Hi everybody,

I have booked a 5* hotel in Rome for 3 nights as its my boyfriends 40th birthday. I was thinking about extending the trip (working backwards so we finish in Rome) and perhaps flying into Venice (Milan otherwise) and then going to Florence & then Rome.

The following is what I have in mind.

2 days -Venice
(Catch train to Florence)
2 days-florence
(Catch train to Rome)
4 days-Rome
(Fly back to the UK)

What are your thoughts, is this do-able?

Can anyone suggest any nice hotels in Venice & Florence? (3/4*)

Also, does anyone have an idea on where to go for a really romantic meal in Rome for the actual day of his birthday?

Many thanks in advance.

Hi Tiam, yes it's doable, but do you really want to do it?

it's a very pressured itinerary, and in August, travelling is going to be hot and sweaty.

my best suggestion is to drop Florence - fly into Venice, have a nice relaxing time for 4 nights [gives you 3 days] then train to Rome, finish your trip.

remember, every time you move cities you're going to lose approx 1/2 day by the time you've packed, checked out, got to the station, waited for the train, got a cab/bus the other end, etc. etc. so your 2 days are more like 1 1/2.

given that you are still young[ish], i suggest leaving Florence for another trip.

http://www.cabonvicini.com/

in venice is very nice- lovely location- one room with private balcony.

http://www.gigliobianco.it/

in florence is a B&B but it is one of the loveliest places we stay. Only 2 rooms and you can have a lovely meal there, best food i have ever had.

Both are reviews a lot on tripadvisor

Have a lovely time

Hi there,

Thanks for responding so quickly, I will take your advice and leave Florence for another time and do Venice & Rome.

If anyone knows of any hotels in Venice and a romantic restaurant in Rome for the actual birthday I would be grateful.. also trying to figure out airlines to Venice as we live up north.

Thank you!

i would also second annhig advise. If you are not fixed on places, maybe consider 4/4 venice/rome.

I have been to all three places and love them all but it will be far more relaxing to have 4/4 if you are not 100% on Florence

In venice, there is a very nice restaurant
http://www.anticogiardinetto.it/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...ce_Veneto.html

mazing pizza!!

and in rome-

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUse...ome_Lazio.html


rome- not for birthday meal but nice to visit another time if you are a cheese fan as its a lovely cheese and wine bar.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/members...ws/HG001London

has some of my reviews from my trip that covered rome/florence/venice including these places

http://www.ristoranteadhoc.com/inglese/home.htm

for birthday meal

also trying to figure out airlines to Venice as we live up north. >>

you don't say how far "up north" we are talking about, but I went to my default option of Easyjet, and found that they fly to Venice from London, Bristol, Leeds'Bradford, the Isle of Man Inverness and Edinburgh.

so far so good. Unfortunately, they only fly from Rome into Bristol and LGW which probably won't be much use. BUT Ryanair fly from Rome to Edinburgh, so that might be an option for you.

as for romantic restaurants, my recent travels to both Venice and Rome have been with my family so we haven't been too hot on romance. but there are a number of threads here discussing dining in both places if you search the forum. anyway, the fantastic italian food and some prosecco usually does it for me!

Best airports for Venice are Venice Marco Polo (VCE), the closest airport, and Treviso Sant'Angelo (TSF, sometimes called Venice Treviso).

You might look at flight possibilities between your best airport and Italy at whichbudget.com.

Our last trip with this trio of itineraries we flew from US into Paris (CDG) then on to Venice on Air France. Train to Florence, Train to Rome. I'm glad you are skipping Florence as--in August--the crowds will keep you from enjoying it as much as you might at another time.

We are heading that way again in July and, surprisingly, I have found that it is cheaper to fly from the US to Venice on a major carrier than it is to fly to London or Paris and take Easyjet. One major obstacle was also that Easyjet only has a couple (sometimes only one) flight from Paris to Venice each day and you really have to time that overseas flight well to make sure you catch it.

I actually prefer Florence versus Venice. I've been to both several times and while Venice is interesting because it is so unique I think there are more sites and things to do in and around Florence. Also, if you did Florence it is easy to fly in and out of Rome and just take the train to Florence. Florence is also much less expensive than Venice (and the food is much better in my opinion).

If you do fly into Venice, catch a water taxi right outside the terminal to your hotel. Pricey but just an amazing kick off to a vacation.

Venice - have stay at the palazzo Bauer and the gritti. Florence we love the hotel savoy (best location and bar) and La Giostra is a favorite restaurant. Favorite restaurants in Rome are santo padre (5 min walk off via veneto) and Pietro Valentini. Both very casual and not very expensive so you could splurge on the bday dinner. Can't help with the fancy one as we like casual trattorias when in Italy (the St Regis restaurant gets pretty good reviews).

Enjoy

ellenem - Easyjet flies into Marco polo, Ryainair into Treviso, but I wouldn't recommend that unless it was absolutely necessary. the idea is to try to fly back to the same place in the UK so as to make picking up their car easier.

Mel - the OP is from the UK, so comparisons of transatlantic flights don't really apply.

Tiam, of course many people prefer Florence to venice and vice versa. However, you can see quite a lot of Venice in 3 days, but with florence, there is a lot to see and do there, and also a number of very nice possible day trips, making a stay of a week or so very attractive. Hence my idea to leave it to another time when you would be able to make the most of florence AND its surroundings.

for accommodation in Venice, the sky really is the limit if you want to splurge. try looking at trip advisor for your dates, and looking at the top recommendations available - it would give you somewhere to start.

a water taxi from the airport will cost you €100 or so - the cost of a pretty decent meal for two, even in Venice. the alternatives are the alilaguna, costing about €14 each, and the bus, costing €3. before deciding, take a look at how your hotel suggests getting there.

Thanks everybody, I really appreciate your advice.

Ive actually booked the Hotel Londra Palace in Venice (http://www.londrapalace.com/en)which looks amazing.. all I have to do now is save up, haha.

We are in Leeds but I see BA do flights from Heathrow to Venice and Rome to Heathrow so will probably book with them.

Thanks for the restaurant recommendations, we will only be splurging out for one expensive meal as the trip is a present so I cant afford anything else, haha.

Can anyone advise on trains from Venice to Rome at all?

Thanks again everyone.

Train information at the official site:
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html

Thank you.. says No solution found.when typing in Venice to Rome, maybe its too far in advance?

-Just told my boyfriend he's over the moon. (I cant keep surprises)Couldnt have done it without you all.

It will be no problem going direct from rome to venice on the train, you'll probably have to change once (maybe) but otherwise will be a smooth trip. Think you can book trenitalia only 60 days in advance

Full train schedules past May are not yet posted. Try a day this coming week, choosing the same day of the week you plan to travel. The scheudles and prices should be about the same.

londra palace - very nice. you should have a wonderful time.

regarding the trains, there are no changes generally between Venice and Rome, it takes about 4 hours, and the trains are every hour or so. most trains are the new frecchiarosso trains and the fares look quite high, but if you book in advance, [as HG days no more than 60 days in advance] you should be able to get a reduction. oddly with both base and flessibile fares you can change the booking AFTER the train has gone, but with the cheaper mini-fares you can't so you need to be very certain that they are right for you before you buy.

Have a great trip!