Visiting Italy for the first time

Yours is a very open-ended question. Read the advice posted here, but of course in the end make your own decision based on your interests and your own trip research. To get you started on your trip planning research, these thoughts: The Vatican is surrounded by Rome, of course it's a separate country but for purposes of answering your question, let's just say the Vatican is "in Rome." To see the Vatican takes most travelers a full day or parts of 2 days, to see St Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museum. And since you're already "in Rome," you should probably take 2 to 3 days to see Rome itself, 2 or 3 days seems to be the average time people posting here take to "see" Rome. After the Vatican and Rome, you'll have about 3 days left, so you'll probably want to pick one more location in Italy. We can't decide that for you, it depends on your interests, go here click here to browse some of your Italy destination choices, look at a map, and pick one more destination that you can take the train to from Rome. Consider where your plane departs from. If you haven't already done it, you should get a book or do some internet research on Italy before finalizing your itinerary.

You can do a great job on Italy in a week!!! REALLY!!! And you will want to go back! Rome/Vatican City is a good start - Rome is a time sink (attractions are spread out) Vatican museum and chapel is worth it - and The Coliseum, The Forum and Panthenon are worth it. Can you afford to rent a car? It would really be worth it. Can you fly in-between cities, or train? It is expensive you will have to figure out your budget. But you can see everything you need to see in a week and go back for more! Florence has it all - cathedrals, museums, restaurants, culture just oozing off the streets - feels safer than Rome too. Stay in a B&B there and walk everywhere. You can see Siena which has it all on hilly towns, ancient streets, cathedral. Pisa has the Field of Dreams which is one train stop and 3 attractions all close by. And you must visit Cinque Terre on the Mediterranean which is best reached by train - La Spezia. Check them out and ask questions. You can easily do this all in a week (with a combination of fly,train and car) and good plans ahead of time for lodging. I think so...because I did it!!! Sandra

Some would be cautious about trying to do the Vatican, Rome, Florence, Siena, Pisa, and the Cinque Terre in 7 days. Rental cars are problematic in Rome, Florence and the Cinque Terre.

Andrea, With such a short time frame, I'd also suggest limiting yourself to two cities, with perhaps one or two day trips. As suggested in the previous reply, Rome and Florence would be a good choice. A visit to Florence would provide a bit of a view of Tuscany, and while there you could take a day trip to Siena. On that route, travel by Bus is the method I use, as the Bus drops passengers right in town, rather than the bottom of the hill where the rail station is located. While in Rome you could also consider a day trip to Orvieto, which is only about an hour by train. It's a historic hill town in Umbria. Be sure to have a look inside the Duomo, as it's beautiful! I normally recommend open-jaw flights, however the trip from Florence to Rome is very quick on the ES/AV trains, so using return flights to FCO should be possible. I'd highly recommend buying a copy of the Italy 2011 Guidebook, as that provides LOTS of information not only on sightseeing (including the Vatican) and transportation, but also good Hotels, Restaurants, etc. I usually pack the Guidebook along, as it's a good source of reference during trips. Good luck with your planning!

Andrea If I had just one week I would fly into Rome for 3 days, then take a train up to Venice for 2 days, then over to Florence for 2 days, then jet home from Pisa. Those cities are pretty much the highlights of my previous more than 2 week trip all over Northern Italy and I was bent on seeing a lot of museums, art and such. But honestly, if I could, I'd spend just a whole month in Rome. If you do get to go, you'll know why yourself. I'd never want to rent a car and drive in Italy: I've been there and seen how it is....nooooo way.

I suppose I would echo the thoughts of Kent and Dutch - Try and not see ALL of Italy in just a week. As I've posted often, I lived in Rome for three years and STILL have 100+ "sites" IN THE city I want to experience. So accept that you "won't see it all," and amplify what you will see. To do that, I think you need to SLOW DOWN! Living in Italy, like Sandra does now and I did for years, you adapt quickly - if you're going to survive - to driving in Italy. Certainly for me, driving in Rome is familiar and although chaotic, was part of my daily routine. (Of course I survived multiple "incidents" on my motorino!). I would not recommend to a first-timer to "drive" in Italy. You've only got seven days and I suggest you focus on 2-3 locations and avoid the hassle of driving, parking, tolls, gas, etc. For us living here, it's as natural as driving in Texas is for you. But for first timers... well, it's a challenge. (But, if you are going to drive, do get an IDP - see this for more info **** http://tinyurl.com/Italy-IDP ****)

