First timer to Italy
 

Hi!!
I am looking to travel to Italy at the end of May and I'm TOTALLY overwhelmed by all my options!! I am the sort of person who really appreciates a calm and nature orientated break so was thinking about the Amalfi coast/Sicily or Sardinia. But I also feel that to travel to Italy and not see the obvious famous sites i.e Rome/Venice, may be foolish! I don't really have the time to organise more than one location and am struggling hugely to make a decision!! I'm not sure I would want to drive, so this also poses a problem, as wouldn't I need a car to drive round some of the more remote but scenic places???
Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated as I am a very inexperienced traveller and haven't a clue how I should approach this!!!! Thanks :-)

You haven't given us much information. If you've purchased your airline tickets, where and when are you flying in and out? If you haven't purchased your tickets, which airports can you use and how many days do you have?

Can you fly to/from Sicily or Sardinia or make reasonable connections through another airport? If not, and you don't have time to organise more than one location, then I guess those destinations will have to wait for another trip.

A starting point: In all of Italy, where do you most want to go?

Do what we all have done in the past---plan 3 trips in advance based on geography, since you will return. That way you will not feel you have to include everythingn your first trip. I have gone back 16 times so far.

If you don't want to drive, just approach your planning with figuring out what you can do on the train. And plan around that.

Does any place particularly capture your heart? For me that's Venice. I've only been to Italy twice, and both times went to Venice. While it is a "city" it does not feel hectic to me since there's no car/truck street traffic.

Hi emma,

really to be able to help you we do need some more basic info as Jean points out.

There really is no need to see the "major sites" if you don't want to - I'd been to Italy about 10 times before i went to Rome; that said i loved it from the off and would recommend it to anyone.

the other "must see" for me in Italy is Venice - it is wonderful and we may not have it much longer.

add in some time by the coast [the CT?] and assuming you've got 2 weeks or so, you've got a trip!

First, exactly how many days do you have on the ground (not counting the day you arrive and depart)?

Secondly are you willing to drive on strange roads and are you comfortable with manual transmission (automatic transmission is quite rare in rental cars, higher rates and often only in larger, more expensive cars).

If you really want to see the deep countryside or stay in a very small town - yes, you will need a car.

But if you want a mix of major sights, smaller towns and countryside you can probably sort something out with public transit. For instance, you could spend 5 or 6 days in Venice, then train to Verona for a couple of days, do a couple of day trips to see Palladian villas in the countryside and then head to Lake Garda.

But you need to give us a little more info to start

No of days
Approximate budget
Some idea of where you want to go (look at tour brochures - with pics and guide books to make a couple of initial wants)

Thank you all for taking the time to reply, I appreciate your advice!!! :-)

Apologies for the lack of info, you are right to point that out..eek! ;-) I will only have from Saturday to Saturday total time (including flights), so I guess that leaves me 6 full days, which i'm assuming is not really long enough to visit too many places.

I really like the idea of visiting Rome and Venice as I have heard such amazing things about them both, but I've also heard that the Amalfi coast is stunning (and I'd definitely like to schedule in a little chill time too!)

So I'm now thinking maybe fly to Rome (from london!) and spend 2-3 days visiting Rome and Venice, then spend, the last 3 days on the Amalfi coast, or do you think this is trying to cram too much in?

Maybe I should do as bobthenavigator says (thanks Bob!) and do the Rome/Venice in one trip and the coast another time. The only trouble with that, is if I go in May, I won't be returning for at least a year (funds!!) and also I'm a little eager to see as much as possible!

But realistically, i don't want to spend the whole 6 days travelling around too much as I won't feel as though I've had much of a rest. I'm not too keen o hiring a car, therefore places with no bus routes would probably be best avoided. nytraveller, my budget is not extensive, probably an absolute maximum (including absolutely EVERYTHING, of around £1000)

With regard to where......it all looks so good! I considered a tour guide trip over 2-3 weeks in the summer but they are very expensive and quite full-on, whereas, I do really want some chill out time too. So I decided to do a short Italy break in May, and maybe head to Thailand for few weeks in summer, but maybe I should just do a longer summer trip in Italy. I have heard that it is much nicer to visit around May time though as it's much less touristy!

Help! I'm obviously not very good at making travel decisions.....eek!

In 6 days I would stay in one place - but you can do 2 if you are willing to skim the surface and keep moving quickly. It would NOT be a relaxing vacation.

Doing 3 different places will mean you are spending a large part of your vacation in transit and IMHO a waste of time and money.

