I think when you begin to get your flights and the times you will find that your amount of time in places is even more cut down than you seem to think.

>>We have given ourselves roughly double the time in each of the cities that the standard "cookie cutter" under 35's group tours allocate<<

You seem to have your minds set so have a great time. However, please don't compare a group tour itinerary w/ being even remotely doable independently. If that is what you want -then take a tour and every thing will be taken care of for you.

On a tour you are on the bus for <i>hours</i> many days (sometimes - on cheaper tours - every single day). There are few 'visits' (go inside) and many "see" - which is tour brochure-speak for drive by w/o stopping.

When my own DH told me of your inquiry, having traveled the length & breadth of the Roman Empire with him (our first trip abroad consisting of 7 big countries in 3 little weeks), I must ask first what exactly, besides attending events requiring tickets purchased in advance, do you like doing together on vacation? Art museums? Wine country? Walking tours of historic sights? The cities you wish to see each have their own distinct charms that take time to enjoy-Roma has occupied tourists for centuries. I recall an American threesome of middle-aged women stopping us on a Roman street to ask: "Is THAT the Colosseum?" They, pointing at the ruins of the Circus Maximus, were walking around on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with no map, no guide book, no sense of direction. If you insist on dashing about this much on a short trip, plus taking in ticketed events in distant ports of call, may I suggest knowing in advance what exactly you wish to see in all these lovely places & allow ample time to get to each site. And remember the old sayings (i) Less is More & (ii) Rome wasn't built (or seen!) in a day! My husband & I thought that our one 3-wk trip of our youth would be more than enough to last a lifetime but all those quick glimpses of fantastic places did was whet our appetite for countless more trips! HAVE FUN.

"We have thought long and hard about the trip..."

While I've already commented that I sympathize with your desire to go everywhere on your list, do keep in mind that thinking about and having any experience with are far from the same thing. We get that you will ignore much of the advice given by the experienced (yes, mostly older) travelers here. But consider the possibility that at some point on this forced march you may decide to slow up just a bit so try to make provision for it. As in stay put an extra day at one location and catch up with the list a day or 2 later. It doesn't hurt to know you can.

<<I'd really like some advice on whether our itinerary is realistic, best transport options between our destinations & any must do tips for the cities we're planning to visit.>>

Well, that certainly was bogus.

The overnight train from Sorrento to Venice is actually from Naples, so you'd need to get to Naples first. Then, you'll change trains at Roma Termini and arrive Venice at 5:20 a.m. What will you do in Venice at that hour? There is luggage storage at the Venice S.L. station, but I doubt it would be open yet so you'll be babysitting your luggage for a few hours. It would be better to fly Paris-Naples and see Rome on your way north to Venice.

Or even better, skip Sorrento altogether and add the time to other places that you've short-changed, like Paris and Venice.

Jean, good (though likely unheeded) point. Rome and Venice have so much to offer it makes no sense to fiddle with getting to and from Sorrento on this epic journey. Sorrento is more a place to chill, not on this agenda. Later (as in another trip) for Sorrento.

And still we soldier on.

First off , ten years seems like a long time to young folks, but its not I too had a Europe travel hiatius , raising young kids etc, but we were able to resume it once kids reached school age, and in meantime still travelled , just a bit easier stuff ( for us, Hawaii, cruises, and rving) ..

Second, do not compare what any bus tour can to, they have the timeline streamlined. When they are switching locations all the passengers do is come down from their hotel rooms,walk out front door of hotel, and get in bus. You will not have that luxury, you will spend another hour doing the mundane, checking out, taking transport to next train station or airport possible wait time, , and then the travel time... meanwhile the bus tour is already been on the road for a hour or two..

Thanks for all the interest, the trip is booked and we're set to go. I think some of you have read between the lines when referencing my comment regarding orgsnised tours. We have travelled before both in Oz and abroad, I travel for work weekly a sales rep so I am fairly experienced at packing, unpacking waiting & factoring in travel delays. We are under no illusion about the actual time being taken to get from a to b. And I wasn't comparing this travel journey to a tour, I was comparing the length of time in each city with the time physically spent there by our mates. Anywho thanks for your feedback it has been taken on board.

K0rky, please let us know how you get on, should be interesting if nothing else :-)

You have offended the masses who believe they know better than you what you like, k0rky. And bilbo even wants you to come back and tell them all how horrible it was so they can gloat!

Well done. And by that I mean your politeness and charm in responding to the admonishments and chidings.

This is why I will always by an Aussie a drink.

If you want any specific advice on making this all work from location to location please do come back and ask. The results you can receive here are decidedly better when you don't offend the responders broad sense of what is appropriate for them.

Dear Korky - Your charming inquiry has been keeping me up nights! I want with all my heart for you lovebirds to have a grand time but - and I'm no math genius - your mention of "2 weeks vacation" I understood to be the total length of time you have for Europe (and which I assume includes those 3 ticketed events in far-flung locales) and which must not, I assume, include the long flights to/from home - then, why is it that your reconfigured list of nights you plan to be in each FAB European city total not 14 nights but a whopping 28?

Also, in reading thru various remarks here, I must add that my husband & I did a couple of group tours (only because we knew everyone in the group) - what the British call "coach tours" - with companies experienced in hauling-feeding-sheltering tourists plus all their luggage to myriad places in short order, but attempting such a jam-packed schedule to widely separated destinations by your twosome quickly and efficiently is, I'm afraid, simply unrealistic. Many carefree young adults tell of their lengthy European travels because they spent entire summers or school years backpacking to a long list of places - not 2 weeks - even if 14 days extends by magic into 28 nights!

One other note if I may: in 2006 we concluded our self-styled one month Mozart's 250th birthday tour with 2.5 days in Munich: in-depth visit to their great art museum, fine dining in a medieval restaurant, festive beer garden, shopped till we dropped @Saturday outdoor mart including a yum Chinese meal & noontime mechanical clock tower show; on Sunday, our last vacation day, we hiked to a shop we had visited on the previous day but all of downtown Munich was closed. What else Munich might have held for us to see/do, with our particular interests, I don't know, but we packed in a lot those 2.5 days and I believe you can too but please carefully examine your timetable. AND HAVE FUN.

Aramus- you are hilarious champ!

Cruzcontrol- please re-read the OP. We have always stated this trip is for the full month of June being 28 nights away.

You will enjoy the Romantic Road trip in Germany--if you love as I do, gorgeous countryside, flowers, villages. Even the cemeteries are beautiful.

I understand your wanting to see it all. Our first trip we traveled by car and tried to do the same. A lot of wonderful memories were made.

PatW47 you have hit the nail on the head. It excites me that there are others who have found the romantic road to be a breathtaking and a worthwhile experience. Thanks for sharing :)

Nah, gloating is not the issue, for me Fodors is a self-help group and if we offer advice and it is rejected that's ok, in fact the OP may be more right than me which is good and better still if he lets me know afterwards.

If the OP has a good time and can give me any advice as to how it went it will mean I can use some of his evidence based experience to make my holidays better. I often carry out holidays by bike and will only stay in a town for one night much of which is spent sleeping and trying to get muscles to work etc and I doubt I make best use of my destinations. So Korky, please let us know the ups and downs.