The Best of Italy: Ultimate Two Week Italy Itinerary (14 Days)

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291 Comments

1. Hi,

   My wife and I are planning a trip to Europe on November, particularly Italy (and thinking of doing a quick trip in Paris before Italy). Total days (including Paris if ever) is around 13 days.

   This will be a 1 year anniversary travel for us, and we would greatly appreciate if you could give a brief itinerary on which we should go to and what would be the budget for this.

   Thanks in advance!

   Reply

   1. Hi A,

      I’m not sure if you’ve seen my Italy itinerary for 7 days, but if so you will have seen that there I recommend 3 nights for Rome, 2 for Florence, and 2 for Venice. For Paris, I think I’d recommend at least 3 days, 1 being a day trip to Versailles. But that would be assuming 3 full days, so if you are starting in Paris, that first day you land probably won’t be a full day, so I’d say to consider 4 nights.

      That would look something like Paris (4 nights) > Venice (2 nights) > Florence (2 nights) > Rome (3 nights) and bring you up to 11 nights total so far. And that would be to see everything “big” in each city mentioned, but at a rather quick pace.

      So, for example, if you want to devote the better part of a day to the Lourve instead of just a few hours, and/or enter more Paris museums than just that most famous one, you may want to add one or more days there. If you want to be able to stop for a proper lunch each day and/or not wake up early each morning, again, I would tack on another night to some other stops.

      Alternatively, if you hate museums and/or don’t plan on entering all major attractions in each of those main 4 cities I suggested, you might consider day trips depending on your interests. From Rome, you can consider Naples and/or Pompeii. From Florence, you can consider Bologna, Siena, or Pisa. If interested in seeing the Last Supper painting, you could also add Milan as a stop between Paris and Venice, or make a day trip there from Florence (it is 1.75hrs by train one way).

      As for budget, it’s unfortunately quite different person to person! I do included all attraction prices and transpiration prices in this itinerary (and the 7 day one) and I have prices for Paris attractions here. So you can tally up the costs depending on which modes of transport and attractions you choose. Your biggest costs will however be accommodation and flights. Flights depend on where you’re coming from and how far in advance you book. Housing depends on your preferences, but I have a guide for Italy options that match my itinerary stops and provide suggestions for various budgets (November should be on the lower end of the estimates I provide). For food, again it depends on how nice the restaurant is and whether you are traveling at a slower pace, sitting down for 1-2 meals a day, or just having quick/simple meals in order to keep at a faster pace or spend less (I tend to do the latter and spend under €30 a day for food in Italy).

      Hope some of that helps!!

      – Em

      Reply

2. Hi Em!
   Thanks for this amazing detailed itinerary. We are planning to visit Italy for 2 weeks in May and your post has really helped structure my trip.
   This is what our provisional trip looks like….

   1 Arrive in Naples + explore
   2 Day trip to Pompeii
   3 Day trip to Sorrento
   4 Train to Rome . Days 4-6 in Rome
   7 Train to Florence. Explore Florence
   8 Florence
   9 Trip to Pisa and Luca
   10 Trip to Siena
   11 Train to Milan
   12 Milan
   13 Train to Venice. Explore venice or visit Murano
   14 explore venice . Fly out

   Could you please make any recommendations or changes that would help make our trip better and so we could make the most out of it?
   Would be really helpful

   Thanks!

   Reply

   1. Hi Yusra,

      I’m glad to know I could help!

      I think your trip looks really good. The only thing that caught my eye is that you seem to have more time in Milan than Venice, though I am not sure what time your Venice flight is and so maybe you have close to a full day on that final day, nor what time your train to Milan arrives and so maybe you have closer to just one full day there.

      There’s nothing wrong with more time in Milan vs Venice if that lines up with your interests! Maybe you want to see more in Milan than just the Duomo, Galleria, and Last Super painting. Or maybe you are not enthralled by the idea of Venice. If either of those is the case, then what you have looks fine. But since many people only visit Milan for those 3 attractions, which don’t really take even a full day, and since you look to be debating a half day trip from Venice, I just wanted to point that out!

      Hope that helps!

      – Em

      Reply

      1. Thanks for getting back Em!

         I think we’d have about 3/4 of a day in Milan I guess if we took an earlier train. So I decided I’d leave another full day just to keep it relaxed. But if you think Venice actually deserves more time, maybe we can consider switching that up. Honestly I left less time for Venice because I got the sense that it’s a bit boring from other blogposts. But I may need to reconsider now.

         Do you think there is any space to add anything on to our itinerary? We wanted to cover cinque terre but it seemed a bit exhausting with all that back and forth so thought of leaving it for the next time.

         Reply

         1. Hi Yusra,

            I’d honestly just go with your gut, then! Milan is obviously the bigger city, so I could see how Venice could be perceived as boring if one is just trying to “see it” and be done. More time in Venice would be used to just take in its beauty more slowly and not necessarily to “do” things.

            Your itinerary looks very filled! If you get bored in Milan / feel you are done with just the 3/4 day, you could use the full day to do a day trip to Lake Como. There are other day trips from Milan, but that one I think is the nicest.

            Hope that helps!

            – Em

            Reply

3. Hi,

   This is a fantastic post. I have not looked at any other travel Itinerary for my Honeymoon planning.

   We are an Indian Couple, In our 30’s, getting married in April.

   We are flying to Venice on 23rd and Flying out of Rome on 4th May.

   Please suggest a detailed Itinerary which would cover majority of the places mentioned. Please note, we are not an avid fan of History and Museums. We want to cover scenic beauty and majestic view points and pristine beaches along.

   We plan to skip Milan all together. So this would be reverse of your Itinerary minus few places since we are short of days.

   Please suggest the best possible itinerary along with internal travel routes.

   It would be massively helpful.

   Reply

   1. Hi Siddhanth,

      Thanks for the kind feedback! And congratulations on your engagement!

      It sounds like you have 11 nights. As you see here in this itinerary, I recommend 2 for Venice, 2 for Florence, and 3 for Rome. That’s 7 nights and leaves you with 4 remaining.

      Out of all the destinations on this itinerary, the Amalfi Coast is the most honeymoon vibes in my opinion. So I would suggest not cutting that out. I would also recommend 3 nights there to make the trek out there worth it, because it’s a bit of effort to reach. You could do a day trip from Florence to Cirque Terre by tacking on that one remaining night to Florence, but I think it would be more enjoyable for your trip to just add it as a 4th night in the Amalfi Coast. Or, you could add it to Florence and maybe hire a car or driver to go into some more scenic parts of the Tuscan countryside. Either of those would also simplify your train routes, because going from Venice to Cinque Terre requires two transfers, which is why I have Milan in the middle in this itinerary.

      So that itinerary would then look like Venice (2 nights) > Florence (2-3 nights) > Amalfi Coast (3-4 nights) > Rome (3 nights).

      Since you say you do not like museums, I would say to use that extra time saved by not entering things in order to move more slowly and enjoy each city a little less rushed than how I have it laid out, having more time for nice meals etc., which I think fits better with a honeymoon trip.

      Lastly, I will just add that the beaches on this route are either pebbly or cliff beaches. None are really sandy. I think that makes the towns look even prettier, but I just wanted to make sure you aren’t expecting long or sandy beaches.

      Hope that helps!

      – Em

      Reply

      1. Thanks Em,
         This is indeed pretty helpful. Have a few follow up questions on this:
         1) Given you have had a better travel exposure than me and according to your expertise, would you advise me to tact one night which I have in Amalfi Coast rather than a day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre/Drive to Tuscan country side? Also, which would be a more enjoyable one out of Cinque Terre and Tuscan countryside day trip, given my preferences are to get a scenic vibe with not much of history. Would that make more sense to stay 4N in Amalfi and be cover Capri (One day trip) as well by taking a ferry from Positano/Amalfi? Or should I stay overnight in Capri and then proceed to Napoli Station from where I head to Rome?
         Given I don’t want to wear out my Fiancé with excess travel.
         2) What is best travel path to reach Rome from Amalfi/Positano? I think it would require a ferry transfer as well as train route, please suggest.
         3) Yes my understanding is aligned with yours with respect to Beaches. However, I would still want your take on some of the beaches (sand ones) which are accessible, especially in Amalfi?
         4) Any Romantic vibe restaurants or spots which you recommend as a definite go to overall? We are religiously Vegetarian (No meat/egg but not Vegans i.e. consume dairy etc.)

         Reply

         1. 5) Also, do you recommend I shuffle between Positano/Amalfi? I was thinking of staying the entire duration in Positano and then take the Bus to travel to Amalfi and back to avoid the hassle of shifting the hotels. Would that make sense?

            Reply

            1. 6) Should I avoid Pompei and Sorrento altogether? If not then is there a way to cover it ? I felt Pompei had again too much history which I am not a fan of (no offense, just a personal preference in prioritizing what I want to visit).

               Reply

               1. 7) Also, how do I travel from Florence to Positano? I was thinking either to go to Napoli station from Florence then take a ferry from Naples port to Positano. But another option which popped in my head was Florence > Napoli Central > Napoli Piaza Garibaldi > Pompeii > Sorrento (Stay overnight) > Positano (Ferry)

                  Reply

               2. Hi again,

                  6) Yes, since you don’t care for history you can skip Pompeii, which I kind of mentioned in my last comment about skipping it between Naples and Sorrento, just going straight bw the two. Or you can decide to take the ferry from Naples port.

                  As to Sorrento, like I say in this guide, I only have it here as a base, not because of the destination itself (even though it is nice), but rather due to price and also because it’s less work to get to vs true Amalfi Coast. So again, you can decide what fits your needs best.

                  7) Yes, this is what you would do in order to do the whole journey by land to Sorrento and then use it as a base for day trips. But, again, feel free to remove Pompeii, heading straight to Sorrento instead without getting off at Pompeii first. Same train.

                  Hope that helps!

                  – Em

                  Reply

         2. Hi Siddahanth,

            1) Between Cinque Terre and a Tuscan countryside day, I think the countryside day might fit your scenic location wish if you can get to some hilly and quieter parts. It’s what’s often photographed in Italy tourism materials; the rolling hills and winding roads with the long trees. Personally, I love the sea a lot more than hills, lol, so I really enjoyed Cinque Terre. But the top thing I get asked about in this comment sections is actually how to add a Tuscan countryside day into this itinerary. So I think that part of the country is something a lot of visitors have in mind when they think of Italy. Also, I am not sure if you have read through the guide I linked to the Cinque Terre day trip, but it requires an early start (around 8am departure from Florence) bc the direct trains are limited. But neither destination is about history. As for one of those vs Amalfi Coast, it’s really a personal preference. Amalfi Coast is also the most expensive destination (not only hotel but daily transport and food), so that might be a factor too.

            2) I would just do the exact reverse of the routes I have in this itinerary. You’ll see I explain Rome > Naples > Pompeii > Sorrento > Amalfi Coast. So you just do the reverse (skipping Pompeii, because it is simply a stop on the line bw Naples and Sorrento, no change). If you want to go via ferry, then Amalfi Coast town > ferry to Naples port > metro or taxi to Naples train station > fast train to Rome.

            3) I didn’t visit/see any sand beaches in Amalfi Coast / Capri nor in Cinque Terre. I believe the famous one I mention in this guide, that I learned about after my visit, Fiordo di Furore, is sand. But I don’t know that it’s pristine either…! It just looks cool under the bridge. There are beach bars with private seating located apart from the main beaches, so you might Google some of those! The kind where you rent a pair of day beds. The main beaches have this option (for example, Positano main beach), but from vlogs I’ve seen, the ones tucked around the corners rather than on the main beach seem quieter. You can just search “beach clubs” while on google maps looking at the coast, and options will come up.

            4) I unfortunately don’t have restaurant recs! Outside of the ones I mention in this post.

            5) Yes, I would just choose one base town in the Amalfi Coast. Capri can be a full day trip from many towns (def all the main ones). You can use the bus, but warned that it is very crowded, often requiring waits and/or being standing room early. A ferry between the two is more expensive, but much more enjoyable and more.

            Hope that helps!

            – Em

            Reply

            1. Thanks Em,
               This is incredibly helpful.
               Another follow-up questions:

               1) Can we squeeze in Pisa Tower ? From Florence to Cinque Terre ? Morning – Pisa then Pisa to La Spezia in the noon – Head to Riomaggiore to Manarola (Trail) and return to La Spezia and Florence (Entirely one day trip)

               2) Also we both are a beach person so instead of Tuscany countryside I too would prefer Cinque Terre. Do you think we should skip Pisa to cover Cinque Terre in peace?

               Reply

               1. Hi Siddhanth,

                  1) I think you can. Since you are skipping the 3 other villages, you can replace the time you would have spent on that in Pisa. In that case, you would depart from Firenze SM Novella in the morning (to stop at Pisa before La Spezia) and then return direct La Spezia to Firenze Campo Di Marte.

                  2) Skipping Pisa or not depends on your preferences. It’s a very iconic photo opportunity, but it is simply in my itinerary for the photo opp and nothing else. In general, the 5 Cinque Terre towns are of course similar, so if you are not into hiking, you may be fine to not see every single one. But Monterosso does have the only proper beach in Cinque Terre (but remember, no sand! Just pebbles), so you could rent a chair with umbrella there if that interests you more than seeing the leaning tower.

                  3) I tend to stick to public transport, so I unfortunately haven’t veered into rural Tuscany and don’t have recs for this. But some points of interest for iconic scenery could be Monticchiello Road and Viale dei Cipressi.

                  Hope that helps!

                  – Em

                  Reply

            2. Also any recommendations for Tuscan Country side picturesque route which doesn’t involve historic aspects massively ?

               Reply

4. We are headed to Milan in June and have about 14 days. Highlights would be Rome, Amalfi Coast and Sicily. Ideally flying into Milan and out of Rome. Can you help with an itinerary that makes sense?

   Reply

   1. Hi Lauren,

      Off the top of my head, I’d say something like: fly into Milan (1-2 nights, to have 1 full day, maybe day trip to Lake Como if you add an extra night to have 2 full days) > fly to Sicily (that part of the itinerary is going to depend a lot on your interests and whether you want to see all the biggest draws on the island in one go or can return and prefer to split it west vs east and see more than just the biggest things in each half, etc.) > fly to to Naples as gateway to Amalfi Coast (3+ nights) > fast train to Rome from Naples (3 nights)

      Hope that helps!

      – Em

      Reply

5. Hi I’d like to get your printable 14 day itinerary to Italy . I also signed up to your site . please could you send me a copy thank you . Ksan

   Reply

   1. Hi Ksan,

      Thanks for your interest in the freebie!

      Were you able to find the email (sometimes it goes to Promotions or Spam/Junk when you get emails from a new sender)? I see that you clicked the download link for the freebie about an hour after this comment, but if you still have issues, feel free to respond to any of the emails from me and I will respond back.

      – Em

      Reply

6. Hello! Thank you for responding to my comment. Very kind of you, greatly appreciated! I mentioned wanting to visit Rome, Florence with a Tuscan countryside visit, and the Amalfi Coast end of September-October for a total of 12 days.

