in Italy

So by my count you have seven nights in Italy -- two in Venice, one in Milan, one in Florence, three in Rome. That means six full days in the country. And you plan to be traveling between cities during three of those days, taking up a good part of them with checking out, going to the station, riding the train, going to the hotel, checking in -- and, for Milan, also traveling to Lake Como and back. Leaving you three full days when you won't be moving around -- one of them in Venice and two in Rome.

For me, and many others, that would be far too rushed, making as many memories of stations and train rides as of the places and things you presumably are going to Italy to see. In Florence, for example, it's true that you can "see" the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Piazza Michelangelo in a couple of hours, and even have time to snap some pictures, if that's enough for you. But you're spending thousands of dollars to go to Europe, so is that really enough time?

I'd pare this way back, to just a couple of destinations, like Venice and Rome, or Florence and Rome. And, by the way, if Venice survives the cut, don't stay in Mestre, stay right in Venice itself so you can experience it early and late in the day when it's less crowded. If you're thinking Mestre because it's cheaper, spend the money on a Venice hotel and save all those train fares moving between all those cities.

Yes I know it seems a bit rushed. We don't really have an option on that. Most people on these forums are likely to return to Italy multiple times. My family will not. They are content focusing on Rome and Venice, but still getting to spend a day experiencing Lake Como and Florence if though it's limited.

The Venice thing is something I've been trying to figure out. Currently we have a hotel booked next to the train station in Mestre. I'd really like to stay in Venice, but I'm having a tough time finding decent hotels that aren't 300-400 a night.

If you won’t be able to come back, I would honestly say to forget ever seeing some of your destinations. Not to sound harsh, but I am planning a 15-16 night trip to Italy, and staying in 4 places. The three days that I am traveling between cities, I am basically counting those as lost. You can’t do much without watching the clock or trekking across town for luggage storage. If you get to do something, that’s a bonus. I can’t even imagine moving cities so much and trying to do anything worthwhile while worrying about where I had to travel to next.

Jason, see if this apartment close to the Venezia S Lucia station will work for you.

http://www.booking.com/Share-7cOsOOr

I think your biggest problem time wise is the trip to Milan and Como. Have you considered Lake Garda as an alternative? Peschiera del Garda is roughly 1 1/2 hrs from Venice and 1 3/4 to Florence. Then from Florence to Rome 90 minutes.

Checking booking.com for hotels in Venice, nights of May 1 and 2, budget $110-170 per night, produced dozens of choices. You could probably get a place for less but there would be fewer choices. Many hotels are a short walk from Santa Lucia station.

Staying next to the Mestre station means a train ride (not long or expensive) twice each day you want to be there -- I guess just the one day, given your plan. The best of Venice is early morning and evening, when the day trippers (many off ships, others staying in Mestre or elsewhere) leave.

For the most part, I like your itinerary. This is how I travel; I want to see the highlights. I’m not in Italy to relax but to sightsee. With that said, these are my suggestions:
Venice —> Florence —> Pisa —> Rome
-spend the money to stay in Venice not by the train station
-stay 2 nights in Florence because there is a lot to see even if you are not museum people. I’m not really either.
-skip Milan/Lake Como and stop at Pisa on your train ride from Florence to Rome. I know Pisa is touristy but you can say you saw the leaning tower of Pisa and its amazing architecture. It’s a quick stop.
-enjoy Rome

One of my favorite trips to Europe (I’m panning no trip 7) was when I saw 10 cities/towns in 14 days with another couple. We experienced so much and didn’t feel exhausted.

Your trip is in early May, so you have plenty of time to find a place IN Venice. Try AirBnb or Booking.com. Use Rick's guide books. I have been 3 times and pay half that amount.

Skip Milan, go to Florence for your one night. I normally don't recommend one nighters, but go early, see the sights. Skip Pisa, save your time for Florence.

There is so much to do in Rome, you will be glad you have 3 nights.

In venice check out the Instituto San Guiseppe, a wonderful place in a great location run by nuns. monasterystays.com has info.

If you go to Florence, visit the Duomo museum. No line and you can get up close to the original Bapistry doors ( magnificent ! ) and a Michelangelo Pieta among other treasures

If you won’t be able to come back, I would honestly say to forget ever
seeing some of your destinations. Not to sound harsh, but I am
planning a 15-16 night trip to Italy, and staying in 4 places. The
three days that I am traveling between cities, I am basically counting
those as lost. You can’t do much without watching the clock or
trekking across town for luggage storage. If you get to do something,
that’s a bonus. I can’t even imagine moving cities so much and trying
to do anything worthwhile while worrying about where I had to travel
to next.

