Itinerary help, so much to see so little time in Italy.

You really need to cut way, way back on your itinerary. Just stick to your top destinations CT, Venice, Sienna and Rome. You are going to spend most of your vacation on trains instead of enjoying the places that you do visit. Train travel between cities can take up to a half day then you need to get to your hotel, check in and before you know it, the day is gone. Stick to your top destinations and then if time allows, take a day trip (for example if in Rome, you can day trip to Orvieto). But please dont cram all of this in or believe me, you will be miserable basically seeing the inside of train stations and trains. Have fun, Happy travels!!!!!

It's really hard for us to suggest what to do when you and your wife are chasing your personal travel dreams. That being said, you really have to eliminate some things. For one, I would suggest eliminating the Austrian Alps and head straight from Munich to Venice. I don't know how open you are to a night train but CLICK HERE to see one from Munich to Venice. You can even book this 90 days out on www.bahn.de and often get special fares.

Next suggestion. Base you and your wife in Florence for 4 days. Do 1-day day trips to the CT, Siena and Assisi. That gives you a breather on hotel changes, and packing/unpacking. My wife and I have day-tripped to Siena and Assisi on our first visit to Italy. That's when we discovered that both need more than 1 day. I can give you a suggested 1-day visit plan for the CT and a brief one for Assisi if you want. Staying in Florence also gives you the flexibility to visit the many museums.

Now you can head for Orvieto and Civita di B. as well as Rome. You really don't have to sleep in each place you visit.

I am beginning to shorten this trip up. With day trips from Sienna or Florence instead of multiple nights in different destinations. I will update when I have it refined. Thanks for all the input.

We saw Siena and Florence, and would have enjoyed staying in Siena more and day-tripping to Florence for the museum/church part. Siena was much quieter, more scenic, beautiful country-side. Would be easy to see other parts of Tuscany from Siena too. Our hotel had lots of info on local tours if you don't want to drive. Also agree with the post that said straight to Venice from Munich. Venice has such a great atmosphere.

TC,

Your Itinerary was a bit hard to follow, but I'd also suggest dropping the Austrian Alps and simplifying your plans (especially since this is your first trip and you're not used to the trains, etc.).

I'd suggest something along these lines:

• Sept. 3 Depart US

• Sept. 4 Arrive Munich at 16:40 (use S-Bahn from airport to Munich Central)

• Sept. 5 Tour Munich and Dachau

• Sept. 6 Tour Munich & perhaps Castles at Fussen - use this time to get over jet lag)

• Sept. 7 Munich to Venice via train (may change in Verona depending on which train you choose - be sure to specify Venezia Santa Lucia as the destination station)

• Sept. 8 Tour Venice

• Sept. 9 Train to Florence - Tour Florence (be sure to make reservations for Uffizi or Accademia if you'll be visiting there)

• Sept. 10 Tour Florence

• Sept. 11 Train to Orvieto - tour Orvieto (Duomo, St. Patrick's Well)

• Sept. 12 Day trip to Civita di Bagrnoegio (allow at least 6 hours with travel time)

• Sept. 13 Train to Rome (about 1 hour)

• Sept. 14 tour Rome (be sure to pack Italy Guidebook for reference during trip - buy combo ticket for Colosseum on Palatine Hill as suggested in book)

• Sept. 15 tour Rome

• Sept. 16 Take Leonardo Express from Roma Termini to FCO (about 30 minutes)

Unfortunately it will be necessary to prioritize, as I don't believe it will be possible to see all the places you listed within that time frame. Which of the places are most important to you? Also, allowing adequate travel time is very important!

If you dropped Venice, it would allow at least day trip time for the Cinque Terre and Siena. If you'd prefer Venice-Florence-Siena, travel from Florence to Siena by Bus is the easiest option.

You could perhaps drop one day from Munich and use that for a day trip somewhere in Italy, however you'll need some time to get over jet lag and get sorted in Europe.

Good luck with your planning!

TC,

A few other suggestions:

If you haven't already read it, you may want to have a look at Europe Through The Back Door, especially the chapters on "Rail Skills" and "Outsmarting Thieves". It' an excellent pre-read before travelling to Europe for the first time.

You may also find it useful to download the FREE PDF Rail Guide from this website (in the Rail Pass section).

Cheers!

I thought I should post my new plans after all the great information I received. Thanks to everyone as it helped significantly. I am still working on refining it from Siena to Assisi and Orvieto just not sure how to do it. I do know I have to much in the trip still. My mother loves Assisi so I need to go there. Would it be better to go to day trip to Assisi but then down to Orvieto and stay there two nights? There are a couple of busy travel days in here but better then before. Thanks everyone for the help. Any info on good places to stay in the Umbria region not far off the main train line?

Day 00: Flight to Munich

Day 01: Munich sleep in Munich

Munich and recover

Day 02: Munich sleep in Munich

Fussen Castles

Day 03: Munich to Venice night train

Dacahu and Munich

Day 04: Venice sleep in Venice

Venice

Day 05: Florence sleep Florence

Venice and Florence

Day 06: CT sleep in Vernazza

CT

Day 07: Tuscany sleep in Sienna

Siena

Day 08: Tuscany sleep in Sienna

Tuscany

Day 09: Assisi sleep in Umbria region

Assisi and Umbria

Day 10: Orvieto and Civita sleep in Umb Reg

Umbria

Day 11: Rome sleep in Rome

Vatican City

Day 12: Rome sleep in Rome

Roman sites

Day 13: Depart Rome

Rome

Honestly, your Venice and Florence times seem a bit too tight. Can you cut the CT? It's in the wrong direction (north) and Florence to Siena is a pretty easy trek. I would say perhaps cut CT and stay the 3 nights either in Florence or Siena, with a daytrip to the other. Only 2 days in Rome is pretty short as well.

Assisi is not the most convenient to where you'll be -- it's somewhat east of Rome. If you can't cut that, I would say maybe cut Orvieto/Civita. A lot depends on whether or not your travel party prefers to go-go-go or relax and explore the town.