   This is my draft itinerary:
   Land in Rome September 26, Rome 3 nights
   Leave to Amalfi September 29th in the morning, Amalfi coast 3 nights
   Leave to Florence October 2nd morning time, Florence 4 nights
   Leave to Rome October 6 mid-day, Rome 2 night
   Go home October 8th

   Would it be possible to add Venice traveling from Florence? Or Is this too hectic?

   For clarification…if we plan on allocating 4 nights to Florence with staying in a second spot in Tuscany. Where will the day trips be? Pisa and Cinque Terre?

   Also, what’s the best way to travel from Rome to Amalfi Coast and Amalfi Coast to Florence?

   Thank you,
   Janelle M.

   Reply

   1. Hi Janelle,

      You’re welcome!

      That itinerary as you have it looks quite good. You can technically do a day trip to Venice from Florence, but it’d be a min of 2 hrs each way. Alternatively, you can remove two nights from Florence/Tuscany and switch the extra time in Tuscany with two nights in Venice. Or remove one night from Rome or Amalfi Coast and have at least one night in Venice. Etc. So depends on your interests/priorities!

      For the 2 non-Florence Tuscany nights, it seemed to me like you meant something more rural than Florence, so again it really just depends on your interests! I’ve only traveled by public transport, so I haven’t done anything too rural. Siena is an option (I will be publishing a day trip guide from Florence in some weeks). Pisa is another. Cinque Terre would be leaving Tuscany and entering Liguria, but it’s an option too. San Gimignano is popular but I haven’t been. Again you can also just rent a car, so up to you!

      For Amalfi Coast transport, you have many options, but it depends on your base city. I detail how to get to Sorrento from Rome in my two week Italy itinerary, since it’s an affordable base town. Other options are Rome > Naples via fast train + Naples to Positano/Amalfi via ferry or via taxi/private transfer. To Florence, get back to Naples and then fast train to Florence.

      Hope that helps!

      – Em

      Reply

7. Hello! Thank you for creating the wonderful Italian vacation itinerary. We are considering visiting Italy this spring/summer. We want to visit- Rome, Pompeii, Sardinia, Amalfi coast, Venice and Florence. We have 14 days. What order do you recommend visiting the different areas?
   Thanks SO much!!

   Reply

   1. Hi Deborah,

      You’re welcome, glad to know you like it! 🙂

      I think something like this (or the exact reverse) would make sense: Rome > Amalfi Coast (stop at Pompeii from Rome or as day trip from Sorrento) > flight Naples to Sardinia > flight to Florence > train to Venice

      Hope that helps!! Sounds like the makings of a lovely trip!

      – Em

      Reply

   2. Hi

      Your itinerary is so detailed and very informative. I have a question here:
      1. You have suggested to go from sorrento to capri and then capri to naples. Are there any luggage facilities available for storage of our suitcase at Capri?

      Reply

      1. Hi Shweta,

         I’m glad to know this is helpful!

         In the Capri section of this post, I link a luggage storage option that you can book in advance and also describe some other options. 🙂

         Hope that helps!

         – Em

         Reply

8. Hello, thank you very much for the information. My husband and I are planning to visit the Dolomites from June 6 to June 8. Is this too early? I’m just worried that the views won’t be as good as they are in summer when everything is lush and green. I’ve searched many posts about how the Dolomites look in early June, but I couldn’t find much information.

   We are planning to travel from Innsbruck. Would it be better to rent a car from Innsbruck or take a train to the Dolomites and rent a car there? Which is the cheaper option, considering tolls and other passes?

   We are planning to catch our return flight from Venice. What would you suggest?

   Thank you.

   Reply

   1. Hi Nived,

      I haven’t traveled to the Dolomites yet, but it’s on my list! And from my research before, I actually thought June was considered a good time to visit, because it is the transition from spring to summer, so things should be green, but it is before high season, so crowds should be better. Sorry that I can’t speak much to that.

      For the car rental, I know companies often either don’t let you drive into other countries or will tack on a surcharge for doing so. Also, I’m not sure if they would let you drop off and pick up in different locations in different countries. So look into all that.

      I think it would be be easier to take a FlixBus from Innsbruck to Bolzano (or wherever else your jumping point into the Dolomites will be) and then rent a car from there (and thus be able to drop it back off at the same place and avoid surcharge for different drop off city). I imagine this will be cheapest. You can then take a train to Venice from Bolzano.

      Hope that helps! Sounds like it will be a lovely trip!!

      – Em

      Reply

9. Aloha! I love your oh so comprehensive breakdown of cities, travel insights, and recommendations.My husband and I are traveling from Kona Hawaii to Italy in April 2025. Due to how far it for us, I want to make every day count! I have revised my itinerary at least 4 times and now I feel,I’m getting down to the wire. Can you tell me how this looks?
   Rome – 4 days, 4 nights
   Florence – 4 days, 4 nights with day trips to Siena or wine tasting tour
   Bologna-2 days, 2 nights
   Venice – 3 days, 3 nights and back to HI ( day trip to Burano, Murano)

   I originally planned to go to CT, but feel I can save that for another trip later down the line. Also, I wanted to see the opera and Last Supper in Milan, but can do that on another trip as well.
   Any recommendations on this itinerary …..should I add Milan back in?

   I’m so excited for this trip and so glad I ran across your blog🌺:)

   Reply

   1. Hi Paula,

      Thanks for the kind feedback!

      I think your itinerary looks good. If you’re already planning a return trip to see CT, you can easily combine that with Milan, as there’s a direct train between Milan and La Spezia. But if you only need one day in Milan, that can be an easy day trip from Bologna, if you want to/can add an extra night there.

      So you won’t go wrong either way!

      Hope that helps!

      – Em

      Reply

10. Love your blog, so much amazing information!

    My wife, and our daughter who will be 13 at the time, are looking to spend just over 2 weeks in Italy. We will be flying in and out of Rome and would like to spend about a week on the mainland and a week in Sicily. We would travel the mainland by train and rent a car in Sicily. Our thought was to spend a few days in Rome, then down to Sorrento to see the Amalfi coast and Pompei, and then on to Sicily. What would you suggest for an itinerary and where to stay?

    We have a few options of when we could go so looking for your thoughts on this as well. We can go in Spring in March, April, or May or in Fall in November.

    Reply

    1. Hi Shayne,

       Thanks for the kind feedback!

       Your plan sounds really lovely. I haven’t been to Sicily yet, though I fully planned and booked a 2-month trip for last summer before having to cancel it due to a fam emergency. So I can speak to Sicily just based off that planning, but not from personal experience.

       You might consider doing something like: Rome (3 nights) > Sorrento (4 nights: stop at Pompeii en route to Sorrento on day1, then 1 day for Capri day trip, 1 day for Positano day trip, and 1 day for Amalfi day trip, or something similar) > fly to Sicily and spend 7 nights there.

       For 7 days in Sicily, there are a lot of options. You could do something like fly into Catania and head straight south to Syracuse, then heading back up to Taormina (maybe doing an Etna excursion somewhere between arrival in Catania and leaving Taormina), then Cefalu, then Palermo (seeing the temples at Agrigento from here one day, day tripping into Zingaro park another, etc.). OR, the exact reverse, since Palermo and Catania both have largish airports. This would allow you to see all the main sites.

       But if you prefer to just focus on one part of the island and hope to return later in life, you could choose west and fly into and out of Palermo or east and fly into and out of Catania.

       As to what month, I think it depends on if you want to swim or not, since two areas you are visiting can be beachy ones! I would probably choose May for my own preferences, as I feel it’s the most legitimate shoulder season from the 4 months you listed. So you get a good balance of mild weather, sea temps not as warm as Aug but still swimmable by most people’s standards, some crowds but nothing like July/August, and medium prices.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

11. Hi Em!
    Another Em here 🙂 This guide has been SO helpful in planning my upcoming trip to Italy this May. I would love your advice on the below itinerary and if this is the best order or anything you would change (esp if there’s a better way to travel on May 8). My husband and I really want to go to all of these places but if there’s one you’d skip if you think this is too much travel, would love to hear your thoughts!

    Sunday, May 4: Arrive in Rome 8am

    Monday, May 5: Rome

    Tuesday, May 6:
    Rome to Naples via train (1hour) → Transfer to Sorrento via train (1 hour)
    Sorrento

    Wednesday, May 7:
    Sorrento → Positano via ferry (1 hour)
    Positano

    Thursday, May 8 – TRAVEL DAY
    Positano → Sorrento via ferry (1 hour)
    Sorrento → Naples via train (1 hour)
    Naples → Florence via train (3ish hours)
    Florence

    Friday, May 9: Florence

    Saturday, May 10: Florence

    Sunday, May 11:
    Florence → Cinque Terre via train (3 hours)
    Cinque Terre

    Monday, May 12: Cinque Terre

    Tuesday, May 13:
    Cinque Terre → Rome via train (3.5 hours)

    Wednesday, May 14:
    Depart Rome for NY

    Reply

    1. Aw hi fellow Em!

       If you and your husband are OK with the pace, then I think it’s fine.

       For the 8th, there are ferries from Positano to Naples, so I would probably aim to do that. From the port in Naples, you can grab a cab or bus or metro to Napoli Centrale. You could also ask your accommodation about what a cab to Napoli Centrale would cost, or look for ones you can book in advance and see if the price is worth saving you guys some time and the hassle.

       For Cinque Terre, if you don’t plan to stop in Pisa, then you can actually take a direct and faster train (a bit under 2hrs) to La Spezia. It’s from a different station in Florence though (still central), and it only goes once in the morning and once later in the day. I explain the route in my guide to a Cinque Terre day trip from Florence.

       Hope that helps!!

       – Em

       Reply

12. Hi! I am so glad I came across your site! The details are awesome and I appreciate all the info. It’s cheaper for us to fly into Naples. If we did fly into Naples, would it be feasible to begin with the Pompeii to Amalfi Coast/Ravello portion THEN head to Rome? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kara,

       I’m glad to know you like it!

       Yep, that’s exactly what you should do! That way, you save some backtracking, so I’d actually recommend Naples over Rome if it’s the same or cheaper. 🙂

       One thing is just that the stop in Pompeii might be tricky and/or tiring depending on the time your flight gets in and if you’re able to sleep well on planes or not. So, worst case, you might have to shuffle some things around vs the order I have here.

       – Em

       Reply

13. Hi Em,

    This Tavel guide is amazing! My partner and I are planning on going to Italy from the end of September until mid-October. If we closely follow your recommendations, do you think weather will have a negative impact in certain locations (like Capri)? Do you have any travel suggestions for Italy in October?

    Reply

    1. Hi Sofia,

       Thanks for the kind feedback!

       I feel like summer/warm weather has been lingering further into the year in several places, so you should hopefully be fine.

       Here are the actuals for Capri weather last October. October will be the start of the off season though, so ferries might be slightly less frequent etc. but as long as the weather is nice (which you can never be sure of when planning in advance, even in summer!) I would say it’s worth the pro of fewer crowds, especially in the Amalfi Coast.

       Cinque Terre last October seems to have been a bit cooler, but still not bad at all.

       So honestly, I think that timeframe sounds fine for this itinerary! Hope that helps!!

       – Em

       Reply

14. Hi Em
    your post is super helpful. I have a few queries though. I am doing north Italy till rome for this trip. can consider max 10 days.
    so my queries are
    1. I want to skip Cinque Terre. Can I still do a day trip to Pisa from Florence or Milan ?
    2. Is Siena worth visiting ?
    3. Is lake Como worth it ?
    4. I have a few more names- would like to have your opinion on these
    Tuscany, Turin, Verona, Italian Riviera.

    Reply

    1. HI Rajesh,

       I’m glad to know this post has been helpful!

       1. Yes, you can still visit Pisa from Florence. Just follow my train journey instructions from Florence to Pisa in this itinerary, and then do the exact reverse to return back to Florence. It can be a day trip.

       2. I thought Siena was pretty, and I enjoyed seeing another Tuscan city in addition to Florence and Pisa. The fact that I haven’t put it in my suggested itinerary for two weeks in Italy means I personally find everything else on this itinerary more “worth visiting” than the things I’ve left out, but it’s all up to personal preference, of course! So if it interests you, you can do a day trip there by bus from Florence. If you are short on time, I’m sure you can book a tour combining Pisa and Siena into one day from Florence. Or, you could rent a car for one day if you prefer to not be on the tour’s schedule.

       3. At the end of this post, you might have seen that I suggest Lake Como for those who have 15 days instead of 14. You can visit it on a day trip from Milan. But whether you should visit it instead of other spots will ultimately be a personal decision…! I personally enjoyed Lake Como a lot.

       4. Tuscany is a region, not a city/town. So by visiting Florence (and Pisa and Siena), you are already visiting Tuscany. If you want to see the Tuscan countryside often photographed with rolling hills etc. you might want to look into a tour visits more rural parts of Tuscany OR consider renting a car for a day. I have a guide with tips for visiting Turin, but for me personally, I think there are more “must see” spots if you only have 10 days and may not be returning to the country. Verona could be a since stop between Venice and Milan or a day trip from Milan. I have a guide where I explain how to visit it on a day trip from Milan. Like Turin, other spots are more “must see” in my opinion. The Italian Riviera is thought of as the coastline between Genoa and Cinque Terre. I personally really enjoyed this region (Liguria) and have some guides on Liguria beyond Cinque Terre and Genoa.

       Hope some of that helps!! With 10 days, you kind of just have to pick what interests you most and hope you can maybe return in the future!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi Em

          Thank you for your quick and perfect response. What about Dolomites? I plan to travel in July this year, so should I consider adding it ?

          Reply

          1. Hi Rajesh,

             You’re welcome!

             I haven’t visited the Dolomites yet, but from what I’ve looked into in the past, it’s a destination where a car rental would be helpful. I can’t say how many days minimum one should devote to it, but to do it justice would take away a few days from the rest of the spots on your list. Unless maybe you find an organized day trip tour there (from Venice would probably make most sense), in which case you could get away with only giving up one day. July should be a fine time to visit there!

             – Em

             Reply

             1. Hi Em
                So, I wanted to share my itinerary with you and wanted your input regarding fine-tuning it.
                Day 1- I am arriving in Zurich. From there, I intend to take a morning train to Milan. Day in Milan and overnight stay
                Day-2. Day Boat trip to Lake Como and Bellagio – approx 9 hours trip. Overnight Milan
                Day 3- Train from Milan to Venice. Day in Venice
                Day 4- Venice
                Day 5 – Train from Venice to Florence
                Day 6- Day in Florence
                Day 7 – Train to Pisa ( I cannot decide whether I should make a trip from Florence to Pisa and come back or go with my bags. Essentially, I cannot understand how easy or difficult
                it will be to find storage for bags in Pisa. If it is easy, then I would like to travel with my bags and then go onwards to Cinque Terre. Overnight in Cinque Terre
                Day 8- Cinque Terre full day
                Day 9- Train from Cinque Terre to Genoa. Day in Genoa
                Day 10 – travel to Portofino. Day in Portofino. back to Genoa for an overnight stay
                Day 11 – Flight from Genoa to Zurich

                So I would appreciate any changes you suggest. Also, I have the flexibility of a day or 2 for adding or subtracting.

                Kind Regards
                Rajesh

                Reply

                1. Hi Rajesh,

                   I think your plan makes sense!

