We are going to italy for the first time. This is our plan. If any of you with experience traveling in Italy could comment, provide suggestions or changes, we would appreciate your help. Thank you

Arrive Florence, 4 days, then to
Venice 4 days, Lake District 4 days, Rome 4 days.

Sounds good to me! Are you driving or taking trains? Where are you going in the lake district?

dont know yet where to stay in the Lake district, any recommendations

I ate lunch in Bellagio on Lake Como but we werent staying there. The area was beautiful and the drive around the shore was wonderful. It would be hard to pick a bad place.

Your trip sounds nice. I am getting into the 4 day stops too. I am getting older and I want to stop and really enjoy the areas I am in and I have learned to forget about the places I dont have time to see. Dont you hate it when someone comes back from a trip and all they can talk about is how fast it went and all they didnt see. Stop and smell the roses.

Hi yarrl

If you do a text search "lake district and italy" you will find lots of suggestions and where to go and where to stay.

Each lake has a different feel, and on each lake their are towns with even more different attitudes. What do you want to do when you get there? Hike, bike and be active? Or stroll through villas, shop, eat and relax?

Whatever you do, be sure to spend sometime on the lake, viewing the shore from a boat. It's a slow, relaxing, cool way to check out the scene. I think my favorite is Maggiore. If you stay in Stressa, you can take the hydrofoil to some of the charming Ticino (Swiss) towns.

Have fun planning!

I have been to Italy twelve times and seen a lot of the country.

I would not spend four days in Venice personally. It is very touristy and expensive and I am not a big fan. It is worth seeing if it is your first trip.

The Lake District is very quiet so if you are looking for that as opposed to the art and culture that Rome and Florence, it will be a nice respite. It is quite a hike though.


You can take great daytrips from Florence to areas of Tuscany and also Sienna and Assisi, which are lovely. It makes a good home base and the city is small and the train station very accessible.

I love Rome and there is a lot to see there so 4 days will go by quickly. I have done night tours of the city using a private car service and it is worth the splurge.

I can recommend hotels in Florence and Rome if that would help.

OTOH,
I think anything less than 7 days in Venice is cheating yourself.

sounds great, haven't done the lake district but I think 4 days in the other places is fine.
I know a GREAT private tour guide in Florence, if you want her name let me know.
Enjoy

yarr: You have put together a really nice introduction to Italy. I also enjoy the longer stays to soak up the local atmosphere. One suggestion, however, you might consider three days each in Venice, Florence and the Lake District (Maggiore is my favorite, especially for three days) and use the three days gained for Tuscany. This would give you introduction to another prime area of Italy without really increasing the "hectic rate". Don't alter your time in Rome. You will need every bit of the four days to see and do all there is in Rome. Have a great trip.

I think you could cut one day off the lake district and one off of Venice or Florence or both. If you're doing the area around the middle of Lake Como (Menaggio/Bellagio, etc.) that can easily be done in three days.
IMO Venice is by far the most expensive city in Italy which can be a bit of a downer/eye-opener and get ready for lots of crowds at the major sites in Florence...but that's to be expected. Como is very relaxing and there is a much slower pace..and I don't necessarily agree that it is a "hike" to get there, especially if you travel by train..but the Italians DRIVE fast, too (although on the faster trains you'll easily whiz by them, too).
I think the additional time in Tuscany such as a day to Siena would be a nice change from the Florence/Rome/Venice thing. Four days in Rome seems like a good amount...after a while you start to get "museum/art/statue overload"...one thing you won't get is "gelatto overload" which I think is impossible. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you everyone for your responses. Recommendations for hotels, guides, and any other information would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to help us on our trip.

try the garda lake west coast and climb to tremosine