I am busily finishing up my itinerary and I think I have finally got it! But I would appreciate your expert advice. This is our first trip to Italy, so we are pretty much just hitting the highlights.. and since there are 7 of us to consider, just that has been a challenge! Anyway .. here it is...<BR>Rome..4 days<BR>Naples/Sorrento/ Capri...4 days<BR>Florence- days<BR>Venice 4 days.<BR>Rome - 1day<BR>I have one day to add somewhere. Where should it be?? Any advice.<BR>Thanks .. this message board is awesome<BR>

I am NOT an expert,but I do travel to Europe once/twice a year.<BR>I would never try to see that many cities in that short a time.Especially with that many people<BR> You can discount the first day that you get there, it is half gone by the time you get to the hotel,check in etc,and everyone will be ready for bed in the afternoon!<BR>And the return flights are almost always before noon, so that last day you can forget about.<BR>So there you have about 10-11 days.Seeing this many cities, you will spend more time traveling from one to the other than actually being in any and enjoying the sights.<BR>For 10 days, the most I would try is 3 cities.<BR>Out of your itinerary-I would choose,arrive in Rome,stay 4 days.Train to Florence-4 days there.Then to Venice,you can leave out of the airport in Venice,sparing you the return to Rome.<BR>How does that sound?<BR>We were doing that last fall, except we were flying into Milan,staying a day,flying to Florence,staying 5 days, then train to Rome,staying 6 days.<BR>Flying home from Rome.That flight was to leave at 9 am which filled me with horror! <BR>Unfortunately,events here in NY prevented us from flying, but we are probably doing it next spring~<BR>

I agree with kate. We just got back from Italy in March. We had 17 days. We stayed in Florence for a week making a day trip out to Pisa. A week in Rome and 4 days in Pompeii with a day trip to Capri. We took the train because of economic reasons so that adds more travel time. And flew in and out of Rome so our last day was on a train from Pompeii to Rome. I have been to Italy twice and my favorite spot is Pompeii. Both times have been in the off season so I don't know what it would be like in high tourist season but I would highly reccommend it especially if you enjoy history and art.

Jeri, How much time are you spending in Florence? It doesn't say. I don't think it's a bad itinerary. I would say add a day to either Rome or Florence and I would spend at least 3 days in Florence if not more, but it really depends on what you like. Depending on how much time you have in Florence, you might want to do a day trip to one of the smaller towns San Gimignano or to Siena. The only other thing is I always think it's a shame to waste a day coming back to a city just so you can fly out of it, which I assume is why you're coming back to Rome. Have you considered spending the first 5 days in Rome and flying out of either Florence or Venice? Just a thought.

One other idea to keep your trip managable. If you can (i.e. if these are all adults or near adults) generally have the group split into 2 or three groups of 4 and 3 or even 2, 2 and 3, plan separate itineraries for each day based upon the interests of each group and reassemble for dinner. Makes for much more managable travel (for one thing, you needn't synchronize 7 bladders) and give people more to talk about at dinner--and will keep you from going crazy trying to keep the whole group together and all happy with the days site selections. 7 people is a lot to travel with.

I think you can do it. Just remember that if anyone dawdles, you are going to be running behind. There is a lot to see, and you are not allowing for delays because you don't know the territory, or the language.<BR><BR>I would not try such a schedule. <BR>Rome will soak up 4 days like a sponge.<BR>

I think you should cut Naples/Sorrento/Capri to 3 days and Florence you can see in a day. I would put most of my time in Rome and Venice.

Forget the previous poster. You absolutely cannot see Florence in a day!! Do remember to forget your two traveling days - you won't be able to do anything besides eat. Of all the cities you've listed, I have only been to Florence, but many posters here say you do not need more than two or three days in Venice. Add your extra days to Florence or Rome. I think Rome is much more spread out and I've read you cannot possibly see all you want to there in a week.

