Rome, Florence, and Venice in 7 days--Is It Doable?

First I would fly into Venice and out of Rome as generally the flights back to N. America (assuming you are from there) are very early in the morning out of Venice.

With 7 days I would pick 2 places. As a general rule deduct half a day each time you move and you've already lost 1.5 days plus likely most of the first day to jetlag leaving you with a measly 4.5ish days to see 3 of the most site-packed cities in the world. 2 places will give you a nice balance of different cities and allow you to actually see some of the cities you are in rather than spending time running around with luggage and in train stations.

You CAN do it, but a lot of your time is going to be spent just getting from place to place. I think you' be better off just doing Rome and Florence......

Yeah, I'm thinking that's much more sane, but for the life of me, I can't figure out which two cities to pick. Rome is Rome (enough said), but I do really want to see both Florence and Venice and don't know when or if I'll ever get a chance to come back. I'm really into art history and the Uffizi's been on my list since I can remember, but then I feel like Venice is one of those places I want to see before I die (but then again, I've also heard mixed things about Venice). Any thoughts on which I could skip?

That is really something only you can decide. Everybody has an opinion but yours is the only one that counts here (and your families obviously!)

Go into this with the attitude that you will return, because most likely you will if you want to. I have been to Venice 3 times, but never Florence (have been to Italy 6+ times now) and I am not interested in art, so there is no point in me telling you to go to Venice if you have always wanted to see Florence!

Get some guide books, sit down with your family and see what grabs you!

One option may be to consider Florence a day trip on the way between Rome and Venice. Leave EARLY and plan on arriving late. You could at least catch a museum or two, see the duomo and a few sites going in-between. You'll need to store your luggage at the train station (or nearby if there aren't lockers there). That part is the pain.

Thanks for all the suggestions! A friend of my parents did a day trip to Venice and said a few hours there is enough. That's what we're thinking of doing now, since I just want to see Venice whereas I really want to explore Florence. (I guess in the process of answering this, I figured out which one is more important to me.)

Hi s,

It's too bad that you only have 7 days.

I would split the time between Venice and Florence. Others will suggest staying in Rome.

You can see the Big 3.

With only 7 days you want to fly into Venice and out of Rome or VV. Backtracking will take up too much time.

You can spend a day in Florence by taking the early train from Rome, leaving your luggage at the station and taking a later train to Venice.

This will give you more time in Venice.

A DAY IN FLORENCE:

Train to Florence SMN:
The Luggage Office is to your left as you leave the train.

From Piazza d' Stazione, walk up via Nazionale to via d'Ariento and the Mercato Centrale, wander through.

Take any street going NE to Via Degli Alfani and go right to the Accademia for The David.

Take via Ricasoli SE to the Duomo, the Baptistry and the Opera Museum (Originals of the bronzes on the doors)

From the Campanile, take via Calzaiuoli S (do some window shopping) to the Piazza d' Signoria. Look around, take a break.

Continue S to the Uffizi. Visit.

From the Uffizi, walk W along the Arno River to the Ponte Vecchio.

(You can walk up to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens if there is time. Great views of Florence from the top of the Gardens)

If you have time, walk E along the S bank of the river to Ponte alle grazie and cross over to visit Santa Croce.

If not, go W along the Arno from Ponte Vecchio to Ponte S. Trinita and go right. Go left on Via d'Spada to via d'Fossi and go right to Santa Maria Novella. Look around.

SMN is across the square from the train station.

If you have time, take the no. 7 bus (you can find it at the SMN train station) up to Fiesole (0:20 hr 1E) to watch the sunset from the terrace of the Bar Bleu.

Be sure to have lots of gelato (in a cup, not a cone), take some wine breaks and a light lunch.

Train schedules, prices and tickets are at http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
Call center from outside Italy is 39-06-68475475

Bus routes are at http://www.ataf.net/
Buy your ticket before you get on the bus. Stamp it in the yellow box on the bus.

Uffizi and Academia Museum Reservations
You can purchase tickets online at http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/uffizi/
Or call the museum booking line on +39 055 294883, open during Italian hours from 8.15 am to 5.50 pm Tuesday to Sunday for the English-speaking operator.

Have a nice visit.

