mailrijuta

Hi,

My husband & I are planning a 12 day trip to Italy in June. This will be our first time and therefore we are looking at 4 days each in Rome, Florence & Venice, probably in that order. We are keen to do maybe one side trip from each of these cities. Some of the places that come to our mind are Pompeii, Naples, Capri from Rome; Cinque Terre, Chianti, Lucca, Siena from Florence; Verona, Dolomite from Venice. I know I need some help

So was wondering
1) If 4 days will be sufficient in each of these cities?
2) Are there any side trips we can comfortably do? How many would be reasonable?
3) What are the most recommended full/half day trips we must take?
4) Should we plan this differently

Thanks a lot!

eastenderusvi

IMHO, you can't see it all in 12 days. And do you mean 12 nights? That will give you significantly fewer full days. Everyone travels differently. To me, 3 full days in Florence would be minimum, but then, that's me!

Ask yourself what are the top three things *you* must see and then go from there...

mailrijuta

I have 12 full days excluding the days I arrive and depart. Have earmarked 4 full days in each of Rome, Florence and Venice. But since I don't know if 4 days are too many or too less in any of these cities I want to prioritize a few side trips. What I'm not sure about is how many side trips are reasonable in the time I have - one per city or one overall - and which ones should I choose

nytraveler

I think you can easily do a (one) day trip from Venice (Verona), Florence (Siena?) but that you probably don;t have time to do so from Rome since it is so much bigger and there is so much to do.

If you want to see more roman remains you could do a 1/2 day to Ostia Antica (much closer than Pompeii - only about 30 minutes from Rome). A trip to Naples OR Pompeii OR Capri from Rome is possible but it is a very long day and there really is no way you can do more than one in the same day.

That said you need to make your list of must sees for each city so you get to what you want - which is not necessarily the same as many other people. So I would get started with some good guide books.

TrendGirl2

I agree with feedback from NYtraveler.

Since this is your first trip to Rome, Florence, & Venice......there will be so much to see and do to easily fill up each day with wonderful sights & experiences.

I suggest possibly consider a day excursion to Siena from Florence.
TrendGirl2

jamikins

Dont forget to account for your travel time between cities!

Day 0 - arrive
Day 1- Rome (jetlag?)
Day 2 - Rome
Day 3 - Rome
Day 4 - Rome
Day 5 - Rome to Florence
Day 6- Florence
Day 7 - Florence
Day 8 - Florence
Day 9 - Florence to Venice
Day 10 - Venice
Day 11 - Venice
Day 12 - Venice
Day 13 - fly home from Venice?

I always allocate 1/2 day to change locations. 4 nights = 3 full days with travel days on each side.

Whether this is enough time depends on what you want to see in each location. I wouldn't do day trips with so little time, but that is just me.

Happy Planning!

TrendGirl2

As a suggestion......try to make a list of your "must see" sights, museums, etc. for ROME, VENICE, FLORENCE. I, also suggest making a list of opening and closing times of sights, museums, days closed of particular places you want to visit.


This is a good idea to have a game plan on what want to visit in each city.
Keep in mind you should allow for nice "surprises" you may find when walking around each city.

Florence, Venice, Rome are amazing cities, with many tourists visiting all the same sights you want to see (especially on a first visit) so expect things to take longer then you may expect.


TrendGirl2

greg

Did you come up with Rome, Flornece, Venice order after much thinking? Have you already purchased flight?

I don't know where you are coming from, but if you need a make a layover in Europe to travel to or from Europe, it makes a difference between the Rome, Florence, Venice order and Venice, Florence, Rome.

For example, if you have a 6 am return, then coming back from Rome is easier than from Venice in terms of getting to the airport in the morning.

mailrijuta

Thanks All.. I do have an idea of a few things I want to see/do but it is a good idea to pen it down and see the feasibility.. will keep Siena & Verona as options in the event I run out of things to do in Florence & Viena respectively.
I am about to book flights so thanks for your inputs @Greg
Will try to fly into Venice and out of Rome provided the fares are not very far apart...

bvlenci

Verona is a reasonable day trip from Venice. The Dolomites is a problem unless you want to take one of the tours that make a few quick stops in various spots.

Siena (by bus) and Lucca (by train) are reasonable day trips from Florence. You really couldn't do both in one day. There are bus tours of Chianti, if that would appeal to you. I don't consider the Cinque Terre to be a reasonable day trip from Florence. The place is sinking under the weight of the day trippers. I wouldn't go there for less than two nights, so you could breathe a little after the crowds leave at the end of the day. And I wouldn't go in high season at all. (June is the height of high season.)

Naples and Pompeii (one or the other, not both) are reasonable day trips from Rome. There are many other possibilities, such as Orvieto, Asssisi, or Tivoli. However, I agree that four full days are not very much time for Rome. There are a number of things in Rome that everyone wants to see, so unless you skip some of the biggies, you'd spend three full days shuffling along in a pack of fellow tourists, and totally miss the charm of Rome. If you can't spend more time there, and can't renunciate the "must-sees", I would at least skip the day trip and spend one full day, and a few afternoons, off the beaten path.

bvlenci

I meant to add that Capri isn't a reasonable day trip from Rome. It takes too long to get there, and, like the Cinque Terre, you'd be there with all the other thousands of day trippers.

vincenzo32951

Just some random observations/suggestions:

Rule out Cinque Terre, Capri and probably Naples. CT and Capri are too far, and while Naples can be worthwhile, a day trip from one big, busy city (Rome) to another big, busy city (Naples) wouldn't work for me.

In Venice, I'd do one day to Murano/Burano, and forget the other day trips.

In Florence, you can decide on a day trip to Siena last minute. You may want to familiarize yourself with the sites in that city beforehand , to make the most of the day if you do decide to go.

Debs

Remember to factor in what sites you want to see and the days these may be closed. Purchase tickets in advance, if possible, to avoid waiting in long lines. In Rome, you might want to consider purchasing the Roma Pass, but look to see what all it includes and if what you want to see is included. If you decide to get them, you'll be able to enter the sites without waiting in line to do so.

Your trip is doable, but somewhat rushed, IMHO. Rome is a very walkable city - make sure you take time along the way to stop for a gelato!

I would save southern Italy (Naples, Capri) for another trip. Same with Cinque Terre. Once you start adding up all these day trips, you really won't have that much time in Rome, Florence and Venice.

You might want to make hotel/B&B reservations asap since your trip isn't that far away.

Enjoy!

annhig

The great thing is that you don't need to book any of these day trips in advance - if you fancy going, you can go, and if you don't, you'll find a great deal else to occupy you.

Which place to fly into and out of IS a major consideration. Ideally you want to arrive as late as possible [within reason] so they you can check into your hotel when you arrive, and leave as late as possible so you don't need to get up at stupid o'clock to get to the airport, which particularly at Venice can be a real pain.

So check the flight times carefully to see which will suit you best.

BTW, when I say late, I mean after 9am. Transatlantic flights typically arrive and leave in the morning from both Venice and Rome.

WWanderer

Just piggybacking here, but wondered if one could incorporate Verona on the way to Venice, if one was flying out of Venice? I.e., assuming train travel, Rome - Florence - Verona - Venice? Would that be too much packing/unpacking? (Starting to think about planning my own trip--will post a new thread when it's cemented.)