Has anyone done Italy in 10 days? What are your must sees!
Please do not say, "10 days is not enough". We are well aware. We are looking for key areas and must sees. We don't intend on doing the entire country. We know we will miss parts, which is why I am seeking help for the fine details of what we should be aiming for.
With help. You can have an enjoyable, memorable trip anywhere in 10 days.

Josh
I second Hailey, although you /can go/ in june or august.
Don't take taxis anywhere, all of the places it sounds like you might go to have great buses (ie from airport into the city), and in rome the metro is amazing. Water bus in Venice, walk in florence. Trains are anywhere from 10-30 euro+ depending on how advanced you book

Forgot about buses! Thanks!

No problem. Why pay 30 euro for a taxi when you can greyhound for 4 euro each??

Don't go in August. That's when the Italians take vacations as well. Everything will be busy or slow service. Also, it is way to hot.

10 days isn't enough to do the whole country. Rome takes at least 3 days and you still miss tons. Florence is at least 3 days. Venice is 3 days. But, you need travel time and you miss all the beauty of places like Siena (or most of the Tuscan region).

Any place is doable in 10 days. I noted above that I don't intend on seeing the entire country but main points. Our career paths don't give us the luxury of taking a month off. If they did - we would be taking that entire time. I am looking for feedback on places to see. Which were your favorites. Tips on the train. Most romantic sites. Not to continually be reminded that our potential 10 days isn't enough.

A few more questions:
Are you interested in wine? Museums? Countryside or cities? Food?
Are the people going active (hikers? for instance), or are you not looking for a labor intensive vacation? Will you be travelling with any children?

What time of year are you wanting to go?

Wasn't intending on seeing the whole country. Thought 10 days would be an ideal honeymoon.
We LOVE great wine and food. History and serene country side/ocean life is a major plus. We are not huge city folk but seeing some of Italy's vast history would be great. Campagnia is definetly on my list as well as Venice, Florence, and Rome. We have nothing booked right now as I am simply researching at this point and looking for tips.

We spent 10 days in Italy. It was rushed, but there were so many things we wanted to see. We flew into Venice and out of Rome. ( 2nts in Venice, 3 in Florence with a day trip by train to Pisa and Lucca, 2nts in Sienna with a day trip to Tuscany, 3 nts in Rome, then took the train and spent 1 nt in Sorrento so we could be close to Pompeii where we spent the next day (one of the highlights of our trip), then back to Rome.

Before everyone starts saying 10 days isn't enough. I realize 10 days isn't enough to get a whole picture of a country but not everyone has the luxury of taking that much vacation time with their employment.

You will be able to see A LOT in ten days! We personally loved Venice and stayed In lido which is the end of the water taxi line and it was beautiful. Even if u don't stay in lido( instead of Venice to save a little $) , if u go in the summer I recommend checking lido out for a beach day
Have a great honeymoon

Which months are best for travel? If we do go, it would be lovely to take advantage of the water!
Currency wise, how much should we expect to spend for meals and transport (taxi/train)

A month was not enough! You might want to reconsider

My fiancé and I do not have the luxury to take that much time off with our employment.

Just my thoughts and comments

Take whatever you can get it will be there when your ready and able to stay longer
I would consider Naples, Positano, and or Crete it really depends when your going and what your priority is. Land water history culture?

Cinque terre is also a major for me. Looks phenomenal.

It is!!! I also recommend seeing Capri.

Monterosso is a good base.

Make sure you book cinque terre in advance they are starting to limit amount of ppl going due to erosion.

I'd definitely put the cinque Terre in the must see list, along with Florence, venice and Rome. Rome wasn't our absolute favorite (it was a little too busy for us, we were there over easter) but we would have missed so much if we hadn't have gone!

I did Italy in 11 days....Venice, Assisi, Rome, Montecassino, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Orvieto, Pisa, Florence, Tuscany, Bologna, this was all part of a Europe trip I did...7 counties in 23 days!!

