brisbane

I'm putting together a 2-3 week itinerary for an Italy trip. Having never done a vacation where I've had to move from place to place, I was wondering if anyone had any comments about the trip I've put together.

Leave Canada on June 1st, get into Rome early June 2nd.

June 2 - Rome
3 - Rome
4 - Rome
5 - Rome
6 - Leave early morning for Siena, spend full day in Siena
7 - Leave early for Florence, full day in Florence
8 - Florence
9 - Florence
10 - Leave early for Lucca, full day in Lucca
11 - Leave early for Genoa, full day in Genoa
12 - Leave early for Cinque Terre, full day there
13 - Cinque Terre
14 - Leave early for Verona, day in Verona
15 - Verona
16 - Leave early for Venice, full day in Venice
17 - Venice
18 - Go home

Am I doing too much? Is there anything I can leave out or substitute for something a little off the beaten path? I've never been to Italy (or even Europe), so I figure that Rome, Florence and Venice are stops that must be made, which is why I'm leaving out Southern Italy.

Also, I don't want to do only cities (i.e. don't suggest 7 days in Rome, 5 in Florence and 3 in Venice), because I really want to see some of the rustic countryside and smaller towns.

bobthenavigator

Too many hotel changes--I hate one niters. I would see both Siena and Lucca as day trips from Florence and I would skip Genoa. I would add time to Florence[ for day trips] and to Venice. Have fun---you have a good start to a great trip.

ellenem

The part of your trip that will be tiresome are the one-night stays. Especially when you are visiting a new place, it can eat up almost half a day traveling between two place and checking in and out of hotels.

So for example, Siena and Lucca are only an hour or so from Florence. Can you eliminate one change of hotel and visit one of these as a day trip from Florence?

Similarly, Genoa is quite close to Cinque Terre. (Wondering why you chose Genoa . . . it's not usually on every Italy first-timers list.)

And Verona is little more than an hour from Venice.

Also, by staying longer in each place, you can choose to add a day trip--or not--based on how you are enjoying that place.

Using this idea, you could really strip down your itinerary to this:

June 2 - Rome
3 - Rome
4 - Rome
5 - Rome
6 - Leave early morning for Florence
7 - Florence
8 - Florence (day trip to Siena if you feel like)
9 - Florence (day trip to Lucca, if you fee like)
10 - Florence
11 - Leave early for Cinque Terre, full day there
12 - Cinque Terre (day trip to Genoa if you like--I bet to Cinque Terre will seduce you)
13 - Cinque Terre
14 - Leave early for Venice, day in Venice
15 - Venice
16 - Venice (day trip to Verona if you like)
17 - Venice
18 - Go home

ellenem

Or do steal a day back from Florence and make an overnight in Siena . . . but fewer one nighters in a row.

zootsi

You itinerary is intense, but doable. Since you've never been to Europe, it may be exhausting traveling from one city to the next, finding your way around, settling in, etc. You should loosen up your tight schedule with some breathing space. Getting from city to city and hotel to hotel can be trying, even for the experienced traveler. Will you be driving? Driving is wonderful in the countryside, but almost impossible in Italian cities.
If you want to spend some time in the countryside (highly recommended), I would possibly cut out a night in Florence and drop Genoa and one other destination, and stay at an agritourismo somewhere in Tuscany for a few nights, renting a car for at least this portion of the trip.
For your first trip to Europe, be prepared to get lost, frustrated, overwhelmed, and totally blown away. It's an experience you'll never forget.
Check out the slowtrav.com site for some good tips and insight on Italy.

yorkshire

Are you flying out of Venice? If you want to stay somewhere smaller, there is no rule that you have to see the "big 3" on your trip.

Lexma90

On our first two trips to Italy, we saw Florence and Venice on the first trip, and Rome on the second. I would agree that you don't have to see the "Big 3" on your first trip, especially as you've already expressed a desire to see smaller towns.

I wouldn't really consider Siena or Lucca a "smaller town," but rather, smaller cities. While I think that Verona is smaller than Siena or Lucca, it's still pretty big!

But I do agree that you have a lot of tiring one-night stays.

Consider dropping Verona and Lucca (though both are nice places and definitely worth visiting), and devote those days to a smaller town in the area of Siena, if you want to experience the countryside. For example, Montalcino, Pienza or Montepulciano.

Lastly, flights from Venice to North America tend to leave very early in the morning. You might find it easier to fly into Venice and out of Rome.

SusanP

I agree about all those one-night stays. Not fun. When you say "Leave such-and-such, full day in the next place," that really won't happen. It will take more time than you think to get to the train station, take the train to the next stop, get to your new hotel, check in. You'll be sick of moving around.

I think ellenem gives a great suggestion for your itinerary.