2 weeks April or May for 40 something couple. A little overwhelmed at the options. North or south? Tour or on our own? Any guidance would be appreciated. Willing to spend some money but not more than we need to. Would work with a travel agent if anyone has a great one.

We're upper 40's/50 and going in October. First visit for both of us.

We're booking via Your Own Italy which was recommended via another thread. THey book 'choose your own adventure' type tours for singles up to groups. You determine where you want to go, what you want to see/activities you like, etc. The owner (Carmen) then arranges transport in the country based on your budget and needs - i.e. - are you fine taking a train from point A to B but prefer private car service from B to C, etc. She also books any group or private guided tours you'd like, including art, archeology, cooking classes, restaurant walking tours, etc.

Edit to add to last paragraph: her site has a bunch of itineraries with costs, but she told me those are really just templates for ideas. She did say the pricing was accurate (as of 3 months ago when I first spoke to her). if you say "I want to see the Colosseum" the intinerary she provides will have the same description you see on the site. I should have our quote back any day now. She also noted that the tours/days of tours can be rearranged and I'm not pot committed to the exact itinerary as of today. I'm sure there will be a "can't change after this date" but with it being 3.5 months away there's still flexibility to change stuff.

We'll be there 9 nights and are staying exclusively in Rome to check it off the list. We're going to stay in 2 different hotels so that we have different areas of the city to explore on our own for each half of the trip. Initially looked at tours that take you all over the country or only 2 or 3 primary locations. We decided we'd rather stay in an area and absorb it as much as possible instead of changing hotels every other day and never getting to settle into an area. We'll take day trips to Pompeii/Herculaneum, another to Hadrian's Villa, etc.

It is just my wife and I, not a larger group. We're scheduling in open half days, currently our last full day/night wide open, etc. We can always pivot later as needed.

I also have a stack of Rick Steves books to start working through - a pocket guide to rome, his full newest edition of Rome, and Italy for Food lovers.

Sorry I can't provide any "this was great, this wasn't worth it" for you now but I'll definitely have a post trip report after we return in mid-October.

I've posted several Italy threads in the past year and gotten great feedback as we planned our trip this fall. I'd suggest you search them and you'll get some great info.

The short version of our story, we initially booked a "Classic Italy" tour, but it eventually expanded beyond our budget so we are doing 3 days in Rome on our own, and then a cruise that will end in Athens, two days there. Stops on the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Ephesus in Turkey, Santorini and Mykonos which are Greek Islands.

Two weeks and you ought to be able to cover a considerable amount of Italy.

The question of tour vs. on your own really boils down to what kind of vacations you like. Don't be intimidated by doing a trip abroad on your own and opting for a tour - to me that's a terrible reason to base your decision. But if you like the idea of having your decisions made for you so you can enjoy the trip with a little less stress, and you like being in a more social group with people of similar ilk, then by all means go with the tour.

We are 40/50 and have traveled to Europe 8 times in 20 years, 5 of which have been in Italy or Italy was a stop on the route - never been part of a tour group, we've always picked our own paths by just doing our own research. In fact, that has been part of what makes the trips even more fun - the planning and anticipation.

The Cinque Terra is tied for our favorite place on Earth - I don't know how many tours spend any time there, outside of a day trip, which isn't worth it in my opinion. If you go there, stay a few days, hike between the towns during the day, and spend early mornings and evenings with the locals.

We also prefer Umbria or Tuscany, and Lake Maggiore over Lake Como - both are just a little less "touristy" and you're able to really get into the local pace of things more easily.

We also prefer to rent a car and drive vs. using the rail system. The rail system is great in Italy and can get you pretty much where you want to go with enough changes, but we appreciate the freedom of being on no one's schedule but our own, and being able to make snap decisions on where to stop and what to do in between destinations. Just dust off your manual transmission skills before going!

With 2 weeks for your first trip, I would also take a couple of days to power-see Rome. We're not big city people, but there's just too much history there to not appreciate the significance of that place.

The next year of planning should be a blast!

I personally wouldn't book a tour but that's just me. I think part of the fun of a trip like this is planning it....you will also learn for more about your destinations that way. I've been to Italy 7 or 8 times and it never disappoints.

