Italy
 

We are planning a trip to Italy mid-late September. We are planning to go day by day. Any suggestions? We need ideas on train vs. flying between cities. We plan on visiting Rome, Venice, Florence, Capri, Tuscany and anywhere in between. Do they do tours of the Vatican and if so, is it wise to book before arriving?

Does "day-by-day" mean no hotels booked in advance? How long are you going for? Where are you flying in to and out of? Trains can get you to most of the major areas. A car could be useful if you plan on wandering around regions like Tuscany.

We may book our first night prior to leaving but that is probably it. We are planning on 2 weeks. I have looking at flying into Rome and departing from Milan but I am still checking out the best deal. We were looking at visiting Tuscany at the end as we would most likely spend 3-4 days there and did talk about renting a car for this area. We are in the agriculture business and are looking forward to the Tuscany area. Someone had suggested Easy Jet or Ryan Air to get from city to city within Italy.

those airlines are cheap but i think the trains work better unless the distances are really long. Trains take you in and out of the cities themselves, where airports you have to deal with getting to and from city to airport, and many of those cheaper airlines tend to fly into airports even further from the cities they service.

For a 2 week trip, I'd keep it to no more than 4 places.

September is highest season in Italy. If you don't want to waste hours looking for accommodation or spend more than you intended or settle for the dregs of budget accommodation, book ahead.

Ending in Tuscany doesn't make a great deal of sense logistically: It's between Rome and Venice/Milan, and wherever you start from, you'll have to backtrack, but you can look into flying out of Pisa.

The train will serve you better than flying, for the reasons mentioned.

Venice is another option to fly in or out of. In general, you should work you way in 1 direction, either Venice (or Milan) to Rome with stops in between or vica versa.

Capri doesn't make sense in the time you have.

"<i>We may book our first night prior to leaving but that is probably it.</i>"

BIG mistake IMO. You can't depend on getting decent places in Rome, Venice, Florence etc at the last minute. Even now many of the nice places in those cities will be booked up for September. You will either get the dregs, or pay too much, or spend hours looking for accommodations.

Asking "<i>Do they do tours of the Vatican?</i>" makes it seem you haven't done very much research. Even the most basic guidebooks give info about visiting the Vatican.

Winging it does have a certain romantic image -- but in practice in major cities like Rome and Venice it really doesn't work. It is a bit easier in the countryside.

Hit post too soon -- should have said >>It is a bit easier in the countryside if you are really flexible<<