KevinDHS

We are planning a trip to Italy in October for about 9 days. We are thinking about visiting Rome, Milan and Venice. My wife really wants to do a gondola ride in Venice so that is a must. The other two locations were tourists suggestions. I have read a lot about the Amalfi Coast, but it does not appear that it is an easy location to get to from the areas we thought of. I do not want to drive over there if possible, but it is not out of the question. I appreciate everyones input and suggestions. I look forward to putting this together with your input.

Lexma90

Do the nine days include your arrival and departure days? Nine days is not a lot of time for three cities, especially if you factor in the travel time between cities.

Definitely book open - jaws flights, into one city and out of another.

nytraveler

Exactly how many days do you have in Itlay - NOT counting the day you arrive and the day you depart.

My suggestion is to visit two major places - to avoid wasting a lot of time in transit.

I would go for Venice (you wife's must do) and Rome (an incredible amount to see and do since it ruled a large part of the world for the best part of a millennium.)

Going from one to another by train makes sense, As does flying open jaws - into one city and out of the last - to avoid wasting time backtracking (called multi-destination on many sites and no more expensive than RT).

Milan is primarily a business city and while there are some interesting sights - it doesn't rank with Venice or Rome.

Suggest you review some of the better guidebooks to decide where to go for how long - based on what you want to see.

pctraveler

3 cities in 9 days is doable;we have been to Italy more than a doze times and you can see three cities in this time.

Personally, I would not necessarily do a 3/3/3 division. I would probably fly into Milan, see the Duomo, La Scala and the Last Supper and them go to Venice for two days. Then I would go to Rome and spend the rest of my allotted days there, and either fly out of Rome, or travel (via train) back to Milan and return from there.

Your allotted days do not easily accommodate the Amalfi coast; it is spectacularly beautiful, but it is too far to cover in the time you have; save it for the next trip--there is rarely "only one trip" to Italy!

You have submitted a question that will surely generate a good bit of interest, and there are Fodorites that have strong opinions, so sit back and wait for more advice than you can take!

denisea

If Venice is a must, I wouldn't try to put the Amalfi Coast in the trip. We spent 9 nights in Rome and easily could have stayed longer and still didn't see it all. Milan is not a favorite of mine. I would do 3 days in Venice and 6 in Rome. I would take one day from Rome to visit Tivoli for Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa.

sandralist

Is this the beginning of October or the end of October? It makes a difference.

There are so many beautiful places and cities in Italy that it is really hard to help without knowing a little bit more about what you and your wife might enjoy. I think you are right that unless you are super-motivated to get to the Amalfi from Venice, it is not a good plan to go there -- especially since there is so much to enjoy in Italy that does not require difficult travel.

There are many people who a very ideological about Italy -- even religious! -- who will tell you that anybody who goes to Italy MUST go to Rome for X reasons, or MUST see this wonderful area. But honestly, you really can take your own trip and do what you like. Even the smallest village of Italy usually has 3,000 years of interesting history, great food and charm, and almost every city has a spectacular sight -- whether it is a church or art work or monument. Lots of people love Milan. Others claim they can't understand why other people like it.

But maybe if you spoke more about what makes you curious about Italy or what you like to do when you travel people can point you to locations that match YOUR interests, instead of just talking about themselves.

FHurdle

I agree with Sandralist to some extent. A lot of people insist that one has to spend a tremendous amount of time in Rome. The fact is that you can see the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, plus other sights in a single day.

Now, Rome has plenty of sights other than the ones I've mentioned above. But once you've seen those the sights of Florence and Venice rise in importance. The first time I visited Italy I arrived in Rome and spent two nights. I don't regret a thing, although I've since returned and spent more time in Rome. I still would put it in third place behind Venice and Florence insofar as enjoyability goes.

If you take a train to Milan or Venice you have to go through Florence. I think it is worthwhile to arrive in the mid-afternoon, spend the night, and then continue your journey. This isn't going to give you time to see the art, but you can see the streets and the Duomo.

bilboburgler

If you want straight advice without our understanding what you like then the easy answer is do two out the three of Venice, Florence, Rome and do all your travel on trains. Easy.

If you tell what you like, Ancient buildings, modern art, opera, pasta making, wine tasting,countryside, bird watching, bike riding etc it changes where you should go.

October is an interesting month, not cold but no longer hot and with some dull days. So you need a few plan Bs in case the weather turns bad.

So what do you guys do on holiday that gives you pleasure?

jabez

First, consider where you are flying in and out of. Then, I agree you really don't have the time for three major cities (especially considering the distances). If you fly into Venice, I'd either go to Rome or Florence. Rome especially deserves at least 4-5 nights on your first trip.
An alternative might be to stay north and head to the lakes.

If it were me: 3 nights Venice & train to Florence. Pick up a rental car there and stay in Tuscany for 3. I'd finish my last 3 in Florence & fly back from there.

KevinDHS

Thank you all for your replies. We would be traveling in late October to celebrate our anniversary. We traveled to Paris and London in 2013, which involved flying into Paris then taking the train and flying home from London. Arriving in one city and departing out of another would interest us the most as to not waste time going back. My wife and I enjoying walking around and seeing the views or ruins. We are not big into museums and will not spend hours looking at art work. We enjoy finding nice local restaurants to have dinner or a drink. I really enjoy meeting locals and getting a true feel of how the country truly is beyond just what tourists see. I hope this helps a little. I will take the coast off the list for this trip because if appears it will be just too much travel. Thank you all again for the help we really appreciate it.

KevinDHS

Ohh yeah the days there in country would be 8.

Calabria62

How about 3-4 days in Venice and the rest in Rome? In addition to the gondola ride, there much to see in Venice without spending all your time in museums. Wandering is best. You can visit the Doge's Palace, stroll through St. Mark's, and visit the islands of Burano and Murano for a different taste, or just wander around the different neighborhoods. I don't now if Le Fenice Opera House has tours, but that would be spectacular. If you feel the need, you could take a day trip to Verona, itself an interesting city with amphitheatre, wonderful market.

In Rome, of course you can walk around the entire city, enjoying views and ruins, without setting foot into a museum.

You might want to bring an umbrella. Last time we were in Florence (on our anniversary) in late October and it rained the whole week. But, with the world climate these days, it's hard to predict. Just a thought.

sandralist

Very VERY generally speaking, in recent years much of Italy has seen the rains arrive in the last weeks of October rather than the beginning of November. Even though you are not planning a trip around visiting art museums, if you are going in late October, you might want to "cheat" your trip in favor of locations that offer indoor sights of interest as well as outdoor ones In Italy that is not hard to do. Venice, Florence, Verona, Pisa, Rome, Napoli, Bologna (and its nearby towns) and even Milan offer a lot. If the weather turns out to be glorious, all these locations offer easy day trips by train to lovely scenic areas that don't need to be planned in advance.

But for a 9 day trip, Venice Verona (or Ferrara) and Milan (with a possible day trip to either the lakes in sunshine or Bologna in rain) would be a very rewarding experience of Italy.

KevinDHS

Thank you all for your help and advice. We cannot wait to go and will limit it to Venice and Rome.

bilboburgler

Just a thought, if you want to meet the locals and get to enjoy meeting people then going to Venice and Rome seems to be the wrong answer. I'd do something like

1) A cookery course
2) an art course
3) a language course (though of course you would not meet many Italians)
4) Stay in a B&B rather than a hotel
5) Try and stay in a smaller city (well town really) and go do what you do at home.

So for instance when we have done this, Mrs Bilbo goes off and joins the local knitting group.

I think I might look at say Bologna, Ferrara which are moer accessible than Rome. Still you will enjoy yourself where ever