Mother/daughter trip - 7 nights - Rome/Florence/Cinque Terre?

I think those 3 stops are doable in a week. Head directly to Cinque Terre on Monday. There are some direct trains from Roma Termini to La Spezia. Stay in Cinque Terre Monday and Tuesday nights, giving you a full day to explore. Head to Florence on Wednesday morning and stay 3 nights. Then head to Rome on Saturday morning for your last 2 nights before returning home. Make your reservations in Cinque Terre first as those may be the most difficult when booking only 2 months ahead.

Four cities in 7 nights is too much (Rome-Florence-CT-Rome). Changing towns takes about 1/2 your sightseeing day, so you'll be burning precious time being in transit so much. Maybe land in Rome and head to Florence for 4 nights, then back to Rome for the remainder.

I have been to Florence twice for a week and twice for a day or two. You can spend the whole week there and not see everything. Same goes for Rome, I have been there twice for a week and three times for a few days. I have not seen it all.

I think you already answered your question that it really is too much to do in only 7 days and with travel time, checking in and out of hotels, getting to and from train stations, having time to walk every where, go into musuems, go into shops, have a gelato, have a drink on the piazza. Italy is wonderful and it has slow service so that you enjoy where you are. The museums are top notch and not to be missed. Reserations are needed for major museums. Have you bought the RS Florence or Rome or italy books which tell you where to go, what to see, what museums you need to make reservations for.

Since you are going to fly in and out of Rome I would spend most of my time in Rome and look to see what day trip you can take from Rome. Have you made your hotel reservations??

Even though it will be very warm, make sure that you don't wear sleevless tops or low cut tops or shorts in churches, as they are strict on a dress code. Are you going to the Vatican? Have you made your reservations for the Vatican? There are tons of churches to visit in both Florence and Rome.

If it is a must to see Florence, you may be able to do it in a day or two and take the train to Florence which is very easy to do.

I have tons of information if you want to PM ( private message me). I love Rome and Florence and they are not cities to be rushed as there is so much to see. Both are open air museums meaning the cities are amazing and even if you did not step into a museum or church there is so much to see on the streets!!!!

As for being careful, no knapsacks on your back, keep your guard up for pick pockets and don't walk around looking at your cell phone. And wear good soled shoes as there is tons of cobble stoned streets.

Have a great time!!

Hi, I agree with others about heading directly to CT...work your way back to Rome for last couple of nights..it is going to be HOT so make sure you get in some beach time in Cinque Terre ( 2 nights) for your jet lagged first day or two...then head to Florence for 2 nights, last 2 in Rome...Rome is massive and one could spend a lifetime there, but summer is not a great time to be there...if the Vatican is a must see than stay 3 in Rome 2 in Florence. For a first trip for your daughter, I would not go too far off beaten path in one week...but as mentioned, relax in the CT get to the beach, don't just hike and think that you have to see everything!

As for safety, I always recommend a " bra stash" for women, google it...this is where I keep my most used credit card and a few hundred Euros in large bills, I keep about 60 Euro in a safe front pocket or zippered front shirt pocket, never in my bag and the rest goes under my pants in a waist passport pouch. I never leave any money passport etc in my hotel room or safe...I cannot believe how many people do this! LOL Pack the cheapo $10 flat style water shoes for beaches, and just leave them behind when you are done...the beaches are rocky and the local sizes may not fit or shops can sell out of these essential items quickly...

I stayed in the Piazza Navona area for easy walking access to Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pizza Navona itself and a few other sights...we only took the metro to go to the Collosseum and The Vatican. I recommend the same for Florence...city center not across the river or far flung hotels...Enjoy!

Justme, realistically you have 6 full days in Italy. Arrival day is a partial, and would be all but lost by the time you'd get through immigration, get into Rome for a train to the CT - a 4-hour or more (jet-lagged) trip - and get checked in.

With that amount of time - and if this is your first trip to Italy - I'd focus on Florence and Rome. You can catch a train to Florence from Rome that can have you there in 90 minutes: I'd do that on arrival day. Spend Monday - Thursday nights there (3 full days+ one partial) and take a train to Rome on Friday for your last 3 nights/2.5 days.