<<A friend of my parents did a day trip to Venice and said a few hours there is enough.>>

And for me, a few months wouldn't be enough.

But it sounds like Florence is more up your alley, so do that and enjoy.

Wow, thanks for the detailed itinerary, ira! You sound like you're very familiar with Florence. I'm jealous.

"Rome, Florence, and Venice in 7 days--Is It Doable?"

No.

I would suggest:

Venice 4 nights/Florence 3 nights

OR

Rome 7 nights

Either would make for a sensible and fantastic trip.

You (and your parents) WILL return to Italy. Really.

It's possible - but you're not going to see a whole lot. If itwere me I would fly into Venice, spend 2 days (3 nights) there and hop on the train for Rome for the rest of the trip.

this will give you a very brief taste of each.

Definitely get an open jaws tickets so you don;t waste most of day or your very limited time backtracking.

>You (and your parents) WILL return to Italy. Really.<

I agree.........

Do you really not think you'll get a chance to return to Italy in the next 50-60 years??

Well, I'll probably be able to go back to Italy in my lifetime, but my parents who travel very rarely may not.

I guess I've decided on sticking to Rome and Florence and coming back to Venice some other time. Boy do I wish I had more time there, but I'm still very excited about this vacation and have no doubt it's going to be awesome regardless of how much I get to see.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

Good choice Snoozer! Don't forget to book open-haw/multi-city tickets, to save time and money.

Thanks, ekc. If you don't mind me asking though, what does open-haw mean? Does it mean arriving and departing from different cities? If so, I'm thinking of flying into Florence and flying out from Rome to save time.

Seems as if you have a very superficial friend snoozer.

Considering your interests, I would split my time between Venice and Florence. Both cities are walkable and you will be able see and do a lot in the time that you have. Save Rome for another trip - it is big and there is a lot to see there as well, cetainly enough to take up a week's time.

In Florence I would consider a day trip to Siena, only about an hour's bus ride away so easily doable. That would give you 3 very different places. An alternative to Siena would be to hire a car or find a tour that will take you on a day's view of Tuscany. Base that from Florence.

If you must see Rome at all, then take an early morning train from Florence to Rome the day before you are scheduled to fly out, the earlier the better, and spend an afternoon and evening seeing a few highlights. Stay at a hotel near the Piazza Navona, taxi over to the Forum and Colosseum which are very near each other, taxi to the Fountain of Trevi, another taxi back to the Pantheon. Walk back to Piazza Navona, an easy walk, enjoy the Piazza until time to go to sleep - there will be lots going on there in May and the day is long. Fly out the next day.
This last plan can be split 3 days Venice, 3 days Florence and 1 day Rome.

That's correct Snoozer - I agree with into Florence and out of Rome. Personally, it would be easier to walk off my jetlag in the (relatively) quieter Florence for a few days, and then be ready to hit the faster pace of Rome. So are you thinking of something like this:

Day 1: depart home
Day 2: arrive Florence, get to hotel, freshen up, eat, wander
Day 3: see Florence
Day 4: morning in Florence, noon train to Rome, get to hotel, etc.
Day 5: ancient Rome
Day 6: Vatican, etc.
Day 7: whatever other Rome sights you want to see
Day 8: fly home

I'm a college student, and my parents are in their late 50s (and they're not the most active people), so we'll most likely not be able to actually do all that I want to pack in, which I'm anticipating. >>

LOl, snoozer, I'm the same age as your parents and I'm not in my dotage and I suspect that they aren't either.

"open -JAW" flights are where you fly into one place, and out of another. pick the "multi-destination" option when you are looking at booking flights, not return trip - they should work out at abut the same price as a straightforward return ticket there and back to the same place. if they don't, you've probably done something wrong! flying into Venice and out of Rome is a very common combination, though it may not be right for you.

i agree with Basingstoke that Venice and Florence may be the best fit for you and your parents - you have longed to see the Uffizi, and they are both quite "doable" in 3-4 days, whereas in Rome, a week would be a much better length of time for a first trip. Venice is just lovely with plenty to do in that time, as well as the option of floating around on the vaporetti when you/your ages parents want a rest, and it is a short train journey to Florence, where all the things you will want to see are more or less within walking distance of each other.

you could then fly back from Florence or Pisa.

