What to do with limited time and budget in Italy?!

Only one night in Venice? Hardly worth the time and trouble. Give yourself at least a full day. Head to Venice right after landing in Milan so you get at least 2 nights there. Its only 2 1/2 hours by train from Milan.

If you could be more specific as to when, #of nights, where are you flying into and out of, what are your interests? Traveling to Venice on Friday and leaving on Saturday does not make sense to me. I would skip it.

We arrive in Milan around 8 am on Thursday and will have the entire day there.
Friday we will leave in the morning and arrive in Venice around lunch, spend the night in Venice.
Saturday we will leave mid morning and have from around lunch to dinner time in Florence, then will travel on to Cinque Terre from there.
We will have two full days in Cinque Terre.
Tuesday we travel to Rome in the morning and then will have three full days in Rome.

We both love art and would enjoy museums and touristy things, but also things that are off the beaten path or cultural events.

You essentially have only hours in Milan, Venice and Florence. You need to factor in the time spent getting from airport/train station to your lodging plus time to check in at the hotel. In Florence you arrive and leave on the same day. Your luggage will need to be stored somewhere while you sight see, and then retrieved before you depart for Cinque Terre. That will take precious time. Definitely a re-think is required.

While your question is perfectly reasonable, unfortunately it has no definitive answer. That's because Rome, Venice, and even Milan have much more than you can see in your limited time, and no two people will have the same "must see" and "must miss" lists.

It's a similar situation with the way you allotted your time in each place. Some will say skip Milan and/or Venice, others will say cut the Cinque Terre to allow more time for Venice. And while many are not fans of Milan, I am, and I think a day there can be very worthwhile. One advantage of Milan is that it has a very efficient Metro, so you can connect sights easily and quickly.

A day in Venice is certainly rushed, but on the other hand if you stay out of "sights" and just treat Venice itself as the sight, I think you can have a great day. In your situation, I would not plan to see anything indoors (unless you had a special interest), and would just hit the back streets and take vaporetti around. This will also further your goal of saving money.

However, I do agree that landing and staying in Milan one night, then going to Venice and staying one night, then going to the Cinque Terre (with a long train ride) by the third night, is going to be exhausting. Therefore, and for that reason alone, I'd pick either Milan or Venice for 2 nights. And I wouldn't plan to stop in Florence (unless you cut something else), as you won't get much out of just a few hours there.

Do you have Rick Steves Italy? If not, get it ASAP. Read what he considers the highlights of each place, and decide for yourself if they sound like highlights to you. If not, substitute other things. Accept now that you will see a very limited slice of each place and will miss many things - and that that's OK.

If one night in Venice is what you have then one night is what you have!

Are you flying into Milan with hopes to see the Last Supper? Hopefully you already have tickets - if not check NOW - the tickets are reasonable (8 Euro pp) unless sold out - then the only option is with a tour - they charge a lot more.

For us Venice was more about soaking in the vibe, wandering all the little alley, looking in a few little shops and seeing the various differences in living there. The garbage collection is like no where else I believe! In Venice take a vaporetto the entire circuit of the Grand Canal - the cheapest way to see it. Research you restaurant choices in advance - there seems to be a lot of them with high prices and poor food. Trip Advisor is a great resource for that. Roam the streets & alley ways, See Piazza San Marco - check Cruisett if there will be a cruise sip in port Friday or Saturday - if yes - get up early before the cruise passengers get off the ship and enjoy Piazza San Marco then - it will soon be a sea of people.

In your few hours in Florence SEE THE DAVID! There is a reason it is probably the most famous sculpture in the world. Have a pizza at La Bussola on Via Porta Rossa for lunch.

CT is for chillin'

In Rome I know there are some museum passes that save money - search it here or perhaps someone can give you some details.

Enjoy every minute!

I agree - I would pick Milan or Venice (I would pick Venice for sure!) - seems kind of waste to me to have only a partial day in each place... Our first Italy trip we zipped all over the place, and I came back hating Italy. This last trip, we slowed down and spent a bit more time in each place, and I loved Italy!

It sounds like this is your first trip to Italy, right? Therefore, I think a little reality check is in order. Despite Rick Steves' relentless hyping of the Cinque Terre, they are not up there with Venice, Florence, and Rome as first-tier places to visit. In fact they have little or nothing of what you say interests you. And as for being "off the beaten path," especially in summer, their paths are so beaten by tourists, it's hard to walk on them. I suggest you rethink Florence. If all you want to do is "kill a few hours," skip it. Otherwise, take the days from the CT and add them to Florence.

Re:Leonardo's Last Supper, tours are NOT the only other option (per Christi's post); you can book with a broker online for a 100% markup! but no tour.

I agree that Milano is great for a short visit as Harold says, because it is very well-organized. The rest of your time is quite rushed, but if that's what you have, go for it.

Good to know Zoe - I looked last year and the all I could find was the tours for €49. But I did just find a re-seller (SelectItaly) for 25US if you order on line. Do you know of any others?

I was surprised to see the official site where they are only €8 still had tickets for dates in August. Perhaps the DaVinci Code frenzy is calming down!

