ssc2229

4 days in Rome
4 days in Florence
3 days in Venice

I have the Vatican/sistine chapel,colosseo, spanish steps, pantheon, trevi fountain on my itenerary

Florence i have Uffizi, duomo, See the David

Venice - Plaza San Marco and murano??


I feel like I don't know what are must-sees in the cities other than above.

We wanted to do a day trip to tuscany for wine-tasting but did not know any reputable companies or tours who can help with that.

I am sure i am missing 1000 different things. Any thoughts on things we should definitely do?

Apres_Londee

Everyone has their own "must sees", no hard and fast rules. In Florence, I would recommend looking into the Bargello musuem, the museo dell' opera del duomo, and the branacci chapel in the Santa Maria del Carmine. I'd also recommend taking some time to walk around in the Oltrano.

For me, I wouldn't take any daytrips, not with the amount of time you have in each city. I think it would be too much. In Florence, maybe take a late afternoon/evening to take the bus to Fiesole, see the museum and ruins, and the view of the city. But personally I wouldn't take an entire day away from Florence from you only have 4 days.

sjk1976

Venice - take the Doge's palace "secret itineraries" tour. I'm not into tours and this one was very neat. While others may disagree, I thought Murano was not worth it, but then it was also pouring rain when I went and my wet feet were not happy feet It's a 3-4 hour thing to do if you've gotten enough of venice itself.

Florence - i woudl pick a town in tuscany and head out for a day, just to get away from the museum-hopping in the city, and also the crazy motorcycle drivers.

vivi

I had a similar trip (8 days Rome, 4 days Florence, 4 days Venice, plus 3 days Ligurian coast.)

Florence really wore me out, it was boiling hot and jam packed (and this was in mid-May!) So for 2 of my 4 Florence days I bailed out: one day trip to Siena (by bus) and one day trip to Lucca (by train.) Thoroughly enjoyed these jaunts and probably will never return to Florence as it was too aggravating.
In Florence I enjoyed the bus trip up to Fiesole and also Plaza Michaelangelo. gbut I did not enjoy standing in line at the museums (even with reservations) and dodging traffic.

Not sure I would return to Murano while in Venice though the boat ride is relaxing. One of the best things I did in Venice was going to mass after St Mark's was closed for the day. There is a side entrance with a guard, the neighborhood people attend an evening mass in a chapel which is connected to the bascilica. The guard will let you in if you indicate you are are a mass-goer. It was so cool and beautiful inside, really quite an exquisite memory.

jend

I agree with Florence being hot and busy - I think you will find that a day or two out of the city would be nice. I felt like I saw all I needed of Florence in just two days. However I am not a study of the arts, just a tourist who likes the Italian lifestyle, so I didn't pour over the details of all the artwork and architecture.

Don't miss the Piazelle Michaelangelo - the view is worth the hard breathing of the walk. Enjoy some vino from the top!

Rome has my heart - I could spend weeks there! Rome is just a wonderful city to walk and explore. You will use all 4 days and still feel like you didn't see it all. Enjoy your trip

Momof5

I went to Venice for 5 days and it was magical. We did not go to Morano but still loved my trip. Our last day we went across the water to the Snat Maria dulle Salute and had lunch at a small cafe. Then we got lost on the area of Venice that is not touristy. Do this it was the highlight of our trip.

Florence was nice but you must check out some museums. Uffizi my favorite.

Never been to Rome someday.......maybe.

ssc2229

thank you so much for the feedback! I will definitely print this off and take it with us.

Do most of these trips require advance reservations? The day trip for example?

Also, for those that took a 1/2 trip to tuscany - i hear the private tours are expensive (200 euro/$350 US Dollar and up for my husband and I)
Any more reasonable?

Apres_Londee

CAF Tours do bus tours into Tuscany. These aren't private tours, but they are a decent price and the trip itself is nice:

http://tinyurl.com/5p6xu2

In April last year, we didn't reserve ahead, just bought our tickets at the CAF office in Florence a day or two beforehand. June might be busier, I think you can book online.

Apres_Londee

I meant to add if you're looking for info on Fiesole, just do a search here on the boards. You take a regular city bus, the ride only takes about 20 minutes. The bus number and lots of other information is on here, hopefully a search will bring it up. The archeology museum and its grounds are quite nice, with a roman theater and apparently some etruscan tombs a little further afield (we didn't see these ourselves but we really enjoyed the museum and walking around the grounds)

gard

Hi

I went to Florence with my wife last year. Feel free to check out my trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/florence_italy_travelogue.htm . I have also made a similar trip report from Rome on http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . I hope that you can find some useful info there

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

ira

Hi SS,

I would give Venice 4 days and Florence 3.

(Actually, I would skip Rome and split the time between V and F)

Murano is not a must see for a 1st timer. Burano is much more interesting.

Also in Venice:
The Ghetto
The Rialto Bridge
The Fish Market in the early morning
The Tintoretto paintings at San Rocco
The Salute
The Guggenheim
The Basilica and the Doge's Palace
The Accademia
Almost every little church and small square (campo).

Don't overplan Venice. You will enjoy it more just wandering.

