Hello all! My husband and I are planning an anniversary trip to Italy in August of this year. (Hot and crowded, I know, but that's when we can do it.) We are looking at visiting Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre & Venice. We fly into Rome and out of Venice so those cities are set. My question is regarding the middle two stops. It makes sense from a traveling perspective to do Rome, CT, Florence then Venice because it is more efficient for timing of train travel; however, this puts us in C.T. over the weekend and Florence on a Monday. I don't think Florence will be major for us on Monday as there is plenty to do and we can arrange the closed museums that we want to see on other days. I am concerned though that the Cinque Terre will be even more than the extra usual crowded over the weekend. Would this even matter since it's August and everything is just going to be crowded? On the other hand, we would be in Florence over the weekend and in Cinque Terre early in the week but then have a longer train ride, which also isn't ideal in my opinion. We can make either one work and be delighted because we will be traveling, but I'd love some thoughts regarding which option might make it more enjoyable.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
6052 posts
Haven’t been to CT but you can check the cruise ship schedule. I’d be more concerned about which days have more ships in port.
Sorry don’t have a link but it’s here somewhere!
By “ set” do you mean airfare already purchased?
If not it is much easier to fly INTO Venice than OUT of Venice
Posted by
Chicago
7838 posts
Go to Cinque Terre on Monday and avoid weekend.
Posted by
Minneapolis
1216 posts
If it were me, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on days of the week for CT; it will be crowded all the time. But like anywhere, you can go a little off the beaten path and get away the crowds. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11179 posts
How many days is the trip? How many nights at each stop?
If air travel not booked, the reverse order would be better.
I think trying to find a 'less crowded' day at that time of year, is the difference of drowning in 20 feet of water vs 50 feet.
Happy travels
Posted by
7664 posts
Nothing wrong with Cinque Terre, but in my opinion it could be left out of your trip, depending on how long your trip in Italy.
You need 5 days in Rome, 3-4 in Florence (do a day trip to Sienna), 3-4 in Venice. If you go to CT, don't go on the weekend.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Since the Cinque Terre is always crowded, think of doing it this way. Rome... big city. Cinque Terre... seaside location. Florence... city. Venice seaside location. A break from the busy cities will give you more relaxed trip.
After 16:00 CT and Venice take on a chill atmosphere.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for the responses! I am learning a lot just from reading other posts here. I hadn’t thought to check cruise ship schedules and based on that it actually looks like the weekend will be significantly better which was a surprise to me. I know it will still be crowded but am pretty set on keeping it since we love to hike and kayak and such. Flights have already been purchased. We did not want to end our trip with the rush of seeing things in Rome. We are flying out of Venice at a reasonable hour (11am) though so hopefully that will help some. Thanks again!
Posted by
London
36 posts
if everything will be fine, I suggest You to explore also the South of Italy. It's much more affordable, the food is very good and spots are very beautiful
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1371 posts
Haven't visited the CT (would love to someday) but have the others. Have you considered dropping the CT and adding a stop along the Adriatic Coast between Florence and Venice?
Posted by
871 posts
How many nights on the ground?