Where to Stay:

For Rome

Being such a walkable city and with taxis being fairly affordable, it’s hard to go wrong when picking an area of Rome to stay in.
My top recommendation will depend on a few key variables.

First, if you intend to use Rome as a base for conducting day trips then I definitely recommend staying near Roma Termini station.  There are some really great options here depending on your budget.

If on the other hand your focus will be solely on Rome and you intend to try and see most or all of the major sites in Rome I recommend staying in the Centro Storico, Rome’s historic center.  You’ll be ideally situated to explore Rome in every direction. 

One last recommendation, if you’re experiencing sticker shock, or just having a difficult time finding something in your budget you might want to take a look in the Trastevere area where there are many nice and well maintained options, at lower prices.  While Trastevere is a much longer walk from most of the sights in Rome and there are no metro stops, there is the Tram 🙂 yay!  Line 8 runs from Trastevere across the Tiber River, right into the heart of Rome’s historic center.

For Venice

If you’re arriving or departing from Venice by train my overall recommendation is to skip struggling with your luggage on a crowded vaporetto and to stay a short walk from the station.  The BW Continental is a fantastic choice.  Of course if you’re flying into Marco Polo airport and have decided to splurge on a water taxi into Venice you’ll most enjoy staying somewhere that has its own private pier.  

View my post:  Considerations to Keep in Mind When Choosing Where to Stay.

When to go: 

Italy has a range of climates and terrains which means the optimal time to visit will vary a little region by region. Generally the so-called shoulder seasons of spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) will offer both pleasant weather and fewer crowds than the peak season (June-August). If you’ll be heading to the beaches keep in mind the Mediterranean sea warms up slowly and the best time for swimming will be late summer (July-August).

What to Take: 

Definitely make sure you leave space in your suitcase for souvenirs. 🙂
Because you can basically get anything you need in Italy, you may often hear the advice ”not to worry about packing everything, you can just get it there.”  This advice has some merit, it’s true if you forget something there’s no need to worry overmuch, but keep in mind you have to go find these things you need, they’re not going to be just outside your hotel. Anytime you spend shopping for necessities will mean less time sightseeing.

View my post: Packing Checklist 

Sightseeing: 

More and more of the world’s most famous sights are implementing timed entry options or requirements.  This may call for a little more planning ahead than it did in the past, but the advantage is spending less time in lines and more time enjoying what you traveled to see.  The following are just a few of Italy’s most famous sights along with any existing timed entry requirements and ticketing information.

*Note, these are not necessarily my favorite sights (although a few are) but rather a handful of popular and famous sights that may require extra planning to visit.  
Ticket options and entry procedures for Italy’s most famous sights can and do change, make sure to check official websites.

Colosseum

The Colosseum limits daily visitors and tickets will sell out. It’s strongly recommended to book online, however if all online tickets are sold out they may still have tickets available on the day of arrival, but it is not guaranteed and the wait in line may be long. Whether you’re buying tickets online or on arrival you will have to choose a time slot for the Colosseum part of the ticket.

There are many ticket options and packages for visiting the Colosseum.  From arena access, to underground tours and night visits to combo tickets including  entrance to the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill and access to Super sites.  It’s best to go straight to the official website to see what they all are. 
Website: https://colosseo.it/en/

*note if having trouble loading the site you may have better luck later in the evening or very early in the morning.

Pantheon 

Unless visiting for holy mass, tickets are required for entry.  Tickets may be purchased online or on arrival.  As the ticket process is relatively new, the ticket on arrival lines are known to be chaotic, this may or may not improve in time, but for now it is faster and smoother to buy the ticket online.

Website: www.museiitaliani.it/
Website for Tickets: https://portale.museiitaliani.it/

Vatican Museums 

Online tickets often sell out well in advance.  When booking online you must choose an entry time.  Tickets may also be purchased on arrival, but there might be long lines.  Booking online is considered a skip the line ticket, however there will still be a line for security screening.

Website: https://www.museivaticani.va/

*The Vatican has a dress code.  Entry may be denied to anyone wearing sleeveless and or low cut garments also shorts and skirts above the knee are not permitted.

Uffizi Galleries 

Tickets may be purchased online from the official ticket vendor, B-Ticket.
When booking online you will need to choose a time slot.

Website of Uffizi:  www.uffizi.it/en    Website of B-ticket: www.b-ticket.com/b-Ticket/uffizi/

Tickets may also be purchased on arrival at the Uffizi ticket office or in person at several other locations throughout Florence including the Pitti Palace, the National Archaeological Museum of Florence and the Museum Bargello.

Galleria dell’ Academia & Michelangelo’s David

Tickets may be bought on arrival or booked online.  Reservations are highly recommended, if you do not have a reservation with timed entry the wait to get in may be long and is not guaranteed.  When buying tickets online you reserve a timed entry slot.  The official vendor for online tickets is B-Ticket.

Website: www.b-ticket.com/b-Ticket/uffizi/

Venice

The city of Venice itself has implemented a ticket entry system (it will start off as a trial run with changes sure to follow) The entry fee only applies to day trippers on certain days, the entrance ticket can be purchased online.  While those staying overnight are exempt from the fee itself they will still need to book the entrance ticket (if arriving in Venice on certain days) and receive a QR code by entering their accommodation information.

 Website: www.veneziaunica.it/

Pompeii 

During the high tourist season Pompeii now implements a daily limit of 20,000 visitors.  Tickets may be purchased online or on arrival.  Pompeii’s official ticket vendor is TicketOne, website: www.ticketone.it/en/

When booking online, while the daily limit is in effect, one must choose between two time slot options, either the first half of the day or the second half.