Itinerary for 3 week stay in Italy

I would recommend staying every place at least 3 nights, although your choice to devote 4 nights to Rome is wise, and you could probably drop 1 night from someplace else. But, with only 2 nights in several places (and only 1 in Milan), once you get yourself between locations, I think that you'll find that you don't have enouch time to appreciate where you are. It looks like you have 19 nights. I would drop 2 of your stops.

Also, depending upon where in (non-Florence) Tuscany you want to stay, you're going to want to put Tuscany before Florence.

I would recommend dropping Milan and either Varenna or Bologna. Having been to neither, I can't provide an opinion on which to drop.

Good luck! Putting together an itinerary is a challenge, but it's a great problem to have!

Marty - YOur current trip has a lot of traveling. Many people fail to realize that every time your change location, you are going to lose at least half a day to that transition. Just packing, checking out of the hotel, getting to transport, traveling to a new place then getting from transport to your hotel checking in and settling in eats up more time than you would imagine. As Leslie says you will probably find that although you can accomplish your itinerary, you may find it less enjoyable than one with longer stays in fewer places.

I've been to all of those places and since this is your first time to Italy I would drop Bologna and Milan. Add 1 night to Florence and 2 nights to Venice. Bologna and Milan have their charms, but they're definitely lower on the scale than your other places. Whenever we've done only two nights in one place we've always felt rushed.

But you don't say when you're going. If during cooler weather the CT won't be as enjoyable.

Another vote to drop Milan, Varenna and Bologna.

Why the 3 nights in Tuscany? You can get anywhere in Tuscany every day from Florence.

We spent almost a week in an agriturismo in Tuscany (Scandicci) and thought it was overkill. However, we really enjoyed going to the towns in Tuscany like Greve, Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano, just to name a few.

Hi
I agree with the "less is more" approach. I'm planning a trip and all my friends say watch the travelling as it takes too much time. I'm not planning on Bologna or Milan so can't offer an option but I have found this great website which allows you to book accommodation in monasteries and convents all over Italy. www.monasterystays.com. They have access to monasteries in all the places you want to see so it might be a different view of Italy. I'll certainly be using them on my trip especially in Rome as their prices seem remarkable.

Thanks for the advice. I think we are trying to see as much as possible. We are going the end of May 09 into mid-June.

Marty, I concur with the others, in terms of dropping Milan and Bologna. While both of those cities do have some interesting sights, given the short time frame of your trip it will be necessary to "prioritize". I would not drop Varenna. It's a beautiful spot and a great place to relax and savour "La Dolce Vita" (and be sure to try Laura's Ravioli at Albergo Olivedo!

Dropping those locations will give you an extra three nights, and some "breathing room". You can add time to one of the other locations, but more importantly you're going to need to build some travel time into your Itinerary. I assume you're using "open jaw" flights, into Rome and home from Venice? Keep in mind that when flying to Europe, you're going to lose the first day in time zone changes and flights times (not as bad from the east coast, but you still have to allow for it). I flew into Rome from Toronto in April, and even though I tried to sleep as much as possible on the flight, I was in NO shape to do much touring on arrival day! On the way home, you'll generally arrive the same day you departed (depending on which flight you use).

Which locations in "Tuscany" are you planning to visit? Tuscany is the region that Florence is located in. You can stop in one or two locations in Tuscany on the way north from Rome to Florence (perhaps Orvieto which is in Umbria or Siena?). You could add a few nights in Florence and take day trips?

Once you've finalized your cities a bit more, you'll be able to work out an order of travel. You might consider Rome to the C.T. and then head east towards Varenna (via Milan), Florence/Tuscany and Venice. The trip from Rome to La Spezia is an easy 4 hours if you take a direct train (no changes). With such a short trip, it's best to avoid "backtracking" if possible.

Good luck with your planning!

Like all first time travelers you are trying to see it all. Looks like alot of your trip will be spent going to and from your different locations and checking into and out of hotels. Venice needs more than 2 nights. You could spend 2 or 3 nights in Florence then find a home base in Tuscany for at least 5 nights and day trip to the hilltowns and maybe even Bologna. Skip Milan and Varenna. So, 4 nights Rome, 2 nights Florence, 5 nights Tuscany, 4 nights CT and 4 nights Venice. And that schedule is pretty rushed - you still have 4 days of hotel changes.

I am going strongly recommend going to Sorrento and Amalfi coast if there is any way you can work it in. I know it is a lot and you can spend weeks just in Rome. However, Sorrento was one place in Italy that I could really see myself living. It is really beautiful and could be a great way to end the vacation by just relaxing.

I don't want to make things more confusing, but I thought I would recommend it.

I see that people say drop Bologna. I'm not sure how you are traveling. If you really want to see Bologna, which we did, you can do what we did.

We only had 9 nights and we say Rome, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Siena, Pisa and Lucca. Looking back I would not have gone to Lucca or Siena because it was just too much travel time to get from Siena to Lucca. However, what we did was take the train from Rome to Venice spend almost 2 days in Venice, but took a train from Venice to Bologna arrived around 6:00 pm and stayed the night then left early in the morning and took the train to Florence. This cuts up the time to get from Venice to Florence, about 2.5 hours by train, and cheaper hotel in Bologna than in Venice. However, if you want to visit any of the islands in Venice you will need to spend more time. I loved and hated Venice. It was great in the early morning or late at night and in the back streets. However, during the day when the cruise passengers are in it really is not fun.

