We are planning a trip for July. Part of that trip will be 10 days in Italy. We will be coming from Zurich and leaving to go to Munich. There will be 3 of us - 2 in our 60's & 1 very energetic 17 year old girl. Venice has been put on the list as a requirement. I really need advice. I don't want to be so exhausted from moving about that we spoil our time but I don't want to only see one place....there's so much to choose from!

Option 1:
night train to Rome - 3 days/3 nights
Rome - Bologna
Bologna - 2.5 days/3 nights
Bologna - Venice
Venice - 2.5 days/3 nights
day train to Munich - It could be 3.5 days in Venice with a night train to Munich but we thought some downtime & watching scenery might be good.

Option 2:
train to Milan
Milan - 1.5 days/2 nights
Bologna - 2.5 days/3 nights
Bologna - Venice
Venice - 2.5 days/3 nights
add extra day to Bologna or Venice?
day train to Munich /night train to Munich (as above)

Option 3????suggestions?
Should we be trying to go to a hill town or a lake for a break and leave a city out?
17 year old is only good for so many museums, has no problem wandering cities as long as it isn't a constant tour-type situation, loves music.
Thanks in advance.

Thanks.

While I have no problem with Bologna and have visited it, I am curious why you have prioritized it. I think your option #1 is the classic tour with the substitution of Florence for Bologna. 3 nights in each will give you ample time to experience each and you can use trains the whole way.
BTW-you could day-trip to Siena from Florence easily by bus(45 mins.) Music is almost always available in small concert settings in these cities. Venice will give you 'serenity" by the water if you take the time.

>> Should we be trying to go to a hill town or a lake for a break and leave a city out? <<

YES!!!

Go to the Amalfi Coast (Isle of Capri) or the Cinque Terre (Portovenere) or Lake Como (Bellagio) in lieu of Bologna.

IMO 3 nights in each place when possible is the best scenario.
Rent apartments and become one with that area.

With 10 days and a 17 year old, I would do..

Venice 3
Cinque Terre 3
Rome 4

This is a mix of all that I find so wonderful about Italy.

Thanks for all the replies.
answers to questions are:
to macanimals.
re: Bologna. It is smaller than any of the other cities. From what I have read, the food sounds fantastic & everyone I read seems to have enjoyed their time there without it being too crowded or busy (just my impression). Finally - it is in the middle and - in the correct direction to connect the cities. I am certain that doing the classic tour wouldn't work for us - it would just be too much - we will need a change of pace between cities. I have heard that Sienna is wonderful but if we were going there, it would be to go to Sienna - not Florence - for my reason above. Our timing would put us there in the beginning of July. How jammed does it get at Palio?

to TuckH & jetsetj
My original idea was to go to Capri after Rome. If I were going for that - I thought I would plan to leave Rome on the afternoon of the third day so that we can go for the ferry/hydrofoil to Capri in the evening when everyone is coming off. I hesitate only because I have heard that Capri is really jammed.
I dismissed Cinque Terre because getting to & from looks to be difficult & very time consuming.
I also considered Lake Como but what I read gives me the impression that it might be a bit on the too slow side - especially for our 17 year old.
Of the 3 (as I'm sure is obvious) I was considering Capri as the most viable option but I am very open to some advice. I have never beeen to any of the 3.
Your thoughts?

Each of the 3 spots I suggested are special places. It is the Isle of Capri that is VERY special IMO.

It is only "jammed" when you're amongst the herd of daytrippers, which you wouldn't be. You'd have the right idea to arrive in the evening when the others are leaving. Furthermore, it's a large isle and it's relatively easy (and scenic) to get off and away from the relatively small center of activity.

It's my opinion that one needs a relaxing break from the intensity of the big cities. Rome has the buzzing traffic which Venice does not. BTW, have you heard that Venice is "jammed"? Well, indeed it is. (The good news is that you can escape the crowds as is the case on Capri.)

Would it interest you to pay a visit to Pompeii? I think your 17 year old would enjoy that!

Thanks TuckH.
It is so hard to know what to choose. It's good to hear that staying on Capri is a good idea. If we are going to be there 3 days, I expect that we would take a day trip. Do you know how long it takes to get to Pompeii from Capri - how long a day it would be? We also talked about taking a ferry/hydrofoil to Positano or Amalfi so that we could see an Amafi coast town. I know that Pompeii is significantly higher rated from a history perspective but which would you suggest as just a really special day?
As to Venice - yes, I've heard it's jammed. Other than going out in th emorning and evening and resting in the afternoon, doyou have any suggestions. My husband suggested that we should daytrip out one day to Padova..Is that a good idea?

I'm not sure where to go with your itinerary--Siena will be very busy during the Palio. It is a similar sized city to Bologna but far more interesting in my opinion. The good news however is that the energy of the city is terrific during the Palio. Food is great everywhere if you make the effort.

With only 10 days, I think the Amalfi/Capri is a stretch logistically assuming Venice is a must. Is Rome a must? Will you consider a car or are you committed to train travel? You indicate you are coming from Zurich and heading to Munich--big cities all. That's a lot of travel before and after. How about Cinque Terre--Bologna--Venice? And this is all reachable by train.
Good luck.

macanimals,
We are visiting family and friends before and after our 10 days in italy. Zurich and Munich are travel hubs only. Venice is a must - the rest of Italy is what we want to do with it.

