Waiting LInes in March

Can't say for sure for all but for Venice get into Piazza San Marco early and you can avoid lines for the basillica and bell tower. It's also nice to see the Piazza before all the crowds get there. I'd suggest getting into the belltower first as the line moves slower due to the limited space up there. nice views of Venice. Opening time for the tower at that time of year should be 9am.

In the mornings the lines at the Vatican will be very long. If you wait until the afternoon they will be short to non-existent. The trade-off is that you won't have as much time in the museums. You can always book entry tickets or a tour online directly with the Vatican before you leave, which will allow you to bypass the lines and spend as much time as you want in the museums. For the colosseum, there is usually always a line. I suggest buying entry tickets online before you leave home. This will allow you to bypass the line. I believe the service charge for this is 1.50 euros. http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do http://www.ticketclic.it/Gb/HTML/musei/colosseo.cfm Donna

My experience in Venice is that you should see Pizza San Marco before 08:00 if possible (empty!) but also wait unitl about 3:30 to visits the Basilica because then the tourist daytrip hoards are gone. Don't miss the San Marco Museum above the church, where you access the loggia with views over the piazza. For great bell tower views without the huge lines, take a 5 minute vaporetto ride from San Marco San Zaccaria to San Giorgio Maggiore. Fabulous!

Thanks for the great info. The monday in florence we will be going to pisa for the day since museums are closed. Wednesday in Rome we have tickets to see the pope in the morning, so I will get museum tickets for 1pm. I use Rick's book for a lot of the planning and enjoy his walks. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.