torn between Rome, Florence, and Venice
 

so I am planning a 9 day vacation for Rome (4 nites), Florence (2 nites), Venice (3 nites). There are 2 travel days by train between the cities. Now reading more about the 3 cities I am worried that the vacation might be to harried, not enough time to relax, stroll and shop. <BR><BR>We are novice travelers and limited to 1 vacation per year, may not be returning to Italy soon. So do you all think these 3 cities are manageable in the plan described or should I limit it to 2, if so, which 2? <BR><BR>Thanks in advance for suggestions.

ttt

Go for it...look, you could spend six months in Rome and never see it all. As long as you are aware you'll be "skimming", you won't be disappointed. Maybe look into overnight trains to save valuable time, that'll free up those two days of travel time.<BR><BR>Have a really good daily itinerary so you aren't wandering aimlessly, or trying to get into museums that are closed...and give up the itinerary when you feel like it. If a street fair or wedding celebration captures your attention, blow off the Doge's Palace and don't think twice.<BR><BR>Be realistic about what you can see in a day; don't try to do it all; build in relaxing and shopping time into each day's itinerary. And DON'T visit something that holds no interest for you just because the guidebook says it's a "must-see".

Hi<BR>I usually say that any day spent traveling from one city to another, even cities that are only a 3-5 hour train ride away, is a day essentially lost to sightseeing. If you get a few hours in that day, it's a bonus, not to be counted on.<BR>People have different travel philosophies. Some like the smorgasbrod<BR>approach ( a little of this, a little of that) and some like to have a lot of just one thing.<BR>Based on my experience, I would pick just two of your cities. If you pick Rome and Florence you can fly in and out of Rome. If you pick Venice and Rome for example, look into flying into Rome and out of Venice or vice versa.<BR>I have files on those cities;if you'd like to see them, email me.

Tough call. If you're serious about cutting it down to 2, I say Venice and Florence. They are a little closer together anyway.<BR><BR>This way you can save Rome and the Amalfi coast for another time.<BR><BR>Ciao!

I think three cities are manageable, just shop while you stroll from one place to another in each city. If you decide to visit two cities instead of three, I'd leave Venice out, especially during the summer when it's so crowded and expensive. Even the mayor of Venice used to plead people not to come.<BR>Enjoy your trip.

thanks, i like everyone's ideas. what local airlines do people like for travel in italy, how to get best prices, how do prices of air compare with train? thanks

Alitalia can get you from one city to another of course. So can trains.<BR>It is worth exploring the price differential between a one-way air fare between cities and a first-class reserved seat train ticket. The difference may not be that large, and on the leg between Venice and Rome the time saved may be worth it to you.<BR>For train info you can go to<BR>www.fs-on-line.com<BR>When you type in the names of cities, use the Italian names Roma, Venezia, Firenze, etc.

I say, "Go for the three cities!" Just go with the attitude that you can't possibly see everything (because you won't). But that's not so bad, as it'll mean you'll go back!

Hi Newt,<BR><BR>Can't answer your last question, but re: your first, the biggest consideration is how much of an art lover you are. Florence is an embarrassment of riches regarding places to see art. You can see the David etc. on the day you arrive (it's better late in the day anyway, as the crowds are smaller), but you're really only allowing one day to see everything else [must sees, in addition to the Academia (sp?) are the Ufizi and the Bargello (sp?)]. They can be done in a day, but you may be overdoing it.<BR><BR>But if you could take it or leave it, then that's another story.

Sounds great to me. As far as a day travelling by train is a day lost to sightseeing.... consider an alternate perspective; A day on a train is a day seeing the country of Italy, BESIDES the three biggies. There's a lot to be learned from what's hanging on people's clotheslines if you are paying attention! And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Newt, we did that same vacation and had plenty of time. We aren't big art buffs so we didn't spend a lot of time in museums and such so we had plenty of time to relax, stroll, and shop. The cities are small enough so you can see a lot in a day. And after walking nonstop for days on end, the train ride was a much needed break. We would travel in the morning grabbing breakfast at the train station and eating as we rode. We'd be in the next city by lunch so we had the afternoon to explore also. You will have the most marvelous time.

