PH38960

My daughter (22 yrs old) and I are going to Italy and Spain for the first time, end of May 2012. We have about 14 days for the trip and will arrive Rome (FCO) first.
Travel style: easy and relax; don't like driving in the cities; 50/50 split time appreciation between museums, historical sites and walking around, shopping, lingering at cafe/pastry shops. I would appreciate your pointers:
1. Rome: are two full days enough to cover al the usual tourist attractions:the Vatican, Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain and anythings else I should expolore? Flight arrives at 8am, so I basically have two full days and I am flexible to spend 2-4 nights in Rome.
2. Florence: is it feasbile to do day-trips from Florence to Venice, Milan, Pompei, and the famous Tuscany, maybe 4 days total / 1 day for each location?
3. Best way to travel from Rome to Florence?
4. Best way to travel from Florence to Venice and Milan, one day for each city?
5. Barcelona: we have 3 nights and have not figured out what to do yet. Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
Pam

adrienne

1. I would say that 2 days in Rome is not nearly enough time and you really only have 1.5 days by the time you get your luggage and get into Rome and checked into the hotel. I would give Rome at least 5 days.

2. Florence is in Tuscany. Please identify what you mean by the "famous Tuscany." Tuscany is a large area and has many famous towns/sights.

Pompeii is about 2 hours south of Rome so a day trip from Florence (1.5 hours north of Rome) is not practical.

You don't get much out of a day trip to Venice as part of the magic is after dark. You should really stay there a couple of nights. I would not recommend this as a day trip.

You can see Milan as a day trip from Florence but why do you want to go to Milan? It will be a long day.

With 4 days in Florence and 4 day trips you haven't given yourself any time to see Florence.

3. Train

4. Train

For someone who claims that her travel style is "easy and relax" this trip is certainly not my definition of relaxed. You're not giving yourself any time to see the sights of the towns you're visiting. You're simply zooming around from place to place.

Yes, you will see a lot of places but you won't see much as traveling around takes time away from sightseeing and relaxing. You will not have time for shopping or lingering in cafes as you will be doing a quick look at the sights and then packing up for your next destination. You're not considering the amount of time it takes to get from place to place and to become acclimated so you can see the sights.

Kwoo

I agree with a lot of what Adrienne says. Have you booked your airline reservations yet? If so, and you are locked into flying into Rome and out of Barcelona, I think the most logical thing to do is spend a week in Rome, with perhaps a daytrip to Florence (I did this many years ago), and then a week in Barcelona with one or two daytrips. We spent 5 days in Barcelona in 2010 and didn't see everything. There are nice day trips from Barcelona, such as to Girona & Montserrat.

Alternatively, perhaps spend 5 days in Rome, then 2 or 3 days in Florence (no day trips), & then spend the rest of your trip in Barcelona.

Kwoo

A few more suggestions: If you spend a week in Rome, you couldl take a day trip from there to Pompeii.

I just noticed that you ask for suggestions for sightseeing in Barcelona. You can click on my name to read my trip report from October 2010.

Also, you have not factored in jet lag on the day you arrive in Rome.

PH38960

ah..evidently I am a novice to the regions. I was thinking using Florence as base for visiting 2-3 adjcent cities in Italy as I heard trains are convenience and cities are relative small to cover. It's good that I asked here.

Thank you everyone for the great advices.

ellenem

I'm trying to understand your itinerary, and agree that you are setting an incredible pace--with very little relaxing. Please look at a map and verify the locations of some of your desired sights to one another. Your itinerary as written:

Day 1: depart home
Day 2: arrive Rome 8AM; reach hotel 10AM
Day 3: Rome
Day 4: train to Florence (90 minutes on train + at least 30 minutes at each end to connect between hotels and train stations = 2.5 to 3 hours travel)
Day 5: daytrip "Tuscany" (bus tour? private tour? bus to Siena?); sleep Florence
Day 6: daytrip Milan (2 hours on train each way + connecting to station time = 4 to 5 hours travel) [Wondering--why Milan?]; sleep Florence
Day 7: daytrip Venice (2 hours on train each way + connecting to station time = 4 to 5 hours travel); sleep Florence
Day 8: daytrip Pompeii (4 hours on train each way + connecting to station time = 8 to 9 hours travel--this is a better daytrip from Rome-- 2 hours on train each way); sleep Florence
Day 9: [not sure what you planned here . . . could add a day each to Rome and Florence]
Day 10:
Day 11: from where do you fly to Barcelona?
Day 12: Barcelona
Day 13: Barcelona
Day 14: fly home