                   As to Pisa, I personally stayed there overnight, so I didn’t need to use the luggage hold. But I’ve used them in other places in Italy and in other countries, and had no difficulty except for in Capri, which I mention having difficulty with in this post. For Pisa, I’ve linked the website of the luggage hold place. They have a WhatsApp number on their site, if you want to contact them with any questions.

                   You can also check the Google Reviews for it and sort by “newest.” I see the current most-recent comment is from a week ago and says “It’s in a difficult to find location. It is located at the farthest point opposite the elevator on platform 1. I think it was 5€ per piece for one day.” The previous comment is from a month ago and says “the location of the depot is as it is, you do not need to leave the train station, you will arrive here via the same platform.”

                   If you have 2 extra days, that would of course allow you to not check in and out so frequently, if you prefer not to rush. Otherwise, if you are happy to move fast, what you have looks fine.

                   – Em

                   Reply

15. How would you recommend altering this itinerary to fly in and out of Rome?

    Reply

    1. Hi Madison,

       You can simply take a direct/fast train from Venice back to Rome at the end. This is a 4hr ride, so you might have to factor that into your itinerary, depending on the time of your flight out of Rome.

       Just a reminder that this type of train is the one that gets more expensive the closer to the date of travel, so book when you have your dates/plans settled!

       – Em

       Reply

16. I have been reading so many different blogs to get ideas for our Italy trip next June, and yours has been the most helpful! Your style of traveling is similar to mine. I wanted to get your opinion on the itinerary I have created for our family of 5 (kids ranging from 9-13 y.o.). Do you think it’s too hectic? We love traveling in Japan and used their bullet trains quite often to move from cities to cities. I am not sure of what to expect with Italy’s train system and if it’s reliable enough to be moving onto a new city every few days. Thank you in advance for your guidance.

    Day 1: Arrival in Rome. Pantheon and Piazza Navona.
    Day 2: Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel.
    Day 3: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Campo de Fiori market.
    Day 4: Check out of hotel. Leave luggages at Pompeii Scavi train station and explore Pompeii. Check in hotel in Sorrento and explore the town.
    Day 5: Take boat tour around Capri and explore Capri for the day.
    Day 6: Check out of hotel. Take train to Florence. Duomo and/or Accademia Gallery.
    Day 7: Day trip Pisa and Lucca.
    Day 8: Check out of hotel and pick up rental car. Explore Siena and/or San Gimignano . Drive to hotel in Terricciola.
    Day 9: Hang out in Terricciola.
    Day 10: Check out of hotel and Deric off car in Florence. Take train to Venice. Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica.
    Day 10: Visit Doge’s Palace and the Rialto Market.
    Day 11: Check out of hotel and take train to Milan. Duomo and Last Supper.
    Day 12: Day trip to Bellagio and Varenna.
    Day 13: Departure day

    Alternatively, I am considering removing the Sorrento stay and Capri. Instead we can add a day to Rome so we can do a day trip to Pompeii and a day to Terricciola so we can enjoy Tuscany a little more.

    Reply

    1. Sorry for the typo. I meant drop off rental car not Deric.

       Reply

    2. Hi Emily,

       I’m glad to know my itinerary has been helpful! And no problem on the typo, I understood what you meant. 🙂

       As far as reliability of Italy’s trains, I personally haven’t had crazy/routine problems with them. I can only remember one legitimate/large delay over all my visits.

       I think removing Sorrento and Capri to visit Pompeii as a day trip and add a night to Terricciola sounds like a good idea. Firstly, because I imagine traveling with 3 kids / 5 people’s worth of luggage would make moving around so frequently more of a task. I imagine you would want to leave hotels earlier to arrive at the train stations earlier to give yourself a bit more time to locate your platform/seats vs if it were just two adults or with all teenage kids.

       Secondly, the Amalfi Coast area on it’s own could fill up a whole week-long return trip to Italy, as a round trip flight into Rome or Naples.

       BUT, you ultimately know your kids/family personally. And if you’ve moved around at a similar pace in Japan before, then you already have an ideal of how fast of a pace you guys can enjoy/handle. Especially if you are all traveling carry-on luggage only, or maybe just two larger bags for you and your partner, while the youngest kids just have backpacks or something. And unless there is something out of the usual, like I said, the trains are reliable enough for you to do your itinerary just fine. 🙂

       Hope that helps you decide!!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi Em,

          Thank you for the advice. I will save Sorrento and Capri for another trip. I really appreciate your quick response. I look forward to using your other guides for future trips.

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! Hope you love your trip!!

             Reply

17. Hi! Thank you for this excellent information and itinerary. We are spending 2 weeks in Italy, but flying into and out of Rome since we have a friend there and will also be visiting them. We were thinking of spending a couple days in Rome at the beginning and end of our trip and are trying to figure out the best route and what to cut from the itinerary. Should we skip CT, Venice, or Amalfi? The general idea is to start in Rome, head to Tuscany, and then either straight back to Rome or Amalfi Coast/Capri/Pompei then Rome. Do you have any suggestions. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. So to be clear, we have free lodging in Rome so it would help budget wise to spend as many nights there as possible! But we also want to maximize our time sight-seeing and not traveling from place to place!

       Reply

    2. Hi Sarah,

       I’m glad you like the itinerary! That’s so nice that you have friends you can stay with in Rome. It’ll be much more enjoyable to explore the city more slowly and with people you know as guides.

       The answer on which area to skip will differ depending on everyone’s preferences, but it seems from what you say that you were already interested in Amalfi Coast/Pompeii/Capri, so I would say to keep that.

       You can technically visit Cinque Terre on a day trip from Florence (my suggested itinerary linked), so that would save you one night of accommodation, plus the hassle of moving around, by staying one more night in Florence instead of the two nights in La Spezia that I suggest. The other extra night, you can add to Rome.

       I personally do think Venice is a must see, especially if you aren’t sure you’ll be able to return to Italy in the future. If you aren’t interested in the day trip to Burano and Murano, you can consider just staying in Venice one night instead of two and moving that extra night to Rome or the Amalfi Coast. But if it doesn’t appeal to you, you can of course remove Venice entirely.

       And of course, skipping Milan is another extra night.

       You could technically save one night in Sorrento (the first night, after the stop in Pompeii) by visiting Pompeii from Rome as a day trip. But depending on how large your travel party is, the price of the round trip tickets vs one-way tickets might equate to a night in Sorrento, so keep that in mind.

       Since you do have extra time, I would consider adding at least another night to Sorrento/Amalfi Coast. The way I have it in this itinerary is really the bare minimum amount of time to make the trek south worth it. Extra nights would allow you to visit Capri as a full day trip instead of a half day (or even overnight if you’d like), visit more beaches/towns, maybe some excursions like a private boat ride at sunset, etc.

       So you could do something like: Rome (3 nights) > Sorrento (4 nights) > Florence (3 nights, using 1 day to day trip to CT) > Venice (1 night) > Rome (3 nights)

       Hope some of those ideas help!!

       – Em

       Reply

18. Hi Em,
    Below is my plan:
    Milan>Venuce>Florence>Pisa>Base La Spezia>CT day trip(back to LS) > Sorrento base ( day trip Amalfi Coast/Positano/Capri)> Rome ( 3nights) before flying out.
    My question is from La Spezia to Sorrento, the train is 6 to 7 hrs , so quite impossible to do Pompeii stop over in- between . Need your help to suggest a correct route .

    Reply

    1. Hi Ade,

       It you start at Venice instead of Milan, then the journey would be from Florence to Sorrento, which I think would be more doable with the Pompeii stop, since Florence to Naples is only a little over 3 hours. But I assume you need to get a flight into Milan? I also assume you don’t want to remove the half day trip to Capri after the morning you check out of your Sorrento hotel.

       In that case, you might consider one of these options:

       1. Go from La Spezia to Sorrento as you’ve planned. On check out morning in Sorrento, do the half day trip to Capri, then travel to Rome from Naples. The next morning, do my day 2 in Rome (the Colosseum day). On the second morning in Rome, see the Vatican in the morning like I suggest. Then, with the rest of that final day in Rome, do my day 1 in Rome. So just 2 very full days in Rome (instead of the 2.5 – 3 that I have in this itinerary), but still 3 nights.

       2. You could split up your stay in Rome. From La Spezia, go to Rome (there are some direct trains if you prefer not transferring in Florence). Do my day 1 in Rome, then sleep in Rome 1 night. The next day, travel to Sorrento with the stop in Pompeii. Spend the next 2 full days in the Amalfi Coast. Then, on check out morning in Sorrento, do the half day trip to Capri, then travel to Rome from Naples. The next morning do my day 2 for Rome, and then my day 3 the next day.

       3. You could also do La Spezia > Rome (3 nights) > Sorrento (3 nights) > back to Rome (0 nights) just for the flight, depending on the time of your flight. There are even some trains from Napoli Centrale straight to FCO airport. But that might feel like cutting things too close on the day of a flight, especially without removing Capri.

       Hope some of those options help!!

       – Em

       Reply

19. This is so in depth and amazing. I’m planning a trip Fall of 2025. I’m looking at flying in and arriving early morning on September 30th and then flying back home on October 14th. Do you think this is too late in the season for warm weather; should I try and push it early a week? Also, we will be flying out of NYC so the most ideal airports are Rome and Milan. We would have a full 14 days to follow your guide, however what adjustments would you make in order to end the trip in Milan for easier access to the airport? Thank you so much!

    Reply

    1. Hi Caleb,

       I’m glad you like the itinerary!

       You honestly never know what you will get with weather, especially this far out. You could get an oddly chilly last week of Sept or an oddly hot second week of Oct! If you want to swim, the water will be getting cooler as the weeks move further and further away from summer, but it might still be warm enough in mid Oct if you have a higher tolerance for water temp than I do (you can google avg monthly water temp for cities, maybe Positano and Monterosso for this itinerary). So unless you maybe want the sea to be as warm as possible, if moving things up a week would inconvenience you, I wouldn’t stress too much about it.

       This itinerary actually used to go from Cinque Terre to Venice and end at Milan. I personally like the idea of ending in Milan, all else equal, due to it having less attractions and thus being a chiller final stop before heading home. But the trajectory from La Spezia to Venice changed at some point, making one of the connection times longer, so that I felt it was no longer worth it the inconvenience (La Spezia to Milan has direct/shorter options). But if you need to end in Milan, you def can. From Cinque Terre (La Spezia), just go to Venice. This will require 2 transfers; 1 at Pisa and 1 at Florence. And the total time will be close to 5 hours. You can select any random dates (since your own trip is too far out) on TrenItalia and see what you think of the trajectories. You’ll probably want to take a very early train from La Spezia, in order to maximize time in Venice that first day. Or you could also remove the day trip to Burano and Murano on Venice day 2 if needed.

       Hope that helps!!

       – Em

       Reply

20. Travelista,

    This looks like an amazing itinerary! We are going to Greece and Italy for my birthday in Sept/Oct next year. We plan on spending Sept 11-25 in Crete then heading to Italy for 2-3 weeks of backpacking. We are not huge into shopping, but love hiking and exploring less traveled areas, Atlas Obscura isn’t dog our favorite travel tools! Any suggestions on where to start our travels or some off the beaten path suggestions of things to do or see? We are usually up for any adventure.!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Tammy,

       Greece and Italy sound like an amazing trip!

       For hiking in Italy, the two areas that come to my mind are the Dolomites (which I haven’t visited yet) and Cinque Terre (which is very touristic, but has free hikes with better views than the paid ones and almost no crowds on them).

       But in terms of 2 – 3 weeks in one area that is a little more off the beaten path than the previous two spots, you might look into Sicily. I was planning a trip to Sicily this past summer, but had to postpone it til next due to a fam emergency. But there quite a few hikes there, from Enta, to various hikes on the Aeolian islands, to Zingaro. You’ll have passed its tourist season by Sept/Oct, but it will still be warm, including the sea.

       Hope some of those suggestions help! If all goes according to plan this time around, I should have quite a few Sicily guides up right before your trip. 🙂

       – Em

       Reply

21. Hi! I am from Dallas and see that its cheaper to fly into Naples and depart Venice. How would you recommend adjusting the itinerary ? By the way THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THIS INFORMATION!! Planning for italy can be intimidating and this helped a ton

    Reply

    1. Hi Gissel,

       I’m glad to know this has been helpful! And that’s great that you can fly into Naples. That will actually save you a bit of backtracking!

       From the Naples airport, simply get a transfer to Sorrento. If you arrive early enough and have energy, you can do a half day at Pompeii. Otherwise, you can squeeze it in later. In any case, starting the next day, follow days 2 and 3 for the Amalfi Coast. Do Capri as a round trip day trip from Sorrento. If you didn’t have time the first day, you can see Pompeii after checking out of your Sorrento hotel, as a stop on the way to Rome. Then with the rest of that half day, do my day 1 for Rome. Then do days 2 and 3 for Rome. Then, take the train to Florence and follow this itinerary as is for Florence > Cinque Terre > Milan > Venice.

       Hope that makes sense!

       – Em

       Reply

22. Hi ! Any suggestion on where to spend a few days of rest if we have extra days ?
    Thank you 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Jonathan,

       I’d say that it depends on your interests! If you’re more into history, perhaps Rome so that you can explore it more slowly. If you’re more into renaissance art and architecture, perhaps Florence for the same reason – so that you can explore it more slowly.

       If you want to literally just rest and not move much, I think the two beach-y stops, Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, would make sense. The Amalfi Coast is quite a bit of effort to get to and around, so adding an extra night or two there would make the trek more worth it and is probably what I would personally choose. This would also allow you to base yourself in Positano or Amalfi instead of Sorrento, if you want, because it would be more worth it if you have more nights than just the 3 in this itinerary. You could hang out at a beach club, hire a private boat one day/evening, just stay at your accommodation all day one day and take in the view if it has a nice balcony, etc.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

23. Hello, I am so glad I came upon your post! I have the two-week itinerary printed 🙂
    We will be in Italy (for the first time) from the second half of March through the first half of April and wonder if the weather at that time would cause you to recommend skipping any part of the plan?
    Thank you in advance!
    Stephanie

    Reply

    1. Hi Stephanie,

       I’m glad to know you like the post!

       For me personally, I would only want to experience Cinque Terre and especially Amalfi Coast in warm/dry weather, so I would save those two for another time if I could. As I mention in the “best time to travel to Italy” section of this post, seasonal places like those tend to semi-shut down in the off season, so you’ll also have less available in the way of eateries, accommodation, tours, etc. But, on the plus side, if you don’t care to swim and happen to get decent weather before and during your visit to those spots, you would at least get the benefit of fewer crowds, which both those spots are notorious for.

       If you do decide to save them for future trips, you could still head south to Naples from Rome. You could see Naples if it interests you and use it as a base to visit Pompeii, hike the volcano if that interests you, and, if the weather is nice, you could even take a day trip to Capri if the sea is good and/or to Positano.

       You could also tack on some extra days to Florence to do day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Bologna, Pisa, and/or the Tuscan countryside by booking a tour or renting a car for a day. You could also leave Cinque Terre as a last minute option, like Positano from Naples, by doing a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence, based on the weather while you’re based in Florence.

