WIll be in Italy 7 days (get in Sun am and leave Sat afternoon). Can we go to Rome and Florence and Venice??
If so, what order and how many days each. If not, suggestions??
Thanks!
Laura

Well, I think in terms of nights, of which you only have 6. It can be done for a brief, whirlwind adventure and you will have some pleasant memories.
First question. Can you do an open jaw -- fly into Rome and out of Venice or vice versa? If so that's much better.
Others will disagree, but I'd spend three nights in Rome, leave early the fourth day by train to Venice and just spend the day, taking a late afternoon train to Venice for three more nights.
In Florence you'll only have time to see David, enjoy the main piazza, walk across the Ponte Vecchio (but don't dawdle looking at the mediocre jewelry), and see the duomo. If you must have more Florence, then spend one night so you can have the next morning there as well.

When, oh when will I learn to preview? I meant Florence not Venice for that day in the middle (on the way from Rome to Venice).

Patrick has a good suggestion. Another idea for 6 nights would be to do only two cities. That way you could focus on more in each city.

Rome, of course, has so much history and much to see. If you are a big art lover, be sure to include Florence. In my opinion, Venice is so magical and unique that it shouldn't be missed at all.

However any pair of cities between Rome, Florence and Venice would be a wonderful first glimpse of Italy.

Hi Laura,

I agree, best way is to fly into Rome or Venice and out the other.

My suggestion is
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday AM in Rome
Tuesday PM, Wednesday in Florence
Thursday AM, Friday, Sat AM in Venice.

You will, of course, be rushed; your trip will be hectic; you will suffer all sorts of travel stress; you will miss a lot, but you will have done it.

OR as Statia suggests, choose two.

If you have to fly in and out of rome you might want to get there and take the train immediately to Florence or to Venice. I think for 6 nights 2 places is good. Decide which you would rather see. It is about a 2 hour train to Florence and 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 to Venice. The other option is to stay in Rome and do a few day trips. You could day trip to Florence. You could see Pompeii and Naples or Sorrento in a day trip (or stay over a night) or pick a smaller town like Orvieto to visit.

Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas! I will clarify by saying we can fly into Rome and out of Venice if we want. How long is the train from Rome to Florence and from FLorence to Venice??
My husband and I are still negotiating! LOL!
THANKS,
Laura

One more thing, if we just spend the day in Florence, what do we do with our luggage??
Laura

It takes about 90 min to go from Rome to Florence and about 3 hours from florence to Venice. You can look at the trenitalia website to get exact times.

laura-since you have time constraints i suggest you do not fly into venice- it takes a couple hours to get over there by the time you take the waterbus, etc. when you train in you are on the edge of the city- much closer..

Hi Laura,

If you are planning on spending a day in Florence on the way to Venice from Rome, there is a manned luggage office at the left side of the station as you come from your train.

I would suggest an overnight in Florence. See my itinerary at
http://www.slowtalk.com/6/ubb.x?a=tp...p;m=4416025664

Agree with the above 3 days whirlwind, starting in Rome, a day (overnight) in Florence,and then end in Venice.
If you're going to see the Uffizi and Accademia museums in Florence (the A. is where "David" is) then order advance tickets so you don't waste time in a long line.

I also suggest a walking tour or two in Rome--one for the Colosseum and Forum and another for the Vatican, if you plan on going there.