First time to Italy TOO MUCH?
 

Hi,
This is our first trip to Italy and we only have 12-13 days. Does this itinerary make sense, would you change the order, and are we REALLY trying to do too much?
Fly into Rome 3 nights
Florence 2 nights
Cinque Terre 3 nights
Verona 2 nights (we have friends there)
Venice 2 nights
Fly out of Venice

I assume all by train. If so, it will be real tight due to travel time. I would do more time in venice--less at the CT. All doable--just tight.

Having lived in Florence, and having travelled to everywhere you mention, I'd suggest spending only 1 or 2 nights in Cinque Terre (you really just need 1 fabulous and long day to hike from town to town), and adding to your nights in Florence. If it weren't for having friends in Verona, I'd skip it altogether and add Siena. Have fun!

Way too much, I think.

We were in Italy in January for 12 days: 3 nights in Florence, 1 in Bologna, 4 in Venice, 1 in Ravenna, and 3 in Ostia. We traveled by car and it was still very tight. Remember that Italians still observe the 12-3 lunch break; traveling is time-consuming and tiring; checking in and out of hotels is tedious.

I would suggest 4-6 nights in Rome, 3-5 nights in Florence, 4-6 nights in Venice (make Verona a day trip).

Remember: Italy is always there; you will be back. There is so much to love about settling into a place for a comfortable stay. For instance, you can go to San Crispino near the Trevi Fountain in Rome for gelato on so many more days. Or you can visit the hilltowns near Florence as well as exploring the city (and the bistecca di miale at Mario's is cheap and FANTASTIC); and you can use Venice as a home base for the Veneto. There's never enough time for Venice.

Have a WONDERFUL time! E.

Definitely add a night to Venice.

Verona is a lovely city and since you have friends there, those two nights could be a fun and memorable part of the trip. Because of that, I'd keep the nights in Verona.

So, where to subtract a night? I agree with wise bobthenavigator -- subtract a night from the CT, gorgeous as it is.

I am in agreement with the others, that is too much time in the CT. One day, possibly 2 at the most is all you need there. I would take the other 1 or 2 days saved and add them to Rome and Florence, respectively. There is just too much to see and do in those fabulous bigger cities that you don't want to miss out on.

You are doing a lot of N-S traveling on your itinerary and (IMO) for a first trip to Italy, I would probably have focused on just 1 or 2 cities (like Rome or Florence) in that span of time. But since you have indicated wanting to go to all those places, I suspect you have organized it geographically to make the most sense (are you flying into Rome to begin your trip?) Trains from town to town might be most efficient and save time and money on gas and parking in each place.

No stop seems to be more than 4 hours apart, especially if you choose rail routes serviced by fast trains (e.g head to Verona from CT via Genova and Milan.) To the extent that you agree that a commute should be no longer than 4 hours, it's not too much.

As for whether you have enough time at each stop, that will depend on your plans. If you want Florence as just an art stop, 2 nights gives you time to drop into 2 or 3 galleries. If you are content to just stroll around Venice, that's as good a way to spend the day there as any other.

I note you have the CT right in the middle, which is a great idea, CT is great for down time.

So this is a long way of saying that this isn't necessarily too much - provided you pack light and your party isn't bigger than 2.

I would reduce CT to one night and add one to Venice and one to Florence.

Hello,
This is also our first trip to Italy and I really need the advice of previous travelers. We want to visit Rome, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, a wine tour, and the last three days in the Sorrento/Positano area to unwind. We will have 12 days for our vacation. We both like to pack a lot in a vacation but I do not want it to be too much-to the point the when we get home everything is a blur. Busy but pleasant and memorable is our goal. Please help me with your suggestions. They will be appreciated.

Kindest Regards,
Kathryn

Hi Kathryn,

I'm sure you didn't mean any offense, but you are 'hijacking' a thread.

It would be better if you posted your question as a new thread.

Yes, you are doing too much, and why are you leaving out Venice?

Please accept my apologies for "hijacking". Ira was right, I did not intend any harm, very tired at the time of submitting original message.

I will post my own thread.