Itinerary help please! For 2 week trip...

Your plan is ambitious, but not obviously "too" ambitious. It is logistically a little messy, complicated by your decision to fly in and out of Rome; thus your train question.

If, for instance, you were to fly into Venice, you could make your way south on some variation of Venice-CT-Florence & Tuscany-Amalfi-Rome (or reverse). There is some doubling back but this avoids the worst of it. You could improve on it further if you can arrange to fly out of Naples.

I don't know you or what you find exhausting, but I think this could be a satisfying trip, with lots of contrasts and changes of pace as an antidote to fatigue.

That time of year you can hedge your bets by traveling without reservations and making mid-trip corrections as you go.

Unfortunately we are locked into arriving and departing out of Rome as we found an excellent flight sale and flying open jaw would have cost us double the price. My husband and I are both 30 years old, so I don't think we will tire too easily- all the same, I want to plan the best trip possible as this will be hubby's first time to Italy (Europe for that matter).

In my humble opinion, it's a bit tight. You are arriving and departing from a central part of your journey. You'll need to backtrack through Rome one way or another to see all of these sites. Also, your train travel time will cut down your visits a bit. For example, the distance between Venice and the Amalfi Coast is just short of 900 miles (1,450 KM). It's like taking a train to Winnipeg from Calgary and then returning 2/3 of the way back.

My suggestion is to eliminate the Cingue Terre on this visit. It's a 4.5hr. train journey from Florence to the CT and a 7.0hr. journey from the CT to Venice. Venice is really a "must see" location. You may need 2 full days and 3 nights there. The Amalfi Coast and Sorrento are also ideal places to visit.

Finally, I'm betting that you may have to eliminate either Tuscany or Florence as well to make your visits to the other areas work well. It's not a matter getting exhausted; it's a matter of going all the way over there and not seeing much.

Skip anything below Rome. Rome 3 days; Venice 3 days; Florence 2 or 3 days and train to Siena for a day tour; Tuscany needs more than 1 0r 2 nights; Cinque Terre 3 nights. It takes a while to hike the trails but they "may" be closed due to weather so maybe skip CT. OR,
stay in Rome 3 days then train to Venice then Florence. You could then come back to Rome and south to Amalfi Coast. The time goes by so fast that you don't want to be rushing your whole time. My husband and I were in Italy for 3 weeks; including 5 days with a rental car. We didn't even hit the surface for the hilltown visits. We based out of Orvieto - about an 1 by train from Rome. You will be exhausted if you do the itinerary that you have listed above.

I think that plan is very ambitious. My husband and I are planning a similar two week trip and we drew a line at Rome and will only go north from there. You should keep in mind that you have a serious time difference to overcome, and with LONG flights at the front and end of this trip, I think you will be exhausted.

You don't want to just "DO" this trip, you want to "ENJOY" it.

I agree this itinerary sounds too exhausting. What may sound reasonable on paper, isn't when you are on the ground. If this is your first time in Italy, I would do Rome, Florence and Venice only -- even though this could be pretty exhausting since each is intense in its own way, and there is so much to see in each city. If you take the train from Rome to Florence you will see much of the Tuscan countryside. Perhaps do the cities this time and save the countryside and coast for another type of trip for the future?

It is a little ambitious. I did one like that before and I felt I didn't get enough time in each place. But there were a lot of great memories from that one too. I think perhaps you should think about dropping the Amalfi Coast/Sorrento and do that one in a future trip to Southern Italy.

Ryan, my wife and I are making our first trip to Italy this April. I have made all of our arrangements and now just waiting to depart. Not sure what your interests are but here is our itinerary. Arrive Rome in AM, 3 nights, train to Venice (2 nights), train to CT (2 nights), train to Tuscany area where we will spend 6 nights. Return to Rome airport where we have a nights loding in area for early departure next morning. We will be renting a car in Tuscany to use while there. We are making a day trip to Florence and one to Siena while in Tuscany. other days will be spent seeing hill towns of Tuscany. This also allows for time to just relax.

We spent 10 days in Italy in 2005 traveling from Venice to Florence to Cinque Terre to Milan. It was a wonderful but tiring trip. I agree that you need to drop the southern portion of your trip. But, I would not drop Cinque Terre. We enjoyed Venice and Cinque Terre the most...these pedestrian areas force you to slow down and enjoy your surroundings better. I would do 3 nights in Venice, 4 nights in Florence, 1 night in Siena, 2 nights in Cinque Terre, and 4 nights in Rome.

We spent 2 weeks in Italy. Started in Milan, Venice, Florence, Positano and back to Milan. Recommend taking the 6pm trains, having dinner on the train between cities. Take a bottle of wine and 4 glasses on the train. Great way to meet people.

Hello Ryan,

If I may suggest, I would do all the North and take a plane form Venice to Naples. Air One flies at affordable rates (trains are longer and a lot more expensive depending on what youy need).

Upon arrival, in Naples, you can take a bus form the Airport directly to Sorrento that can be your HUB for the South. The regional train system (Circumvesuviana) can take you around to Pompeii and Herculaneum very easily. also, hydrofoils can take yo to Capri in 30 minutes from Sorrento Marina and Amalfi Coast (which actually starts past and south of Sorrento) you can take the SITA bus that can take you to Amalfi City, Ravello (a gem) and Positano. 3 nights at least in Sorrento.

Let me know if you need help.
Cinthya

Thanks for that recommendation Cinthya! I am not going to give up my dream of going to the Amalfi Coast just yet...if I'm able to find a cheap flight for my husband and I then we may just be able to do it!

Hi Ryan, you have some good ideas posted here. I would only add a few things for thought. I have found that spending only 2 nights any where only gives you one full day in that glorious city. Not enough time without feeling rushed. Yes, always have in the back of your mind that you will visit again, but I would take some time to really consider what highlights you really must see in each of your destinations first. For example - Florence - Accademia & Ufizzi are incredible sites - doable (but many feel overwhelming to do in one day) - then there are so many other things to enjoy in Florence.

I have really enjoyed Rick Steve's books which help tremendously in planning an independent trip. Grab one at the Library if nothing else just to get the feel.

By the way, the time of year you are going April/May - was the time frame I visited last year. Wonderful time of year - not too hot, and beautiful countryside.

Good luck with your planning.

Hello Ryan. You can do it all. I think Cynthia's plan is the best for you. (I travelled in trains in Italy, in the year 2004). I recommend travel in this direction : Rome (3 nights) ->Cinque Terre (2 nights)(ride in high-speed train from Rome, coastal route to Pisa, and continue north to La Spezia and a Cinque Terre village) ->Florence (3 nights) ->Venice (2 nights) -> fly from Venice to Naples (3 nights at Sorento)-> train to Rome (1 night). Bring the little book "Rick Steves' ITALIAN PHRASE BOOK & DICTIONARY" with you to Italy. Italian people like hearing American tourists say "Tutto va bene". (Everything's fine).