My husband and I are planning a 10-day (8-night) trip to Italy in late September. It's our first trip to Italy -- we’re looking to see the major sites in Rome, Florence & Venice, but want to avoid scheduling every minute. We’d like to stay in ~3 star hotels central to the major sites. It’d be nice if we could book a hotel with a terrace in Rome and water view in Venice. Please comment if you see any problems or have any recommendations.

Day 1 – Fly from Philadelphia to Rome
Day 2 – Arrive Rome; free time to explore
Day 3 – Icon’s Ancient Rome Tour
Day 4 – Through Eternity’s Vatican Tour
Day 5 – Train to Florence; free time to explore (Duomo)
Day 6 – Chianti day trip with hillsandroads
Day 7 - Free time to explore (Uffizi Gallery, Accademia)
Day 8 – Train to Venice; free time to explore; night Gondola ride
Day 9 – Explore Venice, Murano tour & shopping
Day 10 – fly out of Venice

Hotels: Let us know if you recommend/would avoid any of these.
Rome – Golden Tulip Mecenate Palace; Hotel Columbia; Nord Nuova
Florence – Hotel Caravaggio; Hotel Domus Florentiae; San Gallo Palace Hotel; Hotel Boccaccio
Venice – Locanda Ca’ Amadi; Hotel Centauro; Locanda Correr

I am unfamiliar with the hotels you have listed. I do have one comment on your itinerary. With only one full day to spend in Venice, I would skip the Murano tour. There is so much to see and do in Venice before you consider going to Murano. Your itinerary is very full but doable if you like to be on the go. If you see even the very major sites in each city, you will fill every minute.

I think your plan is fine for an 8 nt stay. Try to squeeze in a Doges Palace tour in Venice. I agree that Murano doesn't have to be a priority. You can easily plan a tour or your own trip there last minute if you have time for it.

I am not familiar with these hotels either. The only thing I noticed is the Rome hotels appear to be near Termini station. I've never stayed in that area, but it gets mixed opinions here. I like the Navona/Pantheon/Trevi general area for a Rome hotel. Both FLorence and Venice are fairly small, so location isn't as much of an issue.

Check tripadvisor for comments on the hotels, and do a search for each of them here for comments from people who've stayed there.

Day 5 & Day 8 - take early morning trains to maximize your already limited time in Florence and Venice.

Day 7 - make certain this is not a Monday as the Uffizi and Accademia are both closed on Mondays. Also, a number of people have reported Uffizi reservations being "sold out" for their preferred dates, so you may want to do that sooner than later.

My husband and I stayed at Locanda Ca Amadi in Venice in 2003 and we loved it. Our room had 2 windows out onto a small canal. The bathroom was beautiful - very large and all marble, floor to ceiling. We would both highly recommend this hotel. It was a little difficult to find, kind of hidden, and there is no elevator, but the room and staff were great. About a 5 minute walk from Rialto Bridge and 10 minutes from San Marco. Have awonderful time!

I just want to agree with the posts regarding skipping Murano. With so little time in Venice I would definitely not make Murano a priority.

I agree that you should try to fit in the Doge's Palace. Get a reservation for the Secret Itineraries Tour there if you have time. Then just spend time wandering through Venice.

I stayed at the Tourist House Ghibertti, in Florece... Loved it! Claudio is a gem.The hotel is within 3-4 blocks of the Dumo, yet very quiet.The hotel is immaculate with a nice terrace to enjoy a glass of wine before a siesta.There is the added bonous of a jacuzzi , including robes and slippers which is a welcome relief after a long day of site seeing.If you would like any nore info. please feel free to email me at: [email protected] or do a search under fluffy for a full details on the hotel.I believe this is the web site www.touristhouseghibertti.it
Best of luck
Fluffy

the bdz, sorry for the miss spelling.. it's Touristhouseghiberti.com
Fluffy
p.s. check out the raves on trip advisor and don't hesitate to email me w/ questions.

I stayed at the Centauro in Venice a few years back. Maybe they've upgraded their rooms by now. But I'll bet they still water down their coffee! You can do better than that hotel. I'd cross it off your list.

Hi bdz,

I also suggest dropping the Murano tour if you stick to this schedule.

You have a very busy 8 days.

You might wish to consider skipping the Chianti tour and adding a day to Venice.

My husband and I stayed at the Carravaggio in Florence in April-wonderful hotel-I highly recommend it-take cab from train station-altho it is not too far, walking the narrow streets dragging suitcases not easy-worth the splurge of a few euros. When we were in Rome we stayed at a B&B, Relais Bancchi that I found on sleepinitaly.com. Perfect location about 10 min. walk to Vatican in one direction, and 10 min walk to Piazza Navonna etc. in other direction. Very safe area, immaculately clean, helpful staff person (Newton). Again, reserved limo pickup at airport in advance thru website-50 euros, and well worth it after the long flight. I would absolutely stay there again, and have recommended both these hotels to friends. The only other comment I might make is-skip Chianti-after 8 days of travelling thru green, beautiful Tuscany, Chianti was disappointing.Either take day trip to Sienna instead, or spend more time in Venice. Oh yes, and make sure you have reservations in advance for Uffizzi.

I think you are a teeny bit tightly packed. I would make it a "cities only" trip this time around and stay in Florence on Day 6, do the Uffizi one day, the Accademia the second. The Uffizi takes a good deal of time, and then you have lunch and you are wiped out. I couldn't even buy a pair of shoes after seeing the Botticelli room. There are so many wonderful things to see in Florence, in addition to those two attractions. Also, skip the Murano excursion. Venice is so delightful. I would walk around and explore Castello and Dorsorduro instead.

These "tastes" of all three cities will leave you wanting more, which is one of the best parts of a first-time visit - you fall in love with one place or another and immediately begin planning the next trip!

Buon Viaggio!

Hotel answers: I stayed in Mecenate Palace in Sept 03. Its fabulous. Don't be afraid of the location, its just far enough from the train station and right across the street from Santa Maria Maggiore. And in the daytime an easy walk to the train. Great roof top bar with views of Rome. For the price it was the best hotel we stayed in. Stayed in Pensionne Accademia in Venice, also excellent. smaller hotel but we had a very nice room with views and great bathroom. Didn't like our hotel in Florence so I won't reccomend it to you. Have a fabulous trip

I stayed at Hotel Caravaggio in April for 5 nights. It was wonderful. The hotel staff is superb. The rooms are very clean, there is internet access in the sitting area in the lobby, breakfast is more than adequate.
I liked the location because it is close to the train station and bus station which I used for day trips to Pisa, Lucca, Siena and San Gimignano.
There is a park directly in front of the hotel to sit, relax and picnic. I highly recommend this hotel.

We did a tour with hills and roads through Tuscany and had a fabulous time. It sounds like a great trip, similar to the one we went on. See my post -trip report- for more info. and have a wonderful trip.

I apologize for taking so long to thank everybody for the information they provided. We’ve finally booked our airfare & hotels for Rome (Homs), Florence (Caravaggio), and Venice (Ca D’Oro’).

Grammy3 & zizi, thanks for Caravaggio recommendations.
MFNYC, thanks for the recommendation to stay away from the Termini area.
Holly-uncasdewar, thanks for the recommendation to avoid Centauro in Venice.

I know a few people recommended dropping the Chianti and Murano tours, but these are highlights for both my husband and me. I’d still like to devote a day to Chianti, but perhaps we’ll skip the Murano tour and look/shop on our own. Speaking of the Chianti tour, I contacted Luca from hills and roads & he said he was booked but will try to move some things. If he isn’t available, can anybody recommend another guide?

Again, thanks for all of the great replies!