Itinerary help from Rome to Venice?

You can actually set foot in all those places in 9 days. Your time will be limited in each. Up to you to decide if that's what you want. See the comments Donna and others made in the thread https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/only-8-days-to-spend-cinque-terre-tuscany-bolzano-venice-how-to-do-this to understand how much time you're going to spend just getting around, especially if you try to go to the Cinque Terre.

Rome/Florence/Venice are connected by hi-speed train so one suggestion is to spend 4-4-1 days respectively. You don't need or want a car in cities, and a car that doesn't float isn't much use in Venice ;-) The only time you would need a car is to visit the Tuscany/Umbria countryside. If you want to add that in then maybe change the schedule above to 3-2-1 and add 3 days in the Tuscany/Umbria countryside with a car that you pick up after taking a train to the hilltown where you are staying such as Perugia.

nicdee,

First of all, congratulations! As you're "new to Italy", I'd highly recommend picking up a copy of the RS Italy guidebook, as there's an enormous amount of information there that will help to plan efficient sightseeing (which is especially important with such a short time frame). Does your nine days include your flight days, or is that "time on the ground"? Also, when is this trip taking place?

Your trip is easily done by train and this is one route you could consider.....

• Flight inbound to Venice (2 nights?)
• High speed train to Florence (4 nights?) - Day trips to "Tuscan countryside" and Cinque Terre
• Train to Rome (3 nights?)
• Flight outbound from Rome

There are lots of possibilities, and this is only one suggestion.

One other point to mention is that there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy, and also when renting cars. If you need more information on that, post another note here.

Thank you both!! I added some info in my original post -- 9 days don't include travel days (actually almost a full day in Rome after we land) and this will be in late August/early Sept. Given the distance to Cinque Terre from Florence, I did not get the impression that it could quite be a day trip -- is that incorrect? And is there a specific place in wine country you'd recommend not too far from Florence, preferably where one can relax, drink wine and enjoy the views?

Given the distance to Cinque Terre from Florence, I did not get the impression that it could quite be a day trip -- is that incorrect?

A great place to research trains is https://www.bahn.de/p_en/view/ Pick a date next week for legs you are considering and you'll get an idea of the time involved for planning purposes.

Going from Florence to the CT is about 2:45. Is this a day trip to me? No. Out and back alone is over 5 hours out of the day, not counting the time to get to the Florence train station in the morning and find your track. For the CT I picture walking some trails, leisurely lunch, a glass of prosecco overlooking the water as the sun sets, lingering over a fresh-caught seafood dinner (best I've ever had is at Ristorante Belvedere in Monterosso, get the seafood pot for 2), etc . A 2 day or more trip. But it's your vacation and you are the only one who can decide what's right. You certainly can get there and back in a single day.

Earlier you wrote "we hope to take our time a bit and not be too rushed" so here is my suggestion. Make up a chart with a box for each day and fill it in with your travel details. Look up the train departure times and trip length; the departure times may change (assuming you're talking about August 2017) but you'll get an decent idea. Then work back; if you want to be on a train leaving Roma Termini at 8:30am you need to check out of the hotel and walk or cab over, and its a good idea to be there 10-15 minutes early to find the track, so you need to be packed, showered, and done with breakfast at 7:30am. Does this still sound relaxed and pleasant? Maybe an 8:30am train really doesn't work for you, but maybe it does; dunno. At the end of the train ride add in another 40-60 minutes at least to get to your hotel and drop your bags at the desk.

The point is when you finish the chart and go over it with your fiance you can decide if its really the honeymoon you're dreaming of. If you see yourselves getting up at 6am every 3rd day and not getting out and about that day until 1pm maybe its ok because you're visiting places you've always wanted to. Or maybe it isn't the picture you have in mind....

With only 9 nights I would suggest sticking with just the 3 big locations, and making your day trips into Tuscany from Florence.
Day 1-3 Rome (3nts)
Day 4 Early train to Florence (4nts)
Day 5 Siena
Day 6 Pisa & Lucca
Day 7 Chianti countryside ??
Day 8 Florence museums then pm train to Venice (2nts)
Day 9 Venice
Day 10 Depart Venice

nicdee,

"Given the distance to Cinque Terre from Florence, I did not get the impression that it could quite be a day trip -- is that incorrect?"

A day trip to the Cinque Terre is absolutely possible (I know, as I've done it). It will be a long day though, especially if you want to see all five towns or perhaps do a bit of hiking on the Sentiero Azzurro trails. Given the short Itinerary in this case, a day trip seemed like a better idea than staying in the C.T. as there's just not enough time unless it's at the expense of one of the other locations. One other point is that due to the short time before your trip, it may be difficult to get a hotel reservation in the C.T.

I'd suggest starting in Riomaggiore and finishing your day in Monterosso. That way you'll be able to have a fine meal in one of the restaurants, and return to Florence in the evening. After dinner you can watch the sunset over the ocean and browse some of the back streets of the old town to perhaps find a bottle of the excellent local Pesto or a bottle of the local dessert wine, Sciacchetrà.

One possibility would be a departure from Firenze SMN at 08:28, arriving Riomaggiore at 11:02 (time 2H:34M, 2 changes). For the trip back to Florence, you could use a departure from Monterosso at 21:07, arriving at 23:50 (time 2H:43M, 1 change in Pisa). There's an earlier train departing at 19:22, if that would work better.

As this is your first trip to Italy, you'll need to do a bit of research on riding the rails and changing trains, as there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of.

I strongly, very strongly recommend not attempting to do any more than Rome, Florence (or maybe Siena instead - not as well as Florence) and Venice. Your itinerary (if you try to include CT) is very similar to ours last year and we had over 3 weeks and still felt rushed. Any more than that and you will have romantic memories of train stations and nothing else. Please don't try to include any more.

I think David from Brisbane has given you a very sane itinerary. I like more time in Venice, but you can not do everything. Skip the Cinque Terre, and when you are on the plane on the way home, plan your inevitable next trip to include more time in Venice and at least 3 nights in the CInque Terre.

For the Tuscan countryside experience, try Tours By Roberto. He will get you out and about combining wine with scenery and history for a memorable day. That way you won't need a car.