I'm planning a trip to Italy, probably this September, with 2 girlfriends. We'd like to go to Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast. We think we'd like to end with the last few days on the coast. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to plan this trip? Thanks!!

How long is the trip?

You will need to make hotel reservations soon. September is a popular time for travel in Italy.

Probably Rome as your base (fly into it, fly out of it) is reasonable. Not sure how many days total you have, your budget, or any other factors. Is this the first trip to these venues for each of you? Other than soaking up some sun on the coast, what are your interests? (How avid are you as museum-goers?) From Rome you can take the Eurostar train north to Florence and be there in 90 minutes. To get to the Amalfi Coast from Rome, you'd take the train south to Naples, and then get on the SITA bus. I think most of us would need more info to make further recs for you.

BC

For this trip i would do the train.If you are planng on driving the AMalfi coast you wat see much except the car in front of you .Take a train to coast then do bus trips around the coast ,Speaking from someone who drove it last year .I drove the entire coast ,Only whne i was on a bus did i get to see the coast.Dring is to heckitic to enjoy the view.
Get your rooms really soon.Sept is very busy.

Please excuse the mispelled words on previus post.

I hope you have at least 12 nites to sleep in Italy.
You are already late for bookings in Sep, so I would set your dates and buy airline tickets soon. Come back when you have that set.

If you give us a bit more detail (how many days your trip is, what your budget is, interests etc) then you will get a lot more help. The more information, the better

I will echo scatcat and say you need to make reservations for September ASAP.

Amanda

Now that the posters have told you the time is NOW you can visit www.venere.com and put in your dates to find what hotels are available.

I don't know where you are coming from. There are airports in Florence and Pisa, and if you are coming from the US, the deals to Florence from Delta have often been fantastic. There are also airports in Bologna and Napoli if you are willing to transfer through London or a European capital.

I live in Italy and I'm more optimistic than the others here that you won't have all that much trouble finding clean accommodations, and on up through charming. Use the Venere website to check availability and the user reviews for hotels.

How much time you "need" is not a useful way to think about travel, in my opinion. How much time and money you've got to work with will shape your trip, but you can still have a great trip if you've got less than 12 nights. Rome and Florence are rich in cultural sightseeing -- but maybe you don't want to spend money and time doing that -- because Rome and Florence are also great cities for shopping, food, strolling and (in Rome) night life.

Accommodations in the Amalfi coast can be expensive to get a good view or proximity to the swimming areas. You might consider well-reviewed bargain accommodations in Rome and Firenze (Pensione Barrett, Tourist House Ghiberti). Have fun!

Thanks so much for all of the replies so far! It looks like we're planning for 10 days, and flying into Rome does seem like the best choice financially. Looking at a map, I wondered if we should fly into Rome, but then travel immediately to Florence for the 1 st part of our stay, and then travel south back to Rome, and then keep going south to the coast? Is this ridiculous?

And, yes, it looks like we should get this booked!

Finding good accommodations seems a bit overwhelming. 2 of us (including myself) have never been to Italy at all, one of us has been only once (and with a pre-booked tour). So, we're not quite sure where to begin. We'd love to stay somewhere nice, of course, but don't really need the 5-star rating or costs..Three of us sharing a room should help?

And, yes, we definitely will be checking out historical sites, museums, etc. Shopping and night life, of course!

Sorry, forgot to add that we're traveling from Los Angeles.

I think heading straight to Florence from Rome is a good plan. The train to Florence is only 90 minutes (after a one hour train from the airport to Termini).

I would be inclined to move right from Florence to the Amalfi, because you are going to have to be in Rome the night before your flight.

I don't know if you saw my above post, but using the Venere website is really a time-saver, and it has user-reviews. You don't have to spend a lot of money in Italy to get clean accommodations. Three-to-a-room may not be easy. What you should look for, using b&b sites as well as Venere, is bed and breakfasts. I really do recommend Pensione Barrett, which is Michelin-recommended, for Rome. In Firenze, you will be safe everywhere. Check out user reviews and you'll be fine.

Italy is curlicued, but it is extremely friendly to tourists. Don't worry about being newbies. And don't make yourselves crazy trying to "see" everything. You've got a fairly short trip in a country crammed with beauty, art, experiences, etc. One or two a day will be memorable. Enjoy yourselves. ciao!

PS: In september in Rome and Florence, you will need air conditioning. Pensione Barrett has it. Tourist House Ghiberti in Florence has it -- as do many other places.

(I assume you mean 10 nights <i>in</i> Italy...i.e, not including travel days?)

Book your flight through to Florence. Our Florence leg only added about $40 to the ticket. You will likely go through Rome. Sometimes you can't get your "in country" boarding pass (Rome to Florence) when you check in in the States; you'll have to go to the ticket counter in Rome. Therefore, give yourself at least a 2 1/2 hr layover in Rome. But it's worth it...arriving in Florence is a piece of cake.

Also, since you're flying out of Rome, consider doing the coast in the middle, finishing in Rome.

Is it really faster or easier to fly to Florence via Rome and have a 2.5 hour or more layover, and then need to travel from the Firenze airport into Firenze proper than getting off the plane in Rome, taking the 1-hour airport train to Rome central, catching a 90-minute train that deposits you in Firenze proper?

Must depend on how you feel after long flights. Me, I think I do better if I keep moving, and I find airports grate on my nerves. But it might be better for some people. I'm not disputing that.

Using kayak.com, search for flights into Florence and out of Rome or Naples. In fact, it may be cheaper to fly into Florence and out of Rome rather than round trip Rome. Flights are in the $700-800 range for LAX to Italy in September right now. Move fast and take advantage.

With only 10 days-

2 days Florence
3 days Rome
5 days Amalfi coast

I like this hotel in Positano (especially the rooftop pool and the incredible views)-

http://www.villafrancahotel.it/#

zeppole: We liked the idea of not having to deal with luggage until we arrived in Florence.

Everyone's different. I love train travel. But getting to the right platform, right train car with luggage in tow was more stress than I wanted to take on immediately after arrival.

Fortunately, I almost never have to travel with luggage. But I would be afraid of airlines losing it if I checked it. For a 10 day trip, the "chicks" should be able to get away with carry on.

I hope those cheaper flights LAX to Florence don't have long, long layovers.