Two Week Itinerary in Early May: How Many Stops is Reasonable?

Personally that would be too much for me, not enough time to really experience some wonderful places that deserve more time. I'd do Rome 4 days, Florence 3 days and Venice at least 2 full days, then if you have at least 3 more days do one of the other places. Either Cinque Terra or Naples/Sorrento/AC.

I know some people enjoy just one or 2 night stands and spending a huge chunk of their time on buses or trains, but I'm not one of them. Personally, after looking at some of the itineraries I've seen Rick recommend for independant travellers, I've wondered what he's been smoking. If this is your first time, start in Venice and work your way south. Pick either CT or Sorrento/Amalfi, but not both. See Siena as a day trip from Florence. And book a multicity ticket into Venice and home from either Rome or Naples.

We've travelled slowly and quickly and it really depends on our interests. You'll need to decide what interests you and how long it will take to see those sites. We spent 5 days in Rome on our first trip, 5 in Venice our 2nd trip and then 2 weeks in Sorrento for our 3rd trip. It worked well for us. I'm amused by the Rick Steves advice about 2 days here and one day there, but then also says to plan a trip like you'll be back which suggests you should linger longer in places that interest you.

Hi and welcome! What month are you planning this trip? Summer is very busy, hot and I would suggest skipping southern Italy, Pompeii will be scorching, and the poor transport in the AC would make '3 days' including travel, very difficult.

I've come to see Rick's views as those of his tours- Where meals, hotels etc are all arranged and you sit back and let Rick's excellent guides do the work. Unless you REALLY like just seeing places as you drive by, I would double his estimate. And I would NEVER go to Rome for only a few days. Jeez. I've introduced my hubby to Rome the past few winters, each trip was EIGHT days and we didn't go anywhere else, just for a comparison. We saw some amazing, empty museums, yep in Rome. Because 99% of visitors never get beyond the Big 3 - Vatican, Forum & Colosseum. Basically there were only Italians in the 'Roman' museums we visited! This place was glorious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6g75E6Lzls&t=112s.

Does 13 days include arrival and departure days? That would mean it's really 11 days on the ground. I would consider flying into Venice and out of Rome (multi leg, you can see those if you look closely at airline website, or better yet use Google Flights). Each time you move, it takes 1/2 a day to pack, get to train, take train, get to hotel, and figure out where you want to eat. So for me, 3 places would be the maximum. Take day trips if you need more variety!

We don't really know anything about what you'd like to do - do you have any passions like ancient history, just hanging out and having delightful meals, walking food tours, hiking, etc? There are so many options! I'd suggest seeing Venice, Florence (which is a GEM, perhaps a day trip to Siena, which is lovely) and Rome. Most people on the Forum adore Venice, I loved Siena, smaller and good for a day away.

Here's some videos to get you excited! https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/florentine-delights-and-tuscan-side-trips. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/tv-specials/rome-eternally-engaging-tv-special

Depends on so many things, the main ones being your taste, and if you think you will return to Italy. I have been lucky enough to take things slow and visit multiple times. Therefore, from my perspective, I would suggest 3 stops. Provided that you have not included travel days I would suggest 4 days in Venice, 4 in Florence, and 5 in Rome. Also, look at a multi-city flight booking. E.g., fly into Venice, then go to Florence, finally to Rome, and fly back from there. You can do day trips to several more places from these bases if you like.

Welcome to the forum! I love Italy and have been there several times. I move locations very often - faster than most here in the forum. Since you have two weeks, and it’s your first trip, I’m going to give you the link to the trip where I brought my adult daughter for her first trip to Italy in 2022. This was our itinerary with two cities that purposely got away from the tourist crowds. She had a fantastic time!

Fly into Venice.
Venice - 3 nights
Ferrara - 2 nights (day trip to Ravenna)
Florence-2 nights
Salerno - 2 nights (day trip to Paestum Greek temples)
Amalfi - 3 nights (afternoon ferry to Positano)
Rome - 2 nights
Fly home from Rome

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/mother-adult-daughter-italy-trip-aug-sept-2022

I think that many stops in 13 days would be too quick. I'd start with 3 nights each in Venice Florence and Rome, then add nights/towns according to your interests. If your 13 days are actually 13 nights, you could add a night to Rome, then 3 nights in Amalfi. Or if your 13 days are actually 11 nights, you might want to add 2 nights in Siena or Cinque Terre

I have always thought that Rick’s itineraries are way too fast paced for most people. Others here on this forum agree. They are fine for his tour groups- but unless you think you will enjoy packing, traveling and unpacking every other day- give the locations you choose the time they deserve.
On a 13 day trip that is just 12 nights- for 6 diff locations- some far flung that take time and hassle to get to (Amalfi, CT)
A 2 night stay is only one full day in that location. Every time you change location you lose a half a day. It takes time to pack up, check out get to train station travel then check in, unpack, get oriented- that gets tiresome.

First- give your trip the maximum number of nights that you can- just being able to add 2-3 nights will make a difference as to how many places you can visit.