Jeri, I think you have to choose whether you want to "do" Italy, or really "see" a few places. Remember, you can always do another trip in the future! We did two trips to Italy, each one for 2 weeks. The first time we flew to Florence, spent 1 week there (it wasn't too much..there is so much to see) We did 1 day trip to Sienna/San Gimagnana (did I spell that wrong...can't think today!!). We then spent 2 nights in Venice. It was too short. Before we knew it, it was time to leave. Finally we spent 5 nights in Rome which was O.K.<BR>The second trip, we went to Sorrento for 9 nights. People thought we were nuts. We loved it. We saw Pompeii (by the way,IBB, I was interested in the fact that you stayed there..what is it like apart from the ruins?).We went to Capri, Positano and the Amalfi coast. Fiinally, we spent 5 nights in Rome. The second time around I felt that I really knew Rome and that made it extra special. I hope all this info helps you with your decision. Whatever you decide, I hope you all have a wonderful time.

Jeri,<BR><BR>Why don't you just go with your own itinerary because everyone else here seems to think they know best which is true-it's their own opinions only. <BR><BR>But it's your decision to make and you just have to do your research on each place and ask everyone in your party what they want to do and see and then figure out how long you all want to spend in each place.

My 2 cents worth - Add the extra day to Rome. It's a big city and you'll be overwhelmed with just one day there.

Oops! Sorry, I missed the first 4 days in Rome! With that in mind, I would perhaps add another day to Florence to get out into the countryside.

I am making my first trip to Europe in July. Based on what I've read here, I now realize we've made a serious mistake. We booked our flight into and out of Madrid, when we should have chosen a city at the other end of the route we'd hoped to make.<BR><BR>We are meeting someone in Madrid on 7/24. We had hoped to see Barcelona, Marseille, Monaco, Florence, Rome, and Venice. From there, I now realize back-tracking to Madrid is going to limit what was already a pretty ambitous plan. We will be traveling by train. <BR><BR>It will cost $300 to make changes to our flight. Any suggestions as to how we might salvage our plan? (if you can call it a plan!) I would really appreciate some advice.<BR>THANKS<BR>

Check into low cost one-way intra-European airfares through these carriers:<BR><BR>www.europebyair.com<BR>www.ryanai r.com<BR>www.virgin-express.com<BR>www.buzzaway.com<BR>www.easyjet.com <BR>www.go-fly.co.uk<BR><BR>You could also try Spanair and Al Italia...

Thanks Leslie,<BR>I suppose a one-way flight back to Madrid would likely beat the cost the change penalty and the higher priced tickets we expected with a different departure city.<BR>I appreciate the advice. I will check these sites.

We did three cities in ten days and it was barely enough time. 4 days IMO is too much for Venice. I thought it was beautiful but at the same time what a big tourist trap. 2-3 days is plenty!<BR>Florence was our favorite and we wanted to stay longer than our 3 planned days. The food and scenery around Florence was delightful! 4-5 days for Rome is good, there is so much to see but it wore on us, it is a BIG city and noisy.

Jeri - I think it depends on what you like to do. My wife and I were in Italy last year and this is what we did in 11 days:<BR><BR>-Flew into Rome from the US. Stayed there 3 days and we felt it was enough. Other than the major sights (Colisseum, Trevi fountain, spanish steps, Vatican) there wasn't much that caught our interest (again, it depends on what you like to do)<BR>-Took a train during the night to Florence. LOVED FLORENCE. Stayed there 3 days, it was so relaxing and such a contrast to Rome.<BR>-In Florence we rented a car (automatic!) and drove to Pisa to see the tower, then back to Florence (drove through it this time) on our way to Venice (I could not figure out a better route and it was at night, so I didn't want to experiment - that was a mistake, I should have planned to road trip better)<BR>-Returned the car in Venice and stayed in Venice for 3 days. This was 1 to 2 days TOO short. <BR>-Flew back home (the rest of the days were spent on the plane)<BR>Each city had something else to offer. You will love it no matter where you stay longer. But Rome, Florence, and Venice are great and that way next time you go you'll know where to spend more time.<BR><BR>Have a great trip, take great pictures!<BR><BR>Pablo