Tania_Jeremy

Hi,

My husband and I (24 and 23) are planning a trip to Italy for our 1 year marriage anniversary this November. We've both never been to any part of Europe but share a love of travelling so this is 1 of hopefully many trips!! So far our itinerary looks like this:

Day 1: Arrive in Venice
Day 2: Full day to explore Venice
Day 3: Afternoon train to Florence
Day 4: Sightseeing in Florence
Day 5: Day Trip to Siena and San Gimignano
Day 6: ??Pisa?? then late afternoon train to Rome
Day 7: Rome Sightseeing
Day 8: Rome Sightseeing
Day 9: Depart from Rome back to U.S.

I know there's a lot going on here, but we really are set on seeing these 3 cities! We know we want to go back and travel each one independently one day but for now an overview should be fine! It's also our first travelling experience together so should be interesting!
Any suggestions on things to see and hotels? I've been reading so many threads that I just got lost in them and felt like maybe I needed a fresh one to arrange all of the possible options.

I REALLY need all the help i can get! We're also trying to stick to a budget of $4,000 total which could be hard...

zeppole

You already come pretty well-armed against the warning that you are packing in too much -- especially for two people who've never travelled to Europe or traveled together before and no doubt don't want to be arguing on their anniversary.

Every place you've named is worth seeing, and spending a whole lifetime in! But even though you say you're going to be satisfied with an "overview," you could end up with just a mess.

I wish I could persuade you to fly into Florence and simply split your time between Tuscany and Roma. But I think I'm wasting my breath!

Have a good time. Be prepared for rain. Leave plenty of time for train delays. Don't be too disappointed if you can't squeeze in Siena, San Gimignano or Pisa. They'll always be there, waiting for you.

kelliebellie

Here's the best hotel in Venice. It is not the most expensive one, but the cutest, nicest, cleanest, friendliest one there is. And in a great location too. Book now! It fills up.

http://www.locandaorseolo.com/en/

If that is filled, I think they owners now manage another one.

Tania_Jeremy

Thanks so much zeppole... Yes i figured it's too much... I wasn't sure about including Siena and Pisa and taking away from our Florence sightseeing if anything i think I would pick Siena over Pisa...

Thanks so much kelliebellie for the Venice hotel reccomendation... i've seen it on other threads and have already requested a quote from them... It looks absolutely gorgeous!!

Tania_Jeremy

Also... any insight on whether is makes a difference to start in Venice or Rome? We're planning on going in middle of November...

charnees

Just be aware that you will have jet-lag for at least half the time you are in italy. So you will be tired and sleepy.

I would take day 5 in Florence or in rome and forget the other places.

bratsandbeer

Our first trip to Italy we landed in Rome - stayed 3 nights and we saw the Pope, the Vatican, Scavi Tour under ST Peters, Colesium etc. Then we took the train to Florence for 3 days. There is enough to do in Florence for 3 days but Pisa could be a half day back and forth is you really want to see the tower. Then we took the train to Venice for 3 nights. Went to the Dodges Palace,churches, Murano, Burano and walked through Venice and loved it.

From Venice we went on to Ireland for 2 weeks.

We are going back in October to stay a bit longer.

You can go to Italy and enjoy it without staying for 2 or 3 weeks. If you had 9 nights it would be better. Go for it! Being there for a few days is better than not being there at all.

Your problem will be doing it on the amount of money you are budgeting. Check out b&bs or hotels on tripadvisor and if you see something you like, you can find the website for the b&b. I always email the b&b directly and most times you can get a better price.

Plan out your budget and decide what you can spend per night for a b&b or hotel and maybe you can get some suggestions.
You should buy airline tickets asap they are going up daily.

bfrac

Where does your departure flight originate from? Start there and see if you get your best price flying into Venice or Rome. For us out of PHL we liked into Venice and home from Rome best.

I think going to Venice first will make it easier for you to acclimate to Italy, traveling, the language, etc.

Tania_Jeremy

Bratsandbeer, I know 1 or 2 more nights would have been perfect but unfortunately my husband can't get off as its closer to thanksgiving... I noticed the flights are going up... I’ve been watching them all week and in a matter of 1 day they went up $80 and still haven't gone down... I think I’ll check them early next week and if I don't see them going back down I’ll just book them! I really appreciate your encouraging words! I think it'll be a wonderful experience!! I've e-mailed Locanda Orseolo and am waiting for a quote. I found another Venice Hotel Locanda Barbarigo which is only $94 per night! Otherwise I was looking at The Alloro B&B in Florence which is really reasonable too!

