This is our itinerary. I am not sure if we should change the order of Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice.
Rome 3 nights
Montepulciano 1 night
Siena 1 night
Florence 2 nights
Vernazza 2 nights
Venice 2 nights
Paris 3 nights
London 3 nights
We are planning on renting a car in Rome and Dropping it in Florence. Flying from Venice to Paris and taking the train from Paris to London.
Posted by
Fredericksburg, VA, USA
409 posts
Personally, Meghan, I think you are packing / unpacking too much. You may get worn out so much on the front end of your trip that you may be too tired to fully enjoy the remainder. I would choose one central spot for Montepulciano, Siena, and Florence (Pienza?). Or get an early start from Rome and hit Montepulciano (and/or Orvieto) on the way northward to either Siena or Florence. Since you will have a car, I would stay in Siena to limit your battles with the dreaded restricted zones in Florence.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Meghan, I tend to agree with Roy - for such a short trip, there are too many one night stops. You might consider dropping at least one (and preferably) two cities from your Itinerary, as it's much too "busy". Also, I don't see much allowance for travel times, which will be a significant factor.
Also, renting a Car in Rome is NOT a really good idea, for a number of reasons. Travel by train will not only be much faster but also less stressful, especially if you reduce the stops in your Itinerary somewhat. One point to note is that an International Driver's Permit is mandatory in Italy. If you drop the car in Florence, you'll also have to contend with the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato zones which are especially prevalent in Florence.
I'd definitely suggest re-working your Itinerary.
Good luck!