You could take one of your full days in Florence to day-trip to Siena or Lucca: those will take less time to get to/from than the Cinque Terre.

Even the highlights of Rome require 2 full days (ie. 3 nights).

With just 7 nights I would probably limit myself to Florence and Rome, but if you wanted to include Cinque Terre ...
June
19. Arrive Rome. Train to Florence (3 nights)
22. Early departure for Cinque Terre (1 night)
23. Late departure for Rome (3nights)
26. Depart Rome

I agree that you don't have as much time as you think. Your departure day probably includes a morning flight? So that day is lost.

If you must go to Cinque Terre, go there as soon as you arrive for 2 nights. Then 2-3 nights Firenze, the rest in Roma.

It can be done, but with your limited amount of time you might want to consider only two cities. My reasoning is that it almost always takes longer to go from one place to another than anticipated. Even if things go smoothly. You want memories of places, people, and things as opposed to memories of train stations. Don't mean to be a wet blanket, just food for thought.

I, too, would concentrate just on Florence and Rome. However, I must acknowledge, CT is not even close to being on my bucket list. If you are into views, and that's why CT is on your list, I suggest Rome/Naples/Almalfi Coast. However, that would not be my suggestion. Florence is one of my favorite cities and I have spent quite a bit of time there...pre-crowds of today. And six full days, especially with teenager's desire to sleep late, should consist of no more than two cities in order to adjust your routine to traveling with said teenager...and I'd spend most in Florence.

More people can afford to go to Europe than ever before and I think they are all going. You have chosen to go to three of the busiest tourist spots during the busiest time of the year. Even in the middle of December we found Rome and Florence crowded.

Have you been to Disney World in the summer? It will be similar, where you stand in line for 45 minutes for a 3 minute ride. In addition to the normal US, Australian and Asian crowd, a lot of Europeans, especially Germans and Austrians head to Italy in June. Add to that all the cruise lines who stop at CT and all the things that made the area charming 20 years ago are buried under a mass of tourists.

I have a radical suggestion. Try to find one of the smaller towns in Tuscany or Umbria that's on the bus line. You could use it as a home base and explore other towns in the region on the bus line. If you choose wisely, a town no more than an hour by bus from Florence, you could even do a day trip into town. No, you won't be able to check off as many of the major sites this way, but you'll see what I consider is the real charm of Italy.

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful replies. We've made our decisions and booked our rooms (very easily via Airbnb). Even though we know it's a lot, we've decided to head straight for the coast and do:
2 nights in Riomaggiore; 2 nights in Florence; 3 nights in Rome.

It's going to be busy, but for my daughter's first time there she wanted to make the most of it, knowing full well we won't see nearly everything. It will be a taste, and it will be great. Thanks again!

Sounds like an awesome mother-daughter trip to me! We are going in 2 weeks and I also have a very ambitious itinerary (4 places in 10 days!) including your places (with 2 nights in Naples-for Pompeii and Amalfi). It will be crazy and exhausting but I am super excited and I think it will be really fun-just like your trip! Have a blast! My advice is to watch all the Rick Steves videos about Italy-my kids (11 and almost 14) love them and they help us get ideas for excursions/tours and help build excitement!

Just make sure that you both sleep on the plane...first time jetlag for your daughter will be a surprise! Hydrate and enjoy that quick trip...and I am sure that you will be back for MORE! :)

Your itinerary sounds ambitious, but doable. Do your research. Know exactly where you are going and how you are going to get there. Missing connections and messing around in stations wastes time and wears you out. Make SURE you reserve any museums in Florence or Rome -- otherwise you will wait perhaps hours in lines, or give up completely.

Don't freak out about safety. I just returned from two weeks in Italy solo and I never once felt unsafe. Keep your wits about you, don't look like lost tourists, keep your belongings zipped away and walk confidently. Watch out for shifty people, for sure, but other than pickpockets, Italy is pretty safe.
I'm glad you're going to stay in the CT. I love Vernazza and first went there in the summer of 1994 and again in February last year. It's changed dramatically, but still quite charming if you can actually relax and spend time there instead of just checking a box that you were there.

Have fun!