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NE Italy Itinerary for 11 days & Lead time Q

Posted by on

Seeking guidance on an 11-day itinerary to Northern Italy, either in/out of Venice or in Rome/out of Venice. Are there any top Travel Forum posts I should review? Husband/wife in 30s new to Italy seeking a mix of adventure/tours and downtime in small towns.

Is three months lead time doable to make accommodations/reservations? We are considering late May/early June however I fear that's bullish to plan everything. Is May/June just as busy as late Aug/September? Seems like it could be comparable.

We are considering ~3-4 days in Venice, Lake Como, Cinque Terra and somewhere in Tuscany but open to other locations, especially curious on which small towns to stay in. Should we try to stick with 3 general locations with a potential overnight? I'll be reviewing the travel forum and Rick's videos to get a 'feel' for the cities/towns.

Thank you!

Posted by
5657 posts

Based on posts here, there's significant pent-up demand for European travel this year. Have you checked availability for lodging in May/June? That may guide your planning. You probably have a better chance to have a choice for accommodations in the fall. August is very hot, so if you have the flexibility, plan on later September, when it should cool off a bit.
If you stayed in northern Italy, you could fly into Venice and out of Milan. Three locations is good for 11 days- is that 11 nights actually in Italy?
I'd suggest reviewing the posts from the last several months under the Italy section here on the Forum.
Have fun planning!

Posted by
1153 posts

Hello lmeyers7,

I would recommend sketching out the number of nights you have, where you sleep each night and the time spent travelling between places. This should help put the amount of time you have into perspective.
My biggest tips are:
- Remember that changing locations comes with time to pack, check out, travel with luggage and then check-in at a new place so minimize the number of changes you make.
- I would never stay only one night somewhere unless it is for transportation reasons (eg the night before you fly out). Staying only one night someplace does not give you a full day but instead to partial days which is not the same.

With 11 or 12 nights I would choose 3 or 4 places at most and concentrate on those. The classic first Italian "Big 3" visit is Venice, Florence (with Tuscany day trip) and Rome. But your interests should dictate your own schedule and choice of stays.

From the places you've mentioned Lake Como is visited through Milan so into Venice and out of Milan would make the most sense. Lake Garda is close to Venice if you want to experience the lakes but stay nearer to Venice. CT is all the way on the Western coast and somewhat south and out of the way to visit so again would be closest Milan. Or Pisa of if flying out of Pisa works for you.

There have recently been several threads about making schedules in this timeframe so I would look for those and read all that advice.

Narrow your choices and come on back for specific advice,
=Tod

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