Italy or Greece
 

I have the opportunity to visit Europe in May. I have never been to Europe and am having a hard time making the decision.
Italy includes Venice, Florence, Siena and Rome. 3395 for ten nights and includes lodging and breakfast.
Greece is 11 nights going to Mykoonos, Kusadasi Turkey, Patmos, Rhodes, Heraklion, Santorini. Part of this trip includes land and water with a cruise line.

For a first time visitor any suggestions as to which to pick?

I have been to both countries & love them both & would revisit either in a heartbeat. I think Greece is a very hectic itinerary not allowing time to really enjoy. I'm assuming that this is a cruise? When we went I looked at cruises, but decided that it wouldn't give me enough time to enjoy each location. So, we did it on our own (with the help of travel agent. I knew we wanted to see Athens & Santorini. We had 10 days so I chose another island, Paros. Santorini is amazing & I'm glad that we had 4 nts. there. We started in Athens, for 3 nts, flew to Paros, for 3 nts. and then took a ferry to Santorini for 4 nts, then flew back to Athens to fly home.

Regarding Italy.. you can't go wrong with the cities you mentioned.

Happy planning!

These are guided tours - right?

If so, give us the links and we can see if there are any red flags/issues w the specific tours.

My guess is they are very rushed -- four cities in 10 nights, which is really 9 days and at least your arrival day is going to be hectic/jetlagged.

Also regarding the Italy 10 days, do you tolerate bus rides very well? Most tours of this type are bus only, no trains, and some people have problems with motion sickness. Also, FYI, it's likely your days would involve being packed and downstairs to board the bus at 7:30a or so.

I would suggest you go to your local library or book store to check out travel guides to see what you are most interested in - scenery, history, artwork, ruins? Both will be amazing trips, IMO the cruise would be more relaxing as you will have your evenings on board to relax. It is difficult to get to both Mykonos and santorini by ferry without having to backtracking to Athens, so while I think all locations deserve more time, if you are limited in time, a cruise is not a bad way to get a flavor for the destinations on your itinerary. I hope you will at least spend a day or two also in Athens as it would be a shame to skip that. The Italy itinerary sounds a bit rushed to me. Personally, we like to do it ourselves and find that we learn more about the destinations if we have to take the time to prepare and read ahead to plan our trips. Half the fun is in the preparation. Don't let travel to Europe scare you. It is easy to get around and traveling is a joy. Good luck!

<i>It is difficult to get to both Mykonos and santorini by ferry without having to backtracking to Athens...</i>

Not true at all, except off-season. In May there are daily ferries (most days at least two) travelling directly between Mykonos and Santorini, and taking about 2½ hours. That said, there are about 200 inhabited islands in Greece, and a vast mainland too, so Mykonos and Santorini aren't the only choices.

Darcie_numan, you should decide whether you want a land-based holiday or a cruise. Your Italy option hits the main tourist attractions, but looks a bit rushed to me. A cruise is a great way to see lots of places in a short time, and some people love cruises. The drawback is you don't have much time at each port, so have only a few hours ashore to see the attractions. There are other ways to see Greece apart from cruises. :-)

Sorry for the misinformation. Both 3 weeks trips to Greece were just off season (fabulous weather) and ferry schedules were difficult. I agree that there are other ways of seeing Greece other than by cruise. A highlight for us was our drive through the Peloponnesus. However, that said, with limited time, a cruise is not a terrible option.

That was a good point, though, for anyone contemplating island-hopping between late October and early April. During that winter period, as dgunbug wrote, it isn't possible to go between Mykonos and Santorini direct. Another route that is possible in summer but not winter is Santorini and Crete. There is a once-a-week year-round ferry, but apart from that it means going back through Athens.