Leave Rome to a time where you have longer, and you have got your "Italy legs".

and at your age [and that of your parents!] you are all surely young enough to fit in at least one more trip to Italy.

ekc: Yes, that sounds like the itinerary I had in mind! Gotta admit, it definitely sounds a lot more relaxing than what I was previously thinking of.

basingstoke2: That sounds like an excellent vacation plan too, but my main focus of this trip was to see Rome, so I'm leaning pretty strongly towards Rome/Florence right now. Really appreciate the idea though!

annhig: I definitely didn't mean to discount their age (and apologize if that came off as rude). I'm basing it off of our previous trip to Paris 4 or 5 years ago where every few hours of sightseeing had to be followed up with by a nap (and they've only gotten older and more tired since). I can go a whole day continuously walking, propelled by my desire to see and do as much as I can (and I'm not a napper), but I've had to understand that not everyone wants that out of a vacation, so I'm trying to plan a more relaxed trip this time.

I'm doubtful about my parents going back to Italy, because my parents weren't crazy about Paris and have no interest in going back. They're going "just to see Italy once in their lifetime and say they did", and they'll probably be satisfied with that, whereas I'm going because there's an inexhaustible list of things I want to see there.

snooze, I know that you really want to see Rome but your reply to annhig if anything reinforces leaving Rome for another time - without your parents- or following the second suggestion I made just doing a half day Rome highlights before heading home. My wife and I are considerably older than your parents and can walk all day, but people are different. Rome can be a tiring city for sightseeing with sites and sights often far between. Bottom line, unless you take taxis a lot or use the public transportation you will be walking probably much more than your parents want and find them a drag on what you want to do.

On the other hand, Florence and Rome are relatively compact and easy to get around. Sights tend to be not far from one another. In the case of Venice when there is some distance between sites you can always go by water which in itself is sightseeing not to mention a trip to the outer islands such as Burano, a delight in itself.

annhig: I definitely didn't mean to discount their age (and apologize if that came off as rude). I'm basing it off of our previous trip to Paris 4 or 5 years ago where every few hours of sightseeing had to be followed up with by a nap (and they've only gotten older and more tired since)>>

snooze - no offence taken - it was just funny to be characterised as elderly before I've hit 60! I've never been one to walk all day - i like to pace myself - but I don't had for my bed for a snooze after lunch either. i wonder if taking things at a slightly more leisurely pace might actually allow them to see and enjoy more - a mid-morning coffee, a decent lunch, and a mid-afternoon "tea-break" can all help to keep us "oldies" going.

and if there is anything likely to encourage your parents to return to italy, IMHO it must be Venice, whereas if they did not like Paris, they might equally find Rome too overwhelming.

so my vote is still venice and Florence.

I meant Florence and Venice, not Florence and Rome - sorry about that.

Venice is exquisite and unique but based on your stated interests, I vote for Florence and Rome. Florence is our favorite city in Italy and, after first seeing it in my college years, I have returned 7 times. We visit Italy often and have seen most of the regions of Italy but always include a stop in Florence.

One suggestion to keep your parents at a pace that suits them and also allows you to see what you want is to build a time into the day (perhaps after lunch)when they return to the hotel for a rest and you choose something to see or do during that time.

If this is truly a "once in a lifetime" trip for your parents, then go to all three cities. They won't see everything anywhere, but it doesn't sound like that's the point of the trip. Follow mamcalice's advice of seeing/doing some things without them.

If you really want to consider visiting all three, I suggest:

Day 1: dep home
Day 2: arrive Venice
Day 3: Venice
Day 4: early train to Florence; check bags at train station--Uffizi, stroll around, nice lunch--late afternoon/early evening train to Rome
Day 5: Rome
Day 6: Rome
Day 7: Rome
Day 8: fly home

Here's MY one-day itinerary for FLorence that I shared in a previous thread:

On a quick 5-day trip to Rome with Italy novices, I took them on a day trip to Florence. It was one of their favorite days. These friends appreciate art, but don't know much about it, nor did they express any special interests in particular sights. Our trip was during Thanksgiving weekend—late November. I planned the day this way for our group of 5 adults.

We got a train at about 9 AM which put us in Florence by about 10:30AM.

