alexlee33

Hello!

I am a 23 year old Canadian travelling with my Mom to Europe in May - it's her first time out of North America and it has always been her dream to see Europe.

This is our trip itinerary:
May 11: arrive in London Heathrow at 12:05
May 16: London to Berlin
May 20: Berlin to Santorini
May 25: Santorini to Rome
-- see below --
June 1: Depart from Rome at 15:15

So far we have all of our flights booked, and we plan on taking the train throughout Italy. This is what I have tentatively planned for our week in Italy:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am
26 - Rome
27 - AM train to Florence
28 - Florence
29 - day trip to Venice, overnight in Florence
30 - AM train from Florence to Cinque Terre, overnight in Cinque Terre
31 - AM train to Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

I have previously spent 6 days in Rome, 3 days in Florence, and 2 days in Venice a year and a half ago. I have never been to Cinque Terre and would love to see it since I am visiting Italy again.

I know that this itinerary seems ambitious but I would love for my Mom to see as much of Italy as possible as this may likely be her only visit.

My main question is regarding the order of the itinerary. Does this seem sensible? For example - would this itinerary be feasible:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am
26 - Rome
27 - AM train to Florence
28 - Florence
29 - day trip to Venice, ??overnight in Florence vs. night train to Cinque Terre (looks like little options available for this)
30 - Cinque Terre, ??overnight in Cinque Terre vs. night train to Rome
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

Thank you for any advice!
Alex

bobthenavigator

I hope you are joking.
Forget day trips to Venice or to the CT.

In that time you should see 2 of those 4 destinations. For me it would be Rome and Florence[ with a day trip to Siena]

nytraveler

Have you discussed with you mother what she wants to do and see in Rome. IMHO you are doing a huge amount of bouncing around versus actually seeing/doing what you came to Italy for.

But perhaps she has only one day's worth of sights for Rome (I would need a minimum of 3 days/4 nights for a first trip to Rome.) This is one of those times when less is really more.

sandralist

You need to consult with your mom, but this is the order of the trip I would propose if she wants to see all these sights

Arrive Rome -- immediately take train to Venice

After that, train to Florence.

Train to le Cinque Terre for an overnight

Train to Rome

ellenem

I agree that you are moving a lot. Here's your itinerary with an adjustment to the Italy section, putting all your time in Rome at the end to save a hotel change and give you more time in Rome.


May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am; train from Rome to Florence
26 - Florence
27 - day trip to Venice, overnight in Florence
28 - AM train from Florence to Cinque Terre, overnight in Cinque Terre
29 - train to Rome
30 - Rome
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

For me, a daytrip to Venice would be inadequate. Some people visit Cinque Terre as a daytrip from Florence. Have you asked your Mom which is of more interest to her — Venice or Cinque Terre?

Here's my preference, keeping all the moving about as an option rather than a requirement:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am; train from Rome to Florence
26 - Florence
27 - Florence (optional day trip to Venice)
28 - Florence (optional day trip to Cinque Terre)
29 - train to Rome
30 - Rome
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

sandralist

In case it wasn't clear. the trip I'm suggesting would look like this:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am, train to Venice to arrive in time for cocktails
26 - Venice
27 - AM train to Florence
28 - Florence
29 - Train to le Cinque Terre
30 - train to Rome
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

RonZ

Check train schedules here, using italian city names [ticket pre pays for available trains up to 120 days in advance]:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD

Add at least an hour on either end of a train ride when changing hotels. Assume a big part of every travel day wasted.

branderson925

Day trip from Firenze to Venezia is not worth it. I lived in Firenze for half a year and am 24. I love to travel in a quick pace and see a lot of places but let me tell you it is not worth it to rush. While Firenze is worth a whole week to me (with a couple of day trips, I understand how you want to disperse your time. I recommend 2 days in Rome, 2 day in Florence, a full day in Cinque Terre and the remaining time for travel giving you another half a day to spend where you really want to. Rome is bigger so possibly there (the Vatican alone could be a day) but I think Florence is much more worth it. Consider a day trip to San Gimignano, Siena, Lucca, or 1/2 a day in Fiesole.
I don't want to rain on your parade but I just want to offer a bit of firsthand experience. The travel back and forth from Venezia on top of all the other traveling will seriously be a burden and will likely hamper your time in each of these places.

bilboburgler

Yes as other say, dont split Rome into two visits.

Do talk to your Mum about what she wants to do. My advice even given you previous time in Rome would be:

Rome 3 nights, Florence 3 nights, Venice 2 nights

If you cannot fit those sort of times in then you need to drop one

alexlee33

Thank you all for your suggestions!

Remember - 2 summers ago, I travelled with my boyfriend to Rome for 6 nights (with a day drip to Tivoli one day and Ostia Antica another), followed by train to Florence for 3 nights (with a day trip to Lucca and Pisa for one of those days), followed by a train to Venice for 2 nights (we actually stayed in Quarto D'Altino). (Followed by 4 nights in Nice, 3 nights in Amsterdam, and a week in Paris.) I did not feel like that was rushed, and we actually thought we may have spent too much time in Rome.

I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how much time we need to spend in Rome, Florence and Venice. Personally, my boyfriend and I both thought one day was adequate in Venice to "experience" the city and its beauty. Keep in mind we are not wealthy and did not spend any length of our days in restaurants or for out drinks - it was all quick sandwiches on the go and gelato for us, with a lot of McDonald's value menu, haha.