Yes- Venice is absolutely worth the visit- there is nowhere else like it.
Fly IN to Venice rather than OUT as that usually requires a bit more time, expense and hassle and Venice is the perfect place to get over jet lag. Fly OUT of Rome. Book “multi-city” or “open jaw” tickets- that is usually found under “Advanced Search”

I would give at minimum
Venice 3 nights
Florence 3 nights- plus 1 night for every day trip
Rome 4-5 nights. (we spent 5 nights first trip and have since returned 3 times- still need to go back again!)

Save AC, CT for your next trip. CT is extremely overcrowded, AC is extremely overcrowded and transportation in the area is a nightmare.

We are no longer fans of day trips- if a place deserves a visit we will give it 2 nights (even though we prefer 3 or more for the most part) Siena is a good example of this- it will be crowded in the day time but the whole atmosphere changes at night- Il Campo is enchanting then.
That is not to say that day trips are not “worth it”. They are if that is all you can give it.

There are certain areas that really need a car- Tuscany for example- so unless you are willing to rent and drive- save that for a future trip as well.

If you had 13 NIGHTS (count your trip in Nights as it gives a better picture)

Venice 3 nights
Train to Florence
Florence 4 nights- with day trip to Siena, Lucca or Pisa
Train to Orvieto
Orvieto- 2 nights- kind of similar to Siena but actually on the train line to Rome so makes an easy 2 night stop for a smaller hill town experience
Train to Rome
Rome 4 nights- you will want to return

It’s a very simple itinerary, all done easily by train, easy trip for a first timer. Don’t complicate things.

If you are interested in Tuscany just for scenery or for wine tasting- add a night to Florence and hire a driver for the day or take one of the many bus tours from Florence.

This is my ideal allocation for up to a couple of weeks.
Venice: 2 or 3 nights
Florence: 2 or 3 nights (or 4 nights with day trip to Siena)
Siena: day trip from Florence
Sorrento/Naples/Pompei/Amalfi Coast: 3 or 4 nights.
Rome: 3 or 4 nights

Play with the nights above to fit your time available, however I wouldn't stay less than 2 nights at any location (2 nights=one full day plus a few hours on the day of arrival)

Cinque Terre is the outlier, as it takes about 2.5 hours from Florence by train. You could visit it on a day trip from Florence, by adding a night to Florence, but it's a lot of train travel for a day trip. You could stay overnight for a couple of nights, but then it's hard to complete your list with the time available.

a 13 day trip could include Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, Siena, and Sorrento/Naples/Pompei/Amalfi Coast. Is that reasonable for a two-week trip

I think trying to add on "and Sorrento/Naples/Pompei/Amalfi Coast" is trying to do too much. Save this area for the next trip.

Five locations over your time frame is plenty. You could do Ostia Antica to get your 'fix' of seeing a buried and unearthed ancient Roman city.

I concur with the "start in Venice and work your way south" concept.

13 days
5
4
4
Learn more about each place.
Don’t waste time traveling.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. I thought the RS itinerary seemed “ambitious” and, based on the responses, that is the case. So, we’ll probably drop off something and keep it a two-week trip. So, any additional suggestions are appreciated. To answer some of the questions in the responses:
-We will travel during the first two weeks of May 2026
-We are most interested in food, culture, sights with a casual interest in history. Not a lot of hiking, but walking is fine.
-My wife definitely wants to keep the Amalfi Coast on our itinerary.
-Definitely considering an open jaw flight schedule to minimize double-tracking our ground travel.

So, is Rome, Florence, Venice, and AC (not necessarily in that order) doable in two weeks?

That is doable but when you say “2 week trip” exactly how many nights on the ground in Italy does that mean?

AC should get no less than 4 nights ( 3 full days ) because of the time it takes to get there and the transportation issues while there

You need to be in your departure city night before flight-you can’t be spending the night on the AC and try to fly out of Naples or Rome next day
( note -Sorrento is not on the AC although a very good base and a bit easier to get to/from)

If you can fly home from Naples that works
Or if from Rome-put Rome last
Go to AC from Florence then back up to Rome

You have to know yourself. Even when I was youngish and energetic this kind of itinerary would be hell on earth. You spend sooooo much time on logistics that you only have time for travelogue highlights of each place and there is no grace for being tired or having a belly ache.

Even way back then when we traveled for 3 weeks at a time we did a week in say Florence and then a week with a couple of stops road tripping and then a week in Rome -- or similar. Or we did a week in Florence and then a week road tripping in France and a week in Paris.

It takes 2 nights to get one day in a place and you waste much of every day you change locations. with two weeks in Italy I personally would (and have) get an apartment in a town like Montepulciano or Lucignano or near San Gimignano or etc etc and with a car use that as a base for exploring Tuscan towns, abbeys, gardens and countryside and near Rome some interesting Etruscan sites. We have done that 3 times -- 40 years ago near Siena for a week, 25 years ago near Lucignano for a week and 12 years ago in Montepulciano for 2 weeks. Each of these trips with car was magical.

