sorry, i forgot to mention i intend to travel in September!!

On my goodness Henry, where to start. Firstly welcome to Fodor's.

One night at each place isn't a good idea. If you think about it logically you are going to lose at least 1/2 day getting from one place to the next, more in lots of cases.

I gather you are Australian, as am I. You will be jet lagged by the time you get to Athens and there is lots to see, it's worth 2 nights minimum which is still only 1 full day. Then choose 1 or 2 of the islands and allow a couple of nights at each, but don't try to see 4 places.

Italy - given that you've only got 1 week left, choose one of the coastal destinations and spend a few nights. Pompeii is great.

You will lose a full day if you fly from Athens to Rome and then catch a train to Naples and then to say, Sorrento to use as your base for Pompeii.

Otherwise skip that completely and focus on Maybe Florence, which could include a day trip to a Tuscan town, I don't know of the hot springs that you refer to.

Then a day or two in Rome and you will be on your way home.

You need to work out what is MOST important and narrow this down a lot. I hope that helps.

Hi Henry,
I think you are trying to fit in much too much in a two week trip. If you are not careful, you coluld end up spending more time actually waiting around for transportation than seeing the places themselves.
I would suggest that you either extend your trip by a further 2 weeks if possible, or cut some places out. Possibly a combination of these two changes would be best for you.
Minimum times are hard to advise because it very much depends on what you want to do in each place, and how much energy you have! I assume you are young and lively being as you mention a couple of party islands on your wish list!
Athens: 1 full day minimum (Acropolis, Archaeological Museum, possibly Cycladic Museum, the Plaka district)
Ios, Santorini and Mykonos - you could cut out Ios or Mykonos as both party islands. Mykonos is more expensive, more famous, more to see, Ios is more for pure partying. Minimum for either I would say 2 nights but 3 would be better. From Mykonos, Delos can be visited which is a fantastic archaeological site.
Santorini, again 2 - 3 nights,
Zakynthos - difficult to get to from the other places you list, possibly one to consider cutting out if you are short of time.
Rome and Vitican City - minimum 2 full days
Amalfi Coast and Pompeii can be combined, stay at one or the other and visit the second. Sorrento makes a good base for this area as there is good transportation from Sorrento to much of the Amalfi Coast and to Pompeii and Rome.
Venice - 1 full day is sufficient IMO.
I haven't been to the other places you mention, so no opinion on those!
e mail me if you need advice on trains etc. carol_mallik@yahoo.com

Yes, this is way too much for the time you have. Plan to spend a few days in each location you visit. As a general rule, expect to use up half a day travelling each time you move to a new city. Since you appear to be in the early planning stages, think about which of the places you listed has the most appeal for you (reading info on this site and a good guidebook will help). Then you can start to put together a realistic plan that will be enjoyable for you.

I am going to just Italy in May for 2 weeks and that, I don't think is enough time. You don't want to be rushing through the sights. You actually wna tot have the time to roam the streets leisurely and have the time to sit down for dinner expecting to spend at least 2 hours to take in the cultural experience. Here is what I am doing(reminding you this is 2 weeks)

Florence: From here I will visit Venice, Pisa/Luca, Siena, Emilia-Bologna area, roam the city streets and visit sites for 2 days within Florence.

Sorrento: Pompeii and Amalfi Coast drive in 1 day, Capri, Hiking another day, relax and roam the streets 2 other days.

Rome: Stay here 4 days. Devote 2 full days to sights(day 1 Vatican area, Day 2 Ancient Rome area) Day 3 roam streets ans Pantheon Day 4 Capitoline area and roam the streets.

If you go to http://www.raileurope.com/europe-travel-guide/
then you can view train times and how long trips take from one place to another. Plan for late arrival. Trains are unpredictable sometimes. For example, we will travel from Florence to Naples by train. That is atleast a 4 hour ride. We will drive from Naples to Rome. That is 2+ hours(providing I know the roads, which I don't), so I add 1 hour to account for getting lost.

Hope this helps.

Oh ny the way in florence the 2 days for sights is just for sights within florence. The other trips I mentioned are in addition tot he 2 days. We are staying there 7 nights.

Henry...

* L *

That's like asking "OK...I have 2 hours....what's the best rock music I should listen to?"

I've spent over 12 weeks in Italy and Greece, over 5 trips, and haven't scratched the surface...

Pick 2, max 3, places in each country....and "do" them.

Greece, I'd pick Athens (you MUST see the Acropolis) and either Santorini and/or Mykonos,
and,

Italy, Florence and either Cinque Terre or Naples (Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast).

You'd NOT be disappointed.

Good luck....(report back)...

: )

Hi Henry,

Can't help you with Greece, but here is the only way you can do your Italian wish list in a week -- and even then, you need to drop le Cinque Terre (it's not all that great anyway)

Coming from Greece, fly to Rome and take the train to Pompei. Spend the night in Pompei

Next morning, take the train to Salerno, and then take the bus along the Amailfi Drive to Sorrento. This will take you all day. At Sorrento, take the commuter train to Naples and switch for the train to Rome. Spend the night in Rome.

In Rome, it will take you an entire day to see the Vatican. Spend the night in Rome.

You need another day in Rome to see sights like the Pantheon, the Colosseum, etc. Spend the night in Rome.

You need to rent a car to go to the hot springs in Saturnia north of Rome. Then drive to Pisa. Drop off the car, spend the night in Pisa.

See the leaning tower in the morning, take the train to Florence, stow your luggage in the train station, take a look at Florence, get your luggage in the evening and go to Venice. Spend the night in Venice.

Spend the day in Venice. Spend the night in Venice.

It would be tough just to do your Italy list in two weeks.

>>>And how long do you estimate bus, train or ferry would take between destinations? <<<

Flights between Athens/Rome would eat up at least half a day (maybe 3/4). Both airports are outside the city and you would need to allow an hour to reach them. You would need to check in for the flights 1 - 1 1/2 hours in advance, flight time about 2 hours, an hour to retrieve luggage, an hour into the city. By the time you add in checking in and out of both hotels, getting to and from airports, flight check-in times, etc. you've used up about 7 hours of your day. It would be similar getting from Athens to the islands whether you fly or take a ferry (although ferry transport alone can eat up half a day) since you have to get to and from airports or ports.

If you want to drop Greece, you might be able to fit in most of your Italy list, but it will be rushed.

Henry, I'd spend 3 days each in Athens and Santorini, then another 3 days in Sorrento to cover Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi coast. The last 4 days in Rome, which will give you an idea of what these countries are about, you can explore some more on your next trip...

There are early flights from Athens to Rome, you will be at 10 am at your hotel
It is a short flight of 2 hours...

Depending on the islands and on the boat, flying is of course faster..... from the Athens airport the centre is only 45 minutes away... from the port 30 minutes....

There are high speed boats, but if you book well in advance, you can find a flight at very low rates.

You are trying to squash 25 pounds of stuff into a 10 pound bag. This will not work at all - and you will have nothing more than a tour of harbors, airports and train stations of europe.

In two weeks got to no more than 4 places (4 hotels) although you can do a day trip from Tuscany and from Rome if you want. IMHO the lest time it makes sense to spend in Rome is 3 days (4 nights) - smaller places 2 days (3 nights) and that is still ery rushed.