Perfect, that's lots of information to go on! First and foremost, congratulations!!!!! Italy is DEFINITELY a good honeymoon destination.
Depending on what you find for flights there's a few things you could do. If you're sticking with In and out of Rome, or Florence, I would do a loop of Florence, the Cinque Terre, and perhaps Rome.. Or Florence and the Cinque Terre, maybe with a day or overnight in Siena. If you're flying in and out of Venice, I would do a Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence sort of trip.
If I can give some advice, I really would NOT recommend driving in Italy. The roads are a pain, and anywhere inside any of the cities is a gigantic nightmare. The cities that are too big to walk through have excellent public transit, and the train system is incredibly cheap (CHEAP -- I'm talking 14 euros from Venice to Florence if you book far enough in advanced).
For your food and wine, obviously everywhere will be better than here but I really think Florence is the foodie/wino city to be. If you post on here later once you've firmed up your itinerary I'm happy to shoot some restaurant recommendations over your way!
I would split my time up something like this:
Fly into rome
day in rome (day 1)
day in rome (day 2)
Train to Florence (IN AM)--> day in florence (day 3)
day in florence (day 4)
day in Florence (day 5)
Train from Florence to Cinque Terre (Vernazza -- I would stay in Vernazza, when you see the pictures of a beautiful town situated on the water in the Cinque Terre, this is Vernazza) (day 6)
Cinque Terre(day 7)
Cinque Terre(day
Train to Florence -> Florence -> Siena, or Vernazza-> Siena (day in siena) (day 9 -- optional, if your 'flight to rome" is day 1, then go Vernazza --> rome for flight home, OR go Cinque Terre/Vernazza to VENICE, fly home from Venice)
I left a day 10 out because it's tough to count on a full 10th day unless your travel to and from Europe days don't count in there.
Venice is a beautiful city but it is very small, unless you wish to visit museums and art galleries galore, or other places near Venice, I recommend one or two nights MAX in Venice.
Rome > Florence is 1-2 hours on the train, Florence to Cinque Terre is around 2-3ish hours, closer to 3 due to train changes, Florence to Venice is about 2 hours.. So on so forth. So your city-city travel can be done in the morning, or evening to maximize your time efficiency.
IF you are wanting to spend more time in specific cities (change hotels less), I would recommend spending the bulk of your time in Florence, possibly with 'day trips' to areas within Tuscany such as Siena, San Gimignano, or you could visit San Marino!!
I hope this helps. I've visited Italy 3 times and loved my visits, it's a wonderful place.

Yes. We did Florence, Orvieto , positano and Rome. Wish I would've went to Venice too. It was fantastic. Olive oil, bread and wine!

Just returned from 2.5 weeks in Italy. Was my 3rd time. I agree with some of what Josh said but it really depends on so many factors. Time of year? If you're going between October and spring I'd leave out the south. Weather isn't great for travel and much of Almalfi for example is shut down.
Do you want the structure of a schedule? If you don't and would prefer to come and go and spend more or less time in a place once you see what it has to offer, then train travel is very effective, but not cheap if you're deciding on a daily basis whether you're staying or going. I agree about driving, unless one of you is super comfortable with the idea and perhaps if you're travelling in low seasons, but cities and parking are a challenge and you'll need an international drivers license.
Sorry, I totally disagree about Venice! I was told "don't waste too much time in Venice, only a day or two." So glad I didn't listen. We were there 4 days. It really depends on what you envision. Do you want a tour guided experience, do you want to soak up culture and have long meals and coffee watching people. You need to decide when you're going, what is a must to see and experience, what kind of pace you'd like to keep and will it be scheduled or decide while you're there. Those factors would considerably change the type of trip you'd plan.

This trip we did Rome, Pompeii and Vesuvius, Florence, Pisa and Venice. Granted we did 5 days in Rome, 5 days in Florence and 4 in Venice. I've been to all of them before expect Venice and there was no boredom. There's so much to do.