So I would do one week for Tuscany from a base and then probably a week in Florence or Rome or 3 nights in Bologna and 4 in Venice. Less is more. In two weeks I would not stay in more than 3 locations -- You do you.

We've followed Rick Steves advice for years and have always found his pacing and suggested itineraries to be excellent. There is a reason he's the most popular travel writer of his generation!

When we were younger, we thought the pacing was a tad slow. Now that we are older, we like the tempo still but I see a day soon when we'd want to go slower-- like when we turn 90 or something! (Maybe not even then-- I plan on living forever. So far, so good.)

There is no wrong speed when traveling (except maybe dawdling in Pittsburg after a Browns game.)

When we did our first Italy trip, we were go-go-go and loved it! Nowadays when we go back, we are more talk and less go though.

Happy travels!

My wife definitely wants to keep the Amalfi Coast on our itinerary.
-Definitely considering an open jaw flight schedule to minimize double-tracking our ground travel.
So, is Rome, Florence, Venice, and AC (not necessarily in that order) doable in two weeks?

That being the case, I would suggest Venice-Florence-AC-Rome in that order. Finding a multi-city (open jaw) routing probably easier/cheaper with Venice and Rome versus Venice and Naples.

It also saves one hotel change as if you were to fly from Naples you would have to move from your AC location to Naples for the night before the flight, which likely leaves quite early to somewhere in Europe to make a connection to a US bound flight.

And if you want suggestions on to best allocate your time among those destinations you need to specify how many nights you are in Italy.

Thanks again for the advice. To answer the question about a specific night in country count, we are planning 13 to 14 nights in Italy. We haven’t booked flights yet and have a little bit a flexibility since we are semi-retired.

hey hey robbymcgowen66
welcome aboard the forum. happy to see you planning early with lots of posters offering good, bad & ugly and for you to decide.
like others have mentioned a lot of places in 14 days/night. few things i'll put out there that may help in your decisions.
where are you flying from? look at multi-city/open jaw flights (we always do, not 2 one way fares)
venice is a great place to land & get over jet lag, lots of walking or ride a boat, getting lost is required down the canal streets/dead ends with many laughs. pack light, many uneven cobblestones/bridges/stairs/steps with luggage, transportation from airport to venice, always check arrival times to any airport since check-in is 2-4pm unless approval ahead of time & bag storage before check in
check-out is 10-11am with time needed to shower, pack up, check-out, get to train. venice not our favorite place to depart, usually fights 6-7am, get up dark thirty to get to airport, it's ugly.
like ChristineH's train to florence, then to AC, back to rome for flight home. or rome to AC and fly home from naples, your decision.
with your wife wanting AC on this trip, AC is different than amalfi and the issues with transportation or staying in sorrento. ask the many posters that have been to that area for info, do your research
know that whatever city you fly home to is 3 hours before departure, which cuts back on a day for traveling and time.
check train times and days, bookmark attractions/activities when to order tickets (many are date/time stamped). sounds confusing your first trip there but people will help you out. there doesn't seem to be an off season anymore, italy and othe countries are busy all year long with many people traveling nowdays. keep an eye out for airfares with alerts, there may be some discounts during black friday sales, if you see a fare you like book it and don't look back. after flights look at hotels, what filters you like or want, cancellation policies, maybe too early to book now. good luck hunting, keep asking questions, have a great & fun time
aloha

On the Rick Steves site, he indicates that a 13 day trip could include
Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, Siena, and
Sorrento/Naples/Pompei/Amalfi Coast

I'm not personally a fan of RS pacing - WAY too compressed for me - but it all depends on your own style of traveling. If you're good with just the quick in-and-out, one-day glance at a location, and are OK if if it all falls apart with weather, weekly closures, a train srtike, etc. then the pacing might work for you.

But consider if the one day you have in ___ might be the day that the museum(s) you want to see are closed (most of them have a 1 day closure each week) or you get rained out in another, or you hit a flight delay or train strike, then the pace doesn't work.

2 nights = 1 day.

You have to consider WHY you choose the locations you have, and how disappointed you may be if the ONE DAY you have in any of them might a disappointment due to a weekly closure or weather complication (Cinque Terre/Amalfi Coast).

A suggestion is just that, a suggestion. One does not have to follow every word a guidebook - even RS (sorry, I know some swear by him) - it is your trip, not his. Somewhere along the way, I think folks have gotten to the point where they use recommendation of others rather than form their own opinion.

If one does not like art, there is no reason for them to go to the Louvre. Just because a landmark or even a town/city is popular (sometimes notorious) does not, in of itself, mean that they should themselves see it. There really is no wrong answer.

Rick gives great tips. But he is not a prophet. Make your trip how you want it. If you want to include an obscure town in Italy, go for it. If you want to travel on the beaten path, go for that too if you wish.

I travel pretty fast. And even his itineraries are a bit ambitious. I think many of them were designed at a time that overtourism was less of an issue. Nowadays, one has to be selective and plan even more than they may have had to do in 1999. Adjustments for YOU and YOUR interests are just as necessary now as they were then but perhaps even more so now.