From the station, we took the #12 bus to Piazzale Michelangelo. Therefore, our group's first real view of Florence was from this famous scenic overlook. Loads of photo opportunities, ooohs and aaahs. (If our group had been smaller, I would have opted for a taxi. Even so, a taxi might have been a good idea, since the bus skirts the center of the city and took 30 minutes to reach the piazzale.) Having just spent 3 days in the city of Rome, the group also appreciated the views of the green hills and houses on the hillside nearby and the different style of architecture than that of Modern and Baroque Rome.

From there we went into the city, walking down the steep Via di San Salvatore al Monte, a pedestrian-only walk past green gardens. We entered the city at Porta San Niccolo just as the church bells were ringing noon, the fragrance of delicious lunches in the air. We followed the Via San Niccolo through quiet streets (One friend commented that she finally felt like she was in Italy.) to Via Bardi, eventually turning onto the busy Ponte Vecchio, decorated for Christmas.

From there we walked through town past Piazza della Signoria all the way to the Duomo, which took my friends totally by surprise. This seemed a good moment to stop for lunch, so we had a lovely lunch at Osteria Belle Donne.

After lunch we strolled back through Piazza della Repubblica and then visited the Duomo and the Baptistery. My friends really enjoyed the mosaics inside the Baptistery, spending a lot of time sitting and interpreting the stories depicted. I'm sure we stopped for coffee once or twice during the day since this group became quick converts to the Italian system of coffee—a quick shot at the bar and then on your way.

Then we went to the San Lorenzo markets, splitting off into smaller groups to explore the wares and setting a meeting place and time. I knew my friends would enjoy this market, especially since there is no equivalent in Rome. At the meeting time, 3 were content with their shopping while 2 were still looking for leather jackets, so I indicated a nearby coffee bar where we 3 would wait while they finished. We sat for at least an hour, enjoying our thick hot chocolates and watching the buzz of the busy bar.

With the group together again, it was just after 5 PM, so I thought it couldn't hurt to see how the line was at the Accademia. There was no line, so we walked right in and had David to ourselves and about 20 other people. Quite magical.

We shopped a little more and then had dinner at Trattoria Za-Za. Our return train to Rome left at 9 PM and arrived at about 10:30 PM. They loved this day, which was balanced with a short "hike", beautiful scenery, historic sights, shopping, relaxing in a cafe, and two good meals.

Now, considering the cast of characters, and your aim, I think you really can do all three. It will be just enough for you to know where you want to go back someday, and your folks will have bragging rights to three wonderful cities.

Fly into Venice. It will be easier to recover from jetlag in Venice. Spend two nights there. It gives you, actually, the first afternoon/evening (assuming your folks will want to nap when they arrive -- you can do a lot on your own, scout out someplace for dinner will be fun.) One full day you can enjoy the city...St Marks Piazza...ride Vaporetto #1 all the way around to see much of the city from the water. Take the train from Venice to Florence. Spend two nights in Florence. Visit the Uffizi, the gorgeous Duomo, shop for some leather. If you want to see David, you might schedule that for the morning of your last day there and then take the train to Rome. Finish your trip in Rome. You won't see everything, but you should be able to at least get in the Forum, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Vatican and it's museums. (Although if you really don't want to do the Vatican -- hey, not everyone does -- you can visit the Capitoline and some wonderful churches. Fly back from Rome.

Yes - it puts a lot into a short trip, but you and your folks will have seen "the Big Three."

What did they not like about Paris? That may help you decide to just limit the trip to Venice and Florence, or Venice and Rome, or Rome and Florence. Personally, I think both Rome and Florence can take a lot of energy to visit. Maybe just one would be best for this trip...and I really do think that because it is so unique, you should aim to include Venice. While it may seem crowded in the daytime, at night it is quieter and more relaxing.

I am actually kind of blown away at how narrow-minded this forum is about people who want to see a lot in a short time. Of course you can do it. One option (something that Rick Steves even recommends) is doing Rome in a day (it's 1.5 hours each way by train from Florence) I did that once with my cousin and his family, and we saw the Sistine Chapel, St. Peters, piazza Navonna, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Forum (we didn't go into the Colisseum) and STILL caught an early evening train back to Florence. You can do this kind of thing easily. Do NOT let the narrow-minded snobbery on this forum get to you.