Rome, Amalfi Coast (stay in Sorrento), Florence, Venice. 10 days is plenty if you stay focused. Don't try to see everything. Stay in these major areas for 2 or 3 days and then see things that are close by. You will see more than enough to satisfy your heart.Yes, you will miss a ton but that just gives you a reason to go back

We rented a car from Rome. It is super easy to travel around Italy by car. Park the car in the big cities and walk or use transit. But having a car gets you to the next destination much quicker and on your schedule.

I get it....my fiancee and i had the same struggles planning ours..... Having been to Italy a number of times and lived there for a bit....here is what i suggest......
Fly into Rome - jet lag is doable here cause the city is big enough to have food at strange times while you adapt....write off the first day, but feel free to explore...look at staying around termini..... The walk after you arrive will be shorter and there is a ton of places to stay so prices are reasonable..... Through air bnb we got a whole flat for 130 a night. You can stay in trendy areas...but the current trendy spot has no link to the train and is across the tiber.....so you have to travel there.
Now spend day 2-4 in Rome.....there is so much to see and so many romantic places you can linger here.....if you like history....consider a day trip to ostia.
Then Florence... On your way there make a day trip to Cortona....it is touristy joint but has enough italian history and flavour to make up for it....lots of little side streets.....daily markets....and enough church bells that ring to remind you are in Italy....then hop back on the train and head to Florence.
Florence... Spend 3-4 days here.....and explore.....check out Fiesole, great roman ruins just outside of Florence. Then i would suggest just seeing Florence....there is a ton to see there!
Now you have a choice....you can squish Venice into all of this....or not..... Then head back to Rome to catch your flight home.
So i am taking a different tact.....i think that when you are on a honeymoon you are more focused on each other and relaxing....a frantic trip trying to see as much as possible has its benefits....but .....can be exhausting! Get a taste and see the main sights.....then you can go from there!
Remove the stress of living out of bags and going from train to train and rushed constantly.....enjoy the honeymoon and relax....the wedding is done. If something really peaks your interest go again!
Enjoy!

Cinque Terre. Florence & pisa. verona. Rome but avoidon't the crowds and go to the baths of caracalla just down the road from the old romantic circus. gorgeous runs and we had pretty much the whole place to ourselves. Spend some time in Tuscany. You can have a beautiful trip in 10 days that will leave you excited for your next adventure

I just did 10 days in Italy! I only planned on being in Rome however we ended up driving to Venice, Naples and Pisa... you will have an amazing time!!!You can do it in 10 days!!! I didn't feel rushed!

Make Rome your start off point. Take train to Florence, Milan, Venice then back to Rome. Couple of days in each place. From Rome go south to Naples with a quick tour of Pompeii, then back up to Rome. Done!

PS - You'll LOVE the supertrain (Freccia Rossa)!!! Sooooo worth the $$!!!

I think it depends on your personality. History: Florence and Rome, Vatican. Romance: Venice, almalfi coast (includes positano). Hiker: Cinque Terre. Wine lover: Tuscany. Pisa is like walking into a post card. Totally suggest a guide for Rome. Can't get lost in Venice. Italy is my fav and I only get a few days there. It's a great excuse for why I must go back again.

10 days is nowhere near enough time to 'do' Italy, it's such a vast country and each major city has so, so, so, so much to see.
My first trip to Italy was a 9 day trip split between Venice, Florence, Siena, and Rome. It was a tour. 3 days in rome, 1 day in Siena, 2 days Florence, 2 and a half days Venice. It was a really lovely taste of what's out there, and the first trip I ever went on (aside from trips with my parents to the Caribbean, that sort of thing), but I wouldn't recommend trying to see all of Italy in such a short time.
I would make a short list of places you'd like to visit and try to do 3-4 days per city, OR pick a region plus a city.
Depending on where you're planning to fly in and out of (or if this is part of a larger trip) my personal recommendations would vary, but I believe anyone who wants to experience Italy should spend time in Tuscany -- in Florence and Siena, and perhaps some of the other areas. Rome is beautiful, and if you were going for longer the Cinque Terre or Amalfi coast in Campania are both beautiful, but not the places I would go on my FIRST visit.
Are you travelling to just Italy, Melanie? Is there an occasion for the trip (such as anniversary or honeymoon or birthday) or is it a vacation only? Do you have flights booked?