Bfrac, I'm flying from New York I checked the prices and the price difference between flying to Rome or Venice is $20 for now... So either would really work...

Is there anything else I should be looking into booking in advance besides for the air and hotels? Like Rail or Sightseeing?

suze

For a 9 day trip I would high recommend only Venice, Florence, and Rome. That is PLENTY to do and will be quite fast-paced without adding Diena, SG, Pisa to the mix.

Here's my favorite hotel in Venice. It's a little more reasonably priced but very nice and quite romantic. Get one of the corner rooms overlooking the promonade and the Guidecca shipping canal. www.lacalcina.com

suze

No you do not need to book trains ahead for the routes you mention.

bfrac

When you start thinking about which museums you would like to vist then you can book those ahead of time.

kja

Hi, Tania_Jeremy -

> any insight on whether is makes a difference to start in Venice or Rome?

When possible, I prefer to end my trips in more relaxing locations, so I started in Rome and ended in Venice. Some flights out of Venice are prohibitively early in the morning, though, so that isn't always an option.

Hope that helps!

bratsandbeer

I have heard that the best time to check rates are Wed and Saturday mornings. They often come out with cheaper fares after midnight those mornings.

We would check often and buy it right away cause they don't last long.

From what I have read on this forum, stay away from Alitalia airlines.

zeppole

I see no reason to stay away from Alitalia. Any international flight is likely to be code share with another international air line.

suze

One thing to know about leaving from Venice is most flights are VERY early in the AM. With the logistics of the canals this makes for a somewhat complicated departure.

bfrac

Yes, the flights back to the US are very early. Last year we had a 7am flight which meant taking the 5am bus to the airport, then a 4 hour layover in Frankfurt. This made for a very long day so I would go with your original plan and arrive in Venice and depart Rome. The flights out of Rome are usually late morning.

elcon

Hi Tania_Jeremy,
I just returned from Italy in May. It was my first trip there and Fodorites helped me tremendously with my planning. Listen when they tell you that you are trying to do too much. I agree, Venice, Florence and Rome are must-sees, but the way you are planning, you won't see much of them. I did a full three days in Rome and didn't come close to seeing everything. If you leave Venice after just one full day, you will dream about it forever, wishing you stayed longer. Florence is incredible and takes way more than a day. The food alone is worth more time. Take your time-enjoy and savor Italy. You'll thank us later. Happy anniversary!

tcreath

I understand the thought process of ending your trip in a more relaxing destination, but know that Rome won't be the same hectic, crazy city that many only experience in the summer months. I've been three times, all during the winter months (early December, February and March) and found it quiet relaxing and relatively quiet on each visit. So really, I don't think it really matters which one you fly into/out of. I would look more at itineraries and pick which one you like best.

I think your trip sounds great. I too would skip the daytrips. Obviously there is tons to see in each place, but overall you will get a nice taste of each one. On our first trip to mainland Europe (we were about your age at the time) we had 9 nights as well, and split them between Vienna, Florence and Rome (and managed a daytrip to Pompeii and Siena). Although busy, we still had a great time. That trip was only 4 years ago and we've been back to Europe 8 times since then...so if you love a place you can (and will, I'm sure) certainly go back.

Best wishes,
Tracy

zeppole

A minority of people don't like Venezia right off the bat, because of the tourist crowds. But the vast majority fall in love at first sight -- so i'm also a little concerned that you will really grieve leaving Venezia after such a short visit, that you will get to Firenze, run into motorcycles and other urban obstacles, and start kicking yourself.

I would therefore suggest that you put an extra night into Venezia, and take one away from Firenze. If you get to Firenze and don't want to leave, realize that you can always get back there from Roma in 90 minutes by train.

If you get to Venezia and don't like it, there are plenty of daytrips -- but you'll probably be glad to take it easy anyway after the long flight.

If you hate leaving Firenze, but can't bear to leave Roma and still wish you were in Venezia -- well, welcome to Italy. That's why I finally moved there.