Itinerary sanity check for Italy in mid-October?

Fly in to Venice (from Scotland — either Edinburgh or Glasgow); spend
2 nights in Venice. Train to Cinque Terre (probably Verzanna); spend 2
nights there. (Notably, Friday and Saturday nights.) Train to Pisa;
visit for a few hours; then on to Florence; spend 2 nights there.

Andrew, this gives you only one full day in Florence, and that will be a Monday when a few of the museums tourists most want to see are closed: specifically Uffizi and Accademia. You mentioned that you're not really into museums but that you "expect to visit a few" so it's worth the mention?

If you're an avid shutterbug, I think you're also crimping Venice with only one full day to spend there. I might see if you could extend your trip to Saturday, add a day to Venice, and skip Pisa altogether to give Florence at least a little more time. Just IMHO! :O)

With a few more days added in, your itinerary would be a good one. As it is, I think you've planned too many places in too few days. A whirlwind trip to knock off a list of "must see" sights and get photos isn't going to leave you with lasting memories of these places.

Realistically, by the time you've traveled to your next hotel, you'll have less than 1.5 days in Venice, and Cinque Terre, and only 1 full day in Florence. I'd skip Pisa and eliminate one other stop (my vote would be CT) so that you could really experience what the remaining places have to offer.

Three places max.
Add a day in Venice as your arrival day will leave limited touring time.
Add a day to Rome. Great place to wander without having to go into a museum, unless you want to

What you cut out is up to you, but 4 places for your time frame just has you running from/to trains and hotels

Your flight plan idea looks good.

Andrew,

I think you're trying to do too much. Beside, as the Cinque Terra is a summer vacation destination, and many of the businesses begin to close up in the fall, you may want to eliminate that destination totally.

Personally, I would spend now less that 4 nights in any one location. I would do 4 nights in Venice and 5 nights in either Florence or Rome. You can do some day trips to the local countryside if you can't find enough to occupy your time in any of these locations but I really don't think that's going to be a problem.

From Venice, I like to visit Vicenza and Pudua. From Florence, I like Lucca and the Chiant region.

Agree to do the airfare as multi-city to and from Europe then budget airlines to Venice.
I wonder if the October weather might be a bit unsettled for the CT? From my research, the temps might be fine (low 60s) but October is more prone to rain. Also daylight hours dropping fast (6 hrs).
By my calculations, you are spending 9 nights in Italy. What if you spend 3 nights in Venice, train to Florence for 3 nights with day trips to coast or Lucca or Siena if bored with Florence (or even leave early) then Rome for final 3 nights? This is more of a straight line trip. I personally love both Venice and Florence and find the CT breathtakingly beautiful (if you can avoid the crowds and can find the trails open) but not sure Oct would be the time to go to CT.
Just my 2 cents.

Thanks to all for the help. (And especially to Kathy for catching that my Florence plans were pretty much ruling out the most popular museums.)

I'm (with regret) dropping Cinque Terre from my plans, and planning on three nights in each of Venice, Florence, & Rome. If things work out that I can return from Rome on Saturday, perhaps I can squeeze Pisa back in. While I'm sure I could happily spend more time in at least Florence and Rome, I don't know that I'll ever make it back to Italy, and that colors my plans some.

@cbrochu30: You gave me a start about the daylight hours, but looks like I should have around 11 hours of daylight during my stay. It will be getting dark around 6:30; perhaps that's what you meant.

I'm (with regret) dropping Cinque Terre from my plans, and planning on
three nights in each of Venice, Florence, & Rome.

Hi back, Andrew -
I think you'll be happy with your updated itinerary. All three cities are very different so it's not as "if you've seen one, you've seen them all", if that makes sense? All three are also connected with high-speed trains, which will economize the amount of travel time from place to place. One more bonus? Should one of your two full days in each place decide to pour rain, you've got a second crack at a dry, sunny one for those outdoor shots. :O)

I see on your profile that you feel "uncomfortable where I don't speak the language"? No worries when visiting "The Holy Trinity"! Rome, Florence and Venice are well used to hosting visitors from all over the world, and you'll find that those employed in the hospitality industry usually speak excellent-to-passable English. It's advised to learn the manner words (please, thank you, good morning, good evening, etc.) as those are always appreciated and they're FUN to say besides!

I wouldn't worry too much about the daylight factor. We've been in October - although at the beginning versus middle of the month - and had plenty of hours to explore between dawn and dusk. Mostly beautiful weather too, I might add, so I'll hope that's the same for you!

