conton10

Hello everyone!

My husband and I are looking to go to Italy next year for our one year anniversary. We were planning on going around Thanksgiving, because we both get a few extra days off around then, that would help with extending our trip. We are planning, thus far, to leave on Saturday morning (before Thanksgiving)--expected landing around early Sunday morning, and stay until the following Thursday (after Thanksgiving)--at the earliest, Saturday at the latest. Meaning we should have approximately 10.5 days minimum, 12.5 days maximum of actual in Italy time (this does not count the travel days and time).

We were wondering if any of you could help us with a general idea of what cities to visit, and how many days to spend in those cities? (And possibly any tips or places to definitely check out would be greatly appreciated!).
We were considering Venice, Florence, Rome, and/or Naples/Pompeii (but we are open to suggestions on other cities as well). We love museums and sight seeing and history and are eager to try some great food and espresso We know we can't visit all of those areas in one trip, so we were wondering which ones we should definitely see, being our first time in Italy, and which ones we should focus more time on.
Any help is much appreciated!!
Thanks so much!!

greg

That is Thanksgiving U.S.A.?

A few background info would be useful to obtain - now.
You can probe some availability, prices, info for same time THIS year as an empirical background info useful for NEXT year's planning. Flights, ground transport schedule such as trains and accommodation. You can quickly hover over hotel site such as booking.com to grasp the availability and price range about three weeks before - as a background even if you don't use booking.com to actually book accommodations. If you see tight availability/high prices, it is a reminder for you next year not to leave them to the last minutes.

Your current return day would require you to fight the Thanksgiving air traffic if you flight involves domestic legs.

Another consideration is whether you want your trip to be linked to the Christmas market. Most markets are linked to the Advent. For 2016, Advent starts the same weekend as the Thanksgiving. In 2017, the Advent starts one week after the Thanksgiving.

WoinParis

Do not cover too much ground and leave some for later.
Ususally we count 3 nights = 2 full days + some time upon arrival and departure. Cities such as Rome need (or deserve) at least 5 days, with one daytrip or 2 max, Venice I'd say 2 - no max, Firenze 2-3, Napoli I' ve hardly seen any of it. From Firenze you can easily add a nice daytrip doing Siena Sam Gimignano and ?

Perso we did Rome Firenze Siena Venice + 2 days at the beach at Rimini and it was too much - way too much - in 2 weeks. But it is us. Depends if you like it rushed or not.

Anyway, whatever the number of days, these cities are magical.

PalenQ

With just 10 days in places stick to the classic three of Venice, Florence and Rome - leave the rest for subsequent trips- trains are the best way for visiting cities as cars are banned from city centers (and obviously from Venice)

high-speed modern trains blast between those cities. For lots on Italian trains check www.trenitalia.com; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. booking really early online yourself thru the trenitalia.com site can save tons of money over just buying as you go along.

GinnyJo

For allocation of time, I'd suggest starting in Rome and allowing some extra time there to soak it all in (and recover from jet lag). I agree with PalenQ about skipping Naples for now.

I'd suggest:

Rome 6 days -- you could do a day trip to Pompeii
Florence 3 days
Venice 2-3 days -- fly out of Venice

conton10

Thank you so much to everyone for your suggestions!
Greg--That is a good suggestion on checking things this year at the same time to get ideas for next year. Thank you!
I like the Rome-Florence-Venice itinerary. That sounds like a great plan.

buzzcolin

I agree - Rome, Florence and Venice. Leave Naples and the Amalfi coast for a warmer time of year. 4 nights in Rome & Venice and 3 in Florence would give you enough time to explore and appreciate them properly. Have travelled a lot on Trenitalia trains and always found them perfect. Used Italrail as well last year which was also good. Enjoy Italy!!

Jean

Before putting Venice last, check your flight options. Many flights from Venice to the U.S. leave very early. You might rather fly into Venice and out of Rome.

hoodmeister

We just did Rome Florence Venice. While in Florence, we took a day and did a viator/walkabout hiking tour of Cinque-Terre which was the highlight of our trip. Amazing! You have to be in shape to do the hiking tour, but there are other tours too. Trains and a ferry can move you about. The museums in Rome and Florence are popular, so book your tickets a month or so early. It's tough to plan your day so far ahead, but well worth it. In rome, we used the "Big Bus" tour, which allows you to jump on and off as you please. The brochure said 30 or so euros for 24 hours, but when I declined it came down fast. We paid 20 each for a 24hour pass. Includes earphones for a recording while you ride around. Colosseum was very crowded, but by paying at the Palatine ticket office, you get into the area that includes the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine. A good tip that we appreciated when we saw the long line at the Colosseum. Borghese and Vatican are must see museums. Again, advance tickets are best. The Duomo in Florence had extremely long lines for the Dome climb and the bell tower. I think you can buy advance tickets for that. We had a great time and had no worries about crime while there. Obviously you need to watch your purse or wallet, but walking at night was safe. Bring comfortable shoes. The Vatican alone will wear out a pair!