I wanted to go to Cinque Terre but gave up that idea because I can not see any way to get to Cinque Terre from Zurich in less than 2 days.I understand that late arrivals (after 3:00pm) at Cinque Terre are not well receieved. Getting away from Cinque Terre is not so bad if you are going to Bologna from La Spezia - it takes between 3 & 4 hours...I'm not sure how long it takes to get to La Spezia. When I looked at it in the first place - I looked at Milan - CinqueTerre - Venice - it takes 6 hours to get to Venice. I was loosing so many days to travelling that I gave up.

That's why I looked at Capri & Rome.

I'm not familiar with the train schedules from Zurich.

Arriving anytime in Cinque Terre works if you have a reservation and July demands one. The area is a great mix of easy and more strenuous options. La Spezia is only 20/30 mins from CT via the local train.

Whatever you do, I agree that 3 spots are plenty. Have fun.

Of course you can take a day trip from Capri to Positano/Amalfi. Perhaps you can include Pompeii in your agenda on your departure via Sorrento and stopping there for several hours en route to Naples and then on to Venice.

In Venice, explore this beautiful city by walking around and taking vaporetto rides. Spend a day touring the islands in the lagoon - Torcello, Murano, Burano. Especially Burano. Don't go to Padova.

macanimals,
Thanks. I really appreciate you taking time to help us out. Italy is hard to decide about because there is SO much to choose from. I think we are going to go with Rome-Capri-Venice. A little scary because they are all such tourist magnets but TuckH says we can be okay staying on Capri....and my cousin says the same thing. I've been to Rome - a LONG time ago. Venice is a black box/mystery but I beleive that with a little help we will work it out.

TuckH - Thank you so much! I really appreciate the information on Venice. I hear about it being a magical city - and about it being a tourist trap. I hope we find the former. We will visit the islands and forget Padova - for this trip.
I will look at the scheduling & logistics for Pompeii. I am sure we will be back in Italy again...hopefully this will be a really good beginning. If you have any more good advice that just comes to mind, please add to this thread. Thanks again!

Regarding getting to CT if you decide on this option.

It isnt difficult at all.

If I remember correctly the train from Venice to CT took about 5-6 hours. It left around 9:30 am. It went Venice to Prato, then Prato to Corniglia via Lucca. We were there with daylight to spare. The little bus took us up the hill to the town of Corniglia and we were greeted with enthusiasm by the apartment owner.

The villages are so charming. Taking the boat back and forth is fun. There are hiking trails also.

Since I have only been a day tourist to Capri, I cant offer you any advice. It was beautiful though.

jetsetj's points about the Cinque Terre should be considered. Getting to the CT should not be the main factor - it might actually be easier to reach than Capri. And - the CT is indeed beautiful and a lot of fun!

My suggestion would be that you start a new thread (or two) with specific questions about logistics for a) Rome-Capri-Pompeii and b) Venice (or Rome)-Cinque Terre.

IMO, getting to Capri will be more time consuming and take more effort than going to the Cinque Terre. I've done both. Since Capri is further away from your other "musts", I would go to the Cinque Terre for your city break.

Buon viaggio!

I agree that Cinque Terre makes more sense than Capri et al. And it's five small towns, giving you the small Italian town experience. Plus a good place for that 17-year-old to work off energy.

Assuming you train from Zurich to Venice, from Venice to Cinque Terre and on to Rome, I'd look into cheap flights from Rome to Munich. In fact, you might consider the same for Zurich to Venice. Or even Zurich to Rome and working your way north.

If you persist in wanting to do Capri, maybe fly into Naples to start your Italy trip.

Good sites for cheap flights are www.whichbudget.com and www.harefares.com.

I want to thank everyone! I don't know the answer yet but ...
After some research & thought....perhaps slower is better Assuming that nothing is required (e.g. should we leave out Venice?):
Night train to Rome x days
train to Naples -> Capri x days
Capri->Naples->Rome-> night train to Munich
OR
Night train to Rome x days
train to Cinque Terre x days
CT-> Parma-> Bologna(?xdays)-> night train to Munich
or
No Rome and I start from scratch!!???
(TuckH - you are probably right about starting a new thread (or 2) Where should I go (in another place to ask you a question about Germany)
Thanks to all!

Leaving out Venice is unthinkable.

do
Venice
CT
Rome

all will be happy.

I think you're on the right track, no need to start over. Given are Rome and Venice at either the beginning or the end. In the middle you have either the AC or the CT. Do research on the logistics of these two options. Start a new thread and/or use the "Search" function here.

Re: Germany - Start a new thread and tag it "Germany".

Well, Bologna's nice, but Venice is one of the wonders of the world. And of much greater interest to that 17-year-old. I know I'm prejudiced but I'd put Venice first before any other place in Italy.

What's your fascination with overnight train rides? I've heard recent reports of robberies on overnight trains; I'd avoid them.