I agree 100% with those who say cut back some stops. Ron is right; even if a city is 2 hours away by the time you check out, travel, find the new place, etc. 1/2 a day is gone.

Everyone's advice on what to drop will be a little different because preferences differ. I liked Bologna a LOT; not only is the area the food capital of Italy, it has a vibrant feel and miles of covered sidewalks (they extended upper floors over them). So I'd say drop Milan & Varenna, add 1 nite to Bologna and 2 nites to Tuscany (or 1 more to Tuscany, 1 more to Venice). By "Tuscany" I'm guessing you mean the wine region and hill towns. You'll want a car in that area, and visiting 2 locations a day is really doing a lot.

You haven't mentioned transport, but other than the Tuscany area the rest of your trip is better done by train than by car.

I don't agree with the others.

First, Florence is the most expensive (and least comfortable for the money) lodging in the region. Why would you spend five nights in Florence, pay extra for sparse lodging, have no place to park your car just so you can take day trips from the city? If anything, find a base outside of Florence and daytrip in to see Florence's sites. The restaurants and nightlife in Florence don't warrant staying in the town center (the must see sites, however, do warrant a visit).

I do think you can live without three nights in CT. I see it as more of a rest and relaxation stop. If you think three nights is right for you, go for it.

I don't think you should drop any city just because it isn't in Rick's suggested itinerary. If it's a place you want to see, do it. Be sure to bring guidebooks other than Rick Steves, we found ourselves in Modena with no lodging or site recommendations because we were only carrying a Rick Steves book. If that happens to you, find the TI first thing and go from there.

The other comments about the amount of travel are good comments. My rule of thumb is to not travel more than every other day on average. On travel days, I try to keep the "commute" to three or four hours max. Travel days include packing, getting breakfast, checking out of your hotel, getting to the train station, catching the right train, making connections, making sure you get off at the right stop, gettting to your hotel, checking in, unpacking, getting something to eat. Three hours of travel can easily take eight hours. Be sure to carry snacks so you have something to eat if you miss a meal.

I like to travel in the Spring or Fall in Italy. The weather is better, the crowds are thinner and the prices are lower.

I also don't like to travel with reservations (except reservations on the night you arrive and night before you leave). I usually call ahead in the morning to reserve something for my next stop. I research a list of places that fit my criteria then call until I find a place. Sometimes I have to call two or three places but haven't gone homeless (not sure this works in high season).

Travel without reservations allows your schedule to remain somewhat flexible. If you have seen what you want to see, you can move on. If there is something special worth staying an extra day for, you don't have to leave to "make your reservations".

Don't skip lunch. Restaurants don't open until 7:30 at the very earliest and many aren't serving dinner until 9:00.

Please take into account that travel time can really eat up a day. Unless you are an early riser by nature, getting up at the crack of dawn to shower, pack, etc., and check out can make the rest of your day miserable. And checking out can take a long time. Then there's the time to get TO the station and find the right train and of course you'll allow ample time because if you miss it , it throws your day off. Trains don't always run on time. Then there's the time from the arrival station to the next hotel and check-in.

So I also vote for fewer hotel changes. And it's very good that you are planning your longest stay at your first destination. People recover from jetlag at different rates. Figure that your first 2-3 days are going to be slower. Even if you get enough sleep, you may be disoriented, have difficulty concentrating, become absent-minded (like leaving your camera, forgetting to collect a credit card or passport).

As for booking hotels, do it early! I bought my flight on Sept 7 and immediately started looking for hotels for Oct 3-15. It took me 10 days to get confirmed reservations for all the nights via internet (and a few phone calls). OK, so I've got a lot of hotel changes (5), but I have built the travel into my itinerary (and no jetlag - a huge plus). My main constraint was the budget, but even so, one month out, there wasn't much to choose from even at the 3-star level. Remember it doesn't cost anything to reserve and you can cancel easily. I would guess that late May isn't less popular than early October.

The only snag I have run into is the impossibility of getting tickets to view the Last Supper in Milano. If this is important to you, make a note to book as far in advance as possible. I think it's only 2 months on the internet, but could be more by telephone. The places go very quickly, especially on the weekends.

I loved Bologna, my favorite city!!

I'd add one or two nights to Venice and one or two nights to Florence. You won't regret it. Where to find the time? That's tough. But I'd do it, and plan to return to Italy again...once you've been there, it's IMPOSSIBLE not to return. (:

I just returned from 3 weeks where I did Rome 5 nights, Ventotene 2 nights, Tuscany 3 nights, Florence 3nights, Cinque Terre 3 nights, Venice 2 nights and Milan 1, just to fly out. I'm 39, in good shape, and I WAS POOPED! I wish I had dropped Venice or Tuscany. Honestly, your schedule will exhaust you - trust me. Busy vacations are like work. Everything exhausts you - stop and enjoy it more, and try not to require yourself to see everything this trip.