Shoshana

We are going to Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice) in May for 11 nights. How ahould I break it up? We need to allow for closings on Sun. & Mon. and travel times, but are not familiar with Italy and need some expert advice.

ohoh

Assume you are only getting a taste of each. I'd suggest, if at all possible, to fly into Venice, spend 3 nights there. It is an easy place to de-lag with fewer distractions and less bustle than Rome or Florence. Then I would train to Florence for 3 nights. It is an easy train trip then to Rome, where you can spend the rest of your nights. If you don't fall in love with Rome itself (we did, but some aren't big city people) you can arrange for daytrips to visit Pompeii (which you should probably do anyway) and another daytrip up to Tivoli to see Villa d'Este and Hadrians' Villa. This itinerary gives you a chance to experience the "high points" of the big three cities and come home to start planning for your return to Italy (maybe a week in a Tuscan Villa, or exploring the Lakes region and Dolomites and smaller cities, a Southern adventure, and on and on...)

meg

ROME: There's so much to see in Rome but it's busy city and more than 4 nights (3 days) of continuous sight-seeing might be exhausting. I'd recommend the Vatican and St Peter's (1 day); the Forum and Colosseum (1 day) and day of wandering round churches & shopping <BR>VENICE: 3-4 nights. You could include a trip out to Torcello (an island in the lagoon) and to the Lido as well as all the beautiful churches, galleries and shops. Venice is small enough to wander and get lost in (you'll always find your way back to the Grand Canal eventually) <BR>FLORENCE: 3-4 nights Again Florence is easy to get around and provides a feast for the eyes at every street corner. Tip: get to the Uffizi either early or late. There's always a queue but it won't be quite so long. <BR>Enjoy your trip. Try to get the Dorling Kindersley EyeWitness guide to Italy. Amazon.com should have details. Their recommendations of places to eat have always been good.

bob

Hi Shoshana, <BR>my only advice is: no train in the week-end from Rome to Florence or from Florence to Venice. <BR>For example Thursday-Monday(Rome),Monday-Thursday(Florence), Thursday-Monday(Venice).The station are too crowded.

Gerry

If it were my trip it would be 2 nights in Venice, 2-3 nights in Florence(including side trip to Sienna/SanGimignano) and the rest in Rome. To me 5 full days in Rome is a minimum whereas having been to Venice several times I found I could cover just about everything in one day. Having said that I do understand people enjoy different things and travel at different paces. <BR>No matter your decision, you will wish you had more time in all of these places and will surely want to return to explore more.

John G

You covered all of Venice in one day, Gerry??? You should go back then, because you missed everything.

rob

With all due respect to a previous poster, I would begin in Rome. You'll have the most energy at the beginning of the trip, and Rome certainly requires more energy than Florence or Venice. With 11 days, I'd give 4 1/2 to Rome (including the day of arrival), 2 to Florence, and 3 to Venice. Spend the extra day in Orvieto on your way from Rome to Florence.

lisa

I've been to all 3 cities, and just got back from my second trip to Rome. With 11 nights I would spend 5 nights in Rome, 3 in Florence, and 3 in Venice. Have a great trip. All 3 cities are wonderful and very different from each other.

Howard

I totally agree with Rob. I'd start with Rome and finish with Venice. Your body may be tired from the overnight flight, but you'll be rarin' to go when you arrive. So, I'd start with the "busyness" of Rome. Then, by the time you get to your third destination, you'll be winding down, and Venice is a great city for winding down!

Lindsey

I am not as big a fan of Rome as the others. When my wife and I travelled on a similar trip, we left after three days, a day earlier than expected. To me Rome is load and noisy. My wife loved Venice and I preferred Florence. It seems that the otehrs suggest longer stays in Rome for day trips out and around, which might be a good reason to stay longer than 3 days. The same can also be said for Florence, San Gimignano and Siena come to mind. <BR> <BR>How are you traveling between the cities? Trains are pretty efficient. We travelled by car and had no difficulties. <BR> <BR>Good luck and have a great trip.

Shoshana

Thanks everyone for your advice. We are traveling by train and arrive to Rome on Wednesday morning. We figured we have all day Wed, Thurs, and Fri and should save Sat for travel to Florence. Then we have 1/2 Sat, all Sun, Mon and can travel to Venice on Tues. We can spend the next 31/2 days in Venice. We figured we would lose some time traveling.

me

topping

Diane

Sounds like a perfectly workable schedule. We started out in smaller, easier towns and ended in Rome, but we had 3 weeks. Loved Rome and will return for longer stay. Yes, it was very busy and social, but we were better culturally aclimated by then, more confident with our limited Italian, and our days/nights were more on a Italian schedule.

zz-top

. <BR>Shoshana: <BR> <BR>You've gotten alot of feedback & sounds like you already pulling together a plan. <BR> <BR>I'm another who agrees that you should start in Rome when you have the most energy --- I love Rome; it's a hustle bustle exciting place and a great way to begin your Italy trip. You said you'll be traveling by train. So from Rome to Florence, it only takes 1 hr. 35 minutes on the EuroStar (check schedules on website http://www.trenitalia.it/). I'd also suggest you extend your stay in Florence. As many sites are closed on Mondays, you may use this as an 'easy going' day. There ARE things that are open, but you really need to plan ahead. Reason I say to stay a bit longer in Florence (thru Tuesday & then depart for Venice early on Wednesday morning) as there are a couple great days trips you can take from your base in Florence. Siena is a wonderful, MUST see, medieval city that can be reached via SITA bus from Florence. Additionally, you also might consider sidetrips to Lucca and/or San Gimigano. Once you're ready to roll to Venice, again take the EuroStar (2 1/2 hrs). Venice is a good conclusion as it's smaller than Rome or Florence and therefore, more manageable. Also you're more likely to get a bit better weather in Venice during mid to latter portion of May.