Sites to see in Venice, Florence, Rome

You are seeing all of the "big 3" in 7 days. I really doubt that a trip to Pisa in your 2 days in Florence is a good use of time. There's a lot to do in Florence. Just stay there.

Are you locked in to all 3 cities? I would really do 2 - Venice and Florence.

The tours on Viator - tours of what? Viator is not as cheap as just going somewhere and looking around. Let's say you get tickets to the Coliseum. Read the guide books, and then go. We almost never take tours. Some love them - we do not.

Joy- Could you clarify exactly how many NIGHTS you will have in each location?
To get "2 days" you need a 3 night stay.
If you only have 2 nights in Venice and Florence then you don't have 2 days to tour- you have 1.5.
Each location change eats at least half day.
If you only have 1.5 days in Florence then a trip to Pisa is taking that 1 full day away from Florence. (Train is easiest)

Viator is a reseller. Always book with the actual tour company.
Many are often recommended here- a search will bring them up.
walksofitaly.com
througheternity.com
tourguy.com

are just a few.

Venice you can visit Murano and Burano (as well as Torcello) on your own using the vaporettos. With just 1.5 days in Venice heading out to the islands will use up most of your only full day.

If you only have 7 NIGHTS in Italy you might consider skipping Florence unless you are all into art
Venice 3 nights
Rome 4 nights

Venice is so unique and Rome is so important

Most that don’t give Venice the time it deserves end up hating it
You can never have enough time in Rome
Some will tell you to spend all 7 nights there

Just a few questions: when you say 2 days in Venice, 2 days in Florence, etc. is travel time included or are those separate days. Checking in and out of hotels, taking the train and then finding your hotel can take up most of a day. Also, do you have the Rick Steves Italy guide. He usually has a special 2 page section on each of these major locations with his list of major sites. I'd buy or get one from the library and then sit down with the grandchildren and find out what they are interested in doing.
Best way to get to Murano(for glass) and Burano(for lace) is by vaporetto. They are the 'bus system' in the Venice Lagoon. My daughter and I did that and had a great day. We thought Burano was the most photogenic with its colorful houses. Our favorite thing to do in Venice was just walking around, stopping every once in a while for a coffee, gelato or glass of wine. For Rome especially you might consider hiring a personal guide. Rick lists a few in each of his guidebooks. It is a big city with lots to see and a guide would help you make the most of your time there. June can be very hot. Be sure you leave space in your schedule for stopping for a drink to cool off and relax and be sure to bring sun hats and sun screen. Finally Viator is a consolidator. They don't run the tours. I would skip Pisa this trip. That would take a day out of your Florence time. Rome2Rio suggests both bus and train, but each take at least an hour one way. Take a look at Ricks Venice, Florence and Rome tour for a suggested itinerary. I've taken that one and it was excellent. I saw SO much in 10 days and I loved not having to worry about finding hotels, getting from place to place or hiring a guide for the major sites.

Viator is a 3rd party reseller of tours and is owned by Trip Advisor. I'd use them for research and if something looks interesting the name of the provider is given, usually under "more options", lol. Book directly with the company providing the tour.

Honestly, with just 2 days (3 nights, right?) in Venice, I'm not sure I'd spend a day going to Murano but if that is a must for your group then by all means do it. I would not book a gondola ride, I'd just turn up at one of the gondola points and get one when it's convenient for you.

For Rome - use Rick's Heart of Rome walk for the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and several other interesting sights in the area. The Pantheon is free. You can easily do this one evening and stop along the way to eat dinner. I enjoy the Miscelanea for dinner which is right behind the Pantheon. I was first taken there by a Rick Steves guide in 2014 and have eaten there a couple of times including last October. In fact I'd separated from my Best of Italy group to go do stuff on my own and as I was finishing I looked up and saw my group outside with the guide pointing at the restaurant as a possibility for dinner. I laughed, waved and about half of them came on in. Great pictures on the wall of US presidents etc who have eaten there, plus they still have a pay phone installed on the wall. (Not sure if it works).

https://d3dqioy2sca31t.cloudfront.net/Projects/cms/production/000/023/487/original/8641aa9526168b2ac4cfc60dd140d7b5/heart-of-rome-walk-map.pdf

http://www.miscellaneapub.com/

I probably would not add anything to your Rome days as they look pretty full. Do the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill one day. Do the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel another day. Both are pretty exhausting areas so I'd not tack on anything big to those days.

What a fun and memorable trip for Nana/Pops and the kiddos! You'll need a vacation when you get back!

editing to add: Everyone has quicker fingers than I do today! There were no replies when I started typing, hahaha!!

Know that it will take more than 1/2 a day to change towns, so you don't have as much time as you think.

Gondolas are VERY overrated - a whole trip around the canal on the vaporetto is so much more worth it and so much cheaper and you'll see so much more.

I'd not waste precious Venice time by going to Murano - there is plenty of Murano Glass to see in Venice in very cool shops.

Know that MURANO is where the glass factories are - NOT Burano - Burano is known for colorful houses and lace. It's a different island than Murano.

You really need to buy the Rick Steves guide books for Venice Florence and Rome to learn more and he also recommends guides, etc

Viator is a 3rd party booking company - it's always best to book directly with a company instead of going thru a 3rd party like Viator.

Pisa isn't worth precious time away from Florence - UNLESS you want to take a Day Trip with a great company called WalkAboutFlorence - they have a tour called BEST OF TUSCANY - they take you to Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa - it's a great way to see 3 Tuscan towns and have a great lunch (and see Pisa if they must) - check out photos and reviews on TripAdvisor- but book online on the WalkAboutFlorence website -- we've done several of their tours over the years and they are GREAT.

I think you'll learn a lot more if you use a guide for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peters - the Colosseum & Forum - Walks of Italy does great tours -- so check them out (they also do them in Venice and Florence). Also [email protected] does great tours of Rome.

As far as Pisa goes....if it were just you we were advising I'd go with the ones that say no. BUT you are taking 18-year-olds on their first trip to Italy! If THAT is where they want to go, I'd do it. They can evaluate later in life if that was a good way to spend the day or not. Meanwhile You are taking them on a trip that will provide memories of a lifetime and even if it would not meet my definition of a fun day, it may fulfill their idea of perfection.

Spend your two days in Venice in actual Venice. Murano and Burano take about 3/4 of a day.

If you only have 7 nights, I suggest skip Florence. Spend 3 nights in Venice and 4 nights in Rome.

Edit (sorry, I was distracted by football game on TV): And if Pisa is a "must do", you might consider a quick visit on your way from Venice to Rome. Venice to Pisa will take at least 3.5 hours by train. You could store luggage at the train station and spend couple hours in Pisa. A lot of visitors just do the quick stop to take a few touristy photos of themselves holding up the Tower and then leave. Then you could pick up your luggage and take a late afternoon train from Pisa to Rome, about 2.5 hours. This is all very rushed, but you save on losing a night to an extra stop and an additional hotel checkin and checkout. Good luck.

Yes, Venice and Rome only. The train stops at SM Novella in Florence, baggage drop [deposito bagagli] on Platform 16. Take the "Introduction Walk" below.

"And if Pisa is a must do, you can do a day trip from Rome."

Incorrect, it's from Florence, one hour on the train. Venice to Rome train time 3:45.

Self-guided walks here:

https://www.gpsmycity.com/

Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions! You're the best!!
Joy