Italy/Spain itinerary advice?

[spunkarella]

I am still planning my first trip out of the country, likely for May 2014. The trip is finally close enough to seem *almost* real, but I think I have overwhelmed myself with options since I have been planning and dreaming for so long.

How would you suggest we allocate our time? While I want to see some major highlights, I am not intent on checking off a must-see attractions list and want to leave plenty of free time for roaming and spending all afternoon chilling in a park if I want to. 

We will have up to 13 nights. The city I most want to visit is Rome, followed closely by Barcelona. Would both be a good idea, or should I just stick to Rome and some other places in Italy?

If I stick to Italy, I'm thinking Rome 5 nights, Florence 4 nights, and Venice 3 nights. Although 4 nights seems like a lot for Florence, since we are really not art/museum people, but I don't have any better ideas that don't involve a lot of moving around and short stays. 

If I do Rome and Barcelona, I'm thinking Rome 5 nights, somewhere else (Florence?) 4 nights, and Barcelona 4 nights. 

Your thoughts?

[mrsericnorthman]

I thought I needed a week to see everything and absorb everything in Rome.

Florence is a walkable city. One day was enough for me to see the highlights but if you want to hang out and check out the countryside, I think 3 days should be enough. I've been to Venice and one day is not enough for me. I wanted to get lost and roam all over the place. I heard from people it gets old after more than 3 days of being there.

[Deleted]

I'm not a huge Rome fan (I know, I know), so I'd lean towards three nights there unless you're planning day trips (Pompeii and Orvieto were worthwhile to me).

I love Florence, but that's probably a little too long too (particularly for non-art/museum people -- most of the amazingness is the art). I have not been to Venice or Barcelona, but I hear that Venice is somewhere that you really only need two nights, and Barcelona is somewhere where you could spend a long time.

So I'd maybe look into flying into Venice (is that reasonably easy from where you're coming from?) via redeye, spending 2 nights there, then going to Florence for 2-3 nights, then Rome for 3-4 nights, then Barcelona for the rest of the time, and fly home from there. If you want to add a little more to Italy, how about stopping in Siena or San Gimignano for a night between Florence and Rome?

Have you looked into anything Rick Steves yet? You definitely should buy his Italy book and either Spain or Barcelona. He's the guru on European travel.

[mdgirl]

Four nights might be too much for Florence if you're not into museums (although you need to go see David). Does the Cinque Terre interest you at all?

[spunkarella]

Posting from my phone but I will try to respond to everyone.

mrsericnorthman I feel the same about Rome and I'm not even there yet! So so many things to see! It is at the beginning of the trip while I have the most energy. Thanks for your input on Florence and Venice.

v I thought about Pompeii but think it will make for a long day and will save it for a future trip. I would like to visit Orvieto, possibly stopping there between Rome and Florence. So you think three Italian cities plus Barcelona would be doable? I want to avoid one-night stays if I can. I think I would prefer the Cinque Terre to Venice, but hadn't really considered starting in Venice. Something to think about.

mdgirl thanks for confiming my thoughts on Florence. We will definitely see the David. The Cinque Terre does appeal to me (and DH thinks it looks "neat", which is really saying something coming from his homebody self). I almost added this potential itinerary to my OP: Rome 4 nights, Florence 3 nights, CT 2 nights, Barcelona 4 nights. We would stop in Orvieto between Rome and Florence, so would really just have 2 full days in Florence. My hesiatations were concern about rushing around too much, and concern about CT crowds in May.

[gt7301b]

I love Spain, but I really prefer the smaller cities. Seville and Granada were my two favorites and I think it would be worth a detour to at least one of them.

Where ever you end up buy tickets to the big attractions (David, Sagrada Famillia) on line before you go. It saves so much time.

[neonpink]

I think if you did your itinerary that included Spain it would be very doable. You fly into one country and out the other. There is a lot to see in Italy especially Rome but I think for a first time visit it would be fun to see more than just Italy.

I love Barcelona. I love the people, the food and the culture of they city. It's very different from Rome and Florence. I would like to experience both.

A few years ago my BIL met us in Barcelona and took a day trip to Rome for a few days and flew back. I know he was very happy to have spent some time in Rome even for a short period of time.

PS Rome is very warm/hot in May.

[hz80408]

Your modified schedule including 2 nights in CT seems very doable. CT is actually on the top of our list to see in Italy.

