Itinerary - what do you think?

I think it looks good! I would buy the train tickets now, to save quite a bit of $$. I recently stayed at B&B Al Centro di Roma and really loved the location. Tiny B&B (only 3 rooms) but the rooms were nice and clean and the price was right!

Hi Stephen, Looks like a great itinerary to me! We just returned from a 10 day trip to Rome->Venice so this all so fresh in my mind. I don't know how it is in Nov, but there were long lines at many attractions in early Aug, so we tried to do everything we could to avoid them. We got the Roma pass. It's 30 euros/person. I don't know if we used it enough to cover the cost, but it certainly allowed us get into the Colosseo without a wait. (You'd want to cover the Colosseo and the Forum on the same day. They're right next to each other.) We bought the tickets from the Trenitalia site. I had to call my credit card company to allow the charge, but that was simple. I just wanted to have the peace of mind. With the printed tickets, all we needed at the train station was to find the platform and board the train. At the Vatican, we reserved an entry time beforehand. Again, no wait because of that. As Rick suggests in his book, we took the short-cut from the Sistine Chapel into St. Peter's Basilica. Once we were inside the Sistine Chapel, we just followed the crowds towards the back exit (on your right as you face the back wall). In Venice, you can pay 1 euro/person to reserve an entry time at St. Mark's Basilica. The site is: http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/WAI/eng/visite/visite.bsm We used Rick's self-guided audio tours extensively, and they worked quite well. Sorry, I can't recommend any hotels as we stayed in apartments. In Rome, we stayed close to the Pantheon and we loved that area. Happy travels!
Adarsh

By the way, on your first day in Rome, you could consider doing a late afternoon/evening leisurely walk from Piazza Navona -> Pantheon -> Trevi -> Spanish steps. This would be the abbreviated "Heart of Rome" walk in Rick's book. You could stop at a sidewalk cafe for dinner, or just grab some pizza by the slice, a gelato from Giolitti's, ..., and experience Old Rome against the orange glow of lights. (The Pantheon inside closes at 6 PM so consider that).

Thanks!

Your itinerary is great. It's so nice to see someone who's not trying to cram all of Italy into one trip. I highly recommend Pensione Guerrato in Venice. It's a Rick Steves favorite and is in more than one of his Venice TV shows. Great location, great rooms, helpful staff and reasonable prices for Venice. And unlike a few places in Italy, they won't try to pull a fast one on you with your bill. They should be right about at your budget. We've stayed there twice. As for the Roma pass, I think you probably will find that it makes sense to get one. For one thing, it automatically covers the buses and subway, so you don't have to worry about whether you have a ticket if you decide to hop on one. Ron in Rome has more info on that here: Should I buy a Roma Pass? But since it doesn't cover Vatican sites, be sure to put the Vatican at the beginning or end of your Rome sites. Happy travels.

Well done, Stephen! On Day 8, having enough time to "walk the Forum" will depend on arrival time. Daylight is waning then. I'd say try to arrive Rome by Noon to make the most of that day. It's nice to combine the Colosseo with the Foro Romano, too. An under-attended site I like to recommend is Domus Romane. It is covered by the Roma Pass and is an amazing experience. http://www.palazzovalentini.it/ The only English tour is at 13:30 so make a reservation. I don't know your hotel choice personally, but it's a nice location. Not as walkable to main sites as I usually recommend, though bus and metro services is plentiful. In Venice we have stayed at B&B Ai Tagliapietra and rented an apartment at VRBO, #155941. Loved both options, both locations. Each around €90 per night.

Thanks Laurel! I am open to other suggestions for lodging in Rome. What do you recommend?

Thanks Michael! I'll probably get a Roma pass. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

As to hotels in Rome, we only stayed in apartments when we visited in 2010 and 2012 prior to moving here. VRBO.com is an excellent source and lets you focus on areas like Piazza Navona/Pantheon. Our favorite apartment was here http://www.romerentalapartments.it/argentina-holiday-rome-rental-apartment last winter. 5 minute walk to CDF, 10 to P.za Navona, right on tram and bus lines. We walk almost everywhere and this was a great location to support that habit.

Hotels in Rome: I prefer the Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Campo dei Fiori area. Last month I stayed at Hotel Genio just one street crossing away from Piazza Navon'as north entrance, it was 95 euro for a single with bath, buffet breakfast included, rooftop terrace with wraparound views of Rome (breakfast is served on the terrace or in the adjoining dining room and the terrace itself is open from 7am-11pm for guests). Hotel Sole near Campo dei Fiori is also good, as is Hotel Smeralda.

Hotel Sonia in Rome was great. Or the Chellini, both are in Rick's book and great places to stay. Your pacing of cities seems good. Not too rushed. You may feel like you didn't have enough time in some cities, but I always feel like that in Italy. Plan on returning.

One comment. On the day you fly out. There all sorts of methods to get to the airport. I suggest just having the hotel arrange transport via auto. It might be a private car of a friend or taxi, etc... whatever. But it sure beats the hassles of using other methods. Car arrives, hop in, arrive at your airport airline. Quick and clean. Instead of a big meal treat, that is our treat, a no hassle departure. Cost last year was about 40 Euro.