Rome-Venice-Cinque Terre

I would suggest that the easiest schedule with Mum along would be Venice/CT/Rome/Amsterdam. The reason is that you should be able to get much better flights to Amsterdam from Rome than from Venice or Pisa. As for length of stay, I would suggest Venice 3 nights. Arrive on Day 1 and depart on the morning of Day 4. Trip to CT will take about 5.0-6.0hrs. 3 nights in the CT. Again, you arrive in the afternoon of Day 4 and depart in the morning of Day 7. Rome 3 nights (7,8 9). Again same story. On the morning of Day 10, you fly to Amsterdam. 3 nights in Amsterdam. www.easyjet.com makes the flight non-stop for about 90Euro. Note that Easyjet is a budget airline and they are really stiff on luggage sizes and weights so you have to carefully read their travel conditions and extra fee schedules. Alternatively, KLM will fly you there as well but the fares are a lot higher. It's a nice full-service airline. If you must end up in Venice, you may have to go to Milan Malpensa to get a good non-stop flight to Amsterdam. With other budget airlines from Venice, you may have to change planes along the way. KLM may make that run as well.

Hi, Thanks for the quick reply!!! I just had an idea... What if I do Rome -> Venice -> Cinque Terre ...then from Cinque Terre I just take a train to Florence and fly to Amsterdam from there? Because Rome to Venice is relatively quick, there should be more fast trains available. Then Cinque Terre to Florence is much nearer.
This might cut down my travelling time by quite a bit because Venice -> Cinque Terre -> Rome has two very long journeys that can only be made during the day and with 2-3 train transfers right?

Joyce, the Florence airport is the smallest of any discussed thus far. That's why I didn't mention it. Not a lot of great flight out of there. However, you could travel just a little bit longer and fly out of Milan Malpensa. Lots of great flights out of there. It's the largest airport in Norther Italy.

So will Venice/CT/Rome/Amsterdam be better....or Rome/Venice/CT/Milan M/Amsterdam be better?

Joyce, I agree with Larry that travelling Venice > Cinque Terre > Rome > Amsterdam would likely be better because of flight availability. A few comments...... > Venice - 2 or 3 days would be good, depending on what you want to see. > Cinque Terre - the train ride from Venice will take a minimum of about 5.5 hours, with at least 2 changes. Which of the five towns were you planning to stay in? I'd suggest getting accommodations booked SOON! I'd suggest 2 or 3 days, again depending on your plans. > Rome - there are a few direct trains each day from La Spezia to Rome with a travel time of about 3H:45M (as well as other trains with changes). The trip from the five C.T. towns to La Spezia is very easy. At least 3-4 days in Rome is advisable, as there's LOTS to see. > Travel to Amsterdam - you might consider an EasyJet flight. There are departures at 06:15 and 15:55 (flight time ~2H:30M). Price will vary depending on when you book. Be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully, especially relating to luggage. Note that they only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger, of the approved size (and they WILL check). Take the Leonardo Express from Roma Termini to FCO for your flight. If you haven't used trains in Italy before, there are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of. Tickets on Regionale trains MUST be validated, or you'll face a hefty fine. Travel on Freccia and other premium trains requires compulsory reservations. Those without reservations for the train they're riding on will again face hefty fines. Happy travels!

Hi Ken.....any recommendations where to stay in Cinque Terre? :) And Rome and Venice while you're at it please :P

Another itinerary would be Rome-Venice (fast train)-C/T-Milan. EasyJet also flies out of Milan Malpensa to Amsterdam. They're the preferred European budget airline for most people.
My mother would have never afforded European budget airlines, as she never learned how to travel with one 21" rolling suitcase. She was a world traveler, and a back breaker.

Joyce, Everyone here has their favourite town of the five in the Cinque Terre. My preference is Monterosso (the most northern town). Have a look at the following website for a list of hotels, restaurants, etc.: http://www.rebuildmonterosso.com/p/visitors-information.html My favourite hotel is Villa Steno, but their sister property, Hotel Pasquale is also great. If you have a generous budget, you could also consider La Torreta in Manarola or Hotel Porta Roca in Monterosso (it's at the far end of the old town, but they can arrange a Taxi from the station AFAIK). For Rome you could try Hotel Sonya or Hotel Aberdeen, which are both in the vicinity of Termini station. There are good hotels in various parts of Rome. Check the excellent www.roninrome.com website for lots of good information. For Venice you might try Pension Guerrato. I'm sure the others will have lots of great suggestion also. Cheers!

do you guys think i need a guide to take me around Cinque Terre for the day?