Venice and Rome
 

I want to stay a few nights in Venice and take a train to Rome, or vice versa. How long will the train ride be and when is the best time of year to come, least tourists and best weather? Thanks! FYI - never been overseas before.

The fastest train between the two takes 4.5 hours.

Best time of year is hard to gauge--depends a lot on your level of comfort. I think any time would be good. However, I did the kind of trip you describe this past mid-March--3 nights Venice, 5 nights Rome. The weather was variable in both places. Some days were gorgeous and springlike, some were rainy (in Venice quite chilly). This did not trouble our days. We were delighted to be in Italy in any weather. In the cold and rain, it was lovely to spend time writing postcards and sipping the best hot chocolate anywhere and visit impressive museums. On the warm sunny days both places can't be beat for interesting walking. And both cities were delightfully free of tourists.

If pressed, I would recommend April or late October for good balance of weather and less tourists. I been to both places at those times as well.

i think it's roughly a 5 hour train ride. i love italy in May.

Most people like to do Rome-Venice, in that order.

Rome can be kind of hectic and noisy, so a lot of people will see it first and then enjoy the relative quiet of Venice (no cars or scooters).

Given that it's a long flight for us from the US west coast to Europe, I like flying into Venice first. Unlike Rome, there's not a lot of required sightseeing. You can just drift around in a daze enjoying the city and going back to the hotel for short naps. Then. after you've recovered from jet lag, you'll be ready for the greater intensity of Rome.

Thanks for the info!