Venice, Florence, Rome- best sites and tickets

My parents and I were in those cities this March. We took and English tour of the Vatican and got right in and skipped the lines. The tour groups were split into five different groups with abouu 8 people in each group. The tour guide was incredibly knowledgable. A side trip from Florence could be Pisa or Lucca. A side trip from Rome could be Naples or Sorreto. Buy a roma pass when you get there.

For the Vatican, you can do a tour or you can now directly reserve a time with the Vatican to gain entrance at your allotted time if you prefer to tour on your own. Conversely, there is a lot of information to be gained from following a tour guide so it depends on what you're looking for. Ostia Antica (old Roman seaport, very well preserved ruins) is a great half day trip from Rome. Orvieto is a charming Umbrian hill town in between Rome and Florence. From Florence, you could visit Siena or Lucca as well as a number of other Tuscan towns (not all on one trip though!)

So funny! My family and I are doing the same trip with about two and a half days in each city in the same order you are in April 2011. I would love if you would send me a message about how your train travel went when you return. That is the part I am most nervous about....That said, we visited both Pisa and Orvieto as previously mentioned, this summer during a similar trip. I have noticed that the hotels in Florence sometimes have excursion offers to Pisa as well as Florence day tours. I hear that you can book the Florence museum tickets ahead of time and I would suggest that. See some of the other Florence posts for the web addresses. When we were there the lines were long. The Vatican line was wrapped around the city walls! This time back I plan on hiring some kind of tour guide in each city and we are going to go to Sienna between Florence and Rome.

There are many private tour groups that "skip the line".. but keep in mind that these do not skip the security line, which can at times also be quite long. However, with a tour, you can bypass the ticket line saving you lots of time. One tour company that i have heard good things about and am considering for my next trip to rome is Roman Odyssey. They have a "Vatican privilege tour", the website is http://www.romanodyssey.com/tours_vatican_privelege.htm

If you book a tour directly through the vatican you get put to the front of the security line. You can book a tour or buy entry tickets at http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do If you plan to see the Borghese gallery you can make a reservation at: http://www.ticketeria.it/ticketeria/borghese-regolamento-eng.asp Use the call me back feature for free. As for day trips, you can easily do Ostia Antica as mentioned above. You can also take a trip to Naples to see Pompeii. As for taking the train, they are very easy to use. You can book them all when you get to Italy or on the day of travel. Most large train stations have self service kiosks that work just like an ATM machine. They are very easy to use. It will save you at least a half hour of waiting in line for an attendant. Second class seats between these cities is all you need so don't waste the money for first class. If you are traveling on a high speed train at a specified time and seat number there will be no need to validate your ticket. If you are on a slower regional train without a seat reservation you must validate your ticket before getting on the train or risk a very hefty fine. Donna

We are doing the same trip as you in November. I have already reserved tickets and times for Uffizi and Academia in Florence through www.virtualuffizi.com. I received my confirmation and voucher in less than 24 hours. In Rome, we are doing a Vatican tour offered by Walks of Italy that begins at 8 am, an hour before the Vatican opens to the public. Thus, you see the Sistine Chapel with your small group only. That tour company is often mentioned positively on these boards as is Jason, its owner from New Orleans. They are at www.walksofitaly.com. As a day trip outside of Rome, we are going to Pompeii by train and getting a guide there.