       Hope some of that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

24. Thank you for such a detailed and helpful guide. It is so helpful for first time travellers to Italy and I will use your template for most of my 2 week trip!

    Just a question: we (2 adults and 2 children) are arriving in Venice and leaving from Rome. We would like to visit Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre and Rome.

    We would like to stay in Cinque Terre for 2 nights to experience there, so would you recommend to go to Cinque Terre from Venice, or go to Florence first then to Cinque Terre and then to Rome? I’m not sure if which option will be easier with the train ride.

    Thank you very much!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Edwin,

       I’m glad to know my guide has been helpful to you!

       I’d personally choose Venice > Florence > CT > Rome. This is because there are direct options between La Spezia Centrale and Roma Termini, but going between La Spezia and Venice would require 2 transfers. You can play around with routes for your dates on the TrenItalia site.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

25. Hi! This is awesome- thank you so much for all of the valuable information! My finance and I are getting married next August (16th which is a Saturday). We were planning to go on our honeymoon for 2 weeks and use this itinerary, but we now have a wedding the 29th (Friday). We wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast. Do you think this is the one to skip (based on your 10 day itinerary) or is there anything else you would recommend cutting out instead? Thank you so much in advance!! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Kaitlyn,

       Thanks for the kind feedback! And congrats on your engagement!

       The way I went adding destinations to my 7 day vs 10 day vs 14 day itinerary is based on what I think is considered most must-see, what is convenient transport-wise, price (Amalfi Coast is the most expensive area in my itinerary), and what can makes sense as a return trip if someone isn’t able to take off 14 days.

       But this is all for a reader that I know zero specifics about! And what to skip is dependent on each person.

       My very thought when I first visited Positano was actually that it felt made for honeymooners. So I def think it makes sense to keep it in your itinerary, especially since you also say you want to see it. You can cut out Cinque Terre/Pisa + Milan, which would save 3 nights and bring this down to 11 days. That way you would see the 3 main sights (Rome, Florence, Venice) plus Amalfi Coast.

       I’m not sure if that’s short enough for you between the weddings. If not, you could also just do Rome (3-4 days) + Amalfi coast the rest of whatever time you have. Then, you could return to the north on a return trip someday. That would let you go a lot slower between Rome (which is the biggest draw in Italy) and the Amalfi Coast (my itinerary is really just the minimum time to see the main things in the area).

       Hope that helps! Let me know!

       – Em

       Reply

26. Hi again Em!
    Can I run this by you real quick?
    I am visiting Italy for the first time and it will be in the early part of December. Can the following work?
    Venice – Milan – Rome – Florence – Siena – Florence
    I’m afraid my flights are quite fixed.

    Reply

    1. Hi TT,

       Yes, you can definitely follow that route! You’ll do some backtracking (Florence is smack dab in between Milan and Rome, and Siena is between Florence and Rome). But with regards to trains (or bus in the case of Siena, since the train is further out from the center), they exist and you’ll have no problems following the route you have planned.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

27. Hi there!! Man, this article is the bee’s knees!! Thank you so much for all of the great suggestions and tips!! I’ll definitely have to add a day for Lake Como, otherwise George would never forgive me!! HAHA!!
    I’m curious though, Is Sicily not worth visiting? I’ve always wanted to go, but it never seems to make the cut in any itineraries I see. What are your thoughts? If you feel it’s worth it, please suggest a point in the plan to include it – maybe after Capri?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jill,

       I’m glad you like the article!

       The short answer is that Sicily is far away from the bigger destinations in Italy and it’s big. So it’s more than deserving of its own two week itinerary. I was actually supposed to spend 2.5 months going around the entire island this summer (which can provide an idea of just how much there is to see, lol!), but sadly had to cancel to come back to the States last minute. So I hope to finally explore it next summer!

       From the planning I did for my own trip, I would plan to fly there and spend at least a week to make it worth it. So you can tack it onto the end, or wherever you want to add a flight in.

       With just a week, I personally (based on my own interests) would probably fly into Catania and go straight to Syracuse for 2 nights. Then I would do Toarmina 1 day > Cefalu 1 day (can also be day trip from Palermo instead of overnight) > Palermo 3 nights (1 day as day trip to Valley of the Temples, 1 day as day trip elsewhere or as beach day). Then fly out of Palermo. OR the exact reverse. But this excludes the popular Mt Etna hike (day trip from Catania) and a visit to the Val di Noto (day/side trip(s) from Syracuse). So you could switch those in/out for other things.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

28. This was terrific 👍🏼👏🏼 thank you for sharing so much information!

    Would you be able to help me with an itinerary for Arriving Rome Departing Rome… I really would like to see Venice- Burano as my 1st destination then the following I just don’t know what the best order would be. Florence, Almalfi coast, Capri, Milan, Switzerland and Rome as my last destination before leaving. Please help.

    Reply

    1. Hi Dianne,

       I’m glad to know you liked the article!

       Sounds like you should probably do something like: Rome > Venice (since you say you want to do it first) > Milan > Switzerland (you may have to add flights in and/or out of Switzerland depending on where in the country you want to see and how many days you have, because the land travel options are time consuming) > Florence > Amalfi Coast > Capri (either as day trip or overnight) > Rome.

       I’d consider removing Switzerland as it inconveniences the transportation and it’s a whole country, so it’s worthy of its own trip in the future, if you are able to return to Europe to do that.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi Em,

          Thank you for you quick response and suggestions, I am taking them into consideration and will postpone Switzerland for a future trip. So how would you suggest my travels if I start with Venice leaving out Milan and Switzerland? Again thank you for your insight and help!

          Reply

          1. Hi Dianne,

             Glad to be of help! 🙂

             I’d recommend the same route, just leaving out Switzerland and Milan. So Rome > Venice > Florence > Amalfi Coast (Capri as day trip or overnight) > Rome. You can also keep Milan in there, between Venice and Florence. Milan doesn’t inconvenience things via train at all, only Switzerland does.

             You can also switch the order of Rome and Amalfi Coast at the end to make it Florence > Rome > Amalfi Coast + Capri > Rome just for flight, if you are OK passing through Rome 3 times.

             Enjoy your trip!

             – Em

             Reply

29. I am just in the beginning stages of planning a trip for my family of 4 (kids 16 and 12) for our first trip to Italy next summer (early to mid June). I have been searching itinerary’s to mimic for weeks and truly feel as though I hit the jackpot with your site! The thought and detail you have put into this planning it wonderful and so appreciated. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Joanna,

       Thanks so much for taking the time to share that kind feedback! I’m glad to have been of help. 🙂 Your planning will pay off, and you and your fam will love Italy!

       – Em

       Reply

30. Love this itinerary. You put so much thought and detail into it. So many great tips. There are a few days we want to make adjustments to. Do you have a version to the Itinerary that can be edited? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Samantha,

       Thanks for the kind feedback! I really did/do put a lot of thought into how I would recommend people maximize just 14 days in Italy, so I appreciate that. 🙂

       I don’t have any editable versions of this article. But when I plan my own trips, I always do it in Google Sheets/Excel. For short trips, like two weeks, I make columns for each day and list out activities underneath in order of morning > evening, adding prices or details I want to remember. I like this because I can easily drag the cells around to reorder stops or even move things into different days as I edit it. So maybe you can do something like that, starting with what you want to take from my itinerary and then adding in what you want to add.

       Sorry to not be of more help!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. What a fantastic idea thank you! And again this itinerary and details are amazing so thanks!

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! 🙂

             Reply

       2. Hi Em,
          I love reading your itineraries in hopes of doing multiple of your trips in the future! You are so detailed which helps ease my overthinking mind!
          You mention that you use Google Sheets or Excel to plan your trips, so I just wanted to let you know about Smart Sheets! Smart Sheets is what we use at work to track project plans. It is similar to excel but has many unique features. For instance, they have a project plan template that would be perfect for traveling! You can adjust the headings and subtasks in the template to mimic your travel plans. For instance, your heading could be the first stop on your trip and the subtasks could be the activities you want to do while you are there. Another unique feature of Smart Sheets is that you can also attach links, comments, and files to each row. So, if you wanted to link your hotel bookings, activity tickets, train times, etc. you could attach them directly to the Smart Sheet row! Also, with that specific template, it auto-generates a calendar schedule for you if you put the dates and times in! Smart Sheets are also “live” so you can easily share your Smart Sheets with people going on the trip, and they could have access to all the information and updates! I could also see Smart Sheets being a great way to do cost splitting while traveling since each person can track or see the cost of each item.

          Hope this helps you or anyone in the comments with travel planning (or really any type of planning)!
          -Katie W.

          Reply

31. I am flying in to Rome on Oct 4th and will be departing back here to the US on the 19th — I want to take some info from this itinerary but we have decided that we would rather visit the Apulia region IF we decide to go south instead of visiting the Amalfi Coast/Positano. After visiting Puglia, we intend on heading back up north through regions of tuscany and Florence. My biggest questions are what would be the most efficient way to travel from rome to Puglia and how to get back to rome from Lake Como to catch a morning flight.

    Reply

    1. Hi Conner,

       You can take the train from Varenna to Roma Termini, which will require a transfer in Milan. The journey time is 4.5hrs. You can also fly from either of Milan’s airports to either of Rome’s airports. I personally would probably do this the night before.

       As for Puglia, the main entry city is normally Bari. You can get there with a direct train from Roma Termini in 4hrs. You can then transfer to the other cities in Puglia with train stations, use buses for day trips to some of the inland sites, etc. You can just play around with the Puglia city names on the TrenItalia site and see what you think.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

32. So impressed on this detailed itinerary! Planning trip for the first week of December. I know it will be chilly but that’s when I have time off. My neighbour went last year around Xmas and he said you just need a jacket. I am from Toronto so if its 12-16°C then it should be fine. I was planning the same itinerary as you suggested. But wanted to visit Lake Como. So if I opt out from Capri. How would I travel from Amalfi Coast to Florence. I saw your one day itineary for Lake Como. Will this be feasible if I opt out of Capri and do Lake Como from Milan instead using your same itineary?

    Reply

    1. Hi Dilshad,

       I’m glad you like the itinerary!

       The reason I suggest to avoid winter is not really due to the weather itself, but because two places on this itinerary (Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast) are quite seasonal destinations and semi-close down in the off season. So you’ll def be fine temperature-wise if you’re used to Toronto winters!

       As far as removing Capri in order to get a full one day for the Lake Como day trip, you can def do that. You will need to get from Sorrento to Naples and then take the fast train from Naples to Florence. You should do this as early as you are willing to in the morning, so that you don’t cut too much into your two full days in Florence. Or, you could cut into your Amalfi Coast time, leaving one night in advance to Florence (so one less night in Sorrento).

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

33. Thanks so much for this! It’s really great and helpful!
    I need your opinion though. I have a ticket that can’t be changed and it’s flying in to Venice, and departing from Florence.
    Would your itinerary still make sense?
    Also, as I am traveling in December, I will be skipping CT and Almafi too.
    Thanks so much again!

    Reply

    1. Hi TT,

       I’m glad this is helpful!

       It will be a little less efficient than the order I have here, but you can definitely do Venice > Milan > Rome > Florence. You can use all the extra nights from CT and Amalfi as extra days in the other 4 remaining spots, to go slower or do day trips (Sienna from Florence, Bologna from Florence or Milan, etc). Or you can add more stops (for example, Verona in between Venice and Milan).

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

34. I am so impressed in the detailed blog. I was getting so anxious planning on my own and overwhelmed. I am definitely going with your itinerary. My issue is I have time off only in December. I could travel first or second week of December. My neighbour travelled last year during Xmas and he said the weather was not bad. Just a slight spring jacket. I am not sure which cities he travelled. From your suggested itinerary, is there any city I should avoid in December?

    Reply

    1. Hi,

       Thanks for the kind feedback! I’m glad this blog is helpful. 🙂

       As I mention in the post, the main reason I say to avoid winter is because two places on this itinerary (Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast) are quite seasonal destinations and seem to semi-close down in the off season. It’s not really due to the weather itself, as Italy’s winter is on average milder than, say, central or northern Europe. The other thing is that Venice is prone to floods in rain (but you very well may get no rain, so it’s more just something to be prepared for, maybe planning to buy rain boots there worst case or bring some).

       You could just take those days in CT and Amalfi and use them as extra nights in all the other locations, to be able to rush less (this itinerary is jam packed) and/or do day trips from them. For example, Sienna and/or San Gimignano from Florence. Verona from Venice or Milan. Bologna from Milan or Florence. Naples/Pompeii from Rome.

       Hope that helps a bit!

       – Em

       Reply

35. Hi can you please provide me italy itenary for 10 days as we have a kid with us and cant travel so much.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sanket,

       I’d recommend taking my Italy itinerary for one week and simply adding one extra day to each of the three stops. That way, you move slower, can see less attractions each day, and enjoy each city a lot more.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

36. This is a wonderful post! Appreciate all the detail 🙂 Any recommendations on where to stay in each of the cities?

    Reply

    1. Hi Sherry,

       Thank you for the kind feedback!

       I’m working currently on an accommodation guide to accompany this itinerary, and it’s almost done, but I’ve unfortunately had to keep postponing finishing it due to a family emergency. Every time I think I have a few days to finally wrap it up, it turns out that I don’t. But this time I really do expect it to be up by the end of next week.

       – Em

       Reply

    2. Hi Sherry,

       The hotel recommendations post I mentioned is officially completed, in case you still need it!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Thank you SO much!! 🙂

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! I hope it’s helpful! 🙂

             Reply

37. Thank you for a very detailed itinerary as it has proved to be very helpful for me in planning my trip. When going from Florence to Pisa you said the walk from Pisa train station to the tower is about 30 mins. We don’t want to walk as we have 2 kids with us. Is there any mode of transportation available to the tower such as taxi or bus?

    Reply

    1. Hi Swarit,

       I’m glad to know my itinerary has been helpful to you!

       You can def hail a taxi from outside the train station. If you are interested in a bus, I’d recommend looking on google maps once you arrive at the station (or a bit before, once your train is slowing down to arrive) and seeing when the next one is coming and how long it would take, and deciding if that works for your schedule. A taxi would probably be easiest/fastest.

       Once near the area with the leaning tower, if you don’t see many cabs passing by, you could see if your driver would at be willing to meet you at a certain time to take you back to the train station. You could also ask them to wait, but that’d require paying them for the time waiting for you to take your pics.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

38. Hi Em!

    Thank you for your amazing itinerary. It’s the best one I’ve read so far – so detailed!

    My boyfriend and I will be visiting Italy for the first time this August and could really use some guidance with our itinerary planning. We land in Rome and depart from Rome as well. Our main focus for this trip is to explore the Amalfi Coast, so we’ve booked 7 nights there. Beyond the Amalfi, we’re unsure where to spend our remaining 6 nights. Should we travel further south, or head up to Florence and Tuscany? How much time should we spend in each area? We prefer to properly explore a place rather than jump from one location to the next.

    Since we’ll be spending a good amount of time on the Amalfi Coast, would it be wise to skip Tuscany and instead visit Cinque Terre, or is it too similar to the Amalfi Coast? I’ve also read that it is a mission to get to Cinque Terre and takes a lot of time. Especially keeping in mind that we have to travel back to Rome on the 31st.

