!st time to Rome, Florence, Venice
 

Looking to go to Rome, Florence, and Venice in March or April. What is the weather like that time of year? Hot, humid, rainy?

Thinking of flying into Rome..stay 3 or 4 days, renting a car and driving to Florence..stay 3 or 4 days. While in Florence drive to Pisa and Tuscan countryside. Then either take the train or drive to Venice for 2 or 3 days and fly home from there.

So I think I am looking at an 11 day trip. Does this seem plausible? Is 3 days enough in Rome or should we stay for 4?

I assume in all these places there is a lot of walking.

Any other tips?

Thank you.

Not sure where you are counting your travel days. For Rome I would want 3 full days (4 nights) - since the days you arrive you can be very jet lagged and won;t get to see much.

Regarding weather, in general it improves as you go south. I've spent time in Venice in March and it was cool coat weather and often drizzly. This was over a 2 week period and you could get some sun. But be prepared for cool & damp. My last trip was Rome over Christmas and it was nicer than Venice in March. But I doubt it'll be hot in early spring.

I like using the trains, but if you want a car for the leg Rome to Florence, return it and take the train to Venice. There's a parking garage in Venice but no need for the car.

I think the weather question has been answered. As far as number of days in each, some might quibble about a day here or there, based mainly on personal preference, but in general it sounds OK.

Re the car: Having a car in Florence in order to take day trips could be a bit of a problem. You're limited on what areas of the city you can bring the car to, and parking can be difficult and expensive. If you insist on having a car, look into staying in the Oltrano, which is a bit removed from the center.

But let me ask: If you plan on seeing Tuscany for at least two days and you want to have a car, why not stay in Tuscany and take a day trip via train or bus to Florence?

You can drive or take the train to Venice. If going by car, you can drop it off just across the bridge from Piazzale Roma (where most of the rental-car agencies are) and then take a vaporetto to your hotel.

You won't need a car for Florence or Pisa. Just rent one for the day to see the countryside. Pisa and Florence both have ZTLs (zones restricting traffic and heavy fines for those who cross the zones).
11 days is very short for all three. I would choose two.

Regarding weather, there a many web sites you can get the info. For the simplest way, www.google.com and search "Rome weather March 2015", etc to see the historical weather info. If you understand meteorology, you can get even more info at http://www.wunderground.com/history/...tatename=Italy and determine yourself if it is hot, humid, or rainy.

Possible to take a train from Rome to Chiusi, pick up a Hertz rental near the station, drop it at the Florence airport. Look into Val d'Orcia. Lucca/Pisa day trip by train from Florence.

April is better weather than March and May (when we go to Italy) better than April. March can still be quite chilly and rainy esp in Venice.

Not sure why you think it wold be hot. A lot of people seem to think that because Italy is similar in shape to FL the weather is the same. Not so. Italy is a temperate climate with 4 seasons - not a semi-tropical one.