We've done Italy three times, hopefully next year a 4th, and it's true what Katherine says, that travel days are pretty much lost.

However, if the travel itself is structured correctly, it can be enjoyable and not feel like wasted time. In March 2015, we started in Paris, ended up in Salerno in Campania, and never felt deprived. Admittedly, I love European train travel, but while making that trek we never were on a train for more than 5 hours a day. More importantly, we timed it--for the most part--so we'd be on the train late morning to mid-afternoon. Traveling, say, 11:00-3:30 allows one to have a leisurely breakfast, pack, check out, and walk or take a taxi to the train station. Upon arrival at the new destination, plenty of time to get situated, check in, get the lay of the land and have a nice dinner.

It worked well on that trip, staying in Lucerne & Florence on the way to Salerno, memorably taking the route over the Alps in a snow squall. The travel is part of the adventure.

hi jason
like others have stated it is rushed which is great for some people. stay in venice, let us know your dates and how many people are traveling, if kids what ages. there is always a place to stay in budget, that the posters here can lead you to check. do you have rooms booked in other cities?
you can also look at lake garda, which is closer to venice. we stayed in the town of bardolino. it's a gorgeous lake with boats, ferries, small villages, cable car in the north, shops, cafes, mountains and close to public transportation.
spend the night in florence, there is more to see than museums. make sure when you book hotels and trains, that your arrival times are near check in time, unless you have early check in or luggage hold. don't want to be pushing luggage around cobblestones, uneven pavement. been there done that and it's no fun, if cancellation is free.
book train tickets early for the cheaper fare, (salzburg - venice - lakes (milan?) - florence - rome). also any sites need to be booked early so you don't stand in long lines, may will be a busy month, lots of people, do a zig then a zag down some alley and side street. lots of things to think about, once you do your research and get it all together you will be happy you prepared, know what to expect and go with the flow.
aloha

I've never been to Milan, so I'm no help there.
I can never seem to get enough of Rome or Venice, so I'd recommend splitting your time between those two.

Florence, so far, is my least favorite Italian city. After a couple days there, I was ready to leave. Lots of people love it, but we didn't.

I have been to Milan twice connected with work and to Lake Como for a day. All are nice places and Milan was nicer than I expected as it is not on most tourists' agendas but I would skip that detour. Salzburg is as pretty as Lake Como in my view. Add the day to Venice or Rome. Three places in a week is already quite a bit. Or if you don't have strong feelings about seeing Florence, I would split time between Venice and Rome. That would save traveling and allow you to see more. You could do a day trip from Rome to a near by hill town for more variety.

Charlotte: Yeah I'm going to keep looking for something IN Venice. We can cancel all our hotels until a few days before our stay so I can move things around. The only thing locked in is starting in Vienna ending in Rome. We're already doing one night in Florence. Booked a hotel near the Duomo there. So doing Lake Como doesn't mean not doing Florence. It's just 1 night in Como, 1 night in Florence instead of 2 in one or the other.

Kelly: Yeah we're like you. We're going to see a lot, not to relax. We're not relaxing vacation type people lol. If we cut something out, Lake Como would likely be it, so I'll have to think about that one.

Jay: Yeah the only train we're taking that's long is from Salzburg to Venice, but aside from the length we're looking forward to the scenic ride through the Brenner Pass. All the other trains are like 1-2 hours I think which should be quite doable without being too tiring and it's a nice way to sit down for a bit from all the walking while still productively moving to our next location.

princess: We're already staying 1 night on Florence even with Lake Como on the itinerary. It really comes down to giving up Lake Como for an extra night in Florence or Rome, vs 1 night in Milan/Lake Como. Still trying to decide about that one. My mom has wanted to see Lake Como for years, so it's a tricky one.

I'll keep looking for hotels in Venice. No children. It's 1 person in 1 room, 2 people in another (3 total). I'll keep checking prices on Booking.com.

How far in advance should I start booking trains? Which ones don't require early reservation?

I do have hotels booked in every city right now. They can all be cancelled, so nothing is set in stone yet other than airfare.