Evenings are a GREAT time for the lens what with structures, fountains and whatnot lit up, and old, narrow streets taking on a wonderfully Medieval-ly aura so make good use of those hours as well. Florence? I thought the exterior of the Duomo made for more dramatic shots at night than during the day.

Back to the museums, have you done the reading yet on the places you should purchase advance tickets for to eliminate wasting time in long queues?

Hi Andrew, Now that you have a basic itinerary, here are a few tips.

Trains - you can get big discounts on fares by buying early. They usually go on sale about 4 months in advance. Compare the prices and schedules on trenitalia.com and italotreno.it. They both have high-speed trains. Use the Italian names: Venezia Santa Lucia, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Roma Termini. Especially since you aren't a foodie, consider taking evening trains. You can have a picnic supper on the train and relax after a full day's sightseeing. The views aren't particularly scenic, so going after dark isn't a big loss.

Venice - Rooms: any part of the island is good. I like the Dorsoduro, it's more residential and there are a number of cheap restaurants (lots of univ. students) and a supermarket. Cannareggio is near the train station, but far enough to be pleasant. Those tend to be the lower-priced options. Nowhere is far, you can walk the length of the island in about an hour (if you don't get lost). Getting lost in the back canals (they're called rios) is one of the best things to do in Venice and you can't get really lost, you're always near a major sight - usually the Grand Canal. The best time of day is before dawn. Get up at first light and ride the vaporetto in the mists, then watch sunrise over the lagoon from Piazza San Marco. One of the best things I did on my most recent visit (this February) was this "free" walking tour. I only took the a.m. tour which was really good. I wasn't able to fit the p.m. tour into my short time there. Let us know where you are considering staying and we'll give you opinions . . . and advice on how to get from the airport. It's best to arrive at least a couple hours before sunset, so you have time to get to the island and find your hotel before dark in Venice.

Florence - If Pisa is high on your list, it's an easy half-day trip by train; to save time, take a taxi from the train station to the Campo dei Miracoli, and if you want to climb the tower, book in advance. Piazzale Michelangelo is a good place for those panoramic photos of Florence (there's a bus), especially at sunset, though my favorite place is the bridge below the Ponte Vecchio. Rooms: the historic center, including the train station, is very small. You'll be walking distance from nearly everywhere from nearly anywhere.

Rome - bigger by far than the others, and sights are spread out. Wherever you stay, you'll need public transportation (bus, metro, tram) to get to some places. Single rides are €1.50. Unless you are going to rush around from place to place, day passes probably won't save you anything (1 day @ €7.00, 48 hours @ €12.50, 72 hours @ €18.00).

Lastly, it could get hot. Consider getting rooms with AC.

@Kathy and @Chani: Thanks for all the advice. I'm trying not to offload too much of my research on the forum members, but I certainly appreciate the generous assistance. While I needed to commit to the broad strokes of my trip and get the U.S. flights, I haven't researched yet where to get lodging. Lots to dig into in the guide book yet. The four-month guidance on train tickets is very good to know. I've heard some about the vital need to purchase advance tickets for the more popular attractions, and I'll definitely keep that in mind.

Andrew, since you know how many nights in each city, start looking for rooms as soon as you have dates. October is still a popular month and you're going to very popular cities. I try to make sure all my reservations can be cancelled without penalty, just in case I have to change my plans.

I've heard some about the vital need to purchase advance tickets for
the more popular attractions, and I'll definitely keep that in mind.

Let us know which attractions you intend to visit, as your plan comes together, and we can help with which of those you should pre-purchase tickets for. :O)

Hi there. We did the following two years ago:
2 nights Venice, 3 nights Florence, 2 nights Vernazza, 1 night Orvieto(easy by train), and 4 nights in Rome.
My only regret was having only one night in Orvieto.... We did this all by train.

According to what you have said about yourself I think you will be happy with the following:
2 nights Venice (Dont just stay intouristy crowded spots, wander in the Dorsoduro neighborhood)
2 nights Cinque Terre
2 nights Florence (it is a very compact town)
2 nights Orvieto----Gorgeous/magical Hill Town. Beautiful scenery, buildings, and cobbled streets.You will have a hard time putting your camera away. Only 1 hr train ride from Rome on your way to Rome! it was my favorite spot on our first trip. Look up photos. we liked it more than Florence.
4 nights Rome ----- don't shorten this one!!! Rome is Gorgeous but easily tiring. you need time to get settled in and to see what you want to see (lots of ruins and architecture to gawk at) without feeling rushed! I am glad I took advice about keeping it a 4 night minimum.

if you do not have enough time for this I would suggest dropping Florence. Orvieto will give you the classic "Tuscany" feel but in a way more charming way.