I'll definitely have to break down the sites at each place with my Mom and see what she wants to see most. Right now, she's just telling me she "wants to see it all." Florence is her most desired, as our favorite movie is While You Were Sleeping (we've see it together a 100 times) and that's a special place for us.

Ellenem, I especially like your suggestions as I do believe we need at least 2 full days in Rome. My Mom and I may have to consider cutting out one place depending on what the Trenitalia schedule looks like (it's not available for May yet.)

Any further advice is appreciated!

KTtravel

It sounds like you had 11 nights in Italy the last time but but this time will have only 7. This part of your trip will be at the end of your visit when you and your mother may likely have less energy. Does your mother also wish to forgo eating in restaurants or having a drink?

annhig

Alex - I know that you are keen to see the CT, but you have plenty of time to get there [and to spend longer there] whereas, as you say, your mum has never been to Italy before.

therefore I would dump the CT and do it yourself when you have more time to devote to it.

it's a shame that you have your flights booked as it would have made more sense to fly into Venice and out of Rome, but if that's not possible, getting the train straight to Venice makes sense. i would spend 2 nights there - this would give your mum the chance to enjoy it without the cruise/coach-trip hoards, and would be just long enough to see the major sights like the Doge's Palace and the Basilica, and to do a trip out to the islands - Burano and Torcello should not be missed. you don't need to be wealthy to see these things - just to do a bit of planning.

then get the train to Florence, and end in Rome. you could swap it round and spend 3 nights in Rome and 2 in florence if you prefer, but i have weighted this in favour of Florence because of what your mum wants to see.

so this part of your trip would look like this:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am, train to Venice.
26 - Venice
27 - AM train to Florence
28 - Florence
29 - Florence
30 - Train to Rome
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

bilboburgler

There is something special about Venice at 5:30, 6 in the morning, while the alleys after 23:00 are equally interesting

annhig

Gaby - if you've never spent a night in Venice, how can you tell whether a day trip is adequate or not?

alexlee33

Hi all! I really appreciate your advice. I spoke with my mom and we decided to cut out CT and spend an extra day in Venice - I haven't seen Burano and Torcello so that should be lovely. I agree it would have been smarter to fly from Santorini to Venice but we were only planning on going to Florence and Rome back when we booked the flights.

This is our likely itinerary:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00am, train to Venice.
26 - Venice
27 - AM train to Florence
28 - Florence
29 - AM train to Rome
30 - Rome
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

However - my worry now is regarding booking the train from Rome to Venice in advance. What if the flight is delayed, etc? On my last trip I booked all the trains at least a month in advance.
I know it would be a hassle, but could it be smarter to do the itinerary this way instead?:

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00, overnight in Rome.
26 - AM train Rome to Venice (looks like earliest Tuesday train leaves at 08:35, arrives at 12:20).
27 - Venice
28 - AM train to Florence (leave at 07:25, arrive at 09:30)
29 - Florence
30 - AM train to Rome (leave at 07:38, arrive at 09:10)
31 - Rome
June 1 - depart from Rome at 3:15pm

Thanks again!

sandralist

Flight delay is indeed a risk. Here are your choices and risks:

A) You can pre-book your train tix to Venice on the 25th, at a discounted rate. If you miss the train, you can re-book for the next train, but you will lose the discount. if your flight is hideously delayed by hours and hours, you could arrive in Rome to discover there are no more trains leaving that night and you must spend the night in Rome, and somewhat scramble for a place to stay.

B) You can pre-book a May 26 train to Venice and pre-book a night in Rome. You might still face problem A if truly hideous weather cancels all flights to Rome, but obviously it is a smaller risk.

I think the risks of (A) are actually pretty mild, but obviously plan B is maximally protective. Up to you and mom. As a rule of thumb, I think it is always best to travel within your own personal comfort zone, and not "trust" in the advice of strangers on the internet. If something goes wrong with the advice you received, then you could kick yourself for not listening to your inner travel genie. The fact that I or anybody else here might to do A or B is not as important as what you & your travel partner are more comfortable doing. Your loonies. Your trip.

annhig

a compromise might be to put the Rome portion of the trip at the beginning, then go to Venice and finish in Florence - as your flight home is not until 3.15, you will have the morning to get to the airport. There are 4 trains from Florence to Rome that would get you to Termini by 11 am or just after, so in plenty of time to get your flight.

LR220

May 25 - arrive in Rome at 10:00, overnight in Rome.
26 - Rome
27 - Rome
28 - AM train to Venice
29 - Venice
30 - AM train to Florence
31 - Florence
June 1 - AM train to Rome depart from Rome at 3:15pm

The trains take about 1.5 hours from Florence to Rome, so you don't even have to leave THAT early and if you're able to get a place in the center of Florence (pretty easy IME), it will most likely be walking distance to SMN and easy to get to. We had 0 problems and it was in pouring rain. I'd recommend getting something to eat in Florence or just getting brunch for the train ride and going directly from Roma Termini to the airport via cab.

Also, book reservations wherever you can. Since you have such a short time in each location, don't waste time waiting in line. I think you will have enough time to visit all the main sites, it just requires a bit of careful planning. Look for restaurant's etc early on and decide when you want to go so you can make reservations for them and that way you don't waste time looking for a place and falling into tourist traps. I recommend Alle Testiere in Venice (this was our splurge restaurant, but it was 100% worth it) and Enoteca Boccadama in Florence. But for Alle Testiere, they charge 100euros if you don't show up.

alexlee33

This last option is perfect!

KTtravel

I like your new plan.

Have a great trip!