Okay I'm back - Spain/Italy
 

Okay, I'm back with what I think is a better idea. 15 day - solo trip. Whatcha thinK?

1. Arrive Barcelona
2. Barcelona (tour)
3 Barcelona (tour)
4. Barcelona (day trip to Costa Bravo and Girona)
5. Barcelona (tour)
6. Venice (arrive/tour)
7. Venice (tour) )
8. Venice (tour)
9. Naples (arrive/tour)
10. Naples (tour)
11. Naples (tour Amalfi Coast/Pompeii)
12. Rome (arrive/tour)
13. Rome (tour)
14. Rome (tour)
15. Fly home

Or

1. Arrive Barcelona
2. Barcelona (tour)
3. Barcelona (tour)
4. Barcelona (day trips Costa Bravo and Girona)
5. Barcelona (tour)
6. Naples (arrive/tour)
7. Naples (tour)
8. Naples (tour Amalfi Coast/Pompeii)
9. Naples (tour Capri Island)
10. Naples (tour)
11. Rome (arrive/tour)
12. Rome (tour)
13. Rome (day trip to Venice)
14. Rome (tour/relax)
15. Fly home

day trip rome to Venice means about 7 hours on train and then navigating a mobbed Venice for a few hours. Stay inn Venice IMO - both itineraries are rushed but first IMO is better.

thanks Palen@

The first one is better. But I'd take one day from Barcelona and add it to Naples/Amalfi Coast region. And I would base in Sorrento and do day trips to Naples, Capri, Amalfi/Posoitano. Sorrento is more central than Naples and unless you love large cities I think it's a better base. I do love large cities and I'm glad to have visited but am glad I've always based in Sorrento.



But actually a better idea is to skip one of your four areas and distribute the time among the others.

I don't know what "tour" means. Do you mean independent sight-seeing? Or you mean actually joining an organized tour group every day?

A "day trip" to Venice from Rome doesn't really work.

I like your first itinerary but think you could alter it as Isabel suggests.

tour - independent

I was thinking about Sorrento because I remember someone mentioning that as a good base. Cool.

So skipping a city... Should I skip Rome as it does hold the least of my interest?

Do not visit Amalfi Coast and Pompeii on the same day, too too much. Give each their own day.
Do not skip Rome, so much care and history!Why not focus on Italy, drop Barcelona and add Venice. Save Barcelona for a longer trip to Spain.

Should I skip Rome as it does hold the least of my interest?

I'd say yes, skip the city you are least interested in. I don't care how much history it has, if it's not of interest to you, go somewhere that is. You've got too much on your itinerary anyway. I'm sad to see Venice getting that shaft because I think it's really fascinating and worth several days visit.

What do you mean by 'tour' in each city - tour on own I presume and such I think itinerary is fine though to tour Amalfi Coast from Naples is near impossible in one day. Unless you take a tour and to do Pompeii same day? Stay in Sorrento forget Naples. and use a day each for Amalfi, Capri and Pompeii.

I wouldn't do either (sorry) -- I'd visit EITHER Spain OR Italy, but not both.

I can't imagine fitting the Costa Brava AND Girona into a single day trip. YMMV.
And like HappyTrvlr, I can't imagine trying to visit both the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii on the same day.

Good luck!

@Kia - The Costa Brava and Girona (Barcelona) and Amalfi Coast/Pompeii trips together were only because I was researching tours and these are popular tours that they recommend. So I was thinking (not that I know) that it would be good tour trips and when I read the reviews online, people seem to have had a great time and enough time to see the highlights.

@PalenQ - They have the tours together like that. But like you and some of the others have said, give each their own day. And yes when I said tour, I meant individual touring.

.@HappyTrvlr - Barcelona can't be dropped. That is the one place I definitely want to go.

Sorrento/Naples - The reason I was thinking Naples over Sorrento is because this will be a solo trip and I wanted to be somewhere that had stuff going on. Sorrento seems to be laid back after dark and what if I get bored and lonely. At least with Naples, in my mind, some kind of nightlife would be going on.

Traveling by oneself takes much more time than going with a group. With a group tour, transportation has been arranged, access is generally direct, and in many cases, you "see" some things by simply driving past them. And people who have only visited a place by a day tour don't know what they have missed. If you are going on your own, plan accordingly!

If you're not interested in Rome, why don't you skip it and fly home from Naples? You could then spend more time in Italy (Venice/AC/Naples) without reducing your time in Barcelona.

Maybe something like this?

1. Arrive Barcelona
2. Barcelona (tour)
3 Barcelona (tour)
4. Barcelona (day trip to Costa Bravo and Girona)
5. Barcelona (tour)
6. Venice (arrive/tour)
7. Venice (tour)
8. Venice (tour)
9. Venice (tour)
10. Sorrento (arrive/tour) - it will be a lot of travel from Venice to Sorrento
11. Sorrento (tour Pompeii)
12. Sorrento (tour Amalfi Coast)
13. arrive Naples (tour city)
14. Naples (tour city)
15. Fly home

@kia gotcha
@Leely - I like that.

Sorrento it is. I will take the advice from everyone because everyone seems to favor Sorrento over Naples. LOL!

Thanks everyone. You rock!!!

I prefer Naples -- I love its energy.

Well, I've never been to Sorrento except a quick run through ages ago, and I love Naples and spent five full days there last time with no day trips, but given that you want to see Pompeii and the AC, Sorrento seems to make the most sense.

In fact, Rome is my favorite city in Europe, but you have no interest in it, so I'm trying to advise based on your stated interests, rather than my own. :)

@Kia and @Leely2.. one of the reasons I picked Naples was since I was traveling alone, I wanted somewhere in case I got lonely and bored, I would have options. It seems like Sorrento is more laid back after dark.