Wow, our first trip is finally scheduled. Take a peek - what do you think?

Why ask for comments when everything is planned?? It is just enough time if the plane is on time and your are sitting near the front so that you can exit quickly. You will go through immigrations in Paris, customs is in Rome. I would be more comfortable with a 2 to 3 hr layover. CDG is big and confusion airport. Sunlight is you best defense for jet lag. Going to bed at noon would be a very bad idea. We adjust by doing a little time shifting at home - two to three hours if we can and get up and eat on European time on the day of departure so that we are fairly tired by the time we get on the plane, eat big meal late afternoon assuming you have an evening departure. Once on the plane we ignore everything, use eye shapes, ear plugs, and get as much sleep as we can. On arrival stay activity in the sun - no indoor activities or running bus - walk in the sun. Take a two hour nap roughly 3-5, 4-6, dinner on the European schedule. to bed around 10 and so and we are pretty good the next day. Had you posted before you locked down your schedule I would have suggested a return from Milan. Why back track to Rome? Your trip is busier that we would do today BUT we had a trip like that once. And you learn. Your next trip will be different. Beside, you need to save some things for the next trip.

I agree with Frank, try to get a 2-3 hr layover in CDG, what happens if you the US late? You've screwed. I like to stay up and not take a nap, it's hard to get up (for me at least) once I've laid down. Do some waling around Rome, don't hit a museum or something that you won't remember, but you'll remember the atmosphere of Rome. Are you going to the Accademia to see David? And to the Uffizi? I'd make reservations for those, but not on the same days unless you're crazy about art. Not sure if Vatican Museum takes reservations. I haven't been to Easter Mass in Rome but if you go there will be many many people there, but I wouldn't let that deter me if I really wanted to go. Not sure what transportation is like on Easter Sunday to get to airport tho

The Borghese admits about 300-400 people for each 2 hour shift. Then they all must leave, and the next group goes in. Everyone must have a reservation, which specifies the time at which the shift begins. I've been there 3 times. Each time, I arrived about half an hour early and hung out in the gardens or the bookshop, or got a snack. (or all of the above) I never saw a line, just a bunch of people doing what I was doing before our shift began. My elbows went un-rubbed.

I handle west-to-east jet lag differently. I go to bed around noon and aim to get up around 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon. Then I eat dinner with everyone else (around 7:30 to 8:00) and go to bed at 11:00 - 12:00ish. Next morning I'm sync'ed. Your connection time in Paris sounds way too short. Sicily deserves much more time. If you have your flight booked it shouldn't matter that's it's Easter Sunday, but you'd better plan on taking a taxi to your hotel, public transport is pretty sparse even on a normal Sunday. I would give more time to Venice and less to Florence, but I still haven't made it to Florence despite several trips to Italy (I prefer arts and crafts to fine arts). Just an overnight for the lakes isn't worth the detour. The current Issue of National Geographic Traveler has a piece on Milan you might want to check out.

Thanks for the feedback so far. We used SkyMiles on Delta, thus the schedule. I would have loved to fly out of Milan, but I had to do Rome. I'll check about CDG to see if I can switch that to a longer layover.

David, if you can't change the CDG connection, I'd suggest you either load a flight schedule app on your phone or bring paper copies of schedule info for alternate connections. That way, if you don't make it to your connecting flight, you can move quickly to trying to book Plan B, rather than having to wait for the airline to catch up to you. Days spent in various cities depends on your interests. I'd book more time in Florence over Milan or Lake Como, but I love 14-16C Italian art. Ten days in Florence on my first visit wasn't enough, but it depends on your interests. Also, you might want to book some quality local walking tours to get an orientation in cities. I've found Context Travel (Context Rome, Context Florence, etc) to be amazingsmall groups (6 or fewer), academically qualified and interesting guides, willing to adapt tour to group interests. Enjoy your trip!

I agree with others that the 1 hr 10 min for immigration might be cutting it close, especially if the plane is late. I would recommend about 2 hr layover if possible. You can check on on-time performances at http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightRating/flightRatingByRoute.do It doesn't have all routes but some to give you an idea of what to expect for on-time performance. As far as the plan is within Italy I'd say that 3 days for Florence and 2 days for Venice are the bare minimum. I haven't been to Milan so I can't speak to that city. I would skip the lakes as it would likely be a headache to get there and back for just one night. Also I'd recommend going from Palermo to Milan or Venice first as the flight to florence stops in Rome again. Personally I'd do Rome-->Palermo-->Milan-->Venice-->Florence and back home. But that's just my opinion :) If you'd like some tips for Venice or Florence feel free to message me.

