Itineraries

7-Day Italy Itinerary

The perfect week in Italy — Rome, Florence, Venice and the countryside, day by day.

Marco Bellini

Italy Specialist

2025-07-03·12 min read

Overview

Seven days in Italy is enough to fall completely in love with the country — but only if you plan carefully. This itinerary balances Rome's ancient glory, Florence's Renaissance masterpieces, and Venice's surreal beauty, with built-in time to eat, drink, wander, and simply soak it all in. We've done the hard work so you can enjoy la dolce vita from day one.

Key Takeaways & Highlights

Colosseum and Roman Forum with skip-the-line tickets
Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
Uffizi Gallery — Botticelli, Leonardo, Caravaggio
Florence Duomo dome climb
Siena and San Gimignano day trip
Getting lost in Venice by night
Murano glass-blowing demonstration

Day 1–2: Rome — The Eternal City

Arrive in Rome and check into a hotel in the historic centre. Spend your first afternoon acclimatising in the Trastevere neighbourhood — cobbled lanes, ivy-draped buildings and outstanding trattorie. Day 2 begins at the Colosseum and Roman Forum (book tickets in advance), followed by the Palatine Hill. In the evening, walk to the Trevi Fountain (throw your coin!), the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona for an aperitivo.

Pro Tip

Book Colosseum tickets online at least 2 weeks in advance. The entrance queue without tickets can be 2+ hours.

Day 3: Vatican City & Departure to Florence

Rise early for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel — arrive before opening for the shortest queues. After lunch, take the 1.5-hour Frecciarossa high-speed train to Florence (book in advance on Trenitalia). Check into your hotel near the Duomo. Spend the evening in the Oltrarno neighbourhood — Florence's bohemian left bank.

Pro Tip

Buy a combined Vatican Museums + St Peter's Basilica ticket for better value and skip the separate queues.

Day 4: Florence — Renaissance in a Day

Florence's world-class art is concentrated in a walkable area. Begin at the Uffizi Gallery (Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Caravaggio, Leonardo) then climb the Duomo's dome for the city's best view. Cross the Ponte Vecchio and visit the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. End with a Chianti wine tasting at an enoteca near Piazza della Repubblica.

Pro Tip

Uffizi queues are brutal without pre-booked tickets. Book online at uffizi.it at least a week ahead.

Day 5: Tuscan Day Trip — Siena & San Gimignano

Take a morning bus from Florence to Siena — one of Italy's best-preserved medieval cities, built around the magnificent shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. After lunch, head to San Gimignano, the 'medieval Manhattan', with its 14 surviving tower-houses. Return to Florence for dinner at a Mercato Centrale restaurant.

Day 6: Florence to Venice by Train

Take the 2-hour high-speed train to Venice Santa Lucia station. Step outside and you are immediately in one of the world's most unique cities — no roads, no cars, just water. Take a vaporetto (water bus) to San Marco, walk the impossibly narrow calle laneways, and get deliberately lost. Golden hour from the Rialto Bridge is unmissable. Dine at a bacaro (Venetian wine bar) with cicchetti small plates.

Pro Tip

Stay on the main island of Venice, not Mestre on the mainland — the experience is completely different.

Day 7: Venice — Murano & Departure

Spend your final morning on the island of Murano to watch master glassblowers at work, then visit the Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs. Take a gondola ride for your final hour in Venice — negotiate the price firmly before boarding. Depart from Venice Marco Polo airport or return to Rome on the high-speed train.

Pro Tip

Gondola rides have fixed official rates (€80 for 30 mins). Any gondolier charging significantly more is overcharging — confirm the price before you step on board.

Ready to explore?