we will be in italy from oct 18-25, arriving and departing from milan. we wish to spend the last few days in venice. considering the time of year, should we plan to stay in florence and the tuscany region or should we head for the dolomites and then make our way to venice from there? we are happy to rent a car. we love to walk for hours but are not serious hikers. we are mostly looking to enjoy our time together, surrounded by beautiful scenery. we are grateful for all suggestions!

I would arrive in MIlan and train to Venice that same day. After 3 nites in Venice I would train to Florence for 3 nites--to include a day trip to Siena---and then train back to Milan for my last nite. A week goes real fast.

I agree with bob. When you make a short trip you should minimize time spent on trains and in checking in and out of hotels. As an additional suggestion, if you go to Sienna take a bus and choose a local so that you see as much of the country side as possible.

i also like bob's plan alot. i'm not sure you need to bother with a car for such a short time. couldn't you do it by train & bus?

The question was - should they head to the Dolomites before Venice or, because of the time of year, go to Tuscany and then Venice.

The Dolomites could be unpredictable in late October. I think, from a weather perspective, you might be better off in Tuscany and then to Venice.

I don't know why you are getting suggestions to do Venice first when you expressly said you wanted to do it last. There is, of course, no reason why you can't do the two areas in the order you want.

they also said they were "grateful for all suggestions".

Hello Debb, I personally would not visit the Dolomites during the latter part of October. All the Italians I know that have second houses in the Dolomites depart sometime from the early part to the middle of September and do not return until the ski season starts.

If you decide to follow bobthenavigators thoughts and if whether you first visit Florence and than Venice or Venice and than Florence you would not need a car. You would not want to drive in the City of Florence (see all the Fodorite's that have received traffic tickets months after they arrive home) and of course you can't use your car in Venice either so basically taking the train would be the most sensible and easiest way to travel. If you do decide to use the trains to get from Malpensa Airport to the Centrale (Central) train station in Milan you can take the Malpensa Shuttle bus. Here is their website for your review.
http://www.malpensashuttle.it/e-default.htm

Also, do you know how to "find" your other thread on this same subject? If not, just click on your name and that thread and any other thread or post you have will show up. Best regards and have fun planning your time in beautiful Italy.

Can you explain why you think going to Venice first is a better plan?

thanks to all of you for taking the time to help us out. SUZE is right- we are grateful for all suggestions. this is the first time we are traveling to a country we are so unfamiliar with. i know a week is not very long, but i do want to get in Venice plus one other spot, and the two that appeal to me the most are tuscany and the dolomites. perhaps we should wait a couple of weeks to see what the forecast is in those places and then decide btwn the two. and thanks to ARAMIS for understanding where we are coming from! we would only rent a car to go to tuscany or the Dolomites, not for florence or venice.

Aramis, I can't speak for bobthenavigator but some people who visit Italy for the first time find Venice more relaxing due to the lack of cars and the ability to just walk around Venice especially the various areas that do not get a flood of tourists. Personally, although I love Florence it can be a bit overwhelming especially if one has jetlag wherein Venice if one gets away from the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge area is a good way to get over jetlag and relax while enjoying the beautiful city. No doubt Debb and her husband can figure out what will work for them. As Suze pointed out, Debb asked for all suggestions.

Take your pick--just limit yourself to 2 good destinations and keep it simple. You do not need a car.

In case you do not check your other thread I'll leave my input here as well. The Venice Marathon is Oct. 24, I know because my husband & I will be there so he can run it. Marathons are fun to watch but it can make cities harder to navigate the day of. If I had anyother suggestions I'd leave them for you but this is our first trip to Italy also. We will be there Oct. 19-30 & visit Venice, Tuscany, & Rome; still working on our details as well.