Suggested Itinerary-Rome/Cortona/Venice/Paris

Have you done any research/planning? What made you choose seven nights in Rome? (I'm definitely not saying it's too long, I've spent much more time there than that.) There are lots of people here willing to help, but you come here two days before your trip and apparently want us to plan your entire itinerary! What are you already planning to see?

I, of course, plan to see the Forum, Colosseum, Parthenon, etc. I'm not asking for anyone to plan my entire itinerary - just mainly suggestions. I have done a lot of researching but was looking to see what others have done, in what order for an idea as to what would be the best course to go about. So, yes, it is 2 days before and I do have ideas of what I want to do and go see but wanted to also compare notes as to what others found to be good for them.

OK, I'm no pro, but I have been to Italy a couple of times and I'm currently planning for another trip. I would suggest you may wish to cut back a few nights in Rome and add them to Cortona. That would give you a chance to see more of the small towns in Tuscany, though you would probably want to rent a car.

I feel like I could never get enough Rome--but since your time is limited, you might consider that you can see most of the Rome sights in less than a week.

Well, I disagree with cutting down on the nights in Rome. A week is a good length of time, but you could spend much more and still not see everything.

It will be a little difficult to see the Parthenon!

Just a few things:

Near the Colosseum is San Clemente, where you can go down and see how Rome built on top of previous centuries, and SS Quatro Coronati, 4th C church with good frescoes.

Galleria Borghese is wonderful, especially if you like Bernini sculpture. Reservations are required.

Santa Maria d. Vittorio for Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Theresa.

Santa Maria in Trastavere for lots of good things, including an incredible mosaic chapel down in the crypt.

hi krystle,

congrats on your wedding and on coming here for advice - better late than never.

assuming you have the principle sights on your list, the best advice I can give you is to try to group the places you see together. for example, an day on which you did the colsseum, followed by the vlla borghese, followed by san clemente, would leave most people exhausted.

the following make good groupings, IMHO:

palatine hill, forum, colosseum, capitoline museums.

cat home at largo argentina, campo dei fiori, pantheon, piazza navona.

TRevi fountain, spanish steps, villa borghese.

castel san angelo, st. peter's, vatican museum.

of course there are many other sights and groupings you can do.

the other tip is to mug up on the transport system. have a look at www.roninrome.com. he explains all the different tickets and how to buy them. also links to the bus, tram and metro routes. that way you should be able to cut down on the amount of walking you do and avoid the dreaded "Roman foot".

The third tip [shades of Monty Python] is to take time to look in some of the churches that you will come across all the time. many contain treasures that anywhere else would generate queues round the block, but because they are in Rome, no-one's interested. also they make great places to sit down and just relax and take stock for a litte while.

have a fab trip,

regards, ann

I'm a little confused as to the one night in Venice and one night in Paris; assume you are flying from Venice to Paris?? It's too bad you will have so little time in these two beautiful spots.

Susan is right; what I should have said is that you can see MANY (not all) of the major sights in Rome in less than a week. I was thinking about (as travlsolo also mentioned) how the OP was going to have brief stops in three very lovely places (Cortona, Venice, Paris) and maybe she would wish to have a bit longer in more places instead...spread it around a little bit.

Krystle, you are going to have a great time no matter what you do--and congratulations on your new marriage!

Congrats on surviving the wedding, and best wishes for a fabulous honeymoon! If you are going to be spending a week in Rome, you have the time for a daytrip or two if you want - maybe down to Pompeii for the day. In Rome proper, the Borghese is always at the top of my list - I just love the fact that the sculptures are displayed exactly where the artist intended them to be. Other than that, SusanP has a good list, but I would add the Baths of Diocletian (pay special attention to the double rose line on the floor), and have a drink at the little cafe across the square from the Pantheon (Pantheon is also a must, of course). Just remember - no wrong answers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you everyone for your most helpful suggestions. We arrived back home a few weeks ago and had the BEST time. A week was the perfect amount of time in Rome as we didn't have to rush to see everything but we were able to see almost everything we wanted to! We had such a great time in Rome! As for Cortona, we weren't as thrilled about but did have a lovely time and Venice seemed a little rushed. (Although, for as expensive Venice was, I am glad we only stayed the one night). Paris was magnificent as usual. I am hoping to go back to Italy (crossing fingers for next year) with a friend. Thank you again!

krystle,

so glad it all worked out for you.

welcome home.

Congrats on the wedding and honeymoon. Was this your first time to Rome? What was your favorite thing or two to see and do?

Hi amwosu. Thank you very much! Yes, this was my first time to Rome and definitely not my last! (I did throw my trusty euro into the Trevi Fountain, of course!) I think the Colosseum was the highlight of our trip. To imagine what went on there was amazing and unbelievable. I truly just loved walking around and seeing the history every single place we were. There is nothing like Rome and I can't wait to get back.