I agree, go for all three. But, whatever you do, don't miss Rome! <BR><BR>Note: Newt, if you really are a Harvard med student, then don't worry. You'll make it back to Europe someday!

thanks for all input, leaning towards doing all three cities and getting air to cover venice to rome. <BR><BR>to leslie: i am graduating in june and starting a surgical residency ... next travel overseas may not be as soon as i'd hope.

Newt - I understand about the time demands of the residency so that's why I agree you should go for it now.<BR><BR>Rome is just so fascinating with its many layers of history and beautiful piazzas, the Vatican.... Florence, is important for its art, but that is mostly, of course byzantine and renaissance style religious art, which is not so exciting (in my opinion) as the variety found in Paris or London. <BR><BR>Venice, is just like no other city in the world, so you have to see it at least once. This will be a pretty intense urban trip..so someday you should come back and enjoy to meandering through Tuscany and Umbria or the Amalfi Coast. If you can work out the "open jaw" ticket flying into Rome and home from Venice, you'll really save alot of time. Often the cost of the open jaw ticket isn't more than $100 over the round trip to one city and you'll save on time and train cost.<BR><BR>Note: on another thread in which someone asked how folks afford all this travel, one person explained that she and her husband are in academic medicine. She, in particular, is in demand to make presentations all around the world, in her field of expertese, plus she gets vacation time to use her FF miles on her own. While academic medicine may not be as lucrative as private practice,,,,this is something to consider for travel buffs, eh?

i for one am big fan of academic medicine/surgery. have been a few places during my PhD years on account of going to conferences ... sounds like a good plan to "subsidize" personal travel in the future. <BR><BR>Alright, venice and rome for sure. just got the uffizi reservation number, so maybe we'll pop into florence on day trip if not actual stay in town.<BR><BR>thanks

Definitely Rome. I would spend 3 days in Florence and only 2 in Venice. Have a great trip.

Wait, Wait, you can't pop into Florence! Fly into Rome, stay 3 nights, take the train to Florence, give it 2-3 days; rent a car for one day and drive out to Siena/San Gim. Drive the Chiantistrada toward Venice, take 2 days there and fly out of Venice. Florence and Rome are like Boston and NYC, completely different personalities, a lot to love in each. (I'm not sure how to compare Venice: Newport? Atlantic City? Kennebunk? MV?) In the end it just doesn't matter you'll love it all.

Definitely go to all 3 cities. Rome to Florence is 1 1/2 hours, Florence to Venice 3 hours, and Venice to Rome 4 1/2 hours. It won't take you all day to travel. I don't think any of these legs are much more than $25. You certainly don't want to fly between these cities. I would spend more time in Florence than Venice because there is more to see there. Daytrip into Florence would be to harried. Delta has direct flights into Venice, see if you can get a ticket into Rome and out Venice or vice versa. If you get RT from Rome it's also OK, but don't go to airport in the middle of your vacation to fly between Rome and Venice.

I agree with Kay--4 days Rome, 3 days Florence, 2 days Venice. If you do the train in the late afternoon or early evening, you won't miss out on any sightseeing time. And, you can eat pasta for dinner on the train!

thanks for the tips, if pasta on the ES is anything like burgers on Amtrak, hmmm ....<BR><BR>So more days in florence than venice? Is this to see more art or do shopping in Florence, probably both? What "must do" or "off beaten trail" things in either place that people recommend? <BR><BR>I've seen "Dean's things to do" for Rome and Venice and found them helpful. Does he have a similar thread for Florence?<BR><BR>many thanks for all the ideas.

