Your Italy Itinerary Needs a Tweak!

It looks like you’re planning to arrive in Rome on March 16th. That’s a Thursday, so you’ll miss the Wednesday Papal Audience. However, don’t worry about fitting in any big tours on your arrival day! You’ll be tired from your flight. Even an early entry tour wouldn’t work because you’ll be too jet-lagged to make it to the 7:30 AM meeting time.

Table of Contents

Splitting Your Time: A No-No!

It’s not a great idea to have a split stay in Rome. It makes much more sense to head straight to Venice or Florence upon arrival at FCO airport and then spend all your Rome nights at the end of your trip. That way you’ll avoid wasting time traveling and can enjoy the cities without the added stress of constantly moving.

The Pisa Puzzle

Pisa is only an hour train ride from Florence, but it’s not on the way to Rome from Venice. You’ll have to take a train to Florence, then another train to Pisa. This is a big time commitment!

Time Crunch!

You’re going to have to adjust your itinerary or drop a destination because you simply don’t have enough time to do everything you’ve planned. It seems like you’re spending a lot of your trip traveling by train.

Rethink Your Flight!

Consider changing your flights to fly into Venice and out of Rome. This would be a much more efficient way to experience your trip. If this isn’t possible, you might want to skip Venice altogether since you’ll only have a short amount of time there and the 4-hour train ride each way will eat into your sightseeing time.

Reimagined Itinerary

Here’s a more realistic plan:

Arrive in Rome on March 16th.
Take the Leonardo Express train from FCO airport to Termini station.
Take a fast train to Florence.
Spend two nights in Florence.
On your second day in Florence, take the train to Pisa or skip it entirely as you’ll only have a short time to enjoy Florence.
Take the train back to Rome for your last three nights.
Fly home on March 21st. Don’t forget to check your flight time! You might not have time for much sightseeing on this day.

Rome Recommendations

You’ll only have five nights in total, so that translates to four and a half days of sightseeing. Here’s a sample itinerary:

Day 1: Relax and recover from your flight.
Day 2: Explore the Vatican City.
Day 3: Visit the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
Day 4: Discover the beauty of Piazza Navonna, Pantheon, Campo de Fiori, Trevi Fountain, and other charming spots.
Day 5: Enjoy more of Rome’s wonders – visit the Borghese Gallery, museums, or churches.

Accommodation: Hotel vs. Apartment

For a short trip like this, a hotel is your best bet. You won’t have to worry about check-in times for an apartment, and you’ll have a place to drop your luggage upon arrival. Hotels also offer a front desk for assistance, breakfast, and more.

Location, Location, Location

We suggest staying in the historic center near the Pantheon and Piazza Navonna. It’s easy to walk to most attractions from this location. The Prati neighborhood is also nice, but it’s a bit further from the main sights.

Book Now!

Don’t delay! Book your accommodation and Vatican tour ASAP. Things are filling up quickly, and you don’t want to miss out.

We hope this revised plan helps you create a fantastic trip to Italy!