bobthenavigator

Pick 2 and have fun !

suze

Sure I think Rome/Amalfi coast is great. You could even add Naples back in if you really wanted to. Skipping Florence and Venice makes it a much more doable itinerary.

zeppole

If you are not looking to do every tourist attraction on the list in Rome, the combination of Rome and the Amalfi in 8 days sounds like a beautiful vacation and a beautiful introduction to Italy -- and wise. Have a wonderful time!

Fodorite014

Hotels in Rome tend to be a bit pricy. I have been to Rome many times always ending up in a hotel/pension in the Termnini (central railways station) area which actually isn't bad at all. Last year when we were in Rome we rented an apartment through www.romecityapartments.com The apartment was wonderful and very cozy. It was situated very close to the Pantheon and was only slightly more expensive than a cheap pension in the Termini area and definitely cheaper than any hotel in the Pantheon area. The apartment had two rooms with four beds, a kitchen and two wonderful terraces. Very good value for money.

bratsandbeer

8 nights - try 3 nights Rome, 2 nights Florence and 3 nights Venice. Don't miss Venice - it would be my first choice. I love wandering the streets of Venice - the boat rides to the islands.

Peter_S_Aus

It doesn’t really matter if you miss Venice – the most important thing is that you have a have a happy time. You can safely ignore the warnings that “Venice is sinking, and so it won’t be there much longer”. You’ll visit Italy again some time, and Venice will still be there.

We’ve found that the best time to visit Venice is in winter, as there are fewer crowds. And in Winter, the fog rolls in off the Adriatic, creating the most ethereal, beautiful atmosphere that you could imagine.

The most important thing is to have a stress-free trip, and so the advice from other posters to stay in just two places, with a couple of day trips is sound. Florence is an easy day trip from Rome, and there are frequent trains.

ira

Hi ara,

1st visit, early May
Venice and Florence are musts.

Choose between Rome and the AC.

You can fly into Venice VCE or Milan MXP and out of Naples NAP.

Enjoy your visit.

JulieAgain

Just a thought - but if you are wanting the Amalfi coast for beach time, will it be warm enough? I don't know, but just thought maybe you should consider that so you won't be disappointed.

Have fun, Julie

dtph

I was in the exact same dilemma last year! With the help of many people in the Europe forum, I decided on Rome & the Amalfi Coast. My husband and I had 9 nights in Italy last May. We flew into and out of Rome. We spent the first 3 nights in Rome, next 4 on the Coast and then last 2 in Rome. In Rome, we walked all around the entire city! We ate great food, drank house wine everywhere, ate gelato twice a day! We visited the Coliseum/Forum/Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Vatican Museum/St. Peter's Basilica, hung out in Campo de Fiori a few nights, took in the scenery from the bridge over the Tiber River.
To get the the Coast, we took a train from Rome's Termini Station to Naples and then transferred to a bus from Naples to Positano. We stayed in Positano for 4 nights but did day trips along the coast by boat. One day trip was to Amalfi. Once we arrived in Amalfi we spent some time there and then took the bus up to Ravello and walked to Villa Cimbrone. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire coast! It is gorgeous and smells sooo beautiful! Another day trip was to Capri. The boat ride to Capri itself is pretty cool. We visited 3 grottos (white, green and blue) and even got to go inside of the blue grotto. After we reached Capri, we went up to Anacapri. We took a cable car to the top of Monte Solare. We also visited Axel Munthe's Gardens. Positano itself is great too. Lots of great restaurants on different levels of the cliff. One night we went up to a restaurant called La Tagliata. It's a fun dining experience and the views from there are nice too. One our way back to Rome, we got off the train at the Pompeii stop and visited the site for a few hours. It was pretty cool - I'm glad we stopped.

Just last night, we started thinking about going back to Italy this year - it's looking like May again - and we're planning to visit Venice, Florence and Tuscany. I didn't think I'd go back to Italy so quickly (we were actually going to plan a trip to France this year), but we fell in love with Italy and are craving more. With that said, I agree with the other posters that you shouldn't try to cram too much into this 8-day trip - and like you said - you're young and you'll definitely go back!

emerald125

We are in Italy now on a 16 day visit.... 4 days in Rome was perfect but you could get by with 3 if you really wanted to... We had 3 on the Almafi and LOVED it there were not too many people around and the weather was fantastic... some brave souls were in the water - average day temps were about 16-18c Then we had 4 days in Florence and we felt like 2 would have been ample - we are now in Venice for 4 days and we love it. It's might well be our favourite spot.. if I was in your position I would skip Florence unless you really really love renaissance art.

