I'm still planning our trip to Italy in the end of May. Any suggestions on this general itinenary?
Sat: Arrival in Rome
Sun: Rome
Mon: Rome
Tue: Leaving Rome, arriving Florence
Wed: Florence to Venice
Thurs: Venice to Milan to Lake Como
Fri: Lake Como
Sat: Milan
Sun: Flying back to US from Milan.

I was still hoping to visit italian riviera, but i thought it would be too packed. We're still deciding on hotels, is area around Termini in Rome OK? Thanks.

IMO it seems a little rushed. Could you stand not seeing Florence this trip? Or.. doing Florence and eliminating Venice? These are 2 great cities that deserve more than a few hours. Also, I don't believe you would have to go all the way to Milan before seeing Lake Como. Go to Como then Milan for your departure. At any rate, enjoy!!

As I read your itinerary, you have less than a full day in Florence and less than a full day in Venice.

I would suggest that you leave out either one or possibly both.

I don't think I would be able to go to Italy without visiting either Firenze or Venezia, I simply can't help it! I would have to take a day trip otherwise, which is far worse.

I checked trenitalia i believe and the only way to get to Lago Como i saw was through Milano where I would have to switch trains. Was I wrong?

I don't think I would be able to go to Italy without visiting either Firenze or Venezia, I simply can't help it! I would have to take a day trip otherwise, which is far worse.

I checked trenitalia i believe and the only way to get to Lago Como i saw was through Milano where I would have to switch trains. Was I wrong?

P.S. Fodor's server is having bad day today.

I think you are right to skip the riviera and to answer the question about Termini:

I'd make the effort to look someplace else. It's a false savings to stay near the train station, if your idea is that it is more convenient and saves you the hassle of hauling luggage and the expense of a taxi. Usually what happens is that you think it's closer than it is, you haul your luggage around much more, and you end up taking taxis back to your hotel at night because Termini has few good restaurants and it doesn't feel like the best neighborhood to walk around in after dark.

So find a nicer location.

As to the rest of the itinerary, I'm going to generally concur with the other comments, although if you can bring yourself to limit your ambitions drastically in Firenze, it spares you the long, unbroken train trip from Roma to Venezia. If I planned such a journey, I would tell myself I'm not going to do anything but walk around Firenze and eat dinner.

But rather than do that, I think I'd prefer to take a train from Roma through Bologna, stop for lunch in Bologna (stow the luggage in the station), catch an after-lunch train to Venezia and arrive after in time for sunset and dinner.

If you are willing to splurge on private transportation from Lago di Como, you can have an extra night in Lago di Como. Given the cost of a Milan hotel room, it's not that much more expensive. However, there are also reasons to go to Milan, including a great dinner the night before you leave Italy.

Just for the record we took two friends who were short of time from Rome to Venice by train and stopped for a single night in Florence. We arrived in Florence at 10 AM. We did the Accademia and the Uffizi, the Duomo, walked the Ponte Vecchia, visisted St. Croce and had some time to relax and have a great lunch and dinner. The girls also managed to do a little jewelry and leather shopping. The plan was that the next day we'd spend some time in Florence before heading to Venice in the afternoon, but at breakfast both decided they had had enough of Florence and were ready to go on to Venice.

Did they thoroughly see all of Florence's treasures? Not by a long shot. Did they get enough of a feel for it and see the highlights? Absolutely.

And I've often said a week in Venice is better than a day in Venice, but a day in Venice is better than no days in Venice.

As long as you know how little you'll be able to see of each of these destinations and you don't mind all the travel, I say go for it. We each have to decide how we like to travel.

Sorry, Ivan, I wasn't checking train schedules. Just hoping that you might be able to connect by train to Como without going all the way to Milan. Yes, they are having problems with the server!

Sorry, Ivan, I wasn't checking train schedules. Just hoping that you might be able to connect by train to Como without going all the way to Milan.

Our posts crossed.

So go to Firenze! You won't see a lot. I suggest you skip museums and focus on seeing the Duomo, the Bapistery, a nice sunset view.

Perhaps you should go from Firenze to Lago di Como and finish up in Venezia. Any chance you can fly out of Venezia? Or fly back from Venezia to Milano the morning of your flight?

Wait a minute!! I just noticed you are spending less than a day in Venice!

You really should skip the lake.

You are going to see very little on this trip except train stations and hotel reception desks.

Do reconsider limiting yourself to one destination and two at the most.

I think with the amount of time at your disposal, I would spend 3 days in Rome and 2 each in Venice and Florence. Skip Lake Como and Milan (except to get to the airport) this time. And, since you ask, I would look for a hotel in a neighborhood other than Termini.

Thanks for replies, everyone. I was upset to hear that area around Termini isn't very good. I wasn;t looking there in particular, it's just I thought I had found really nice hotel that fits my budget there-Eurostars International. Most other similar hotels are either overpriced or too remote. Would staying at a hotel near Vatican be a good idea? I don't know whether it would be too far from all the attractions in Rome.

As for making itinenary changes... I think I'll play by ear, I could arrive in Venice in the morning and leave next day in the evening if I really enjoy it for example. May be I'll cut a day from the lake and another one from Rome? I guess I'll have to decide soon, this summer is very busy in Europe!

You can't leave your hotel reservations to "playing by ear" in May. You could end up without a room in many places, unless you are willing to stay far from the reasons you came there -- and given your time squeeze, that doesn't seem worth it.

What do you most want to see in Rome? And what is your budget? Termini is not a "no-go." But if your budget allows, you can find areas more appealing. Some Vatican locations are only convenient to the Vatican, others are better located.

Are you using venere.com to search?

By playing by ear I meant deciding the time of the day when to leave/arrive in the city, not hotel booking. I certainly have been looking at Venere and about 50 other websites and I'm shooting for 200 euro a night average 4 star hotel in good central location. I think I've seen a couple that match around Vatican, I guess it's better than Termini then?

Much better than Termini. I've stayed at La Rovere, and the location to the central sites is closer than it looks.

It's a good hotel. It's one downside is that it has only a few ordinary restaurants within a five minute walk, so you'll have to walk further for dinner.

The No. 64 bus goes from Termini station close to the Vatican. It is notorious for pickpockets. Don't use it.

Even the Colosseum is walkable from the Vatican if you stop along the way for an espresso in the Piazza Navona or the Pantheon or the Jewish quarter.

I would also skip Como and Milan to have more time in Florence and Venice (arrive Florence Tues, go to Venice Thurs, then to Milan Sat for your flight back). Don't cut any from Rome!

I can't believe you can't find a hotel in Rome for 200E in a better location. I wouldn't want to stay either by Termini or the Vatican. Both are further away from everything, and Termini is certainly not as nice an area. Look around Piazza Navona, the Pantheon or Campo de' Fiori.