    Here’s our preliminary itinerary, but we’re open to any suggestions for the remaining 6 days after the Amalfi Coast:

    – Land Thursday, August 15 in Rome (late at night)
    – Spend 3 nights in Rome (2 full days)
    – Travel Sunday, August 18 to Positano
    – Spend 7 nights (6 full days) in Positano (with day trips to Ravello, Sorrento, Amalfi, and Capri)
    – Travel Sunday, August 25 to Florence; spend 3 nights (2 full days) in Florence
    – Travel Wednesday, August 28 to Tuscany; spend 3 nights (2 full days) in Tuscany (hire a car and do day trips from Siena to Lucca, Pisa, and other recommended spots)
    – Travel back on Saturday, August 31 to Rome to catch our afternoon flight.

    Thank you in advance for your help!

    Love,
    Tana

    Reply

    1. Hi Tana,

       Thanks so much for your kind feedback! I’m glad to know you like the itinerary. 🙂

       I would say to head up north as opposed to south, just based on the fact that more “must sees” and easier-to-get-to spots are that direction vs south, and this is your first trip to Italy.

       Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre are similar, and, in my opinion, the Amalfi Coast is actually more inconvenient to get to (and move around once there) but more stunning. So I wouldn’t feel pressured to see both. Getting back to Rome on your final evening (or final morning, if you are comfortable) shouldn’t be too hard as long as you are coming from a large destination like Florence, Venice, etc. with a direct fast train to Rome. From Venice, for example, it’d be 4 hours. From Florence, less.

       Without reading your preliminary itinerary, I would have said to split the 6 days between Florence and Venice, since those two plus Rome are the biggest destinations in the country, and that way you can leave having “ticked off” the 3 main things after this first trip. But I think the preliminary itinerary you have looks really good and that you should stick to it if Tuscany interests you! You can always return to see Venice.

       And maybe you already know, but I just want to clarify that Florence is IN Tuscany (which is just the name of the region with Florence, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, etc.).

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Thank you so much Em! Really helped to narrow it down 🤍

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! Have a great trip 🙂

             Reply

39. WOW! I have been through many sites like yours and I will say I LOVE yours the best! Very detailed to the T! Thank you! We plan to leave this Fall for Italy and probably less time than what you have here since my husband and I first time traveling to Italy and wanted to see how things goes with 7-10 days trip. THANK YOU! <3

    Reply

    1. Hi Jocelyn,

       Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how much you like my site! 🙂

       Have a great trip to Italy! I’m sure you’ll love it.

       – Em

       Reply

40. Traveling through Italy on an Italy tourist visa gave me the opportunity to see historic sites like the Vatican and Pompeii. Truly a journey through time!

    Reply

    1. Italy definitely has a lot to offer!

       Reply

41. Hi! I know it is hard to tell an exact amount. But if we take all trains options or ferry, and we are raisonnable with the food and hotel. How much do you think this trip could cost for 14 days in October? Just an idea

    Reply

    1. Hi Érika,

       The main reason it’s hard to give a cost estimate is because the biggest cost is going to be housing, and that is going to depend not only your personal preferences, but also your party size and how far in advance you book. So it’s hard for me to ballpark that for you. I would recommend you look at some places in each city on a booking site (like Booking.com or Expedia) to get an idea of a per night rate for the type of accommodation and the number of people you need. But for a budget room split between 2 people, for October and booked now, I think you could find as low as €55-60 per night per person as an average.

       Food, you could budget another 60 per person per day if you plan to eat out at reasonably priced restaurants 2-3x a day. I usually spend way less than that per day in Italy, around €25 per day, because I have pastries for breakfast, simpler meals for lunch and dinner, and don’t care for wine.

       Attractions, if you enter all of these I list, you can expect something like €350 per person. And for transport, using the lowest prices I’ve quoted here, you can expect something like €330 or so per person.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

42. Hi Em,

    Your itinerary is so detailed and helpful!

    My partner and I are planning for a honeymoon trip and would like to check if you think below itinerary is ok and if there’s any must-go places which we have missed out? Any advice on mid-end Oct weather in Italy?

    19 Oct (Sat) Rome: Scalina Spagna, Trevi Fountain
    20 Oct (Sun) Rome: Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Vittoriano, Palatine Hill, Arch of Constantine, Colosseum
    21 Oct (Mon) Rome: Vatican City (St Peter’s Square, St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museums), Castel Sant’Angelo
    22 Oct (Tue) Pompeii: Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius Guided Tour
    23 Oct (Wed) Amalfi Coast: Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast Day Tour
    24 Oct (Thur) Florence: Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Cupola, Campanile di Giotto, Battistero di San Giovanni), San Lorenzo Market
    25 Oct (Fri) Florence: Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale Michelangelo Florence
    26 Oct (Sat) Pisa, Cinque Terre: Leaning Tower, Riomaggiore, Monterosso
    27 Oct (Sun) Cinque Terre: Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola
    28 Oct (Mon) Venice: Sit 7.30am train to Venice, Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Basilica San Marco, Campanile, Doge’s Palace, Bridge of Sighs, Accademia Bridge
    29 Oct (Tue) Venice: Grand Canal Boat Ride, Murano, Burano, and Torcello Day Trip
    30 Oct (Wed) Milan: Duomo di Milano, Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Last Supper
    31 Oct (Thur): Lake Como Bellagio, Varenna & Villa del Balbianello
    1 Nov (Fri) Milan: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Quadrilatero d’oro (Via Monte Napoleone, Via Borgospesso, Via della Spiga and Via Sant’Andrea)

    Thank you in advance! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Rilly,

       I’m glad to know my itinerary has been helpful to you! Your own itinerary looks great to me. You’re going to have an awesome time.

       As for weather, you can see the historical weather for last October in Sorrento, Rome, and Venice, just to give you some idea (it looks like it was quite comfortable last year!). I would check the forecast for Venice closer your trip and consider packing rain boots if there is a heavy rain forecast on the days you will be there (or buying on site if necessary). Otherwise, it should be a comfortable time to travel Italy.

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Awesome! Thanks Em, really appreciate your advice! Have a lovely weekend!!

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! Have a great weekend too 🙂

             Reply

43. Hi Em!

    Lets say my wife and i check out of the hotel and leave rome on sunday. we plan on going straight to pompeii. Is there a place we can leave our bags at? Do we need to spend a whole day at pompeii, as in getting a hotel?

    After pompeii we plan on going straight to positano. its at positano where we’re going to spend the 2 days for the amalfi coast part of the trip, correct? so we would do: pompeii on sunday (after leaving rome) and then pompeeii/amalfi coast on monday and tuesday. wednesday we would depart to florence.

    what do you think

    Reply

    1. Hi Marc,

       You can leave your luggage at the Pompeii site itself (this is what I did), like I describe in the itinerary. Then, after touring Pompeii (just a few hours), pick up your bags and head right back on the same train, heading to Sorrento and then transferring to Positano via your preferred transport method (or get a private transfer to Positano from Pompeii). This is all on the same day you leave Rome (so Sunday for you). On Monday, you wake up in your Positano hotel. Monday and Tuesday are two full days in the Amalfi Coast. On Wed evening, you head to Florence (you can make the detour stop at Capri en route to Florence like I have in the itinerary, or skip that and use it as extra time in the Amalfi Coast if it’s too complicated). Hope that clears it up.

       I think your plan sounds good! Enjoy your trip!

       – Em

       Reply

44. This is very detailed and nicely put, Thank you! Any recommendation where to stay in each city ?

    Reply

    1. Hi Semir,

       I’m glad to know you like it! I’m currently writing up an accommodation guide to accompany this itinerary. I hope to have it up in a couple weeks!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi Em, this so wonderful. My husband and I have been pouring of guided tours which we aren’t big fans of. I feel like we could do this on our own. Looking to travel August/September 2025. I’d love to see your recommendations on where to stay in each region. Thank you.

          Reply

45. Thank you so much for your detailed itinerary! My husband and I are planning a trip for next April with our two teenagers, and we’re not sure we can devote a full 14 days to our trip. My husband and I have both been to Milan, and don’t feel like we need to see it again (or that our kids will love it). We also could take or leave Florence honestly as well. Would it be feasbile to go straight from the Amalfi Coast/Capri to Cinque Terre? Then maybe from Cinque Terre to Florence on our way to Venice? Or is there another route you might suggest?

    Thanks so much for your help!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kristen,

       I’m glad to know you like the itinerary!

       You can get from Naples to La Spezia in a little under 5 hours with a stop in Rome to transfer. That’ll be quite a long travel day after adding on the bit from the Amalfi Coast to Naples first. From La Spezia to Venice will also be a little under 5 hours, but with two transfers (Pisa and Florence). So it’s really up to you whether you would like to squeeze Florence into your trip in order to break up one of those journeys, or if you are fine to have a good chunk of one day be devoted to moving around.

       If you can manage a flight into Naples from your home airport, you could start the trip from the Amalfi Coast, then go to Rome, then CT, then Florence, and then leave from Venice. That would avoid huge travel days.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. That is super helpful information! Thanks so much!

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! 🙂

             Reply

46. Hi,
    Thank you so much for the detailed plan. My family of 4 are planning to go to Italy for 2 weeks starting August 1st and coming back on the 15th or 16th. I have two kids that are 2 and 4 so I would like to hear more details on strollers, walking distances. Is amalfi good destination for my situation or should we focus on the north side of Italy. Any tips and tricks would be much appreciated.
    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi Ma ka,

       I’m glad this itinerary has helped you!

       I’ve never traveled with strollers in Italy. But it could be annoying in places like Positano, Amalfi, and Capri, due to how steep the villages are built into cliffs. You could remove the Amalfi Coast portion of this itinerary and use those days to add on some extra days in Cinque Terre if you don’t want to lose time on the coast. In Cinque Terre, the town of Monterosso is flat (the rest are not, especially Corniglia) and has a proper beach, so that town might be of interest to you as a family with kids.

       You could also add an extra night to Venice, as it might take longer to get around with a stroller due to all the bridges, even though it is rather compact.

       Rome is probably the least compact of all the main cities in terms of attractions. So you might want to add an extra night or two there too, to be able to go slower and allow time for naps.

       So in summery, I’d remove Amalfi Coast and tack on the extra nights to the other stops in order to go slower. In Cinque Terre, I would focus on Monterosso.

       I hope some of that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

47. Hi Em!!!
    I love this article!! I’m getting married this August and my future husband and I want to travel to Italy next year for our official honeymoon!! based on your article we would want to go in early September, this is when we usually like to travel anyways to avoid crowds lol. It has always been my dream to travel to Italy and we are planning on going for about 2 weeks. Where do you recommend we start?? A must for us is definitely Rome and definitely the coast as I love the beach; but we would like instead of staying overnight in multiple places, we want to maybe stay in 2 or 3 main cities and then take day trips from there. Anywhere from 2-3 hr tops train rides. Any recommendations as to how we should do this? I look forward to hearing from you!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Cristina,

       Thanks for letting me know that you love my itinerary! Congrats on your engagement! Italy will make for a lovely honeymoon destination.

       I would consider visiting Venice/Florence/Rome in one week and then Amalfi Coast (based in Positano) the next week. The Amalfi Coast is very much honeymoon vibes (I even mention in this article that there were many couples). The way I have it in this itinerary is the bare minimum time to see the highlights, but you could spend a whole week there and it would be much more enjoyable. You could do it in either direction: Venice > Florence > Rome/Amalfi Coast > Amalfi Coast/Rome (whichever you didn’t see after Florence) OR the exact reverse. You can fly into/out of Venice and Naples if you find good flights, or Rome instead of Naples if not.

       That would be 4 bases. If you really want 3 bases or less, you could visit Florence as two round-trip day trips from Rome on the fast train. It’s 1.5 hrs each way.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

48. Please can you clarify the order of cities if arriving and departing in Milan for 2 weeks covering Milan / como / Venice / positano .

    Reply

    1. Hi Claudia,

       For those destinations, I would recommend Milan > Lake Como > Venice > Positano > Milan OR the exact reverse.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi! I know it is hard to tell an exact amount. But if we take all trains options or ferry, and we are raisonnable with the food and hotel. How much do you think this trip could cost for 14 days? Just an idea

          Reply

          1. I’ve responded to your other comment. 🙂

             Reply

    2. Hi Em,
       thank you so much for taking the time to respond . Italy is such a hot destination and I’m sure a lot of people find this infos useful . I know I have and pretty much read all the comments . I bookmarked you as well so its easy to find you for my next destination .
       We are arriving in Milan July 18 at 9 am, I’m not sure if I should make Milan my base and just do day trip to COMO /Bellagio/Varenna or stay in Milan for one night and move to Como for 2 nights . Im also hoping to stay one night in Venice- Cinque Terre/ Florence /PISA just for the picture bec my 10 year old son requested this / Tuscany (just to visit the Terre di Saturnia – Rome- Positano/Amalfi . we are flying out of Rome and we have exactly 2 weeks (excluding flights).. Is this the “correct ” sequence of cities location wise .. Your recommendation is much appreciated .. thank you so much .. Best travel blog and happy to find you !

       Reply

       1. Hi Claudia,

          Thanks for your kind feedback! I’m glad my site has been helpful. 🙂

          With regards to Lake Como, it’s really up to you and how much time you want to spend there. There is definitely enough to see to spend several days on the lake. The one day Lake Como itinerary I have is packed to the brim and just includes the highlights. Two days would allow you to better fit in Como city, if that is what you mean by “COMO” in your comment. So it’s really up to your personal preference and your time constraints.

          The sequence you have listed out seems fine. I would consider making Pisa a stop between CT and Florence as I have in this post (or as a day trip from Florence) as opposed to spending the night. I can’t comment on Terre di Saturnia because it’s complicated to reach without private transport, so I haven’t visited it myself.

          Hope that helps!

          – Em

          Reply

49. I am so overwhelmed planning this trip for my family and so thankful I found your blog. Family of 4 travelling with my 20 year old daughter and 11 year old son, flying out of BWI to Milan July 17 – Aug 1, 2024. My daughter wants to spend time on the beach/lake , my son wants to see the leaning tower. I am going to print your guide , thank you of being so detailed ! What can I omit or add ? We are traveling light with hand carry and personal item each . If we go with private transport , do we just arrange them with the hotel or is there a website I can check and book in advance. We did London/amsterdam /paris/germany last summer and we are so spoiled with the convenience of uber for transportation. From your post and some of the comments, I guess Uber is not widely used but just find taxi stand, do they do meter or you set and agree on a price before hopping in .. Just curious if you have ideas on this

    Reply

    1. Hi,

       I’m glad to know that my post has helped you in your planning!

       This itinerary as I have it has 2-4 days on the sea (1 day in Cinque Terre, up to 2 days in the Amalfi Coast, and up to 1 day in Capri. The only problem, though, is that it is a lot of moving around. So if you want to spend more time in a single beach place, you can remove 1-2 of the three destinations to add those days to the one that interests you most. So for example, cut out Capri and use that half day trip as an extra half day to just lay on the beach in the Amalfi Coast. Or cut out Cinque Terre and use that day as an extra day in the Amalfi Coast, etc.

       The leaning tower, as you will have read in this itinerary, can be a day trip from Florence. If you cut out Cinque Terre, you can just do Pisa as a round-trip from Florence or as part of an organized tour group from Florence, rather than as a stop en route to Cinque Terre, as I have it in this itinerary.