HImom

We went to Rome & Venice once (haven't been to the other two destinations you're planning to see). We are leisurely travelers, so would be miserable trying to squeeze in too much. As others have said, there are pros & cons to whirlwind tours. For one thing, you need to have some stamina for "speed touring."

Personally, I loved Venice and had never been to anywhere like it. We enjoyed it. We also enjoyed Rome. So much depends on what you want to see and do in your 8 days and how best to divvy it up to keep these things in mind and keep sane, as well as the preferences of each of you.

Venice was nice because it was "small." We were there in March/April. It did NOT have any smell. My sister went in the mid-summer & said it stank & someone slipped into the canal & her leg was covered by slime & ick; they were all disgusted by it.

TDudette

Well, after all of the suggestions, I too agree that 2 places would make a more savory trip with only 8 days. DO look online and read about the 4 places mentioned: Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast and Venice. See what resonates with you most.

If you are truly into art and culture, I'd trade Venice for Amafi coast. There is a beach at the Lido from Venice but I simply don't know if it's too early.

If you want to "beach" it, I'd leave off Florence, keep Amalfi and add Venice. I await the onslaught of different opinions! Make Florence a base for future trip and other Tuscany towns.

Fly into Venice, train down to Rome and end up at Positano. Fly out of Naples.

annhig

hi ara,

just my two penn'th

in 8 days pick two places [you'll lose at least half a day every time you move]

if you decide on Rome and the Amalfi, flying into and out of Rome, as soon as you get to Rome, get the train to the Amalfi, spend 4 nights, then train back to Rome for the end of you trip. that way you don't have to change hotels too often and you are in the right place to fly home.

if you can fly into Rome and out of Naples, [or vice versa[ so much the better.

if you can do a similar length trip in the future, you might want to combine Venice and Florence, if you are still interested in them then.

DeborahAnn

ara, when we took our first trip to Italy we stayed in Sorrento and then Rome. We did as annhig suggested to you, taking the train to Naples and then Sorrento after arriving in Rome. Staying in any of the towns along the Amalfi coast would give you the beach experience you want. Venice and Florence will still be around when you return to Italy Have a great trip. Deborah

rolohof_duvall

Thank you all for your opinions. Reading them all is great entertainment. I have been once to Italy, so would not claim to be any kind of expert. We went in 2009, 18 days end of April thru early May. My wife and I did the "tourist" route. Started in Venice, train to Florence, Train to Rome. Rental car back to Tuscany, Montisi to be specific. Loved it all. The crowds, the art the museums, the food, the difference! Go with an open mind and heart and like several posters have said have fun with the adventure of it all and experiencing something different (i am guessing) than you normally would.

CasaDelCipresso

firstly...I would just like to say that Venice and Amalfi are my two very favorite places in the world...and I have been more times that I can count over the years Yes...they are touristy and yet, I somehow am head-over-heels in love with both...maybe I just like the challenge of finding off-the-beaten-path spots and hidden gems in such a sea of tourists (?) It does help that I almost always travel off-season though.

We own a vacation home in Campania and it's very dear to my heart...we were in Venice last week because we were celebrating a special anniversary. We also enjoy Rome and I never, ever feel like I have seen it all. Personally?? I can do without Florence and always find IT crowded, smelly and overrun with tourists and I never seem to get a decent meal there...my point being that nobody has to love everywhere! I'm sure plenty out there will tell you they love Florence....only time we go is if en route from Campania to Venice.

That said...I say skip Amalfi. The reason has nothing to do with Amalfi at all (as I said -I happen to love the Amalfi coast!) but it takes more time out of the itinerary and you'll be on a tight schedule! It is easy to "do" Venice, Florence, Rome by train - in and out of the station and you are right in the heart of town...Amalfi just takes too long to get to really enjoy it (IMHO.) I'd probably even say to do Florence, Rome and Naples before Amalfi just due to the time constraints.

minkie

I haven't read all the posts - but Venice is spectacular! I have never seen anything like it. I spent 5 days in Rome, 2 days with a tour and I still didn't feel I had enough or saw enough. I was in Capri and was not impressed as some of the Greek Islands I have visited. Have an excellent trip - you will love Italy.