If you only had a week in Italy...?

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romeoitaly

Your best bet is Rome, it's very central and you can do day trips from Rome to many places - Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi, Capri, Ostia (only 20 km outside Rome), Assisi, Orvieto, Frascati, Umbria
etc. this will help you http://www.romanlife-romeitaly.com/day-trips-from-rome.html , the organized day tours are a good option - it's very difficult to see as much on your own.

If you're flying from Australia and haven't booked flights yet, then you should visit http://www.romanlife-romeitaly.com/cheap-airline-tickets-to-italy.html for some advice on cheap airline tickets to Italy. As long as you're a little flexible with flight routes, stopovers, times etc. you can save quite a bit.

For hotels in Rome and Italy a good option is a program/company called HotelsCombined (they're an Australian company). They search and compare many different hotel booking companies like Venere, Booking.com, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotelbookers etc. etc. and return the best price from the lot for a specific hotel (or hotels). You can also choose Rome tourist attraction you would like to be near to (or far way from).
The visitors reviews give a good insight into what to expect.

You can visit http://www.romanlife-romeitaly.com/hotels-in-central-rome.html for advice when booking hotels in central Rome, what to check before-hand: What floor is the room on, Does the hotel have a lift (many of the old buildings in Rome don't), Is breakfast included in the price, What does breakfast consist of ? etc etc

This page http://www.romanlife-romeitaly.com/central-rome-hotels.html gives an explanation on how to get the best results.

I think it's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the areas of central Rome: things to do, see, your transport options, restaurants, nightlife and general feel of the area then visit http://www.romanlife-romeitaly.com./rome-italy-map.html , where you stay in Rome can greatly effect your experience.

In summary,
I would say perhaps 4/5 days in Rome - depending on how many day trips you wish to do. There is already so much to see and do in Rome, many find a week not enough.
Don't forget to leave some energy to enjoy Rome at night, Rome is a different city at night, you're going to love the culture, food, drink, colourful people etc Rome centre is also very safe.

For your remaining 3 days I would choose between Florence and Venice.
IMHO Florence has more to offer, and many seem to go to Venice just to say they have been. It seems that Venice is losing more and more of its charms as the years go by.
Either way, your difficult decision is one that many would love to have.
Enjoy!

conley39

Ostia and Pompeii can be done as day trips from Rome using the train system - with a week, that would be pretty easy. Other good possibilities for day trips from Rome include Tivoli and Orvieto. You could also see Florence as a day trip from Rome, although it would be worth spending a couple of days there and you could easily spend a day in Pisa/Lucca using the train.

If you have a week, you could get to Venice for a day or two instead of some other side trips. One possibility for saving a little money is to use the night trains. You can catch the train at the Roma Tiburtina station at 10:36 pm, sleep through the night in a berth in a 4 bed compartment and arrive in Venice at 5:26 the next morning. The standard fare is 56.50 euro per person, but it's 45.20 at the discounted Amica fare if you get tickets in advance. The night train going in the other direction leaves Venice at 11:30 pm and arrives in Rome at 6:56 am. With the night trains, you use time you'll be sleeping anyway for travel and don't have an additional hotel bill for the night.

soelo

Just seven days? don't try to do four places.
If it was me, Rome and Pompeii.

To see Pompeii, take the train to Naples and then get on the Circumvesuviana. See Sorrento if you have time.

mareeclara

As you only have a week i would stay in one area..maybe rome and florence.

from rome you can do day tours..i did one from rome to pompeii ( which included lunch, transport and entry into pompeii)...you can also go to sorrento and capri...try www.viator.com to give you some ideas for day trips. It also is good for pointing out some sights in general and give you ideas of things you can do it yourself.

Florence is lovely and is close to pisa ( about an hour from florence) and there is another wonderful town called Lucca. Siena is also not far from florence as well and you can easily do these in day trips from florence....or say combine pisa and lucca ( there is not much in pisa apart from the tower) in a half day in a round trip.

for trains look up trenitalia.it. it gives you prices etc which will help too.
Have a wonderful time..its lovely

Ziggy

It is a tight schedule.

You should see The Amalfi Coast that is like the 7 wonders of the world. Better than Pompeii.
When you get off the train everything and places are in walking distance.

Veronica

If you have a week I suggest you Rome so you can visit all its monuments and they're really numerous!!

It is also ideal for who travels by train.

Almost one time in a life you could visit the eternal city!

I suggest you some accommodations near the Spanish Steps

http://www.relaisrome.com/appartamenti.php

Elenetta del suo Adri

I'd suggest that you only stay four nights in Rome. Ostia and Pompei can be done as day trips from Rome using the train system. Look up the timetables at http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3fdbe14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD For hotels in Rome I can suggest this website http://www.scoobit.com and this page dedicated to Rome hotels in particular http://www.scoobit.com/accommodations-rome-hotels.php I stayed at the third hotel on the left. It was a clean, well located and nicely staffed hotel. Not over-priced. It's a safe site. I book hotels through Scoobit.com frequently. You can book on line and there are no booking fees. Plan at least another three days in Florence. You will be able to visit Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, its Duomo (cathedral), the Baptistry (its exterior made of green and white marble are really famous) and the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge). Florence isn't a huge city, you're gonna a great time and a good idea of how the city really is. You won't be able to have a full visit of Uffizi in Florence but you can choose certain rooms: e.g. Leonardo or Michelangelo. Keep in mind Uffizi timetable Tuesday-Sunday, 8:15 am - 6:50 pm. The city really has so many wonderful hidden treasures. To book a good hotel in Florence, Italy go http://www.scoobit.com and fill the form with city name (Florence). I stayed in the second hotel on the right during my visit to Tuscany. Pisa can be done as a day trip from Florence too.

Sammy&Pete

Venice is amazing and you have to go there for sure....And if you are planning on shopping at all be advised that the shops near St Marks Square are about 2x the price of the shops near the Rialto Bridge....Pompeii is very neat to see but I'll warn ya that Naples (Which is the big city near Pompeii) is just gross!!!! Its a big dirty city and I was happy to get out of there.... 1 week is plenty of time.. Plan on 2 days in each place....and only 1 for Pompeii because you'll want to get out of Naples too. And maybe a just go as a Day trip if you can....Yuck!!* Also, when you are in the Vatican (Rome) go straight to the Sistine Chapel as early as you can or you'll be standing in a massive line... ** Also, Dont forget that there are dress codes in the Vatican as well as a lot of the churches around Italy.

By the way -- You HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE To try a Magnum Bar...It's an AMAZING ice cream bar !!!! AMAZING!!!!

Meredith

If possible, lengthen the trip a few days. You'd be surprised what you can do. Make sure to visit Rome and San Gimingano (excuse any spelling mistakes), and try day trips to Florence, Sienna, and Pisa. When I went, It was for 11 days, and we visited just about every area surrounding Rome.

Js1559s

When I went to Italy to visit family.. I personally didnt care for Venice too much. It's very cool, but I could've went without it... Rome is a definite.... and I would love to go to pompeii...

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