Assuming this is your first time...I would spend 3 nights in Rome to start and then spend 5-6 days exploring Tuscany. You can base yourself in the town of your choice (I'm partial to Chianciano Terme) and spend the days visiting other towns. On my last trip with friends we would just jump in the car and drive until we spotted a town in the distance that looked like it was worth a stop. Our Airbnb owner also gave some great recommendations for less touristy places to go. Finish with a few days in Florence and Venice. I know some people manage to hate Venice but it's one of the most unique cities in the world and April/May is an ideal time to go.

We did 2 weeks in Italy and Greece a few years ago. There's a thread down a few with questions about Rome that you might want to look at. Posted a few recommendations on there (Borghese Gallery and Scavi Tour).

I would 100% do it on your own, but I find a lot more enjoyment out of planning than letting someone else plan it for me. For me, it feels like an extension of the vacation itself.

We did a couple nights in Venice (2-3 nights was perfect), a few nights in Florence (could have done a single night here probably), a week in Rome (could easily spend 2 full weeks here, its awesome), and a couple of nights in Athens (was fun, probably wouldnt go back)

We visited Pompeii which was neat, but if I didnt have several days in Rome I would not do it. It takes a full day to take the train down and back.

If you have any questions about the towns listed above, let me know and I can try to remember. It was an amazing vacation that I love thinking about.

The only reason I would book any type of structured activity is if I were doing some sort of winery/vineyard tour, cooking class, etc. and it included accommodations.

Otherwise, the train systems are so simple to navigate and the roads so well laid out that it's really easy to travel around Italy. We love the adventure of planning. So being able to plan the initial framework of a trip and then adapt as the experience evolves is fun to us.

With a tour, though the travel and accommodations are all planned for you, you generally operate on someone else's schedule. If you want to spend another hour at St. Peter's, have another glass at a winery, or just sit and watch the sun set over the wall of a 500 year-old hilltop village, you may not be able to if the bus is leaving to take you to your next stop.

We're waiting for the final quote for our itinerary, but here's the plan in no-particular order other than the first day. All tours are just the two of us and not groups.

• Walking tour - Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc.
• Colosseum and Roman Forum
• Food and wine walking tour in Trastevere
• Vatican/Sisteine Chapel/St. Peter's Basilica
• Day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum
• The Capitoline Museums and Baths of Diocletian
• Food shopping in Testaccio then a cooking class with the guide
• Day trip to Tivoli to visit Villa d'Este and Hardian's Villa

Most of these are 1/2 day ventures so that we have plenty of time to do our own exploring and we have a full open day built in the day before we fly home.

The beauty of exploring on your own throughout Tuscany and Umbria is driving the back roads and finding a special place or restaurant.

We love getting a AirBNB in a small town and acting like locals, grocery shopping and cooking at home some nights, finding restaurants others. Drinking their wine!! Having a private pool or hot tub at times. Can't do all that on a tour usually. Rent a car and explore!!

Rome - get a tour to see the sights. You need a tour to understand what you are seeing and avoiding the lines. Do not drive in Rome.

Two weeks is plenty of time to do Italy. We are in Milan now, and unfortunately about to fly to London en route back to Texas.

We have done all the major stops other than Florence, Naples, and Sicily. We generally plan our own stuff unless it's just a brief cruise port stop.

The wife and I liked Venice the most - very unique place. But it's hard to go wrong here. Milan is underrated and of course Rome is amazing if you like history. As others have said - use the trains, especially if you pack light.

kjcAg said:

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2 weeks April or May for 40 something couple. A little overwhelmed at the options. North or south? Tour or on our own? Any guidance would be appreciated. Willing to spend some money but not more than we need to. Would work with a travel agent if anyone has a great one.

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I wouldn't book a tour that takes you around the country, but in the various cities tours are very helpful. Sometimes they also get priority access ahead of very long lines. We used Viator and on the advice of our friends we always booked the "semi-private" option. Even in places you wouldn't expect, like the Colosseum, this led to a private tour because we were the only people to show up.

If you go to Rome and want to see the Vatican definitely book a tour and make sure it clearly stats it is a skip the line tour. Maybe they all do that (Viator definitely does) but if you end up in the public access line you will have to go back across the Rubicon to get to the end of the line.

If you do the Vatican also look at the Scavi Tour. The access is much more limited and it books up far in advance. It takes you down into the necropolis of the Vatican where the Tomb of St. Peter is and some of the oldest part of the Vatican are. It was a cool experience.