How Many Cities Should You Really Fit Into an Italy Trip?

Rome. Florence. Venice. Lake Como.

When you're planning a trip to Italy, it's REALLY easy to start adding destinations.

You look at a map, check the train schedule and think, “Oh, Florence to Venice is only a couple of hours. We can totally fit that in.”

And technically...you can.

But here's the part that's easy to underestimate when you're looking at an itinerary on paper:

A two-hour train ride doesn't take two hours out of your vacation.

Think about everything that comes with it:

• Pack up and check out

• Get yourself AND your luggage to the station

• Find your train and wait to board

• Actually take the train

• Get from the station to your next hotel

• Check in and unpack again

And suddenly, that “two-hour train ride” has eaten up a pretty big chunk of a precious vacation day!

(And if you're like me with two suitcases, a backpack, and a dream...lugging everything up and down the stairs of the London Tube because you can't find the elevator...you may be just about fried by the time you get there.)

Do that three or four times during one trip, and those “quick” travel days REALLY start adding up.

Four nights doesn't necessarily mean four days

This is one of those things that seems obvious once you think about it, but it's REALLY easy to overlook when you're planning.

Let's say you look at your itinerary and see four nights in Venice.

Four nights sounds like a decent amount of time, right?

But what time are you actually arriving that first day? And what time do you need to leave on the last one?

If you arrive late in the afternoon and leave early on your final morning, those four nights definitely don't equal four full days of actually enjoying Venice.

✨ Four nights in a destination does NOT necessarily mean four full days to enjoy it. ✨

That's why I think it's important to look beyond the number of nights on an itinerary and think about how much actual vacation time you have in each place.

Because Italy has a LOT to see...and unfortunately, your PTO does not expand accordingly. 

And then there's the place you don't expect to love quite so much...

I recently had clients traveling through Italy who planned Venice as a pretty quick stop.

They wanted to experience it, check it off their list, and then move along to the next destination.

But these particular clients LOVE history and architecture.

And then they actually got to Venice.

They saw just how much history, charm, character and absolutely breathtaking architecture there was to take in...

And suddenly, their quick stop didn't feel like nearly enough.

They called me FROM Venice and asked if there was any way they could stay another night.

They simply wanted more time there.

Luckily, I was able to rearrange things and make the extra night happen for them.

Was I happy I could pull it off? Absolutely.

Would I recommend planning your Italy trip with the assumption that we can just shuffle everything around once you're there?

Absolutely NOT. 🙅‍♀️

Hotels can be sold out. Train tickets, transfers, tours and other reservations may already be booked. And on a multi-city itinerary, changing one thing can have a domino effect on everything that comes after it...AND cost you a pretty penny.

Sometimes we can work a little magic and make it happen.

But I'd MUCH rather make sure you have enough time in the right places from the beginning.

Before you add “just one more city”...

Instead of only asking:

“Can we fit it?”

Try asking:

“What are we giving up to fit it?”

Because every additional stop costs you something...and I don't just mean money.

• Are you giving up a leisurely morning somewhere you're already excited about?

• Are you trading an open afternoon for another hotel check-out, train station and check-in?

• Will you actually have enough time in the new destination to enjoy it? Or are you basically arriving, hitting the highlights and leaving again?

• And maybe most importantly...are you adding that destination because you're genuinely excited about it? Or because you're going all the way to Italy and feel like you're SUPPOSED to see it?

  
  

Those are two very different things.

More destinations don't always mean a better trip

For the record, I am NOT anti-multi-city itinerary.

Quite the opposite. I LOVE a good multi-stop Europe trip.

But there's a difference between an itinerary that keeps you moving and one that makes

you feel like you're CONSTANTLY packing up and moving on.

Sometimes you'll want to sleep in.

Sometimes you'll find a restaurant you loved and want to go back.

Sometimes you'll discover that you're way more interested in Venetian architecture than you realized and wish you had another day to explore it.

And sometimes you just want a few hours to wander around without having somewhere you're supposed to be.

That's part of travel.

And no, there isn't one magic number of nights you should spend in Rome, Florence or Venice.

It depends on what YOU care about, how you like to travel, what you want to experience, your pace, and how much of your vacation you're willing to spend schlepping your suitcase through train stations. 

✨ Sometimes seeing one less place means actually enjoying the places you DO see. ✨

So when you're looking at your Italy itinerary and wondering whether you can squeeze in one more city...

Maybe don't start with “Can we?”

Start with:

“Is it worth what we're giving up to fit it?”

Because checking another city off your list isn't necessarily what makes the trip better.

Sometimes having enough time to actually enjoy where you are does.