If you really want to relax I wold fly to Naples and just spend the week on the Amalfi coast.

If you decide on a city I would do either Rome or Venice with a day trip to Verona.

But not 3 widely spaced places.

Thank you very much :-)

Just one more question!........I have been advised to go to either The Amalfi coast, Sardinia or Tuscany.......which would you recommend out of these 3??? Thanks again all for your very useful advice and suggestions! :-)

Hi Emma

I wouldn't include both Venice and the Amalfi coast in one trip, they're just too far apart. The good thing is that from here in the UK you've only got around a couple of hours in the air, so no jetlag and maybe get in for lunch!

As you've not yet booked your air tickets and if you want to include the chill time, then it's Rome and the Amalfi coast. Split your time equally and try and fly into Rome and then out of Naples back to LHR or whichever London airport.

On the other hand, you could fly into Venice and out of Rome (or vice versa) to see those great cities. I'm with annhig on Venice. I never tire of seeing the place and it seems to get better every time.

You should investigate lodging availability in your budget range in these destinations before you commit to an itinerary. You're late in booking.

"6 full days" is not enough to start adding Amalfi coast, Sardinia or Tuscany. Unless you are skipping Rome, Venice, and Florence entirely??

Sorry I'm confused.

Tuscany isn't easy to see without a car.

Sardinia is quite different than a trip to mainland Italy.

Are you really sure you want to see the major sights in Italy? It really doesn't sound convincing.

The idea to fly to Naples and spend your time on the Amalfi Coast seems more suited to your stated preferences.

You really don't have to go someplace just because "it seems a shame not to." If it's not your cup of tea, then it's just not.

Just one more question!........I have been advised to go to either The Amalfi coast, Sardinia or Tuscany.......which would you recommend out of these 3??? >>

the trouble with that sort of advice is that it is normally totally subjective. do you know how long they had there, their budget, where else they had been etc .etc?

you could have a terrific time in any of those places [and in many others] but the more places you try to cram in, the less of any you will see.

with 6 days, if you want a city, I'd go for Rome. if you want the coast, go for Sorrento.

Thank you all for the advice, it is much appreciated. Unfortunately i am late in booking Jean but that couldn't be helped, but I will definitely not let that put me off, I am determined to see some of Italy! I def won't try to do 3 places in 6 days, that wouldn't be sensible at all, but I had already considered flying to Rome for 2 nights and then heading to the Amalfi coast for the rest of the week. Thanks Rubicund for the same suggestion :-) And thanks also tuscanlifeedit as you are right, I don't have to do the usual places just because they are expected! I'm sure that I will love wherever I go as it all looks so wonderful!

I think that I will try for Rome and the Amalfi coast this time and if i want to return (which I'm sure i will!) I can see Florence and venice then as they are closer!

Thank you all for your advice, it has all been very useful to me as a first time solo traveller!

I'll let you know how I get on!! :-)

Hi Emma,

rather than doing Rome first and then the Amalfi, or splitting your stay in Rome into two, it would probably be better to go straight from the airport to the Amalfi [often a good way of using a day when you might be suffering from jetlag] spend you time on the Amalfi, then go back to rome to finish your stay.

that means you're in the right place for flying home [assuming you're flying into and out of Rome] AND you don't break your time there into two parts, which is an inefficient use of your time.

Annhig is correct on the order of things.

Aha! I hadn't considered that! thanks annhig and Sassafrass :-)

Emma, i hadn't considered it til i discovered fodors!

when you think about it, it's obvious, but i needed someone else to point it out to me too.

Aaaaargh! Somebody ele has just questioned my choice of the Amalfi coast, stating that it would be near on impossible to get around without a car. I was looking at a place in Praiano. Has anyone been here without a car? How did you find getting around? Thanks again!

It depends on what you want/hope to see and do, but the AC is an area of Italy that is very well served by multiple forms of public transportation. "... near on impossible to get around without a car"?? Nonsense.

I'd say it's nearly impossible to get around the Amalfi Coast with a car. And parking is VERY difficult.

Happily, late May is relatively early in the season so the buses won't be so crowded. On the other hand, the ferries may not be running or not as frequently.

Thank you both for you advice. I was wondering what your opinions on Venice are also? As this is another option that has been suggested by somebody, they have said 2 nights in venice and then spend the remainder of the week on the Venice Lido beach. Is this more touristy? Thanks again. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I've been to Venice Lido in mid-May, and the beach was not yet open. That is, it was fenced off and looked in rough shape with large mounds of sand that I assume are leveled out before beach season begins. In any event, Venice Lido is not particularly scenic. It's just a flat strip of beach, no dramatic cliffs or anything like that.