I agree with the poster above who said just treat venice itself as the sight......we did just one long day IN venice and then went to stay in a hotel in the outskirts......but just wandering in venice......taking photos of the architecture, and eating gelato is a very cheap and glorious day

With limited time and and budget, the best thing you can do is cut down on the number of destinations. Train tickets cost money, and the journey eats up your time. Zipping from one end of the country to the other each day is a waste of your resources. Nor will it ultimately be enjoyable, unless your dream is to see Italy at 300 miles an hour and to see more train stations than historical sights and artwork.

Any advice has to take into account your preferences, which I do not know: you seem to like everything :-) My advice is therefore based on what I do know.
I would suggest you look-up the travel time. Start with the train schedule:
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=4ddd1a035296f310VgnVCM1000005817f90aRCRD.
I highly recommend purchasing the train tickets online, purchasing at the station takes an inordinate amount of time. Local train tickets cannot be purchased more than 7 day in advance. Consider that you may need to change local trains if you intend to go to Cinque Terre. Sometimes trains change platforms too, pay attention.
Check the distance between the train stations and your accommodations with Google Maps, and evaluate the time to/from. The time needed may be appreciable, considering the crowds. Ditto sitting down to a meal. And it is HOT! Another consideration: you may be attracted by low-cost accommodations near the train stations. Don't. These areas are never safe, and they may be far from the historical centers where you would like to enjoy walking at night.

Time to kill in Florence??

According to your itinerary you intend to stay in Rome for 3-1/2 days. I would fly-in to Rome on Thursday and stay there until next Friday. With the money saved I would stay at a decent hotel. If bored with Rome take a fast train to Florence, another Glory of Italy. Venice is worth another day.

Good luck,
Seth

PS Italy is best savored at leisure...

The above responses have given you a good idea of the trade-offs you make with each decision. All of our sightseeing and practical travel advice is in Rick Steves' Italy guidebook. Sightseeing is rarely the most expensive part of the trip, and really is the purpose of the trip, so don't skimp on seeing whatever is top of your list in each city. Costs for hotels, train tickets, and restaurant meals will add up faster. Reserving hotels now may help you better stick to your budget, instead of taking potluck upon arrival. Train tickets also offer some advance-purchase discounts, but don't book them unless/until you are really set on a particular departure time.

I went on a similar rushed trip early this year , US - Milan (crazy rushed dash to train to connect to Bologna, one night Florence one night, Venice Milan three nights, then a night in Milan.

It worked out fine and we had a blast but the stress of running around was a bit much with all of the prepaid train tickets we had. We airbnb'ed and booked hotels that were all 100-150 a night and turned out fine. We loved Venice for carnivale (I thought being from NYC that i wouldn't enjoy it) we stayed at the ca San Polo.

The David was magnificent to see but we had more fun viewing the numerous replicas.

The numerous duomo's were all amazing. We claimed up most towers and duomo's for the amazing views and memories.
The realto was an amazing sight all day and night.

As for food, have some places per planned. Last thing you want would be to get stuck at a tourist trap or worst the hard rock.

My quick advice in a nutshell for attractions is to go early, move quickly while inside but spend most of your time just relaxing and enjoying the city as the locals would do.

We're going back in a few months this time Milan Paris Barcelona! But much more leisurely!!

Have fun!

You have a lot of good tips but since you are rushed for time and short on money (like everyone else), I would focus my time and money on three of the greatest iconic places on Earth, let alone Italy - Venice, Florence and Rome. You arrive in Milan at 8am. Grab a train and enjoy the landscape to Venice where you will have a relatively uncrowded evening and morning before the hoards show up. You'll be there by noon and the water taxi trip alone is worth your entire trip! Venice has not changed in 600 years. You don't need to see any sights - they're in Florence and Rome. (By the way, get three "point to point" train tix before you leave the US. By RS "pocket books" on Venice, Rome and Florence before you go. They are your tour guides and are better than 90% of the expensive guides you would hire - THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST. in your short trip you will see and experience tons more than 80% (no exaggeration!) of tourists who you will see who are lost, standing in long lines and have no idea of the significance of what they are observing. Travel extremely light, carry everything on plane, train and vaporetto and WEAR a money belt - see RS, money tips on this BEFORE you leave US.
In Florence, which is the birthplace of America thanks to the Renassiance, the Accademia with David, the Uffizi and just walking around the Piazza's especially at night listening to Carnegie Hall quality music and watching artists sketch the city, the Duomo, the Arno River promenade and Ponte Vecchio Bridge are just a few of the sights. Like Venice and Rome, the city is divine. Just touching buildings that are centuries, thousands of years old is mind numbing and all with the backdrop of basil and truffle oil wafting from small eateries and wine bars for tasting Chianti which tastes nothing like the Chianti that's shipped to the US from Italy. Buy the Firenze card- see RS. - no lines.
Sorry, I'm salivating and sad that you will be there sooner than I will. Anyway, buy the Roma card in Rome - ditto. My favorite sights are Rick Steves Campo di Fiori walk ( Campo market/Piazza Navonna/PANTHEON/Trevi/Spanish steps) - St Peters/Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. - Borghese Museum. - Colleseum/Forum And a hundred others you won't have time for.
You will have three hotel rooms, 3 train tix and the only reservation you need make before leaving the US is for the Borghese. And again prepare at home as much as possible before you leave to cut down on the hassles of traveling in Italy. This will let you enjoy the "art of doing nothing" which is indigenous to Italians and Italy. Enjoy.