I guess for a first timer, I would head to Rome and Florence... and perhaps fly out of Venice. Even these three locations would be overwhelming in seven days, but let's face it - YOU"LL COME BACK! Once you've been to Italy, you will WANT to come back - that's how we ended up moving there! Cinque Terre is wonderful but needs more than a day or two to enjoy - You don't have the time! The Amalfi Coast is fantastic, but that's a week by itself! When you come back, spend a week in Tuscany - DRIVING through the vineyards and hill towns. You can stay in an agriturismo or villa and see Siena, Cortona, Montepulciano, etc. Then take another trip to the CQ, Milan, perhaps the Lakes Area. Then, there's a southern trip to Capri, Naples, Sorrento, Positano, etc. Let's face it, you couldn't see - nor enjoy - the entire US in just seven days. So "piano, piano!" Slow down and get into the flow of Italy. Experience Italy; don't just "see" it. Limit what you see in quantity, and the quality of your experience will be tremendous! Too often folks race from spot to spot and check off what they've seen. That's not the Italian way! And the country requires – and deserves – your focus! I'd also suggest using the trains, bus, and metro for a first-timer. For most North Americans, this is a huge "change" and you may be out of your comfort zone! But, once you've been on public transportation, as a tourist, they will become your favorite mode of getting around. So let go of your "American values" (The I-must-have-a-car" syndrome) and get on the train! No parking, no extra fees, no worry about ZTL's, gas prices (more than $6 a gallon), insurance, "accidents", did we say parking....

I would also not recommend planes, although we "jet" around Italy often on the low cost carriers. You just do not have the time that airports require. You do not want to spend your entire vacation going through the airport process. With just a week, the process of getting from spot-to-spot will eat into your "vacation" time.... So I'd recommend seeing places that are close to each other – or limit your travel time. To help you on the buses – this link may help *http://tinyurl.com/rome-bus * For help on the metro in Rome, use this link *http://tinyurl.com/rome-metro* You will "run out of time!" So if there's something to plan on ... that is almost a certainty – especially as it's your first time in Italy! So do plan on relaxing and immersing yourself in Italy and the Italian culture. If you do, you will go back!!

Thank you everybody for all the suggestions! I just started thinking on the trip and it really helps all your tips. I am picking up my daughter from Spain from her study abroad program and I thought we could spend a week in Italy. Hopefully I will be going back to Italy as everybody is saying. When I travel I prefer to visit few cities rather than crunch a lot of them in my trip. I wanted to get a sense of what was the place to visit if I was going to the Vatican City.
Thanks again!

I just wanted to chime in one more time..you would do fine just staying in Rome the whole week.....because after that, you are going back for more of Italy!!! That would also eleminate travel time that would get sucked up and I promise you that you will STILL not get to all the things you will discover that you want to see. Don't think about going, just GO...have fun, good luck.

Andrea, as far as Vatican City, you are quite limited in where you can go. One "entry" point is the Vatican Museums. Here you can see multiple Museums - all for one price. Seeing the Vatican Gardens costs extra. The other "entry" point is in St. Peter's Square where you can enter St. Peter's Basilica - FREE! If you climb to the cupola there is an extra charge. You can also try and get a Scavi Tour, done only through the Vatican! It's through the "basement" or lower levels of St. Peter's. Quite incredible but start trying to book early. These are the only places you can really visit in Vatican City - unless you have official business. Tourists are not allowed in the "city" to wander. You'll see checkpoints and Swiss Guards at the train and car entrances... Despite these limitation, the Vatican makes for quite a full day. There are MILES of corridors in the Museums and St. Peter's will leave you awestruck! This link may help you with more info on visiting the Vatican **** http://tinyurl.com/vatican-tips **** Good Luck!

Hi Andrea. I also recommend just one or two cities for a week. You could stay in Rome the whole time and have plenty to see, but you can also split your time between Rome and Florence.