Agree, just pick an area as you can't see it all. Rome is great and requires at least 3 days. We also went to Ostia Antica. It is a great day trip and it is a beautifully preserved ancient roman town. It is not crowded and it is quite sprawling. So if you are not going south to Pompeii it is a good place to hit up. We did this after we left Rome. We rented a car, drove there, and the up to Cinque Terre. Spent three glorious nights in Monterosso. From there we headed north into the Piemonte region. Good food and good wine (Alba region). But if that is too far, just slowly make you way to Cinque Terre and enjoy Tuscany. That's my two cents

Herculaneum is more amazing than Pompeii.. and its right by Naples... its on the other side of Vesuvius... three days after Pompeii got slammed, boiling mud came down the other side of the mountain and filled it up... things are super well preserved there

Chose a city as a base, I stayed in Florence and hopping an early train to Rome and Venice let me see enough, Although I did fly out of Triviso Nr Venice so stayed there the last evening
lovely little town

Just choose North or South of Italy first, and go from there
Like I said, 10 days was doable and I was in 6 places. I saw everything there was to see and I wasn't rushed.
Everyone travels differently.

Sometimes you can find flights To rome or venice and From the other, if that's the case do the traditional rome/florence/venice split -- 3 days Rome, 4 days Florence, 2 days Venice. Stop for a day in Vernazza, or Siena.

I didn't particularly like Rome but you cannot not see ROME. I LOVED Pompeii. Florence was very special. The amalfi coast is amazing.

Training is easy and the best way to get around.....train all the way! Although you can do easy cheap flights between cities as well.

And Venice! Or Venezia as it's actually pronounced!!! Oh, you will love Italy!!!

We did a cruise and went to Pisa, Rome, Naples and Venice and Id personally focus on Rome and Venice. We didn't like naples at all and Pisa is nice but Rome has so much! We were there for 4 days and it was pushing it. The Vatican is a MUST!!! and thats like a whole day.

We did 9 days between Rome, Florence and Venice. Did a quick stop in Pisa and murrano and burrano. I loved Venice!

Id choose two cities and split 5 days. Otherwise your just travelling. Rome and Venice

10 days. Went to Milan, Venice, Burano, Lido, Pavia and Bologna.
Travelled for under $2000 CAD which included airfare, accommodations, transportations, food and miscellaneous spending.

What time of year did you go? Did you stay in hostels?

We went in May of 2015. All airbnbs

Will follow this post. I am going to Rome in September, doing a 10 day cruise also.

Mediterranean cruise was an awesome way to see a ton of places in a short period of time. It was the best use of time because you travel at night while you're sleeping and wake up somewhere new each day. I don't really care for cruising but for Europe I think it was the best way! Our cruise started in Rome and was 12 nights and ended in Venice. Was a magical trip that I still dream of to this day! One day I'll do it again

We did this cruise last year and it's amazing!!

Wow, love your comment, I am very excited about this trip.

Cinque Terre was a highlight. I also really enjoyed our few hours stop in Pisa to see the leaning tower.

Rome....amazing place. I think I pretty much had goosebumps 24/7

The Amalfi Coast is breathtaking!!

I hae not seen herculaneum

May or September.

Agreed

I loved Cinq-Terre area

Liked both Pompeii and Heculeanum also Mt Vesiuvius

Florence!

Food tour (rome) and/or wine tour (Tuscany).

Following