       If you would like to see a lake, there is also the option of doing a day trip to Lake Como from Milan, which I have a guide on. That would require one day taken from elsewhere.

       Everything I recommend in this guide is kind of the minimum amount of time I deem appropriate for each destination, so it’s hard for me to tell you what to cut since you have exactly 14 days, just like my itinerary. So just decide what interests you and your family least.

       That’s great that you are traveling carry-on only. I think that’s a great idea for a trip of this length and in warm weather!

       As for transport, you can reach out to your accommodation to schedule private transport for you, but there are also options you can look at online to book yourself for a fixed price in advance (I’ve used such things in other countries, but never in Italy, so I can’t provide much personal recommendation. Just check the reviews that company has.). Uber does exist in Italy, though I’ve personally never used it. Italy has a really good train network between all the major tourist stops, and the train between major cities is MUCH faster than going by car. Private transfer around the Amalfi Coast might be worth it, though, especially splitting the cost as a group. For cabs, prices are set fares between city centers and their respective airports (I quote some of those prices in this itinerary), but it will be metered otherwise.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

50. Greetings, Em!

    Thank you for your superb itinerary. My fiancée and I will be spending sixteen days in Italy for our honeymoon next year, during April-May. If we count air travel, then it’s really fourteen days to enjoy the country. We’ll arrive in Rome on April 23rd, 2025 at 12:50 p.m. and depart from Venice on May 8th at 7:10 p.m. Here’s our planned itinerary:

    April 23rd: Arrive in Rome at noon-ish and already start the itinerary.
    April 26th: Leave Rome (later in the day) and arrive at Pompeii, Positano and the Almafi Coast (PPA.)
    April 29th or 30th: Leave PPA and arrive at Capri.
    May 1st: Leave Capri (early) and arrive at Florence.
    May 3rd: Leave Florence (early) and arrive at Pisa.
    May 3rd/May 4th: Leave Pisa and arrive at Milan. We decided to skip the Cinque Terre and go straight to Milan.
    May 5th/May 6th: Leave Milan and arrive at Venice.
    May 8th: Leave Venice at 7:10 pm flight.

    I think we should skip either Capri or Pisa so that we add an extra day to either Florence, PPA or even Venice. Or, maybe take one of the two days in Milan and add it to Capri, Florence or PPA.

    What would you recommend? I don’t think there’s much to do in Milan. Capri sounds more interesting. Or maybe Florence deserves a third day? Or Venice a fourth day? I believe Rome already has enough. Maybe we can even cut half a day from Rome.

    Reply

    1. Hi Murillo,

       I’m glad to know you like my itinerary!

       I would recommend adding one night to Florence. This is because the journey from Capri will be around 5 hours, between the ferry to Naples, the cab to the station, and the train ride to Florence. So if you depart from Capri at 8am, for example, you’d arrive in Florence around 1pm, then check in to your hotel, and then have closer to 1.5 days in Florence instead of 2 full days, which I recommend. If you do add one night to Florence, you could instead leave Capri in the late afternoon, say 4pm, and arrive in Florence around 9pm. So it gives you a good chunk of extra time in Capri as well and thus kind of kills two birds with one stone.

       But Capri can also be a round-trip day trip from Positano or Amalfi or Sorrento. So incase you do remove overnight-ing there, you can still decide last minute from within Italy to tack it on as a full day trip from the Amalfi Coast, if you feel like it.

       I personally think one full day in Milan is enough to see its main draws, because, as I say in the itinerary, they are the painting, the church, and the galleria. So I would take the extra night to give to Florence from Milan.

       If you’re not too bothered about missing the photo opportunity in Pisa, I think you’re find to remove it as well. It’s a necessary transfer between Florence and CT, which is why I feel it’s worth it in my itinerary. But since you would go from there to Milan, the Pisa visit becomes a bigger detour, since there aren’t direct or fast trains to Milan from Pisa. Another option would be to add yet another night to Florence, but use it for a day to do tour group day trip to the Tuscan countryside for some wine tasting that also includes a couple hour stop in Pisa. Then, you just take the fast train from Florence to Milan the morning after the day trip.

       Four days in Venice for me would be a lot. It’s quite a small city, which is why I only devote 2 days to it in my itinerary. So with 3 days, I do think you guys will have enough time to enjoy it, but it of course depends on your interests.

       I hope some of that helps you decide!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. How about this then:

          April 23rd: Arrive in Rome at noon-ish and already start the itinerary.
          April 26th: Leave Rome (later in the day) and arrive at Pompeii, Positano and the Almafi Coast (PPA.)
          April 29th or 30th: Leave PPA and arrive at Florence. (We decided to leave Capri for another time).
          May 3rd: Do the Tuscan countryside and Pisa combo, then return to Florence.
          May 3rd/May 4th: Leave Florence and arrive at Milan.
          May 6th: Leave Milan and arrive at Venice.
          May 8th: Leave Venice at 7:10 pm flight.

          Reply

          1. Hi Murillo,

             I think that looks quite nice! The only thing I would add is that it looks like you might have 2 full days in Milan if you go with the option of arriving there May 3rd and leaving May 6th. I do think one full day in Milan is enough for a trip of limited time where each day is precious time, so I wanted to mention that, in case you would prefer to allocate that as an extra day anywhere else in your itinerary. For example, I (personally) think 3 days in Venice or 3 days in Florence is better than 2 days in Milan.

             But another option would be to stay in Milan two nights with the intent of using one day as a day trip to Lake Como from Milan. In case you don’t like the idea of checking in and out of hotels so quickly.

             Have a great trip!

             – Em

             Reply

             1. Hey Em! Thank you very much for your help! I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Have a wonderful day! =)

                Reply

                1. You’re welcome!

                   Reply

51. Hi Em…
    We have a 12 day summer trip planned in and out of Rome. I like the look of your 14 day itinerary. So plan to cut a few things to make it work. For whatever reason I would really love to see the Amalfi coast. Which is why we are adjusting your 14 day itinerary instead of adding days to your 10 day one that doesn’t include the Amalfi coast. Also milan isn’t as important to me. So if we are heading straight from Florence to Venice on day 9, What train logistics would change from what you have listed? Also if my kids really want to see Pisa, is this possible without doing cinque Terre, like a pit stop on the way to Venice? My other question, is taking the train back to Rome from Venice on the 12th day in the evening ok if our flight is in the am on the 13th day? Or should we devote a whole day to getting back to Rome?

    Reply

    1. Hi Nikita,

       I think all that is perfectly doable.

       From Florence to Venice, just take the two respective train stations from my itinerary (Firenze S. M. Novella and Venezia Santa Lucia), and copy and paste them into the TrenItalia website to book the high speed, direct train in advance.

       You can do Pisa as a round-trip day trip from Florence one day, or you can head from Florence to Pisa and then Pisa to Venice on the day of your first night in Venice, like you suggest. The train journey from Pisa Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia would require a transfer at Firenze S. M. Novella and take 3.5 to 4 hours. (You could leave your bags at your Florence hotel reception after check out and return to your Florence hotel to pick them up before continuing on to Venice, if you prefer that to bringing them to Pisa and leaving them at luggage storage in Pisa Centrale station. But it would be faster to leave them at the Pisa station and not have to exit the station once back in Florence.)

       Venice back to Rome on your final evening/night would be ideal. The journey on the fast/direct train will take 4 hours.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. That helps a ton. Thanks for taking the time to reply to all these unique questions.

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! 🙂

             Reply

       2. Actually one more question…. we are doing the following main stops: Rome, Amalfi Coast, Florence and then Venice.
          We chose this order as it follows thus itinerary but wanted to get your opinion because we eliminated CT and Milan…
          Thought we should ask if you would still do the stops in this order if not going to CT or Milan

          Also thinking of taking the overnight train from Venice to Rome on the last evening, mostly for the experience. We will arrive at the main terminal 4hrs before our flight. Do you think this is wise?

          Reply

          1. Hi Nikita,

             The order doesn’t matter much! I would have mentioned it to you if it would have been better in another order 🙂 . The only difference would be that if you do it the other way around (Rome (0 nights) > Venice > Florence > Pisa > Rome (3 nights) > Amalfi Coast > Capri > Rome (1 night, same day as Capri)), you would have the option of direct trains between Pisa and Rome at certain times of day, whereas between Pisa and Venice will always require that transfer in Florence, as I already mentioned.

             The overnight train sounds fine. I assume by “main terminal” you mean Rome’s main train station, Roma Termini? If so, you can of course go from there to the airport in 30 min, plus maybe 20 min wait time for the next train if you arrive right after one leaves. So let’s just say 1 hr. That’d give you 3 hours at the airport before your flight, which is what is recommended by airlines for international flights these days. The only thing would just be if you are one of those people who would be less relaxed due to not being in your departure city the night before. But if not, I think your plan sounds totally fine.

             – Em

             Reply

             1. Just want to thank you again for all your work. I’m down to just restaurant reservations to plan for our peak season trip. The time I have put into this is next level, but I can not imagine where I would be without your guides. Thank you! Thank you!

                Reply

                1. You’re welcome! 🙂 I know you will have a lovely time and that you will appreciate all your hard work planning once you are there!

                   – Em

                   Reply

52. Hello!
    What would you recommend if I wanted to replace Pompeii with Sorrento? What would be the order from Rome -> Capri (Keeping everything after the same. Could you explain the trains/ boats for it too?

    Reply

    1. Hi,

       It would literally be the exact same as this itinerary, but instead of going to Naples to Pompeii, and then Pompeii to Sorrento, you just go from Naples straight to Sorrento. It’s not replacing anything, but rather skipping something. Because this itinerary already has you heading to Sorrento. Pompeii is just a stop on the route between Naples and Sorrento. So just skip the Pompeii stop and stay on the train until Sorrento.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

53. I’ve read over this post and love how detailed it is. I am travelling to Italy in 2 weeks and haven’t planned anything yet. We are going for 2 weeks aswell but would like more of a relaxed holiday but still want to see the main sights. Where would you suggest to spend most of our time?

    Reply

    1. Hi Amy,

       I’m glad to know you like the post!

       The most lounge-y destination on this itinerary is the Amalfi Coast portion. So you could cut out other parts (Cinque Terre and Milan are what I would recommend, since you say you want to see the main things, and I’d define that as Rome, Florence, and Venice) to add more days in the Amalfi Coast.

       Alternatively, you could just focus on the main three cities and maybe Milan, and go slower by staying in each one longer.

       I hope those suggestions help!

       – Em

       Reply

54. I wanted to let you know that your itinerary has been extremely helpful. I’ve visited your page more than 100 times while finalizing my plans. My travel companion and I are not big fans of museums, so instead of spending a day at the museum in Florence, we’re considering doing a day trip to Tuscany, the Sienna Region, or maybe even scheduling a winery tour. Do you have any tips for a day trip itinerary or traveling without organized tours? Also, which winery would you recommend visiting? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    1. Hi Suzie,

       Thanks for letting me know how helpful my itinerary has been! I love to know that. 🙂

       I’m not big on wine, so I unfortunately don’t have too much to recommend on DIY wine tasting or tours in the region. 🙁 I see lots of group tours you can book that take you to parts of the Tuscan countryside that aren’t reachable by public transport and include wine tastings. But if you prefer to DIY (which, if you can’t tell already by my site lol, I would totally understand!), I would maybe google “best wineries in Tuscany,” jot them down on a list, and one by one, search in Google maps how to get to each from Florence. That way you can see if any are simple to reach by train or bus.

       I can say that Siena is a very easy DIY day trip from Florence. There is a bus that leaves from near the main train station in Florence. There is also a train, but the bus takes you to the city center of Siena, whereas the train leaves you further out, so I recommend the bus for that reason. I don’t have a guide on this day trip because I didn’t take good enough notes while doing it myself. But I think you can find the schedule at this site by using the Trip Planner section. I bought my ticket in person the day of at the bus station, but I was there in late Sept, so depending on your time of year, you might want to book online or at least a day or two in advance if in person.

       I hope some of that helps! Sorry to not be of more help on the wine!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Thank you so much, Em, for taking the time to reply!

          Reply

          1. You’re welcome! Enjoy your trip! 🙂

             Reply

             1. Hey Em,

                I have one more question. I’ve read some negative reviews about traveling from Naples to Sorrento via the Circumvesuviana train and the Campania Express, which I’ve heard is overpriced with poor service. We are a family of 4 traveling from Naples to Sorrento and planning to stop over to see Pompeii. We will be storing our luggage at Pompeii and then heading to Sorrento. What would you recommend other than the train? Is there a reliable bus service that we can take? Also, on our return trip from Sorrento to Naples, do you recommend taking a ferry or a bus instead of the train?

                Reply

                1. Hi Suzie,

                   What kind of negative reviews are you seeing for the Circumvesuviana train? I ask because, it’s been some years since I did the exact journey that I recommend in this itinerary of going from Naples to Sorrento with the stop in Pompeii, but I don’t recall the ride being anything out of the ordinary! And my travel companion was a bit complain-y that trip lol, but she didn’t say anything about that ride either. So I wonder if it’s one of those situations where the only people who are taking the time to share a review are the few who had an extraordinarily bad experience? Because I believe that train is the sort of default way for tourists to get to Pompeii from Naples/Rome, if not on a tour or using private transport. The only bad thing, which I mention in my post, was that the platform was a little confusing for me to locate, because it’s kind of in the same station as Naples Centrale, and there is also the city’s metro in that same building, too. So that’s why I recommend to ask the staff for help if needed.

                   All that being said, there does seem to be a bus from Naples to Sorrento with a stop at Pompeii. You can check the timetable here. You will have to exit the station to find the bus stop. (I can’t find that line on Google maps, otherwise I’d link it.) Also, based on my experience with other buses in Italy, you will likely need to stop at a tobacco shop to purchase the bus tickets. The bus seems to take the same travel time as the train. I have no experience taking that bus, so I can’t share too much more than that, unfortunately!

                   There is also the option of a private transfer or a cab. Since you will be a group of 4, it might be worth the per person cost.

                   I wouldn’t recommend taking the ferry just to get from Sorrento to Naples, because the Naples ferry port is not a reasonable walking distance from the train station. You would have to get a cab to the station. The train (or the bus) will take you right to the building with Napoli Centrale.

                   I hope that helps!

                   – Em

                   Reply

             2. Thank you, Em, for taking the time to respond! I’ve read some negative reviews on Tripadvisor about trains not being punctual, getting canceled at the last minute, and being so overcrowded that there’s no room to stand, among other issues. But I appreciate you sharing your experience with me. I will look into the private transfer option. Appreciate your insight!

                Reply

                1. Ah, I see. I think those are all valid possibilities. I definitely had to sit on the floor of the bus between Sorrento and Amalfi because we were let on rushedly and didn’t get a chance to realize how crowded it was inside until the bus already started moving.

                   A private transfer would be most comfortable, and it’s honestly the way I’d probably choose to travel from Naples into the Amalfi Coast if I had a party of 4 to split the cost with.

                   Have a great trip!

