Italy in 10 days? HELP!
 

My husband & I have never been to Europe. We are planning a trip to Italy starting in Rome. We need some advice on exactly where we should go & how long we should stay. The furthest south we will go is ROME. The cities we REALLY want to see are Rome, Florence, Venice, Lake Como, Portofino.....

After Italy we are heading to Zurich & then to Paris.

Please give me any advice/info that would be helpful! We are young, active and love to travel. We realize 10 days is a short amount of time to see Italy but that is what we have so we're trying to make the BEST of it.

ANY Advice would be GREATLY appreciated! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!

Is it 10 nights or 10 days/9 nights? Personally I think you should stick with two destinations if it's only 9 nights, however you could do Rome/Florence/Venice easily without a car. There is so much in Rome you'll barely scratch the surface. It's hard to say how long to stay without knowing your interests....art?..history?...museums?...churches? etc. We've been to Rome twice and will be going back again for a week...there is so much we haven't seen.

You're starting in Rome - where are you departing Italy as that will influence your itinerary?

Regarding "we're trying to make the best of it". Don't rush from Point A to Point B just so you can say "I've been there". Take time to wander the streets, stop in the cafe's and people watch, check out the corner grocery store and the bakery.

Have a great trip.

We can't tell you what to do and see without knowing your interests. With so short a period of time to see so many places, we don't want to suggest things for you to do and see just because they are on some universal "must-see" list. This would waste your time and ours. Study the destinations guides on this site and look at some guidebooks to get an idea of what there is to do and see--you must be choosing these palaces in Italy for some reason. Then come back with a list of YOUR must-sees and we can guide you in trying to fit the pieces together.

Here are some things to consider as you begin your plan:

Do your "10 days" include your travel days from home? If yes, then you will probably arrive on Day 2 and depart on Day 10, so you really only have Days 3-9 (6 full days) to sightsee and travel through Italy.

Rome, Florence, and Venice are easily connected by trains and would make a fast moving but reasonable 10-day trip. Lake Como and especially Portofino are a bit more challenging to reach and see in your 10 days.

If you are traveling from the U.S., often your first day is difficult because you are jet lagged and tired from the overnight flight, so you really can't count on having quality sightseeing that day, which means you really might have only 9 quality days, assuming you do have 10 full days in Italy.

Keep in mind that every time you change cities/hotels, you will lose at least a half a day to packing, checking out, traveling to stations, waiting at stations, riding trains, finding the next hotel, and checking in. So with 5 locations in 10 days you will lose at least 2.5 days to travel. Adding in a jet lagged first day, and you may have just 6.5 quality days to see Italy.

With 10 days pick 3 destinations max---that simple.

I see you are headed to Zurich and Paris after Italy...how are you getting to Zurich? I agree with the others - 3 destinations are your best bet -- maybe 4. Will you be driving at any point? That also makes a difference. I would suggest 3 nights in Rome, then go to Florence for 2 (or 3) nights, then Venice for 2 nights, ending with 2 nights in Lake Como. Then head off for Zurich. OR simply save Lake Como for another trip in the future, and just hit the big 3 for 3 nights each.

I agree with the others, especially the suggestion of 3 destinations in 10 days.

Assuming you plan to travel primarily by train, you might want to explore the timetables to understand how long it takes to get from place to place. Will you fly Venice to Zurich?

Some examples: Rome to Florence is 1.5 hours, Florence to Portofino is 3+ hours, Portofino to Varenna on Lake Como (via Milan) is 4-5 hours, Varenna to Venice (via Milan) is 4 hours. (Venice to Zurich by train is about 7 hours and involves connecting yet again in Milan.) The fastest train options don't always leave first thing in the morning, so you often lose a big chunk of the middle of a day getting to the next destination.

http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html

(Use "Santa Margherita Ligure Portofino," "Varenna Esino" and "Venice S.L.")

Wow! Thanks for the advice thus far. It is so overwhelming planning a trip like this I greatly appreciate all of the advice.

To answer some questions. We actually will be arriving on a flight from London to ROME. We will have possibly 2-3 days in Rome, then train to Florence for 2-3 days. Then from there probably Venice for only 1 day and then over to Milan/Lake Como for 2 days. From there we will be traveling to Zurich (what is the best way to get there?) for 1-2 days & then to Paris (what is the best way to get there from Zurich).

Also, as far as what we want to see. We are wanting to see museums, Vatican, Colliseum (Rome), gondola ride (Venice), art, churches, cathedrals, just take in the culture, scenery & for sure the food.

Throughout Italy we plan on taking mostly trains but would love to rent a car somewhere (any suggestions on where we should do this. I realize parking is hard or non-existent in many cities ?)

So much information that i feel lost....but excited.

Any other ideas are needed. Thank you!!!!

Skip Venice unless you plan to give it 3 days. Pick 3 destinations in Italy. You pick it! If you see Venice then drop Como.

If you end at Lake Como before Zurich, you can catch the Bernina Express to Zurich. Actually only to Chur then another train to Zurich.