Torn about our days in Italy

You really don't have enough time to add an overnight to the CT. It takes a few hours to get to CT from Florence and even longer to get from the CT to Rome. You'll waste most of an entire day just traveling. I would spend the three nights in Florence, four nights in rome and two nights in Venice. Even that is not enough time to hit the highlights but it's more time than the alternative Donna

Keith, It would help to have some idea how important each place is to you (between Rome and the Cinque Terre). A few thoughts..... Rome is an incredible city with so MUCH to see and LOTS of history. Even 3 days won't be enough to do more than just scratch the surface. The C.T. is a more rustic area with no Museums or other attractions of that type. The area itself (A UNESCO World Heritage site) IS the "Museum" in a way. The pace of life is more relaxed and it's a great place to "recharge batteries" after strenuous touring in other areas. You could certainly add one night in the Cinque Terre, which may provide your group with a bit of a "breather" in the middle of your holiday. If you decide to do that I would strongly suggest that you get something booked SOON! At this late date, you may have to take what you can get and adjust your budget accordingly. If you decide to skip one day in Rome, you should be able to cover the highlights if you plan carefully. I'm assuming you'll want to visit the Colosseum, the Forum and the Vatican? Transportation between each place isn't all that difficult. From Florence to the Cinque Terre (using La Spezia as an example) will be a short as 2H:10M. It's only a few minutes from there to whichever C.T. town you choose to stay. Transportation from the C.T. to Rome is also not hard. There are a few direct trains (no changes) every day from La Spezia, with a travel time of about 3H:45M. For example, there's a departure at 08:07, arriving Roma Termini at 11:50. The next direct train is at 10:07, arriving 14:16. You can easily get from the town you're staying to La Spezia in a few minutes (but you'll have to check the schedules, as the trains stop in some of the towns at irregular intervals). Cheers!

You already have a pretty quick-moving trip, and to add in the Cinque Terre would add hours of travel time (vs. enjoying-your-vacation time). Only you can decide if that tradeoff is worth it to you.

Keith, The Cinque Terre is an absolute jewel of a place. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to everyone. However, looking at your itinerary, I would leave the Cinque Terre for another trip. First, since it is not on the main rail routes, and is a little out of the way, the schedule is limited. Thus, it will take more time to get there. Once you got there, you will have no time to enjoy what the CT has to offer. Second, to really enjoy the CT, you will need at least 2 days/nights there. The CT is a place to slow down your itinerary and just settle into. It's charm is the people, the picturesque scenery and getting to enjoy un touristy Italian culture. By adding this to your trip, you will rush the rest of your trip without getting to enjoy beauty of the Cinque Terre. I spent 3 nights there and regret not spending more time there.

It's all a matter of personal preference... unless you plan to return to Italy specifically to visit CT if it were me I would take advantage of it while I was there. You have then hit a number of the highlights of Italy and can decide if you want to return. I would prefer a day in CT or Tuscany to an extra day in Rome, but I prefer smaller, less chaotic places and love nature and the Sea, so CT is perfect for that kind of a break.... and yes, they all deserve more time... you just have to go with what is available.(All city travel for me is too much)... when Italy calls, it is the Tuscan villages or the CT.

Keith: You really need to check your maps to see where the cities lay in relation to each other. Your trip would be more efficient if you'd flown into Rome FCO. Going into Florence, your itinerary should be in the following order: Evening in Florence Florence Full Day Florence Full Day Train to Rome in morning. Afternoon in Rome Rome Full Day Rome Full Day Train to Venice Venice Full Day Venice Full Day Night Train to Vienna The Cinque Terre is far to the northwest, and should be saved for your next trip.
You're going to find the night train Venice to Vienna difficult. Unless you take the long, long route through Innsbruck, the trip will require being offloaded to a bus before getting back on another train for the ride into Vienna. The Alps are in between the two cities. And flights between the two cities are very expensive.

I agree with Terry Kathryn. It depends on whether big cities energize or overwhelm you. I much prefer lovely scenery to crowds of people, and I think a day in CT would be a nice break between the two cities.

David, We fly into London on June 21st. Then train to Paris, then Lucerne, then Florence, then Rome, then Venice, then Vienna and then fly back home. That route we took seemed the most efficient. It also took into account we could use disney vacation club points to stay in Paris and Vienna to keep cost down and to use points before we loose them. My wife also hates to fly. So from Chicago to London is just about the shortest trip to get us to Europe. Then believe it or not she feels better having a stop between Vienna and Chicago in London. She prefers landing and taking off again rather than a longer flight.

You might want to consider skipping CT and adding a day to Rome. Also, consider 5 or 6 nights in Rome and just take a day trip to Florence. It's an easy day trip. You might even decide to skip Florence and save it for your return trip. There is so much to see and do in Rome.