Hello! Planning a late summer 2019 return trip to Italy and would like your input. I would lIke to go to : Venice, the Lake Region, Cinque Terre and end in Positano. I have 14 days and was wondering if this is doable and the travel itinerarythat makes the most sense. I can fly direct into Venice and can fly home from Naples. Thanks for your help!

I would lIke to go to : Venice, the Lake Region, Cinque Terre and end in Positano. I have 14 days?

Pretty ambitious - Venice - 3 nights; Lakes - 3 nights - CT- 2 nights - train to Naples-Positano all day - end in Naples. Possible but IMO way too much - dropping Amalfi would create a more relaxed itinerary or maybe Lakes. Anyway book trains well in advance for sweet discounted fares - Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia or www.italotreno.it/en - two competing railways using same stations and tracks and similar trains. For lots on booking own discounted tickets check www.seat61.com - general info trains like different classes and what to expect once aboard - BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Do you have 14 full days, which means 15 nights in Italy? Or do you have 14 days away from home. meaning that you really have only 12 days in Italy?

Your time in Italy will probably include three days devoted almost entirely to travel. The trip from the Cinque Terre to Positano typically requires travel on four different trains, changing in La Spezia, Pisa, Florence, and Salerno. Then, when you get to Salerno, you'd either need to take a ferry or a bus (with one change of bus) to get to Positano. The trip takes about 9 hours. With all that hopping on and off trains, you'd need to pack very light. There's really not any way to cut down the amount of travel; driving could take even longer. Google Maps says from 7 to 9 hours, depending on traffic. and it would be an extremely tedious drive.

Another problem is that all four places you want to visit are very popular with foreign tourists; one could say "swarming" with tourists.And it's likely to be still hot in the late summer. (Actually, some of the lake towns are more crowded than others. Which lake or lakes were you considering?) I would want to include at least one place that's a bit less well-known, and maybe at a higher altitude, where it would be cooler.

If I were you, I'd cut out Positano. It's almost at the opposite end of the country from Venice, the lakes, and the Cinque Terre. If you have only 11 or 12 nights in Italy, I'd cut out also one of the other destinations. I myself wouldn't think of going to the Cinque Terre in the summer, unless I planned to spend all day up in the hills. Are you interested in hiking?

>>Another problem is that all four places you want to visit are very popular with foreign tourists; one could say "swarming" with tourists.And it's likely to be still hot in the late summer. <<

That was my main concern. Does your trip have to be in late summer? Venice, the CT, Positano, etc will be heaving. Even if you luck out with the weather, those places will be really REALLY crowded. If you could travel in say May/June or Autumn you might have a better time of it.

>> I myself wouldn't think of going to the Cinque Terre in the summer, <<

ditto.

Thanks for all the train information. I think I will be dropping on of the destinations.

hi bvlenci- I have 14 days total - so 12 days in Italy. I will definitely be dropping Cinque Terre but I really want to go back to Positano/Amalfi and my fellow travelers want to go to Venice so I’ll have to change the itinerary. We can go late August to mid September.

Try for Amalfi in mid-September for slightly fewer crowds.

Oh my!!! You will be so stressed trying to do all of that! I suggest you choose three places. Go for the places up North i.e Venice, Lake Garda or Lake Como and then Cinque Terre. Will you be landing in Milan? If yes, start with Cinque Terre. If you enjoy walking, then spend four days here... you can also do boat trips to Portovenere or Portofino... both gorgeous villages nearby.
Lake Como or Lake Garda are both gorgeous lakes. You could spend easily three days in either lake and there is plenty to do.
Venice is magnificent.... I would say four days minimum.... In addition to Venice itself which offers plenty of worthy attractions, you can do a boat trip to the surrounding Venician Islands Burano and Murano.... See by blog :Time4Travel4Less that provides you with wonderful day trips in all of these areas.
If you want to spend less time in these places, then you can also visit Florence for 3-4 days... I would skip the Amalfi coast completely as it is way down south.