The only scenario in which I can imagine possibly recommending that someone spend part of a short, first trip to Italy on Venice Lido would be for someone traveling with small children in the extreme heat of high summer. Venice itself is wonderful, but it's not the spot for the scenic, coastal holiday that it sounds like you want.

Or was the suggestion of 2 nights Venice, 5 nights Lido a way to save money??

Depending on what I wanted from the trip, I might choose Venice over the AC, but would sure never choose the Lido over the AC. Venice is incredible, and IMHO, one of the most beautiful places in the world. The Lido, however, is absolutely nothing special like the AC.

It would be a real pain to do day trips if you were staying on the Lido. You would have to get into Venice first to catch trains and that would add a lot of time.

Only if I desperately wanted a day at the beach (would not be in May), would I consider the Lido for a night or two, and only if I didn't want to see anything else or wanted a day on Burano/Torcello, which is about the only easy place to go from the Lido.

I've not stayed in Praiano, so can't speak for transport from there, but have been to the AC three times and never had a car - always taken ferries, even as early as April. Would never consider a car there.

Thanks again everyone! The suggestion of Venice for 2 nights/Lido for 5 came from a flight company. I was trying to book Rome 2 nights/Amalfi 5 nights and they suggested that I wouldn't get around in Amalfi, and that there aren't really any beaches for sunbathing/swimming on the AC either. He almost convinced me, but although it is important to me to have some chill time on the beach (and preferably some swimming/lounging too) it's far more important to be somewhere beautiful and after looking at pics of Lido, I can see it is not that! I did say that as a first time solo traveller, i wanted something that was fairly easy with not too much fussing about travelling, so maybe that's why he suggested Venice/Lido. I'm now torn between 3 options...either AC....or I'm considering looking at Sicilly as I figure it may be more of a balance between beautiful surroundings and a sandy beach to hang around on, just need to research sicilly now...aaaargh! I wish someone would just book it all for me before I spend the entire time researching and then everything is booked up!!! I've decided against venice for sure, i'll try that another time! Any thoughts on sicilly?!

I'm also on a bit of a budget, so that is a factor too!

Emma, I lived in Rome, Italy for 2 years in 2005-2007 while attending John Cabot University and still did not get to see everything I wanted to see in Italy, so my advice is not to try to pack everything into one trip but to focus on one region or area if you are limited on time.

I would recommend the Amalfi Coast over Sicily, but that is my personal preference.

I am going to Italy in Sept 2014 to get married to my fiance, my wedding has been in the planning phase for 18 months now, the paperwork to get married in Italy is extensive, but it also took me 6 months just to decide where to get married.

Our 2014 trip will consist of: Flying into Rome and spending 3 days in Rome, then taking the train to Naples, from Naples we will either take a bus or ferry to Positano. We will base our trip out of Positano but visit the entire Amalfi Coast and take a trip to Capri. The hotel I highly recommend is "Pensione Maria Luisa" if you stay in Positano. Please look to book early, as the prices are very reasonable, considering the high cost of hotels on the amalfi coast.

After 8 days on the Amalfi Coast we will travel back to Rome and then take the train to Florence for 2 days and then take the train back to Rome to depart and Fly back to the US.


If you do spend time in Positano please keep notes to your favorite restaurants, as I have not been to Positano in several years and would love your recommendations. My Email is daniellesmith_a@ yahoo.com

If you have time brush up on some Italian Vocabulary before you go, there are often Italian Classes at the local junior college. if you do not have time to attend a class, check out a few books from the library including travel books on the regions you want to visit, reading the books before you go will make your trip more meaningful. You can also look up Rick Steves travel videos online, they have been very useful. Most everyone speaks English, but it is a lot of fun to speak Italian while you are there, it definitely enriches the trip.

Enjoy your trip! Ciao Bella
Danielle

Rome / Amalfi still seems to make the most sense for what you want.

It is significantly cheaper than Venice too. You can get budget/cheaper accomodation in Sorrento, which has fairly good public transport around the place. While the 'beaches' arent amazing in terms of long white sandy beaches, there is lots of sundecks and gorgeous turquoise waters for swimming, in absolutely breathtaking scenery.

Rome - Sorrento is not far apart either, so you are minimizing time lost to transfers which when you only have a week is important.

Then you have a couple of days in Rome to take in the culture and sheer awesomeness that is Rome.

The OP was travelling in May of last year.