I am taking my girlfriend to Europe for 2 weeks as a college graduation present. I was hoping to see as many countries as possible, but with the limited time I rather just see all of Italy. Should look into guided tour groups or try to plan each leg of the trip on my own? We aren't really interested in making new friends--just seeing the country so I am skeptical of bus tours. I want to see everything though for a fair price. So I guess we are looking for a moderately priced (we're not the back-packing, hostel type) way to see Italy. Any suggestions? Tour/no tour? If so, which companies? If not, tips on planning? Thanks so much.

Hi new,

What a nice present.

With two weeks, you will have a very nice trip to the Big Three.

I suggest that you fly into Venice (4 nights), train to Florence (4 nights with a daytrip to Siena), train to Rome (5 nights with a daytrip to Orvieto), fly home.

Hotels are at www.venere.com
Train schedules are at www.trenitalia.com/en

Since it's your first trip, I'll cut you a break on "just see ALL of Italy" in 2 weeks. There's no way that's possible. I would pick an area, say Tuscany and Umbria and pick 3 or 4 towns to stay in and make day trips from those towns. Your experience will be much more enjoyable and you wont be running around like maniacs.

I reco strongly against a package tour. You would be stuck with their itinerary, lots of early morning starts and a group that might not be congenial for you (usually middle aged and older - although there are tour groups for under 25's - these are usually extended fraternity type parties - lots of super budget drinking and rowdiness etc).

It's really easy to organize a trip on your own - much more fun - and you get to do the style of traveling you really like.

As a start I would read the Italy section of fodor's - and perhaps one or two other on-line guides to get an idea if you want mostly city - or countryside - or seaside - or some combo of all three.

Once you have decided this - and your budget level - come back with specific questions and people will be happy to help.

Since you're asking the question of people who LIVE and LOVE to plan trips (the majority on Fodors), you'll get lots of support for self-planning. I would never consider a tour myself, especially for a place like Italy which is reasonably easy to organize, since I'd hate the group mentality and strict schedule. No way am I getting up early in the morning on my vacation!

I would do the classic 3 (as Ira has outlined) Venice, Florence, and Rome flying open-jaw (into your 1st and out of you last city to avoid backtracking on the ground) and take the train between places. IMO you only need the plane tickets and hotel reservations for starters.

I suggest one small rolling suitcase each person & staying in 3-star hotels to keep a reasonable budget (but a big step up from backpacking & hostels).

NewTraveler, You need to get a feel for what kind of traveler you are; what you most want your experience to be and how much moving around you want to do. For my first trip I found Rick Steves "Italy through the backdoor" really helpful. You and your girlfriend can go through it together and see what appeals to you. The recommendations in there are also likely to be in your accommodation and restaurant budget.

Many people here like to pick a city and stay there for several days. Others prefer to move around more. You need to decide what's important to you. Will you be coming back to Italy soon or is it likely to be your only trip in a long time? Get a sense of what you want to see and do.

Then you are armed with the basics and this board can be a great tool in asking for feedback on some of your thoughts.

PS,

The B&B Peterson in Florence is a very nice, inexpensive place, with AC and ensuite bathrooms.
www.bedinflorence.it

More information in my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

If you aren't into hostels but do like a good deal, see the Sandra Gustafson books now called "Great Sleeps" and "Great Eats" (used to be "Cheap&quot. Her recommendations are great. Also Rick Steves books, a good one on Italy. Enjoy planning your trip!

As you may notice, the Fodor's board is weighted heavily toward those who plan their own trips, so that's the advice you'll get here (for good reason, IMHO)! You'll get lots of help here on planning your own trip.

You can't do "all" of Italy in two weeks, as previously pointed out. Before you jump on the "Big 3" bandwagon, consider what you and your girlfriend enjoy. Do you like food, art and culture, or beaches and lying about? Do you like the city or the country, or a combination of the two? Do you think you might return to Europe (or specifically Italy) in the future?

Decide what "moderately-priced" means to you. Also decide where you're willing to pay more. For example, if you visit Venice, I would strongly suggest that you stay IN Venice (rather than at a cheaper place off the islands). But the hotel prices there are generally higher than anywhere else.

In doing your initial planning, in addition to consulting the Rick Steves guides, check out some picture books/guidebooks of Italy (the DK/Eyewitness line is very good). Look at the pictures, and decide what catches your interest the most.

Have a great time planning!

That is a great graduation present. I will join the others that urge you NOT to sign up for a Big Bus Tour. If you really want a guided tour feeling you might look into a guided day tour or two in whatever city you are in.

Several people have mentioned the "big three" and then qualified that as three cities in Italy. For a first-timer I think I would go toward Venice, Paris and London with maybe Rome thrown in.

The low cost airlines can get you from place to place and you can get a snapshot of those classic capitols in your two week period. That way you will know where to go back to when you get your next degree. Have fun.

I second the recommendation to read Rick Steve's book to help you narrow things down.

If you like "countryside" you might want to consider an apartment in Tuscany for one of the weeks...with rental car. The cost of the apt.+ car could be about the same as 6 or 7 nights in 3* hotels.

NewTraveler: Lexma has given you good advice. Don't let anyone talk you out of the Rick Steves Guidebooks (some will try). They are great for beginners and outline a budget to moderate way to travel in Europe. You can get the book on Italy or one on Europe or both. They are not expensive. After you read these you will have an idea of what you really want to do and what is possible. They will also help you determine whether your a "park and lay back" type or a "merry wanderer" or somewhere in the middle. The books are available at most book stores with a good travel section. Or, they can be ordered online at ricksteves.com. When you have a sense of what you want to do, come back with your specific questions and you will get a ton of help, much of which already exists in the search archives. Good luck and enjoy the planning. It is part of the fun.

I'm not going to try to talk you out of the Rick Steves books - I've used them myself. But, please don't use them as a travel bible!

If possible, get at least one other guide book to help you. And use everything in them as suggestions only. Plan your own trip according to your tastes, rather than following everything set out by one person in one book.

Oh, and you can probably get Rick Steves and several other guidebooks at your local library for free.

Since this is your first trip to Europe, I agree with those who suggest either the big 3 in Italy or London, Paris and Venice (or Rome). Do some research and decide which is most appealing. On a first trip, I wouldn't go all the way to Italy for the beach, you want to experience Europe and concentrating either on a the major locations in a country or the major cities in Europe is a good first trip.

Check Ebay for good deals on Rick Steves and other travel books, videos, and DVDs.

An alternative to 3 cities in Italy would be a week in Paris and a week in Rome or London.

Can I change my vote above? I thought Italy was already decided from the original post. Personally I *really* like the combination of Venice and Paris and taking the overnight train one-way in between the two, in a private (wagon-lit) sleeper car. Very romantic combination!