Rome to Venice - What to see in between ?
 

July 13 - 16 I will be traveling with a girlfriend and our teenaged daughters from Rome(leaving the 13th morning) to Venice (arriving anytime the 16th) ... wondering if we should rent a car or take trains and what are the most recommended places to visit?

Places we were thinking...

Cinque Terre
Florence
Leaning tower of Pisa

Also any suggestions on which places to spend overnight
Thanks in Advance!

Angie

If you want to see cities, leave cars alone - cars & European cities don't mix.

Just use www.trenitalia.com to book trains, Rome-Florence from €19, Florence-Venice from €19, cheap fares if you pre-book, more like €44 for each of these trips if you buy on the day.

Florence-Pisa is only €8 or so (from memory) each way, and these are hourly regional trains, so just buy at the station. Pisa S.Rossore is closer to the Tower than Pisa Centrale.

Cinque Terre is too far out of the way for such a short time frame. Florence easily has enough to keep you busy for that length of time, and is an easy train ride from Rome. I wouldn't even bother trying to get to Pisa this visit. Stay in Florence. Make sure you get a reservation for the Uffizi gallery ahead of time. It's a must see.

With 3 days you have plenty of time for a 1/2 day trip to Pisa from Florence if that's what you want to do. Yes, Florence has plenty to keep you busy, but it does not have THE leaning tower.

Art museums (Uffizi) are not a must see for everybody - if you want to see a large, wonderful collection of Renaissance art then by all means go to the Uffizi. If you don't, that's fine too.

I agree with the overall recommendation. Travel by train. Make one stop (make that Florence), and enjoy the several days.

As recommended, use trains.

Hard to make the best suggestions without knowing your specific interests. Are you into Art, hiking, biking, small towns or villages?

Any "must sees" depend on what interests you. I love art, so the Uffizi was a must for me, but may not be to you. Do a bit of research. A few (definitely not all) top sights in Florence are the Duomo, the Academia, Baptistery, Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchia, Uffizi, Bobili gardens, Piazza Michelangelo, etc.

Florence is really a city of Art and for walking. If you are into art, there are many more art museums to visit. If you are not into art, then 1 very full day could be enough there.

Knowing the rest of your itinerary would also allow for better recs for you. How long have you given to Venice?

If 1 day in Florence is enough, you would have plenty of time to visit Pisa and Lucca on the 14th or 15th. Easy by train to do both in a day. Bike or walk the city walls in Lucca.

You could also, instead of going straight to Florence from Rome, leave Rome early and stop in Orvieto for the day of the 13th, even stay the night there, or spend the day and go on to Florence quite late. Don't worry about getting into Florence late because central Florence is very, very small and the train stain is quite central, an easy 4 or 5 block walk to many hotels or best, just grab a taxi.

My plan would be Orvieto for most of a day, Florence for a day, Pisa and Lucca for a day, head to Venice as early as possible on the 16th. However, that would be a pretty busy three days. Might also depend on how much time in Rome and how much in Venice.

Thanks for the replies!
We are hoping to do some hiking and the biking in Lucca sounds fun!
I really wanted to see Cinque Terre and just do a drive through to see the leaning Tower - should we skip Florence?
We will be in Venice from the 16th to the 19th but also have a Wedding on the 18th.
We are also spending 5 days near the Amalfi Coast.

Thanks Again!

Hiking and biking, have a look at Padova or Bologna

Well, it seems, from your posts, that you've decided Florence isn't for you and CT and Pisa are a must. Then:

Train from Rome to Pisa. See Leaning Tower. Stay overnight.
Train from Pisa to Lucca. Stay overnight.
Train to La Spezia (Cinque Terre). Stay one night and hike the trails.
Train from La Spezia to Venice.

It's not necessarily the itinerary I'd do, but it seems to be in line with your interests.

>>>I really wanted to see Cinque Terre and just do a drive through to see the leaning Tower<<<<

You can't "drive through" as these places have pedestrian zones (ZTL) where you aren't allowed to drive.

>>>Train from Rome to Pisa. See Leaning Tower. Stay overnight.
Train from Pisa to Lucca. Stay overnight.<<<

I don't see the point of staying in Pisa and then Lucca. They are only 25 minutes apart by train. Checking in/out of hotels takes time so pick one. If you choose Lucca, when you stop in Pisa, store your luggage at Pisa Centrale train station while visiting the tower.