Andrea, I agree with the suggestion that you might want to stay in Rome for the whole week, saving the time you'd spend traveling between cities (even a 2-3 train trip can occupy much of a day, with waiting time at stations and time locating and checking into a new hotel). I've happily spent a week+ in Rome. It's a city with huge variety. And if you want to see a little more of Italy, there are a number of day trips you can easily do by train. An hour or less away are Orvieto (lovely small town with a stunning cathedral), the ruins at Ostia, Tivoli, and other sites. And there are local tour companies that will take you on day trips to further-afield sites like Pompeii, although I've not done any of those trips from Rome.

I'd probably do two days in Florence and the rest in Rome. Florence is an intimate city and densely packed with Renaissance history. You can walk anywhere aside from the short bus to Fiesole. Its a good place to get your bearings. Then take a fast train to Rome. Rome is much more complicated, spread out, and layered than Florence. You will need five days just to scratch the surface of it.

Thanks so much! I think my best bet will be Rome and Florence and for sure I will be buying the Italy 2011 book. Many years ago, when visiting Spain, I bought the book for Spain @ Portugal and helped me tremendously. Now that that I have my two cities selected I can start planning! Thanks everybody for all the tips and links!
I am sure later on I will be asking more questions.

If it were me, I'd stay in Rome and explore the entire city in depth, and take some day trips like Orvieto (as has been suggested). Why waste ANY time traveling between cities when there is so much to see and do in Rome. Get Rick Steve's Rome Guidebook. Here's a plug for R. Steves - any other guidebooks make me go to sleeeeeeep!!!! If you were to split the time anywhere, I'd take the train to Sorrento and visit the breathtaking Amalfi Coast for a few days instead of doing another city like Florence. You could fly into Rome and out of Naples.

check out Rick Steve's suggestions for 1, 2 and 3 day visits to Rome, Florence, & Venice...depends on what you want to see and what you are interested in. You can get to Florence from Rome by train in about 90 minutes. I think it takes maybe 2 hours from Venice to Florence. The train travel is fairly easy, especially compared to flying. Many people can end up spending the whole week in Rome. I think it is possible to have an Italian sampler of Rome, Florence and Venice. Florence and Venice are pretty small when you compare them to Rome. Heck, it is not too difficult to walk from the train station area in Venice all the way to St. Mark's. There are many things that are close together in Florence also. Venice is my favorite city in the World so I'm a little biased about visiting it. lol

Since Vatican City is your top priority, I definitely second the recommendation to go on the Scavi Tour. It's the excavations of the necropolis under St. Peter's, including, they believe, the tomb of Peter himself. It was fantastic. You have to request reservations well in advance, as they only take small groups through. Go here for reservation instructions: http://tinyurl.com/scavitour Rome is so amazing! I'd spend 4 days there, 2-3 in Florence, and stretch my week just a bit longer for 2 days in Venice.

Well, we had more than a week in Italy when we went but knowing what I know now you might want to pick a like North or South and then Rome.... We used public transportation and trains everywhere and night trains can save you some time - and lodging.... We used Rick's book (our trip was 2006) and it was an invaluable resource to say the least - it saved us lots of time and money. I would say that if going to Italy and you may not have plans to return or know if you can - that the little town of Varenna on Lake Como was so stunning that I would not have wanted to miss that. I am planning my second trip back right now - the time frame was not my own choosing (Dec) but we are attending a conference, and I want to see the Cinque Terre really bad but am not sure about the weather and have actually asked for input on this message board. You will love Italy no matter where you go!

With one week I would suggest picking two cities or just staying in Rome and do day trips. Remember, whenever you switch cities and hotels you are using half a day for travel and check-in. If you do more than two cities in one week that is a lot of your time. We spent 5 nights in Rome and felt like we were just getting a feel for the city when it was time to leave. You can see the major sights in 3 days but it will be VERY hectic and you will only SEE the sights not experience the city. There are many daytrips from Rome and Florence is a quick and easy trainride for a night or two. As for the Vatican I would highly suggest the scavi tour. It was amazing and a true highlight of our 2 week trip. Another time saver was a guided tour of the vatican museums. We were there in October and there was a 3-4 hour wait to get in. Our guide (we used Dark Rome) told us some of those people wouldn't even get in! We waited 30 min.