I'm looking for a tour/package (escorted, independent, rail, etc... doesn't matter) that includes the following locations:

Venice
Cinque Terre
Florence
Tuscany
Rome
Amalfi Coast

How much time do you have for this trip? I would think you'd need about 3 weeks to comfortably cover what you have listed.

This would be easy to put together independently. You could fly into Venice and work your way down the country, flying out of Naples. The train will take you everywhere except Tuscany, where you'll see more if you rent a car, and the Amalfi Coast, where buses and ferries will get you where you need to go.

What time of year do you plan to go?

Just adding a factor - - you ought to keep eyes open on this - - that ambitious an itinerary ought to be 20 days or more.

Perrillo might have something that would work, if you've got the big bucks.

Best wishes,

Rex

I am thinking 3 weeks.

If you think you might like to tackle this on your own, take a look at Rick Steves, Italy Through the Backdoor. I covered these same places on my first trip to Italy and I found the book helpful. Have fun!

I find travel magazines very helpful in the early planning stages. Get a copy of Conte Naste Traveler, National Geo Traveler, Arthur Frommers Budget Travel, maybe even Travel & Leisure. All have loads of ads and listings for various packaged options.

I did a 17 day Maupin tour that included all those places, but you don't mention your budget, it was great and I would do it again in a heartbeat. We spent 2-3 nights at each destination except Cinque Terre which was only a day tour, and 4 nts in Florence.

I developed an itinerary for a friend several years ago, that has morphed into a 20+ page tour that covers all the areas you are interested in. It includes my favorite hotels, restaurnats, sites, scenic drives, books/maps to get, etc.

I sent it to over 150 people on the AOL travel board, and since "joining" this one recently, I've sent it to over 20 people. One person wrote back and said she cancelled her Perillo tour, and followed the itinerary I gave her. She guessed that she & her husband saved over $8,000, and I'm pretty sure she stayed at nicer hotels than those she would have stayed in on the Perillo tour.

E-Mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy of the itinerary.

Also recommend a minimum of 3 weeks, and try to limit back-to-back big cities. Do them in the exact sequence you have listed them in - or in reverse sequence.

Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca

Hi yale,

>I'm looking for a tour/package (escorted, independent, rail, etc... doesn't matter)...<

You might wish to consider doing it yourself, OR asking a Travel Agent.

Both Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast presents a problem, but you might want to check out the Insight Vacations tours "Best of Italy" and "Country Roads of Italy" tours.

If you are in the USA, go here: http://www.insightvacations.com/us/

If you are not in the USA, remove the "us/" from the end of the above URL.

--Marv

So yale, if you are still around, what did you decide on?

--Marv

Affordabletours.com has a search engine that allows you to pick specific countries and cities and then lists a large number of tours/packages (from a host of different suppliers) that goes to those areas - along with # days, budget etc. At least this is a place to start.