Italy is a sensory place, from the smell of the salty Italian Rivera and the taste of Venetian cuisine to the jaw-dropping sight of Rome's Colosseum. While Italy is best seen slowly by concentrating on one region at a time, some intrepid travelers want to see as much of the country as possible in a week. If this is your plan, you can focus on Italy's must-see places for a whirlwind seven-day tour of the country. Staying in a different place every night is exhausting and leaves little time for savoring your vacation, so this itinerary calls for two nights in each spot. Based on Rick Steves' recommended sightseeing priorities and Frommer's suggested Italian itinerary, train travel is the best option for this trip.
Day 1: Rome
Rome wasn't built in a day, but you can see the major sites in two. Fly into Rome as early as possible and check into your accommodations. Resist the temptation to take a nap and head out immediately to sightsee. Start by exploring the ruins of the Roman Forum, then head west for a short stroll down Via dei Fori Imperiali, which leads to the Colosseum. Remember to stop for a bite of gelato on the way. Spend the evening gazing at the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon before dinner.
Day 2: Rome
Spend your second day in Rome exploring Vatican City. This tiny city-state can easily fill a week, but focus your sightseeing on St. Peter's Basilica, including a climb to Michelangelo's panoramic dome, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Eat a quick lunch at a pizzerie and save your big meal for your final dinner in Rome, perhaps at a local trattoria.
First thing in the morning, hop a bus for a day trip to Sienna, only 21 miles south of Florence. This walled, medieval city is well-preserved and a stroll through its narrow lanes and pedestrian-friendly squares will fill the morning. Have lunch on the Piazza del Campo, the main square. After lunch, climb to the top of the square's Torre del Mangia for a panoramic view before visiting the Museo Civico in the Palazzo Pubblico. Head back to Florence in time for dinner.
Day 5: Cinque Terre
Grab a train for the short ride north to Cinque Terra, five tiny villages perched on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Each village is connected by slow, local trains and ocean-clinging pathways, and there are no museums or famous monuments here. Cars are not allowed in four of the five villages. Rick Steves recommends basing this part of your trip in Vernazza, the only village with a natural harbor. Take it slowly the next two days -- life doesn't move very fast in this part of Italy. Spend your first day exploring the tiny Vernazza, sampling some local wine and seafood and swimming in the Mediterranean. Take part in the passeggiata, an evening stroll where the locals walk up and down the tiny streets together.
Day 6: Cinque Terra
On your second day in Cinque Terre, choose the local trains or meandering pathways to explore the other four villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia and Monterosso. Like Vernazza, there are no major sites, only the rocky Riviera, local fishermen in their tiny boats, vineyards and tiny cafes and bars. Don't forget to sample the local pesto sauce on your linguine.
Day 7: Venice
On the seventh day, wake up early and catch a train to Venice, northeast of Cinque Terre on the Adriatic Sea. From the station, take a vaporetto (water bus) through the Grand Canal to the city center. Check into your accommodations and head out immediately to explore this city of canals and water. Grab lunch or a coffee on the Piazza San Marco. Other must-see sights here include the Basilica di San Marco, Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Have dinner in a Venetian tavern before embarking on a gondola ride. The following morning, catch a flight home from Venice.
My biggest concern would be that the train from Cinque Terra to Venice could eat up most of your day, definitely look into the length of the journey. I personally would want more than half a day in Venice but it's one of those cities people either love or find dull.
I would consider another day in Florence. The city center is all pedestrianized, so it's a nice place just to walk around. Also, depending on what time of year you're visiting, you may be hard pressed to do the Uffizi and the Accademia in the same day. There can be huge lines, so look into getting tickets ahead of time if possible. Also, remember that both are closed on Mondays.
That's a good point. I would probably want to add a day in Venice at the end. What about Milan? Worth adding a stop? Thoughts on Lake Como?
Personally I'm not a big fan of Milan. After the rest of Italy, it felt too urban to me. But I'm also not much of a fashionista, and we were there on a holiday anyway, so all the shops were closed. If you do end up headed to Milan, and you want to see the Last Supper, you have to book way in advance or try to join a city tour that includes it. (Also closed on Mondays.)
I think the itinerary is just unrealistically packed with things--you'll spend so much time running around that you won't have enough time to just relax, or even adjust to the jetlag! On my first trip to Italy, we did two weeks in Venice, Florence, Siena, and Cinque Terre, figuring that Rome would need more time and would wait for a later visit.
I LOVE the Cinque Terre (I like staying in Manarola), but the train from there to Venice takes a long time--you have to transfer either at La Spezia and Florence OR at Genoa and Milan, and either way is 6-7 hours on the train. You will not be eating lunch in Piazza San Marco unless you get up VERY early. I'd add a day to Rome and Venice, and skip the day-trip to Siena since there's so much to do in Florence. Or, if you want to flip the order, start in Venice, and go Venice to Florence (optional day trip in Tuscany), to Cinque Terre, to Rome. Cinque Terre to Rome on the train can be done much easier in ~4 hours.
