k007

My wife and I will be visiting Italy for the first time this November. We have 16 days in all.

Day 1-6 - Rome (with a day trip to Naples, Pompeei).
Day 7-11 - Florence with side trips to Siena, Pisa.
Day 12-16 - Venice (with a side trip to Verona).

We will be taking trains from Rome-Florence
and Florence-Venice. We don't plan on renting a car.

We wanted to spend as much time in Venice as possible, without missing out on the other cities. Do we need to spend more time in Rome and a day less in Florence ? We are spending slightly less time in Florence as we might be "cultured out" after Rome and would rather spend more time relaxing in Venice.

Thanks!

Patrick

While I'm not one to spend a lot of time in Florence, I don't think you'd want to cut any days since you only have two days there, right? You do say you're doing side trips to Pisa and Siena which will take a day each. Your plan sounds good to me.

You might want to stop in Lucca coming or going from Pisa for a taste of a smaller town. You can easily do that on the train.

ellenem

Very easily done by train. Looks like a nice balance to me. I think you have allowed a good amount of time in Rome. If you are not that interested in Renaissance art, you might take the day you suggest from Flornece and add it to Venice.

midwesttraveler

I posted this on another thread, if it is any help. If you want any more info, let me know. I wouldn't rent a car either.

Message: For what it's worth I agree with a few other posters on this forum regarding spacing out the big cities and small "hilltowns". I am from Chicago and lived in Italy for several months. Specifically, I lived in Florence for a few months and several weeks in Rome and Venice. I spent a lot of time on day trips to Siena, Bologna, Pisa, Sorrento, et al. I am not a huge fan of big cities while traveling but I do like to see museums and all the touristy stuff. If I had 10 days in Italy I would do the following:

2 days Venice (recommendation: I stayed in a hotel on Lido island, a short water taxi from St. Marks. It was nicer and much cheaper (comparitively) than the hotels in Venice, which are VERY expensive)

1 day in the countryside between Venice and Florence (Bologna has some neat stuff to see)

3 days in Florence (you can take day trips to Pisa or Siena from here, I would recommend Siena over San Gemingnano, San Gemingnano is over-the-top touristy, like a medievel shopping mall). FYI, Florence is much more relaxed than Rome and is a better place to spend time at cafe's and such. There is plenty to do over 3 days. (Uffizi, Duomo, Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, et al.)

1 day in hilltown between Florence and Rome, maybe on the way out from Siena.

3 days in Rome. It is a hustling, bustling, dirty city. But there is a LOT to see (I can't overstate it enough!) St. Peter's/Vatican City may be 1 day in itself, recommend walking to the top of the dome if you have the legs for it.

Keep in mind you'll need more time than you think waiting in lines to get in places like Uffizi, Vatican City, etc.

Have a good time, wish I was going too.

elaine

Wow, I am so impressed that you've allowed enough time to really get to know these fascinating and important cities.
I think it's fine as is. I have not been to Pisa but have only rarely heard it referred to as an important experience by those who have gone.
You could take one day from Florence if you like and add it to my beloved Venice but it depends on how much you want to go to Pisa.

YoConn004

My husband and I just did the exact same trip last May. Definitely spend more time in Venice than in Florence. Although Florence is beautiful, we found Venice to be more relaxing and romantic. The side trips to Siena and Pisa (we also toured the tuscany valley) were wonderful. You're going to love Italy! We've been there numerous times and can't get enough of it.

eliztrav

Looks great to me, with one possible excpetion. A "day trip" from Rome to Naples & Pompeii? While I suppose that might be feasible, I can't imagine it being very enjoyable. Assuming you intend to see sites in Naples and see Pompeii in one day.

k007

I wanted to stick mostly to Rome as I don't have much time for southern Italy. But I wanted to take a day to visit the ruins at Pompeii. I am not planning to spend any time in Naples.
Any suggestions ?

ellenem

You can do the Pompeii daytrip on your own by train or via a few tour operators. I think it is the Enjoy Rome tour that some say is best, since they don't hijack you and take you souvenir shopping---just a direct bus ride to Pompeii and back. Via train, the trip is about 2-3 hours each way.