In Florence:
Take the no. 7 bus from the SMN train station uo to Fiesole in the late afternoon. Se the Etruscan ruins and watch the sun set over the city from the terrace of the Bar Blu.

Piazzale Michelangelo and the top of the Boboli Gardens for the views.

Piazza della Signoria

Museo Opera del Duomo

Santa Croce

Bargello Museum

Enjoy your visit.

ssc2229

thank you everyone for your feedback. Everyone is so helpful on this site to share details of their experiences! Thank you for the trip reports.

I'll definitely look into these items.

Does anyone know which museums in florence/venice require advance reservation?

I heard the academia does?

Thanks

ekscrunchy

Frankly my first advice for a "must-see" would be a good guidebook! Asking people what to do in those cities would require sitting all day at a computer!

You need to book the Accademia and Uffizi (Florence) in advance, to avoid lines. Do a search here..there are many..for the details. You can ask your hotel to book for you; you pay when you arrive at the site.

Vttraveler

In Venice I would pick Torcello as the best of the three lagoon islands (over Murano and Burano) to visit unless you are especially interested in the glass making or lace making). Be sure to take the vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal at least once.

In Rome I would add Piazza Navona and the Forum and Palatine to your list. The last two are included in the 2-day ticket to the Colosseum so you can do them at the same time or spread it out over two days. P. Navona is very near the Pantheon so it makes sense to visit them at the same time (could combine these with the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps). If you walk from the Spanish steps to the Pincio gardens you will have a great view of the city.
You can search for other threads on Rome itineraries to get other ideas. You definitely have to pick and choose because there is so much to see. If you decide you want to visit the Galleria Borghese you need reservations.

RufusTFirefly

There is quite a lot to see and do in Venice. Unfortunately, many people only know about the Grand Canal and Piazza San Marco. What would be must-sees depends on your interests and time limits.

Just some of the sights, sites, and activities in Venice: Piazza San Marco, Basilica San Marco, Campanile, Palace of the Doges, Grand Canal on a vaporetto, Lagoon islands: (Murano, Burano, Torcello), San Michelle, gondola yard. The Arsenal and the Naval Museum, Correr Museum, Accademia art museum, Peggy Guggenheim Gallery, numerous art shows and exhibits that are always running, the Ghetto. Another dozen or so specialty museums (Lace museum, Archaeological musuem, etc).

Too many churches to list with interesting and world-class art and architecture, but...Basilica Santa Mariadella Salute, Basilica dei Frari, Santa Maria dei Miracoli, San Sebastiano, San Pietro di Castello, Santo Giovanni E Paolo, Madonna dell'Orto. Venice's churches have some of Italy's greatest works of art--many free to view--by the likes of Tintoretto, Veronese, Titian, Bellini, Vivarini, and Carpaccio.

Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Scuola San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, Scuola San Nicolo, Scuola Grande Dei Carmini, Scuole Grande of San Rocco.

Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Ca’ Rezzonico museum, Querini-Stampalia palace/museum, San Giovanni Evangelista, Ponte di Rialto, Rialto market, Ca’ d’Oro, Ca' Pesaro museum, gondola tour of smaller, hidden canals. Opera and concerts at La Fenice and other venues.

Walking away from the daytripping herds and discovering a quiet, secret city that most tourists have no clue exists--quiet campos with perhaps a restaurant or two and a couple of shops, and neighborhood children playing or couples strolling before dinner.

And don't forget the Lido of Venice beach resort in the summer.

bfrac

Exactly what Ira says. Plus I would add the Medici Chapel to Florence, we really enjoyed it and would be a nice cool place to duck into to get out of the sun and heat.

ssc2229

thanks so much!!

Trilli

Let me add some things that according to me you can't miss:

- in Rome: Galleria Borghese because of the great masterpieces of Bernini. Remind to book in advance http://www.ticketeria.it

- in Venice: Murano is ok but Torcello also.

- in Florence maybe 3 days are enough. Don't forget to visit the Convent of San Marco. The paintings of Beato Angelico in the small rooms for the monks are so cute.

- 1 day I suggest to stay in Siena: the main square 'Il Campo' is gorgeus and also a walk in the historic center is really nice.

johngoode

Apart from the Galleria degli Uffizi and Piazza del Duomo and the Cupola there, both of which you seem to already have in your itinerary, there's the Oltrarno with its medieval streets and museums (try this link for more info - http://indianchiefguides.com/en/ital...orence-italy-3) and the Piazza San Lorenzo and Santa Croce where you can visit even more museums, ancient churches and city squares with market stalls. ENJOY!

tyedye33

I went on a fantastic wine tour that left from Florence. Our guide Rebecca was wonderful we opted for the Brunello di Montalcino tour. We went through the small vineyard, sampled the fine wine (bought some of the same), went to a "cooking school" which was in fact the house of an older gentleman who served us wine and a meal mostly from his own garden, we went to the Abbey Sant'Antino and heard the Monks chant, we walked the streets of Montalcino and as a surprise taken to a farm to buy cheeses. Very Special day indeed, We laughed, we drank, we ate, some cried, we drank and ate some more...wonderful. http://www.tuscan-wine-tours.com/Flo...wine_tours.htm