This message board is great. Thanks a million to everyone for the great feedback. Delta was able to alter my layover in CDG, but instead of a 2-3 hr layover, they could only do a 6 hr. I guess I can't complain. That said, would it be crazy to try to take a quick taxi to the Eiffel Tower and back to the airport, or just stay put and enjoy people watching at the airport? Again, many thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

Milan to Varenna is only and hour and well worth it even if just for one night. If considering doing this, you might ask how it is in April, after Easter. We have only been there in June.

Personally, I think you have way too much. I'd nix Milan and the lakes (they deserve more time). From Sicily, I'd suggest instead you fly to Venice, spend 3 days, take the train to Firenze for 3 days, possibly stopping in a cute town on the way (Orvieto is lovely) then back to Rome and home. You can buy train tickets ahead of time (but search this site for suggestions with how to deal with Trenitalia website, it's a bear). You must reserve your hotel in Rome during holy week, preferably this minute. As for Easter, while you're there, hit a grocery on the Saturday before Easter and get snack food - you may be out of luck finding breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day (although if you're flying, you can eat at the airport). You'll be in the hub of a major holiday in a religious city. Take your patience and camera, both will come in handy. Others can weigh in on the Paris layover, but based on my experience checking into CDG, I wouldn't recommend leaving the airport. As for jet lag, use the hints on this site to search the archives, the question has been thoroughly asked and answered many times. The short answer: everyone is different.

David Great you were able to lengthen your connection time at Paris airport. I am sorry to say I also do not think you will have enough time to go to Paris. If you can, change your return flight to Milan for even better itinerary to avoid spending additional time and $ backtracking. OK, here is a primer on figuring out your transportation time while in Europe. As one of the frequent posters says, it is almost always at least 1/2 day. Here is how you find out a more detailed time schedule before you actually check out flight and rail schedules. Use an online calendar to plot your destinations, travel days and add the times you get from below. WinCalendar offers free ones. Then you can easily adjust as you change your mind. + Are you counting your 1st and last day as part of the 16 days? The first day you arrive is not a day to schedule anything that takes a brain. Just walk near your hotel or take a HOHO bus tour and stay on. The second day after arrival is usually a recovery day. Depends on how well you sleep on the flight and the first night. + The last day is all about getting to and waiting at the airport. +For the actual travel times, check the last section heading in RS Guidebooks by city or region, where he tells the train and flight times between common destinations. Or just google. +From your hotel to the airport, add up the time, and don't forget the recommended arrival time 90 Min. 2 hrs. etc. Plus the flight and then do the reverse for time to hotel. +For the train, from the hotel add the metro, bus, or taxi time to the station, ticket buying, and wait time for the train plus the train ride then the reverse of the above.
Continued in the next post.

David Continued from above. You will see with your initial itinerary and the calendar, you have chosen too many destinations and the same with travel days. Also as others have mentioned, you are going at an extremely busy time with Italians traveling as well. What a great idea to visit Sicily to explore your origins and culture! I just wonder if you will actually be able to track down your ancestors while there, since it is Easter. Or is that what you meant. Very much a family time so perhaps the resources might not be available? If you can do your family research ahead of time, perhaps you would be invited to an Easter dinner! On the other hand, you could stay longer in other Italy destinations if you saved Sicily for another trip. 2 fewer flights and $. Let the Helpline know if you modify your itinerary. Bobbie

David, I didn't notice if anyone else had mentioned this, but one other point you need to be aware of is that you'll lose the first day in flight time and time zone changes, and will arrive in Europe the day after you depart the U.S. Your last day will be spent on the flight home. Given the change in your flight connections at CDG, I assume your arrival in Rome will be later than originally planned? The "usual" advice on jet lag is to try and keep active (preferably in the sun) until 21:00 or so in your first city. If you can make it that long, you'll have a good sleep and when you wake up next morning you should be at least partially acclimatized to your new time zone. As this is your first trip to Europe, it would be a good idea to read Europe Through The Back Door (if you haven't already). The country-specific Guidebooks will also be a great asset in planning touring, transportation, Hotels, etc. (I usually pack one or two country books along, as they're valuable reference during trips). Happy travels!

I forgot to mention that my 16 days in Italy accounts for the actual physical time in Italy and does not include my travel days. Lots of great information here.