For Barcelona, depending what you're into and what you want to see (if it includes day trips from city), I think 4 nights is sufficient. We spent 4 days/nights there last April and saw almost everything we wanted to (some things we missed due to closures for Easter). Here's a recap of our time there

[woowoo]

We just spend 14 days in Italy last year and I feel like we could have done another week. We LOVED LOVED LOVED Rome and really did not like Florence. It was beautiful but very crowded, very touristy and filled with college students that honestly, weren't very respectful of the city. It was our least favorite stop.

I cannot recommend enough finding a place in Tuscany and staying in a small Tuscan village for a day or two (or three!) Even more than CT, these villages are not as "touched" by tourism and it feels as though time has stood still for centuries. There are houses/apartments that have been in families for generations. Wandering these little Tuscan towns was my absolutely favorite part of Italy. Rome was next. Venice a close 3rd.

We also took one day and drove to the coast (south of CT). There are a TON of fishing villages that have random castles situated on the coast. It is really where the less fortunate Italians go to vacation in the summer. We went to Castiglione della Pescione (sp?) and loved every minute.

Venice is very touristy but ohhhh my what a fascinating place. With one of the longest continuously running governments in the world (in that time) and a city that is literally sinking, it is a MUST SEE. I encourage going to the history museum and touring the palace, and then getting the heck out of the tourist area of the square and just get lost. Head over the river and wander the streets where people live and pop into a bar and just chat them up. It will be some of the best conversation!

With 13 days I would recommend:
4-5 nights in Rome
3-4 nights in Tuscany. Check out Montalcino, Montelpuciano (sp?)..Even Sienna would be great as you could just hop on a train and head to Florence for a long day
2 nights in CT
2 nights in Venice (just make sure you have two full days to explore here, so arrive early your first day).

With regards to driving, we rented a car as we were leaving Rome and it worked PERFECTLY. We found a rental location that would make it easy to get out of the city (you don't need a car while in Rome) and took that to Tuscany. Then once we got to Florence we dropped it off there. You'll want a car in Tuscany, so maybe you ditch your car in Venice?

If you still wanted to fit in Barcelona I would cut just shorted your time in Tuscany and Rome, OR cut out CT.

Enjoy!!! We loved Italy and day dream about going back pretty much every day.

[mrsericnorthman]

I now regret not booking any extra days in Barcelona. We're only going to stay there for a day and flying super-early back to America the next day. We're thinking about doing the HOHO bus.

Thanks for the tip about buying tickets early for Sagrada Familia, gt7301b!

[smock]

One thing to keep in mind when planning: if you're taking trains in Italy (which I really recommend), you need to consider the distance/time. CT to Venice is 5-6 hours by train, with a minimum of two transfers. My recommendation would be: if you want to do Italy and Barcelona, plan to see Italian places that are closer together. For example: fly into Rome, train to Florence, train to CT, train to Pisa, fly to Barcelona from the Pisa airport (also check Genoa, which is very easy to reach from CT). That way you won't spend too much time on a train.

Orvieto is also lots of fun, and right on the train line between Rome and Florence. Since you aren't into museums, you could plan an easy day trip from Florence--either to Siena, San Gimignano, or another nearby hill down. It's easiest to take a bus rather than a train for that kind of day trip. You might also consider doing a winery tour in the Chianti region; there are several all-day or partial day tours from Florence that will get you out into the countryside. Tuscany is gorgeous and really unforgettable.

I'm having trip envy!

[laurelle]

I have only really traveled northern Italy, but my advice is not to move around too much. Maybe base your self in two or three locations. We hired a car to see Tuscany and loved it.

[Deleted]

Rome is my most favorite city in the world so I all about 5 nights there. There is so much to see. I am not a huge Venice fan...so 1 night there would be enough for me and maybe 2-3 nights in Florence.

[spunkarella]

Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning toward Rome, Florence, CT, and Barcelona. I will definitely be updating and asking for more advicewhen we get things finalized!

[laurelle]

Italy is so vast and treasure-filled that it's hard to resist the temptation to pack in too much in too short a time. It's a challenging destination, and you can't even skim the surface in 2 or 3 weeks -- so relax, don't even try. If you're a first-time visitor, Irecommend you go just for the nuggets, such as Rome, Siena, Pisa, Florence, and Venice.