I agree with the poster who says 4 nites Rome, 3 Florence and 2 Venice. You can't see everything, but you will get a marvelous taste. I just came back last night, and spent 5 nites in Rome, 4 in Florence, and 3 in Venice. One of my Rome days was spent on a day trip to Pompeii.(Really worth the trip) I hired a guide to take my group of six(2 families) to the Vatican and the historic sites. We spent the morning in the Vatican and St. Peter's, and in the afternoon, we saw the Colosseum, the Forum, the Capitoline Hill, and the Pantheon. By having an experienced guide, we covered in one day what I previously had figured would take two. In Florence and Venice, we saw the key museums, and also had time to shop, stroll, and relax. One must-do in Florence--from the train station, take bus no 12 or 13 to Piazzale Michelangelo. Take along a sandwich or full picnic and enjoy the view of Florence from a ridge above the city. We went late afternoon and enjoyed the sunset, but a trip during the afternoon lunch break would also be a great idea. Don't miss the Pitti Palace in Florence.

any suggestions for pompei day trip (tour guide, trains to take)? thanks!

Newt - Yes, Dean did a list of esoteric things to do in Florence but for a first time visitor, the post titled "florence-must do's" is better. I'll top it for you. I agree with others who recommend you split your itinerary 4 nites Rome, 3 nites Florence and 2 nites Venice.<BR><BR>Now...purchase a good guide book. Recommend Eyewitness Guide to Italy.

I second the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guide to Italy! It is a little heavy, but packed with great info, and broken down by neighborhoods within major cities. It points out so many architectural details that might otherwise go unnoticed. For Pompeii, we bought our tickets for the train one day in advance, leaving Rome for Naples on the Eurostar at around 8 AM. In Naples, we connected on the local train instead of the Circumvesuviana as recommended on this board. This train put us in the town of Pompeii, a 5-10 minute walk from the Excavation. I understand the Circumvesuviana brings you even closer to the site, but we didn't mind the walk, and we had a number of departing trains to choose from. We made our Eurostar seat reservations for 8:30 PM out of Naples; this gave us several hours in Naples to look around and eat something before returning to Rome. We chose to take a bus to the Galleria Umberto I, a beautiful, historic glass-ceiling shopping area. There we were able to see several historic buildings nearby, to see the hectic street activity of Naples, and to enjoy a light meal in a tavola calda in the Galleria. It was well worth the detour. We arrived back in Rome about 10:15 PM. A long day, but interesting. In Pompeii, be sure to purchase the audio guide. Even though you have to occasionally guess at which house or site you are hearing about, it really brings to life the sites. We packed sandwiches and fruit, and ate lunch right in the streets of Pompeii.

thanks to all the posters ... going to the bookstore on my way home today for the Eyewitness Guide. trip plans are materializing!!

Just got back from italy with a similar time frame (3 nights in each city) and it worked out very nicely. Personally, I would redo it as you have with only 2 nights in Florence (Florence was my least favorite and I am an art lover/mueseum fanatic. The art there is too similar and some of the best is Venetian anyway) Be prepared for churches closing from around noon to 3 or 4 which will leave you a lot of time for strolling and shopping

Sorry...the real reason I sent a post was to say that the train from Rome to Florence only took about 2 hours. The train from Florence to Venice took a little longer cause it (briefly) stopped about 5 times

I agree with the others, go for all 3. it's a great taste of italy. If you haven't been to italy odds are you'll plan a return some time in the future. you can never get enough of any of those cities. I don't vacation much either but over 20 yrs, i've been to italy 3 times (similar type trips as yours). i'm not done yet!

ttttt

elementary

Go for it. We recently spent five in Rome (could see the main sites in 3-4), three in Florence (2 is adequate if you don't have more), and three in Venice (2 is ok but no less). I would not consider two days as travel days. We traveled at night from Venice to Florence (about 3 hours) and were there by around 9:30. We traveled from Florence to Rome in the morning (out sightseeing before 11:00). Look for the faster Eurostar trains with no changes and late or early departure times.