FWIW - I completely agree with smock. This itinerary sounds extraordinarily rushed, and I'm normally pretty good at squeezing every moment out of a trip.
Personally, I would leave a full day for each transit between cities, so that you're not forcing yourself to get up at the crack of dawn every day. Then whatever's left in the half you're not traveling is a bonus.
If you have an extra day or two, my choice would be to use them, and trim it down to the 2-3 places you most want to see. Three days in any of them wouldn't be too much.
I suppose it's doable and I like that they gave CT two days and included a day trip to Siena. However this is a lot of running around and getting up early. Due to jet lag (especially the farther west you start from) you're going to want to sleep in sometimes. And a big part of the attraction of a place like Italy for me was just wandering around and finding beautiful things (especially in Rome), or relaxing with a glass of wine in the afternoon. You don't get any of that with this schedule.
I personally liked Milan, but I like cities. Lake Como was gorgeous, even though the weather was gross when we were there.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
Post by sunshinedaydreams on Jan 26, 2015 18:59:52 GMT -5
I feel like I'm in the minority, but I liked Rome and Venice MUCH more than Florence, so I would spend extra time in either of those two. We also chose the Amalfi Coast over CT, so I can't comment specifically on CT, but I think you'd be missing a lot to not hit the AC.
That said, this itinerary will be a major whirlwind. You're not going to have any free time to leisurely explore neighborhoods or anything on your own. And that's a CRAP TON of stuff to do in one day in Venice. I think it's doable. But that's your last day of vacation. I personally would want it to be more relaxing than that.
I feel like I'm in the minority, but I liked Rome and Venice MUCH more than Florence, so I would spend extra time in either of those two.
You aren't alone. I also liked Rome and Venice much more than Florence.
I had a somewhat whirlwind itinerary for my first visit to Italy last year - 2 days Venice (not enough), 1 day Bologna (not necessary), 4 days Florence (enough), 2 days Rome (again, not enough). I feel like I got an overview, but I need to go back to both Venice and Rome. 4 days in Florence was enough for me to feel like I saw everything I needed to see. I think if I had spent another day in both Venice and Rome, and skipped Bologna, I wouldn't necessarily feel that way. So now...when I go back to Italy (which I will), I have to go back to those 2 cities in addition to hitting up Cinque Terre, the lake region, and the Amalfi coast. I guess something to think about - what are the goals of the trip, do you think you will come back, etc.
That itinerary is crazy! One day in Venice? No way. I'd see 2 cities, 3 at the absolute max in a week. When I went to Italy I went for a week -3 days in Rome and 4 days in Venice with a day trip to a beach somewhere (forgot where)
Post by iamdifferent on Jan 26, 2015 23:26:39 GMT -5
That is a lot squeezed in each day even if you have no issues navigating the cities and transit. Unless you prefer to travel to see everything and be on the go ALL the time. Id recommend researching some more to decide what 2-3 locations you want to fit in your 7 days.
When we went I really enjoyed Rome and Vatican city. I'm glad we went to Venice and it was neat, but it is just one of those locations that we don't have to go back to. We loved Tuscany, but we relaxed in the country for a few days and in your time frame that may not be a goal of yours. Good luck
I agree with the others, this sounds like A LOT. Back in September, we did 12 days and saw Rome, Positano, Florence, and Venice. Honestly, I really wish we had taken an extra 2 days. It was enough that we didn't feel rushed, but I can't imagine anything less. We were okay with only 2 nights in Venice, but I think that was because it was the last city on the trip & we were suffering from museum fatigue. With that said, there were definitely things we didn't do that could have filled another day.
If you can add a couple of days, I would definitely, 100%, add a day to Rome. Just an FYI, not sure when you are going, but the Trevi fountain is still under construction. If you visit soon, you need to be okay with not seeing it. If you're going to day trip from Florence, then I think Florence needs 3 days. We did a day trip out to San Gimiagnano (I booked a lunch and wine tasting at a family farm), then spent the other 2 days exploring Florence.
We're starting to plan a trip this fall with a similar itinerary. The biggest change is that we may skip Venice and just fly out of Milan, but add a few days in Tuscany - There is a resort in Barga I want to stay at to see more of that area.
We booked and are doing three nights in Rome, two in Florence and three in Venice
I think this is a good plan. All of these cities have so much to see, but I feel like this is enough to see the highlights.
My travel motto is that I can always go back so I don't like to push myself too much. I think you will have a wonderful time though. Italy is the best.
I agree, this is a good first trip. It isn't rushed and you'll get a good overview. I think my first trip to Italy we did 2 in Venice, 3 in Florence, 4 in Rome.