My husband will be in Rome on business for 4 days & I'm accompanying him. We will be able to sightsee in Rome in the afternoons for those 4 days and then have 4 additional days in Italy afterwards before flying out of Rome again. What would be the best use of our time? Thank you.

Charlina

That is a very open ended question. It would help if we knew your interests, the time of year, where you are flying in and out of Italy, have you been there before,etc.

I would guess that Florence or Venice would be a good use of your time, but if you have been to those places, you might want to see another area.

Going south to the Amalfi Coast is a good use of time, but time of year means a lot if you choose resort areas.

We spent 3 nights on Capri in May and had a great time. Our main activity was hiking and poking in shops. Food was very expensive.

Naples is easy to get to from Rome, but I don't like Naples. Others here love Naples.

Umbria is also easy. Assisi, Perugia, Spello, could easily be done in 3 and a half days.

As above poster has suggested, you've got several options to consider and which would be the "best use of your time" may be dictated by the time of year of your visit, as well as your interests.

Do you want to explore another city? Florence is an easy 90 minute train ride away; alot of wonderful art/architecture to explore, plus it's a central location for daytripping to other parts of Tuscany (i.e. Siena or Pisa).

Venice? Again, another easy train ride, albeit it takes longer to get to Venice since it's in the northeastern part of the country. You could also fly from Rome to Venezia.

OR, if you'll be traveling during latter part of Spring or during Summer or early Autumn, then the Amalfi Coast might be your choice. Go down to Naples, and then continue on to stay in Amalfi or Positano or on the island of Capri--this could be a more relaxing choice. Although with Naples and Pompeii, there's still quite a bit to see & do.

Thank you, Tuscanlifeedit & JBX. We will be in Rome late March to early April. We have never been to Italy. The hotel in Rome has been reserved, so we would be returning each night. Would a one-day trip to Florence be doable? What about the same to Venice? Thank you for your advice. I find this forum is so much more reliable than guide books.

Florence is about 1 hour 40 minutes by train, Venice about 4 hours 30 minutes. If you take an early train to Florence you might be ale to do it ( without time in galleries).
Take a look at
www.trenitalia.com

Charlina

Do you have the hotel booked for all 8 days?

Would you like a list of easy day trips from Rome?

You can do a daytrip to Florence, but I think Venice is too far. With 4-1/2 hours each way, even if you start early and end late, you don't have much time in Venice.

With the much shorter ride to Florence, you could fit in quite a bit. Make a reservation at the Accademia to see David and see the Duomo and Baptistry. Do a little research to see if there is anything else in Florence that you are particularly interested in and see if you can fit that in.

Do a search here for Rome Daytrips and you'll get more ideas of other things that are possible. On the other hand, you could easily spend the entire time in Rome and still have lots more to see there.

hi Charlina,

Being this your first time in Rome, I don't think staying there 8 days is too much at all.

As it has been mentioned before, Florence is a very doable day trip via the Eurostar train. Another daytrip I would suggest is Orvieto, a little bit over an hour by train.

Enjoy Bella Roma!!

"Being this your first time in Rome, I don't think staying there 8 days is too much at all. "

I agree.

Orvieto is a good suggestion for a day trip.

hi charlina,

any good guide book wil give you ideas for 1,2,3, etc and 7 days in Rome, which is effectively what you've got.

probably two day-trips are the max you would want to do. however as your hotel is free, you might also consider spending an overnight somewhere - if you were desperate to see Florence for example, that might be the best option.

you also need to think what you are going to do while DH is at meetings - shop? walking tours? [fun if you'd like to meet some other people].

where is your hotel?

regards, ann

Hi Charlina,

I would also recommend staying in Rome and doing a couple of day trips.

Plan your afternoons in Rome to see things that your husband also wants to see. Maybe do a few other sites in the mornings that are of more interest to you.

4 half days = 2 full days. Not nearly enough for a first visit.

The day trips mentioned above would be great. Other possibilities would be Ostia Antica and Tivoli, if the fountains are running that early and the weather is nice.

If you go to Florence or Orvieto - stay overnight! You will have a whole different experience from Rome and just being there on a day trip.

Buon viaggio!

Hi Charlina - If you're looking at day-trips, the following are all viable options from Rome:

Florence
Assisi
Orvieto
Tivoli (Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este (fountain gardens)
Ostia Antica
Pompeii/ Herculaneum/ Vesuvius
Naples
Capri
Amalfi Coast/ Positano
Sorrento
Castel Gandolfo/ Lake Albano/ Colli Albani
Spoleto
Cortona
Arezzo
Lake Bracciano
Anzio
Montecassino
Caserta
Viterbo
Tarquinia
Subiaco
Lake Bolsena
Sperlonga

For planning your sightseeing around Rome you may find the tourist office website useful -

www.romaturismo.it

Hope this helps ...

Steve

I can't thank you all enough! After reading your suggestions, I'm feeling very excited about this trip. It does sound like we should make the most of Rome & perhaps take only one trip out of the city -- I have always wanted to go to Florence & like the idea of staying the night -- will try to work it in. Again Thank You!!

Charlina,

If you are art fans, be sure to make advance reservations for David and the Uffizi. You don't want to spend time waiting in long lines.

Buon viaggio

It sounds like you're opting to focus on Rome (and that's a good choice) with a day/night in Florence. The historic centre of Florence is compact, very walkable and offers alot to see/do. You may want to review this thread discussing the "top ten" sites in Florence >>>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35105568

And as suggested by another poster, if you are interested in seeing the statue of David (in Accademia) or going to the Uffizi, then it's possible to book reservations ahead. With only a day, it's often a good idea as entrance lines can get long.