Opinions/suggestions on first time travel to Italy (itinerary)

We did Venice - Cinque Terre - Florence - Rome in a two week trip and it was fast paced, so YES you need to drop locations or you will be spending the entire time on a train.

If you are flying from the US and have not flown to Europe before, be aware that most flights leave in the afternoon or evening and arrive in Europe on the next day, so you essentially lose 1.5-2 days to travel getting there. Coming back to the US it's usually one pretty long day, especially if you are headed to the West Coast. Next thing to plan for is that each time you change locations it will probably take 1/2 a day to check out of your hotel get to the airport or train station, actually travel, then get to your hotel at your destination. Currently you are thinking 7 destinations for 14 days. Three of those days will be used in travel to/from Europe so that leaves 11 days for actual time on the ground, which is why most will recommend you pare down your plan. Also consider your plan by nights, knowing 2 nights in one place just gives you 1 full day.

Here is what I would do if you want to see Paris:

Day 1: Fly to Paris
Day 2: Arrive in Paris
3/4: Stay in Paris
5: Fly EasyJet or another airline to Venice
6/7: Venice
8: Take a train to Florence
9/10: Florence
11: Take a train to Rome
12/13: Rome
14: Depart Rome

If other cities have a priority then you will need to drop something else.

If you have a little more than 14 days you could also consider Rick's 14 day Best of Europe tour which gives you a smaller taste of more places. It's easier for a tour to move faster and cover more territory than for you to do it on your own. I would still want to arrive in Paris a couple of days ahead and add time in Rome at the end.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-14-days

Or you could consider Heart of Italy which covers 3 of your destinations in Italy in 11 days (plus a couple you haven't listed) and perhaps you could add some time in Paris at the end.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/heart-italy

Have fun planning!

Jenny, I'm afraid that I'm going to vote with the others that you have too many places on your list, and will be spending much too much valuable time you could be sightseeing on packing, unpacking, checking in and out and sitting on trains and planes. I do realize that we all travel differently but for what it costs to go to Europe, I'd rather be spending my time and money on having fun than just getting to the next place.

Pam has given you a good idea on the reality of what your time may boil down to if you remove just two locations, and that doesn't leave very much for the 4 which are left. Does your 14 days include your flights to and from Europe? And what time of year will you be traveling?

Perfect plan by Pam.
An extra day or two in Paris if you can.

You can do all of those in 2 weeks as long as you don't mind changing cities every 2 days. I did the thing just swapping Siena for Paris and Lake Como for Amalifi coast. We changed towns every 2 days except Rome which was 3 days and I didn't mind it all.

I agree with the others. Paris-Venice-Florence-Rome will be a very good trip where you aren't rushed too much. Depending on the time of year, the CT and Amalfi Coast might have bad weather. Fly from Paris to Venice (use skyscanner.net to find a flight). Take the high speed train from Venice to Florence (2 1/2 hours) and from Florence to Rome (1 1/2 hours). There are two train companies that have these routes - trenitalia.com or itlaotreno.it. Trenitalia has more frequent trains but you might get a better price on Italo. You can buy your tickets up to 120 days in advance for a significant savings. If you do decide to buy in advance, keep in mind that the ticket is usually non-refundable so you are locked into a specific train/time. Also, if you buy in advance, create an account on whichever train website you choose to go with. That way, you can always find your tickets. There have been horror stories on these boards where people buy tickets and then can't find the e-mail with the PNR, or worse yet, they never received it!

Just reading Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome brings tears to my eyes. I love these 4 places so much. You are truly blessed.

In Venice may I suggest a great place called Margaret DuChamp. It is a bar in Campo Santa Margherita. I sat outside and had Spritz Aperol with a bowl of potato chips on a few different evenings. Fantastic!

Thank you, everyone, for all the great advice! This gives me a much better perspective. I appreciate your time!

I must agree with the others. I would want to spend my vacation in a city, not on a train.

Paris-Venice-Florence-Rome sounds the best. Remember you can always come back!