Seven days in Italy

Milan, Florence, Amalfi coast, Rome and Munich in 7 days is impossible. That's less than a day in each when you add travel. I would pick two cities and spend the time there with enough time to get back to Munich. Travel takes more time than you realize and if you try to see all 5 places listed you'll spend the majority of your time checking into/out of hotels, getting to/from the train station, waiting on trains and riding on trains. There will be very little time left for visiting the cities listed.

Donna

Not gonna happen. Pick two places and split the time between them.

You could likely take a flight to/from Munich and gain some more sightseeing time.
Skyscanner.com is a great place to start looking for budget flights to and from Munich. Often they are cheaper (or equal in price) and faster than the train rides between long distances.

If I had 7 days I would probably do the following:

Fly from Munich to Venice (stay 2 nights)
AM Train to Florence (2 nights)
Train from Florence to Rome (3 nights)
On day 7 fly from Rome to Munich

Daytrip to Pompeii is possible from Rome, and easily done but you will probably decide there is plenty to do in Rome. I wouldn't recommend it for your short stay.

Although I dearly love Milan, I don't think I'd recommend it for a trip like this as its a bit off the main Venice, Florence, Rome track. There is more to see in these 3 cities and you'll get more sightseeing "value" by sticking to just 2-3 cities.

Fly into Florence. Spend three nights. Rent a car and tour Tuscany staying in a Hilltown. Return car to Florence and fly home.

I agree with picking 2 cities only, otherwise all you are going to see is the inside of a train.

If Leonardo's Last Supper is a priority and you can get tickets, you can spend one night in Milano, train to Firenze the next day, two nights there. Train to Roma, three nights. You will have to choose among Roma, Firenze, the Amalfi Coast and Venezia, I think. Distances from point A to point B take longer than they appear to on paper.

Looks like their will be some issues with long lines at FCO, so look into that. I love to do whirwind trips, but all these locations would make my head spin. I think Zoe has a good plan...
although you would be missing one of my favorite parts of Italy... the Tuscan countryside (and Venice)... too much to see, too little time, but whatever you do, at least give it a few days to enjoy.

Be sure about those night trains... I would not do it, I would fly, but I don't want to go without sleep:)

Don't make the mistake of trying to jam in as much as possible into those seven days. I agree with all the previous posters -- pick a couple of towns and that's all. After all, do you really want to say you were in Italy but didn't enjoy yourself because you were rushing from attraction to attraction to train station, etc? Besides, summer in Italy can be brutally hot, and you'll spend far more time in lines at different places than you can imagine. Don't you want a chance to enjoy La Dolce Vita -- sipping a glass of wine with some antipasti, seated on a terrace somewhere with a view or enjoying a gelato while seated on the Spanish steps in Rome, watching the evening passegiata? Assume you will come back to Italy some other time to finish your proposed itinerary.

joan,

I agree with the others that it's going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to visit all the places you listed in a seven day time frame. The first thing to scratch off the list is the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii as transportation is more limited there, so that's just not going to work if coming from Munich.

I also agree that it would be best to pick two places and work with those. Keep in mind that transportation to and from Munich will require the better part of a day each, and since you have to return to Munich for one night prior to your flight home, that uses another day.

My suggestion would be to focus on Milan and Florence. A few thoughts......

• Munich to Milan - No need to use a night train. I'd probably use a departure at 09:38, arriving 16:55 (time 7H:17M, 1 change at Verona Porta Nuova). That's a bit of a long ride, but quite enjoyable, especially through the Brenner Pass.
• Milan Hotel - there are some nice hotels within easy walking distance to Milano Centrale, which makes transportation very easy.
• Milan to Florence - that's an easy one. Take a direct Freccia high speed train from Milano Centrale to Firenze SMN (1H:40M). An 11:15 departure would allow you to have a leisurely breakfast and still get to Florence in time for some sightseeing before dinner.
• Time disposition - I'd suggest spending minimal time in Milan and focus mostly on Florence. While there you could also take a day trip to Siena or Lucca, which are both very easy (Florence to Siena is a quick trip by Bus, about 1 hour each way).
• Florence to Munich - one of the shortest solutions is a departure at 11:00, arriving 18:26 (time 7H:26M, 1 change at Bologna Centrale). There are many other departures, but these are either longer or have more changes.

If you haven't travelled by train in Italy before, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. If you need further information, post another note.

Italy is best done at a "slow pace". Go for quality and not quantity.

Consider Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii. I was there a couple of weeks ago, and it was almost deserted at mid-day except for a couple of groups of schoolkids on field trips. The stone pine trees provide shade almost everywhere, making Ostia a much more pleasant and stress-free experience compared to Pompeii. One Rome Metro ticket gets you there from the city center in half an hour. Ostia v. Pompeii = 90% of the experience for 10% of the hassle. Not a bad trade-off if time is limited.

See Rick's video segment on Ostia Antica here, beginning at the 18:00 mark of the video.

I would perhaps figure in Venice again but drop Milan and the Amalfi Coast/Pompeii.
Day 1 Munich - Venice
Day 2 Venice
Day 3 Venice to Florence
Day 4 Florence
Day 5 Florence to Rome
Day 6 Rome
Day 7 Fly Rome to Munich

Venice-Florence-Rome is the high speed Italian rail corridor where travelling is very fast and frequent.

I am so impressed with all the suggestions, and am considering the merits of each one...as that was the reason for my question. Thank you, thank you all so very much! I knew seasoned travelers were the best to ask!

joan,

The suggestion from djp to substitute Venice for Milan is a good one, although if you're set on seeing The Last Supper that may not work. I wouldn't suggest making a detour to Rome as IMO you won't really have time to see much there, so that would best be left for another trip.