To be able to suggest the best itinerary we need to know how you plan to travel from Italy to Barcelona. For example, if you must travel from Rome to Barcelona, it might be better to arrive in Rome and travel directly to Florence, putting your Rome visit at the end when you must return there to fly to Barcelona. I'll assume you are flying from Florence (or Pisa) to Barcelona and suggest this itinerary:

Day 1: depart home
Day 2: arrive Rome 8AM; reach hotel 10AM
Day 3: Rome
Day 4: daytrip Pompeii (2 hours on train each way + connecting to station time = 4 to 5 hours travel); sleep Rome
Day 5: Rome
Day 6: train to Venice (4 hours on train + at least 30 minutes at each end connecting time = 5 hours travel)
Day 7: Venice
Day 8: train to Florence (2 hours on train + at least 30 minutes at each end connecting time = 3 hours travel); sleep Florence
Day 9: Florence
Day 10: daytrip "Tuscany" (bus tour? private tour? bus to Siena?); sleep Florence
Day 11: from where do you fly to Barcelona?
Day 12: Barcelona
Day 13: Barcelona
Day 14: fly home

This is still a busy itinerary, but travel/daytrip days are interspersed with non-travel days.

ellenem

Forgot to mention (though it may be obvious) that on Day 6 you sleep in Venice.

Also, you can check train schedules and prices here:
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html

Jean

Uh, when you're finally walking on land and not sitting on trains, don't forget to actually SEE Rome, Florence and Venice....

StCirq

I really think you need to look at a map of Italy. It makes no sense whatsoever to leave Rome and go to Florence and then make a "daytrip"to Pompei. Two days in Rome doesn't even begin to be sufficient. And how are you getting to Barcelona? That's a loooong trip, and how you do it will affect your timing enormously.

This isn't even close to being an "easy, relaxed" trip - it's zig-zagging all over the place, with some impossible trips involved. Look at ellenem's suggestion - it's still not "relaxing," but at least it's feasible.

janisj

Everyone has tried to give you good advice . . . I almost laughed out loud when I read >><i><blue>Travel style: easy and relax;</i></blue><<<

Your plan is about as far from 'easy and relaxed' as it could possibly be. You really do have to get back to the drawing board. To start, look at ellenem's post - addresses most of your wish list in a bit less hectic itinerary. Still awfully rushed but certainly doable.

What is set in stone and what have you already booked??

(As it is now you will have no time at all for >><i>walking around, shopping, lingering at cafe/pastry shops.</i><<)

Sal9000

Pam,

Really, I tell my friends that if you're not exhausted when you get home from vacation, you haven't done enough; but your schedule assumes you must be very young and in very good shape. You must also really like to ride trains. This sounds like an "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" trip.

1. No - 4 days maybe
2. No
3. Train
4. Train
5. Never been there

Apres_Londee

How many nights do you have? I always find it easier to plan by thinking in terms of nights, not days. I'm assuming you have 13 nights since you said you have "about 14 days?" Or is it less than 13 nights? If you're locked into these 3 cities, then this is what I would do:

Rome- 5 nights (maybe one daytrip- Pompeii is possible but from what I understand it's a very long day. Honestly there's more than enough to see and do in Rome, 5 nights will whiz by so a daytrip isn't really necessary imo)

Florence- 3 nights (or 2, if only 1 night I would be tempted to skip it and add that night to Rome or Barcelona and make it a 2 city trip. Possible daytrip to Sienna or you can do a bus tour of the Tuscan countryside one afternoon)

Barcelona- 5 nights (maybe one daytrip but I haven't been to Spain)

Don't forget that between jetlag and all the time involved in travelling from place to place (getting to the station/airport, waiting for the train/plane, getting to you hotel, getting your barings, etc.) you have a lot less time than you may think.

Alan_CT

We visited these three cities in 10 nights a few years ago, the other direction from your itinerary. If you have 13-14 nights, I'd suggest:
5-6 nights in Rome.
Train to Florence, 3 nights.
Fly to BCN, 5-6 nights.
Within that you could take short train rides to other cities or villages, but if you intend to spend much time in museums that will make it hectic. Don't forget that a big part of the enjoyment of visiting all these cities is wandering around, stopping for a snack and/or drink.
Have you reserved museum tickets in Rome or Florence? Given that entrance to the Uffizi and others is quite restricted, you'll want to do that online in advance.