                   – Em

                   Reply

55. Your itinerary is such a gem and full of wonderful practical logistical detail. I am helping my adult daughter plan a high school graduation trip to Italy for her and granddaughter next June. I look forward to the accommodation list you say you will soon provide to help fill in that part. How can I ensure that I receive?

    Reply

    1. Hi Sue,

       I’m glad the itinerary is helpful! I can respond back to this comment you’ve posted when it’s live. 🙂

       On my homepage you can also always see my latest posts, so it’ll be visible there once it’s up.

       – Em

       Reply

56. Thank you so much for this itinerary. We are planning a trip to Italy next year, to celebrate becoming empty nesters and I wasn’t sure where to begin. This is a life saver. I can’t wait to see what accommodations you recommend. Do you know when you will share that? 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Toni,

       I’m glad this itinerary has been helpful in your planning! I love the idea of your celebration trip. 🙂

       I hope that the accommodation guide to match this itinerary will be live in the next month, or two months max if not!

       – Em

       Reply

57. I really like your itinerary and was wondering if you could suggest places to stay in the cities marked Overnight. Definitely looking for more affordable options as a solo female traveler. I am guessing you will obviously consider convenience of travel when making recommendations. I will be using public transportation for all my travels. Also, I have never been to Italy before. Thanks a lot in advance.

    Reply

    1. Hi Madhurima,

       I’m glad to know you like the itinerary!

       I unfortunately don’t have specific options I’d recommend for each spot. 🙁 I usually end up booking the most budget-friendly decent option that is reasonable distance from the train/bus station, since I tend to travel solo and more slowly, but it’s not what I’d always recommend to others. But I am working on a guide to provide this, since I get asked it so much! I’m not sure when your trip is, but I can let you know when the post goes live if your trip isn’t super soon.

       – Em

       Reply

58. Thanks so much for this great Itenerary! We’re planning a 18 day trip into and out of Rome with our 15 year old Sona nd 12 year old daughter. We’re an active family that loves hiking and swimming/ snorkeling. Any major modifications you’d make/ places you’d cut out that would be less interesting/ fun for teens/ preteens?

    Also any advice for the bags? Would you do standard luggage or better off with a backpack?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Scott,

       I’m glad you like the itinerary!

       If we use one of your days as a travel day back to Rome from Venice (it won’t take a whole day), let’s say you have 17 full days, so 3 more days than in my itinerary. Based on your family’s interests, I’d add 2 more days to the Amalfi Coast (so that you definitely have time to do the Walk of the Gods hike, plus more time on beaches, and then can do a full day trip to Capri round trip and then head up to Florence the next morn, unlike the half-day trip I have here) and 1 more day to Cinque Terre (so that you have time to either add in the free Cinque Terre hikes (which I liked more than the paid ones) and/or rent a kayak from one village and kayak up/down the coast, finding little coves along the way). Or you could do the opposite, 1 more day in Amalfi Coast and 2 in Cinque Terre, if you think you’d like that more from what you’ve read.

       If your kids don’t like history, you might consider whether Pompeii would be enjoyable for them or not. And if they don’t care for art, you might consider if they will like Milan (the main draw is the Last Supper painting and maybe the Duomo). You could use the extra days to do some cooking classes if the kids would like, or just move slower.

       For luggage, it sounds like you are going in warm weather, since you mention swimming and snorkeling. So I would pack light. For a trip of that length, I would personally see if it’d be possible to not check in a bag and just take carry-on (so one “under the seat” sized backpack plus one carry-on luggage, for each person). I prefer suitcases to backpacks because they are easier to open/dig around/repack during the trip and also are healthier for your back. But it’s personal preference. If you guys have liquids or some other reason that you need a check-in bag, I would consider taking one large check in per 2 people (so maybe your partner and you split one and the kids split the other) and one carry-on per 2 people, plus one “under the seat” sized backpack per person.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

59. I’m eloping to Italy in September and trying to plan it all out. I wanted go fly into Venice and travel south but it seems like the flights are not affordable for that so it looks like I would have to do round trip to Rome. I want to visit Rome, Florence/Tuscany, Venice, Positano, Amalfi, and Capri but I’m having trouble figuring out the trains and best order to do this in considering some are north and some are south! I’m worried about wasting a lot of my trip on trains.

    Reply

    1. Hi Victoria,

       Congrats on your engagement!

       I would recommend a figure-8-ish shaped itinerary with Rome as the center: Rome > Amalfi Coast (I would choose one base town and day trip form there) > Florence via train from Naples, like I explain in the “how to get to Florence” portion of this itinerary (Florence can be a base for other Tuscan day trips) > Venice > Rome. OR the exact opposite.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

60. Thank you for sharing such an awesome itinerary, this is extremely helpful! My bestfriend and I are visiting Italy – landing in Rome on November 1st (arrive at 9 AM) and departing from Venice on November 14th (leave mid-day). I’ve read various recommendations and it seems like it’s not recommended to visit Cinque Terre in November. My best friend and I would like to visit Rome (& Pompeii), Siena, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and Venice. I would love to do the amalfi coast but knowing the weather won’t be the best, I am honestly ok with skipping it unless you’ve heard otherwise.

    I am wondering if you can provide suggestions in terms of how many days I should stay in each town, and if you have any additional recommendations, knowing the time frame we are visiting.

    Thank you so much for your help!

    – Brittney

    Reply

    1. Hi Brittney,

       I’m glad the itinerary is helpful for you!

       It sounds like you have ~13 full days. To hit all the locations you’ve listed in 13 days, I would recommend: Rome (4 nights – 1 of those days as a day trip to Pompeii, can include some time in Naples if you want) > Florence (3 nights – 1 of those days as day trip to Sienna, better if done by bus rather than by train) > Cinque Terre (3 nights – stop at Pisa on the way from Florence, keep in mind that the trails might be closed due to mud and that many shops/eateries will be too due to the time of year) > Venice (3 nights, it’s prone to flooding in rain so bring appropriate shoes based on the forecast closer to your trip).

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

61. Hi Em
    We are visiting Italy for 17 days during early Dec and it’s our first Europe trip with our 2 teenage boys.

    We heard a lot that it’s wet season and many places to avoid (Tuscany, Cinque Terre etc). We are flying in to Rome and departing from Venice. Not a fan of Milan. We were originally think of Rome> Naples/Amalfi Coast> Florence/Pisa > Cinque Terre > Venice…… though we have yet to think thr the detail itinerary.
    What do u think of this for Dec?

    Reply

    1. Hi Angel,

       How exciting that you’re taking your sons to Europe for the first time!

       I think that itinerary as you have it sounds fine! Just a heads up though that from Cinque Terre (from La Spezia) to Venice is going to be two train transfers (one at Pisa and one at Florence) and will be around 5 hours (including waiting for transfers). It’s doable, but I just wanted to give that heads up.

       You might have read in this post and/or in some comments here below that I don’t recommend this itinerary in winter. This isn’t due to the temperatures themselves (I personally hate cold/gloomy weather, but not everyone else does lol and Italy’s winter is milder than many other places in the world), but rather because Venice is prone to flooding in rain, and because places like Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast pretty much shut down in the off season. The CT trails might be closed due to mud, ferries in the Amalfi Coast will run with less frequency, and in both places, many shops/eateries will be closed until next season.

       If none of that bothers you, then you can definitely visit those places in December!

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi Em
          Thanks for replying so swiftly! Yeah totally get you on the flooding and shut down as I read it on some other travel blogs. Would you have alternatives to recommend us so that we can fill up our itinerary:)

          Cheers

          Reply

          1. Hi Angel,

             One alternative would be to just go slower than I have in this itinerary, because it is pretty jam packed. So you could add one night each to Rome, Florence, and Venice (if you are going to be in Italy anyways, it might be worth it just to go and bring rain boots just in case or depending on the forecast closer to your trip), just to enjoy them more slowly/thoroughly.

             Then I would add some day/side trips for the extra days. Pompeii + a bit of Naples could be an easy day trip from Rome. Or you could overnight in Naples if you want to see more of it, climb the volcano, etc. From Florence, you can day trip to Siena (better by bus than by train), San Gimignano (I haven’t been but I’ve bumped into so many travelers that liked it), Bologna (the main city in the region of Emilia-Romagna, which is home to many of Italy’s most famous foods like bolognese sauce, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, etc.). You could also overnight in Bologna between Florence and Venice, and use it as a base to visit Parma (parmesan) and Modena (balsamic vinager) and do some tasting tours there. You could also add in Verona, which is day trip-able from Venice or from Bologna. And you can always use the extra time to do some experiences, like organized tours to the Tuscan countryside from Florence, cooking classes, etc.

             I hope some of those ideas help!

             – Em

             Reply

             1. Thanks loads Em! Much appreciated

                Reply

                1. You’re welcome!

                   Reply

62. Hi That Travelista, I think this post is very helpful but only a little suggestion about Cinque Terre: the really gem of Cinque Terre National Park is located in Prevo, a little hamlet of Vernazza, right on the Blue Path in halfway between Corniglia and Vernazza, in the hisghest spot at 208 meter a.s.l.
    There is only a little bar, a Farm Shop of Azienda Agricola Sentiero Azzurro and some beautiful houses for rent totally sea view: theheartofcinqueterre.com

    Reply

    1. Hi Pierpaolo,

       I do recommend in this itinerary to walk the Blue Path from Vernazza to Corniglia on the second day in Cinque Terre, so people who do follow my recommendation will already be passing by the homes in Prevo. 🙂

       – Em

       Reply

63. Hi There!

    Thanks so much for this helpful article! Sorry if someone already asked you this, but I’m curious as to why you reccomend starting in Rome vs starting in Naples. It seems like with starting in Naples and working your way up you could avoid any backtracking. I’m sure you have a reason. Just curious!

    Thanks so much!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kurt,

       I’m glad the article is helpful!

       Starting at Naples would be better! But most readers of this article are visiting Italy from outside of Europe, so their airport options will likely be Rome, Milan, and Venice, since Naples is a smaller airport. But if you find a flight to Naples, that’d be better as a start/end point instead of Rome. You would then switch the order of Rome and Amalfi Coast in this itinerary.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

64. Hi Em! I LOVE this itinerary so much! Thank you for sharing it 🙂

    My husband and I are planning on using this itinerary but tweaking it a bit to fit in attending the Formula 1 race Aug 29-Sept 1 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. We are planning for an 18 day trip (2 of which we’ll be flying) and since the race will be a 4 day event, we will need to cut out a few things or condense it quite a bit. Any tips?

    Reply

    1. Hi Steph,

       I’m glad to know you love the itinerary! 🙂

       I would cut out whatever interests you least. It sounds like you have 12 days (18 – 2 for flying – 4 for the race). So you would need to cut two days from this itinerary. Monza is close to Milan so that seems easy to keep in. You could cut out the 2 days for Cinque Terre and Pisa. Or cut out 2 days from the Amalfi Coast (cut out the Capri day trip and combine Positano and Amalfi into one day trip from Sorrento, or only visit Positano and not Amalfi). Or you could cut out all 4 days in the Amalfi Coast since there’s enough there for a week-long trip in the future. And then have 2 extra days to add elsewhere to not move around as fast. Maybe an extra day in Cinque Terre and an extra day in Milan to do a day trip to Lake Como from Milan.

       Hope some of those ideas help!

       – Em

       Reply

65. Hi!
    Your very detailed itinerary is really a welcome! Am planning about a 12 days visit in mid to end June. What are your thoughts on visiting during this time?

    Reply

    1. Hi,

       I’m glad you like the itinerary!

       Like I say in the post, I believe that anytime outside of winter is a good time to do this itinerary! You’ll have a great time. 🙂

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Thanks for the response!
          Need your input on this!
          Am considering your itinerary for my visit. The issue here is I made a mistake in booking my return flight! I’m flying in to Rome and will be ending my tour in Venice but my return flight is from Rome!
          Any suggestion?

          Reply

          1. Hi Sow,

             Not a huge problem! Just take the fast train from Venice to Rome on your final evening if your departure is in the morning, or on your final morning if your departure is in the late afternoon or evening. It takes around 4 hours.

             – Em

             Reply

66. Hey Em!
    My husband and I are going to Italy May 19-June 2nd! We are flying in and out of Rome, and I’m having a hard time trying to figure out the best trajectory! We will spend the first 3 nights in Rome, then from there I’d like to see a few places and I’d love your thoughts on direction!

    We’d love to see:

    Almalfi Coast
    Tuscany
    Florence
    Modena
    Cinque Terre
    Maybe Venice.. too much?

    I just can’t figure out the best way to make the best use of our time. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kelly,

       It sounds like you have 13 full days in Italy? In order to hit everything on your list in 13 days, I’d suggest:

       Days 1 – 3: Rome
       Days 4 – 6: Amalfi Coast
       Days 7 – 11: Florence (2 days for Florence itself, 1 day for Cinque Terre day trip, 1 day for a day trip somewhere else in Tuscany (bc you list “Tuscany” and also list “Florence,” but Florence is already in Tuscany, so I assume you mean the Tuscan countryside or a smaller village), and 1 day for Modena day trip)
       Days 12 – 13: Venice

       From Venice, take the fast train back to Rome.

       If you want more time in Cinque Terre, you can remove 1 day from Amalfi Coast and move it there.

       Hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

67. This is incredible! Thank you for all the research and real travel experience. And taking the time to write it all out! My only question thus far.. do you know how much this all cost? I want to get an estimate to know what to start saving for! Thank you so much.

    Reply

    1. Hi Alexis,

       I’m glad it’s helpful for you!

       The biggest cost is going to be housing, and that is going to depend on your personal preferences, your party size, and how far in advance you book. So it’s hard for me to ballpark it for you. I would just look at some places on a booking site to get an idea for a per night rate for the type of accommodation that you personally will be ok with.

       Besides that, I’ve tried to put all the prices of attractions and transport in this guide, so you can just add up all the attractions you would enter (for example, not everyone will do a gondola ride or enter every attraction) and the transport you would take (for example, using a cab is different than using a bus or ferry).

       If you plan to have a restaurant meal 3 times a day, I’d budget around €60 per day to be super safe. But I personally usually spend less than €25 a day on food in Italy, because I have pastries for breakfast and simpler meals for lunch and dinner.

       Sorry to not be of more help!

       – Em

       Reply

68. Thank you for the detailed itinerary. We are planning a 12-day trip to Italy (not including the travel time), starting from Venice and ending in Rome. Amalfi Coast/Capri is at the top of our list. We are debating whether or not to add Lake Como and skip Cinque Terra since we are planning to go to Amalfi Coast anyway.

    Reply

    1. Hi Suzie,

       I’m glad the itinerary is helpful!

       I think that sounds like a fine plan! The debate between Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast is a common one! Both are full of pretty, colorful villages along the water. Cinque Terre is easier to get to/around and fun for hiking and then jumping in the sea afterwards. It’s also cheaper. But I think the nature/scenery in the Amalfi Coast is more impressive.

       You could do Venice (2 nights) > Milan (2 nights, one day for Milan and second for a Lake Como day trip from Milan) > Florence (2 nights) > Amalfi Coast via Naples (3 nights) > Rome (3 nights).

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Thank you so much for reply!

