Time to spend in cities without museums

I haven't been to all the places you mention, but I think Venice merits a third night. I know others will disagree. It has more to offer than museums. It's a great city for lingering in. In fact, we were so tired of museums by the time we got there that the only one we went to was St. Mark's Basilica. The whole city is a museum, and wandering the back streets is fun. Two nights is fine if that is all you can give it, though. If you go to Florence, don't miss the David in the Accademia museum. In fact, if you are not a museum person and want only one to go to in Florence, I'd pick that over the Uffizi. The David is not to be missed in my book, and the museum is small and manageable. Be sure to book ahead of time for that and/or the Uffizi (also fabulous).

Yes, thanks Christina - that's exactly the kind of thing I've been wondering about. Definitely I want to see the David, and I was not aware you need reservations for that. I am just starting to plan the trip. Every guide book talks about the number of days you need to see all the museums, and I would rather see the country. When I went to England years ago, we were so excited to see cathedrals, but after awhile they all blend together. I learned that, like Rick Steves says, what you remember most about your trip are the people you meet and the experiences you have!

I plan my trips by the number of nights (not days) in a place. So two nights in a location is only one full day (the first night is your travel day). If you string too many two-night stops together, you're traveling every other day. Some people enjoy that pace, some don't. You'll need to decide where you fit. You really can't fit in all of the places you mentioned in a 2 week trip, and enjoy it. So you'll need to do lots of research. Do you have the Rick Steves Italy book? It would be extremely helpful. Here's one potential itinerary: Fly into Venice (3 nights). Train to Florence (1 night). Pick up car outside of Florence (you'll need to learn all about the dreaded ZTL zones) and base yourself in Tuscany for 3 nights. Train to Sorrento (3 nights). Train to Rome (3 nights) and fly home from there. If you actually have 14 nights, add one night somewhere. You didn't mention when you are traveling. If it's in winter, you may want to skip Amalfi Coast and add that time to the others. There's a group of Rick Steves helpline readers/contributors who meet the 3rd Saturday of every month at 10 am at Panera Bread in Aspen Grove Shopping Center (Santa Fe & Mineral). If you have time on July 20, we'd love to have you join us. I think you could pick up some helpful information from people who have been there.

Yes, reserving is recommended for the Uffizi and Accademia (and also I think the Borghese in Rome) because otherwise you wait in a ticket line for up to two hours. Not a good use of time. I also booked into the Vatican in advance, but the Ron in Rome website (google it since I have only heard about it here) has detailed recommendations about the best days and times to get in there.

I had been to Italy a number of times and not visited Rome, and while I have now been there a few times, it is not the part of Italy that I love and long for. I am glad I spent some time there, but in the summer was hot, overcrowded, and chaotic. My favorite places in Italy are the villages of Tuscany, Lake Como, CT, and Venice. I would do 3 nites in Venice and possibly an afternoon trip from there to Burano. If you stay in a village in Tuscany you can do a day trip to Florence and do the 'required' museum and return to your little village for a quiet evening. I much prefer finding obscure little places on my own and enjoying the vineyards, the culture, the food and the people of Italy. I don't mind if I miss a lot of the must see historical sights, because I love my trips and much prefer the countryside and scenery to the cities, so I make sure that is where I spend the majority of my time.

Maureen, I've been to Italy about 10 times now. 8 of those on bike tours....we avoided the big cities, except when we arrived or departed. I did spend 5 days in Rome with my daughter, and we are going back in October for 5 days in Florence. We never rent a car, but always take buses or trains. Usually out of 14 days, we are on the bike in the countryside for 10 of those days... I'd recommend 2 nights in Florence if you really want to see it. I'd highly recommend you climb to the top of either the Duomo or the Bell tower for a fantastic view and pictures of Florence and the surrounding countryside. Since you've decided to stay north in Italy (good choice with only 14 days) Venice is the only other "big" city that warrants at least 2 nights. Italy to me is all about the small hilltops towns, we've been to so many, and there are so many more to explore! With a car, you will have lots of freedom to get around and can cover lots of miles in a day.

if you like architecture don't miss EUR district in rome

Based in large part on this forum, I have decided to change our plans and trim them down. I will cut out Rome and Amalfi and Pompeii altogether and concentrate on northern Italy this time. I will post a new topic for suggestions on that. Thanks for the help! Also, Charlene, I will not be in town on the 20th of this month, but am very glad to hear about the Rick Steves forum group in Aspen Grove, and hopefully can go next month - thanks for the invite!

Is there a particular era of architecture that you are most interested in? Rome has it all and being guided towards various churches and palaces, etc., may help you track them down. I'm often happiest in a city when I am on a treasure hunt, looking for particular buildings or artifacts, rather than blindly following a walk planned by somebody else or going to the usual tourist haunts. That's how I'm happiest in London, Paris, Rome, Venice and Rome and Venice. The last two get two mentions each because an architecture treasure hunt there is almost always much more rewarding than anywhere else.

Well, Nigel, I really just enjoy all types of buildings and architecture. I am just not too big on spending hours in art museums. I do enjoy more interactive museums, like natural history museums, and I do like sculptures. Generally, I just enjoy being with local people and having local experiences more than museums. I did just go to the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, which was great, and I highly recommend that. But I've been to Vegas many times, so didn't mind spending hours in a museum there!