          Reply

       2. Hi,
          Do you have recommendations on accommodations in all the cities you have included to visit over the 2 week period? We’re looking to go in September.
          Thanks,
          Gemma

          Reply

          1. Hi Gemma,

             Not yet, but I am actually currently working on a guide that will be just that! It will definitely be published before September, but not for a while still. I can let you know through this comment thread when it’s up, in case you still haven’t booked your accommodation by then.

             – Em

             Reply

       3. Hi,
          Is it advisable to rent a car in Venice and make a day trip to Either Dolomite or Lake Como?

          Reply

          1. Hi,

             I’ve replied to your other comment. 🙂

             – Em

             Reply

       4. Hi,
          Is it advisable to rent a car in Venice and make a day trip to Either Dolomite or Lake Como?

          Reply

          1. Hi Suzie,

             I’ve never done it, so I can’t speak from personal expensive. But from what I’ve seen/read, I would definitely recommend renting a car to travel around the Dolomites. I can’t speak to whether it’s worth the drive for just one day though, since I haven’t been.

             For Lake Como, it’s quite a bit further out (3 hours one way to the best part of the lake). Lake Garda is also popular and is closer, so you might consider that, too.

             Sorry to not be of more help!

             – Em

             Reply

             1. Thank you so much!!

                Reply

69. Thank you for the detailed itinerary. We are planning a 12-day trip to Italy (not including the travel time), starting from Venice and ending in Rome. Amalfi Coast/Capri is at the top of our list. We are debating whether or not to add Lake Como and skip Cinque Terra since we are planning to go to Amalfi Coast anyway.

    Reply

    1. I’ve responded to your other comment. 🙂

       Reply

70. This was a lifesaver! I may ( 99.9%) have more questions as I finalize my trip, however, I have 2 I thought of now. Following your list and ending in Venice, we than are heading to Sicily… Can you provide the best route? Also if I wanted to add 1 additional ( 2 night stop) between Venice and Sicily, what you would reccomend with the travel details as well please.

    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jacqueline,

       I’m glad this itinerary has been so helpful!

       If it were me, I would probably fly to Sicily from Venice, because Sicily is quite far by train from anywhere on this itinerary.

       If you do want to go by train, I would probably reverse this itinerary, so that you train to Sicily via either Rome or the Amalfi Coast (or ferry, if from Naples). They are still far, but closer to Sicily than Venice. Puglia might be an interesting stop to break up the long train journey. I haven’t visited it yet, though, so I can’t speak to it personally.

       But like I said, if it were me and I had limited time, I would fly. If you are looking to add one more place to your trip, maybe you can add a night or two in Lake Como from Milan, before heading to Venice. Or visit Lake Garda from Venice. I have an itinerary on a day trip to Lake Como from Milan, if you are interested. You could also add extra nights to rushed parts of the itinerary, like Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre.

       Sorry to not be of more help!

       – Em

       Reply

71. Thank you for this detailed itinerary. It’s the best 🙂

    We decided to not go to Cinque Terre. We are still planning on going to Pisa after Florence. How would we go from Pisa to Venice? The different train systems confuse me and we want to get there as soon as possible. Also, how did you feel about the luggage storage in some of the trains? We plan to bring a 28 inch luggage to hold everything for 2 weeks.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jennifer,

       I’m glad the itinerary is helpful!

       If you see the directions from how to get to Venice from Cinque Terre in this itinerary, you’ll see that there is a transfer at Pisa. So you will do the same journey, just minus the part from Cinque Terre to Pisa, saving one transfer. You will go Pisa>Florence>Venice (but just purchase one ticket with a transfer, not two tickets).

       The luggage storage has been fine for me. I traveled with one those medium sized check-in luggages for 5 weeks, and I usually had room to keep it in front of me. One day it was crowded and someone offered to lift it to the racks overhead for me, because it was way too heavy to lift myself, so that he could sit in the seat front of me. There also should be space for large bags at the end of each train carriage, but I’ve never used that before in Italy.

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

72. This is a great itinerary. I am planning on taking my three daughters to Italy for 2 weeks in May 2025. This looks just what I was wanting. I am wondering if you could recommend hotels (2 rooms) for each stop. I do not want 5*. We want quaint boutique hotels that give a flavour of the region. I would love to be able to book this trip myself using expedia or similar companies. Thoughts? I would appreciate your feedback.

    Reply

    1. Hi Elizabeth,

       I’ve responded to your email, but to answer your question publicly for anyone else who might be reading, it’s definitely doable to book this trip yourself! 🙂

       – Em

       Reply

73. Hello! I’d love to go visit Dolomites when i go to Italy next year. Do you have any advices on where to put this destination during the trip? And which city can i skip for exchange of Dolomites?? Thanks a lot!

    Reply

    1. Ah and I love to go to Sicily as well! I plan to arrive in Rome and depart from Milan. 🙂

       Reply

       1. Hi Susan,

          I haven’t visited neither the Dolomites nor Sicily yet, but both are on my list!

          From what I’ve researched on the Dolomites, it’s easier with a car rental. I’m not sure if you plan to rent a car. Without a car, I do think you can see some things, but you might not be as time efficient (i.e. it might require more days). So what cities you can cut out is going to depend on how many days you want to spend in the Dolomites.

          Sicily is quite far from the rest of the itinerary, so it will be either a long train ride (from Rome, Naples, or Salerno at the eastern edge of the Amalfi Coast) or a flight. It’s a decently sized island, so again what cities to cut out will depend on if you are satisfied to just see one city and get a taste of the island or if you want to see more of the island.

          I would recommend axing Milan, the Amalfi Coast/Pompeii/Capri leg, and/or the Cinque Terre/Pisa leg because they are less “must see” than Rome, Venice, and Florence. The Dolomites are going to be closest to Venice. So I would add them from there. Sicily is very south, but you might need to take a domestic flight to not waste time, so it might not matter where you add it in. But probably from Venice or Rome airports (or Naples if you decide to not remove the Amalfi Coast bit of the itinerary).

          I hope that helps a bit!

          – Em

          Reply

74. Hi Em we will be travelling to Italy in late September from Australia, spending several days cycling in the Dolomites and then using your itinerary as a broad guide for the rest of our trip. If we have a couple of extra days spare (we have three weeks in total) would you recommend Puglia? Or somewhere else as a higher priority?

    Reply

    1. Hi Ruth,

       I haven’t been south of the Amalfi Coast area yet, but Puglia looks beautiful, less touristy, and is on my list! That and also Sicily, but I think Puglia would be easier in 2 or 3 days than Sicily, from what I’ve read/seen.

       Another option is one of the northern lakes, Lake Como and Lake Garda being two of the most popular. I haven’t been to Garda, but Lake Como was stunning and easy to move around. But quite touristy.

       Just some other options to consider, but (keeping in mind that I haven’t been there myself) Puglia sounds like a great addition! With the 2 week itinerary I’ve written out, you’re already going to see all the most “priority” stops in the country, from a touristic point of view, so anything else on top of that is going to be a bonus and just based on your interests!!

       – Em

       Reply

75. My fiancé and I are arriving in FCO on 4/1/24.
    We have two weeks in Italy, in theory. I wouldn’t mind hitting Croatia for a couple of days, if that is doable. I’ve been to Italy numerous times, and he has not, but is happy just going where I want to visit. Croatia is high on both of our lists, so, if we’re there, why not? Any thoughts or insights about that?

    Reply

    1. Hi Kristi,

       I LOVE Croatia and think it’ll pair perfectly with Italy!

       If I were making an itinerary for just your fiance alone, who hasn’t been to Italy nor Croatia, I would recommend combining my one week Italy itinerary and my one week Croatia itinerary to make a two week trip. Each itinerary is what I would recommend for a first timer in each country (so Rome, Florence, Venice for Italy, and Dubrovnik, Split area, Plitvice Lakes for Croatia).

       BUT since you’ve already been to Italy, and many times at that, I’d have to ask what you’re hoping to get out of both countries this visit. What places are you interested to see in Italy? Do they have to be new, or are you willing to repeat things for your fiance to see? Do you want to see “all” of Croatia, or just Split and Dubrovnik? If so, Split and Dubrovnik both have airports with flights to/from Italy, so you can even just tack that portion of my Croatia itinerary somewhere in your Italy trip. I’m happy to give more specific recommendations/thoughts if you let me know! 🙂

       – Em

       Reply

76. My fiancé and I are arriving in FCO on 4/1/24.
    We have two weeks in Italy, in theory. I wouldn’t mind hitting Croatia for a couple of days, if that is doable. I’ve been to Italy numerous times, and he has not, but is happy just going where I want to visit. Croatia is high on both of our lists, so, if we’re there, why not? Any thoughts or insights about that?

    Reply

    1. I think you submitted two comments, so I’ve responded to the other one. 🙂

       Reply

77. Hello Em, really enjoyed reading your 14 day Italy itinerary for first timers.
    My darling wife and I are considering a trip to Italy this fall. We are in our sixties, and while we can walk, we cannot “hike”, so do be gentle, haha. While we would love to cover as much as possible, we do like to take it easy and travel in a leisurely manner.

    Based on your itinerary in reverse, here is what we have come up with:
    Fly into Venice early afternoon. Stay in Venice for 3 nights, (one extra night) as we would need to get over the jetlag from an overnight flight from North America.
    Florence for 2 or 3 nights.
    Cinque Terre/Pisa for 2 or 3 nights. (As suggested by you, thinking of staying in La Spezia for ease of train travel to the 5 village and budget as well.)
    Rome for 5 nights. This would include a day trip to Amalfi Coast and or Naples if possible.

    Seeking your guidance to set up the itinerary along with details of places to visit.
    So this would be a 13 or 15 nights itinerary, depending on your valuable input. Also we cannot decide if we should begin the Italy trip mid September, late September or early October, keeping in mind weather and crowds.

    Thanking you in advance and best wishes

    Reply

    1. Hi Mali,

       I think that sounds like a really nice itinerary!

       If you are not going to be staying overnight in the Amalfi Coast, I would recommend switching the order of Florence and Cinque Terre around to save an hour of train travel time. So Venice > Florence > Cinque Terre > Rome.

       The later you go, the lower accommodation prices will be and the lesser the crowds will be (especially in Venice, because of cruise ships, though I believe they have limited the sizes ships can be now). But also, the cooler the weather should be (but you never know what weather you will get, of course!). If it were me, I would opt for mid or late September. This is because I’m really affected by weather, unfortunately lol! If you don’t mind the weather being cooler, October might be fine for you.

       There are tours on sites like Get Your Guide and Viator for Pompeii and Amalfi Coast day trips from Rome that run around $100 – $150, so that might be an option to consider if you want to see them both in one day.

       All my recommendations on what to visit or extra day trips to add are basically what I’ve put in this post, so if there is any question in specific, let me know! I think having more time in each city will just allow you to enjoy it more by not being rushed or having to wake up early to fit everything in, and allowing you free time to meander and discover things on your own. There’s no reason to rush if you don’t have to! 🙂

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hello Em
          Thank you so much for your time and input for our trip.
          Noted your suggestion about the routing, CT to Rome.
          A few questions:
          1. Taking the train from Florence to CT, should we stop in Pisa. Is the Tower a thing not to miss.
          2. What is best train route from Florence to CT.
          3. We decided to spend two nights instead of 3 at CT. Question, should we stay in La Spezia or in one of the towns, maybe Monterosso. Any thoughts.
          4. What is the best train route from CT to Rome. I guess we should plan to arrive at Roma Termini station.
          Thanks once again.
          Best wishes

          Reply

          1. Hi Mali,

             1. It’s totally up to you if the tower is worth missing or not! It’s not as impressive as the buildings you will see on the rest of your trip (the Colosseum, Venice’s buildings coming out of the water, the Duomo in Florence which literally had new tools invented to build it). It’s just a very cliche symbol of the country for whatever reason, and not worth visiting on it’s own, so that’s why I’ve put it as a quick photo stop in this itinerary, since you already have to exit the train at Pisa station to make a transfer between CT and Florence anyways.

             2. I have the train route from Florence to CT in this itinerary. If you don’t want to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you can just skip that and can continue the transfer to La Spezia at Pisa station. From there, you can continue to CT proper if you want, or stay in La Spezia as your base, like I recommend in the itinerary. The only reason I mentioned the switch to you is because you are doing my itinerary from Venice to Rome, so backwards. So I didn’t want you to do Venice > CT > Florence, because since you aren’t doing Amalfi. Then to get to Rome from CT, it will be from La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini (direct train as fast as 3 hours in the morning, closer to 4 hours later in the day). For all other train journeys, just do the exact reverse of what I have detailed out in this post.

             3. I answered this slightly in the previous bullet, but in the itinerary I recommend La Spezia for just two nights. I explain a bit why in the itinerary.

             4. I answered this in the second bullet, but I’ll add that when looking for tickets to a city, you can type just the name (in Italian, so Roma, Firenze, Venezia, etc.) and then select “Tutti Le Stazioni” if that option is there in the drop-down. This will include all stations for that city in the search. But yes, for this journey in particular, it’ll be Roma Termini. 🙂

             Hope that helps!

             – Em

             Reply

             1. Thank you so much Em
                You are the best.

                Reply

                1. Glad to be of help! 🙂

                   Reply

78. Hi Em! Thank you so much for this detailed itinerary, very helpful!
    I’m planning on visiting Italy in September for 2 weeks, perhaps a little longer. It’ll be my first solo holiday! I’m really keen to explore Sicily as well as the destinations set out in your article. I’ll be flying from Bristol and planned to begin in Milan and make my way down the country, flying home from Sicily but flights are either a lot more expensive or hours long! Do you think it would be okay to follow your itinerary, ending in Sicily and then flying from Sicily back to Milan so that I can book a return flight from there?
    Thank you again for your help! ☺️

    Reply

    1. Hi Kaela,

       I’m glad the itinerary is helpful!

       You can definitely tack on Sicily to this itinerary, and I think a domestic flight to save money/time makes a lot of sense.

       I’m not sure if you are planning to connect my itinerary to Sicily by train or do two domestic flights. If you are wanting to use the trains to get to Sicily and just the flight to get home, there are direct trains from Roma Termini and Salerno to Messina Centrale, Palermo Centrale, and Siracusa. Salerno will save you about 2 hours compared to Rome, and it is at the eastern end of the Amalfi Coast. So if you decide to go that route, I would recommend moving my itinerary around to end in Amalfi Coast rather than in Rome. That would also make me recommend moving Florence and Cinque Terre around, to save an hour of train time there.

       So Milan > Venice > Florence > Cinque Terre > Rome > Amalfi Coast > Salerno (reached either by train with connection in Torre Annunziata or Naples, or by ferry) > Sicily > flight to Milan.

       You could also fly from Naples to Sicily. The train journey is so long that it might be worth looking into.

       I hope that helps!! Your trip sounds like it’s going to be amazing!!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. Hi Em,
          Thank you so much for your reply! I ended up missing out Sicily and decided to do it another time. Instead I have tweaked things slightly and planned it Venice – Florence – Pisa – Clique Terre – Rome – Pompeii – Sorrento – Matera – Milan – Lake Como. Thank you so much! ☺️

          Reply

          1. That sounds like it is going to be an amazing trip! Have the best time!

             – Em

             Reply

79. My husband and I will be visiting Italy in June. I would love to visit EVERY place on the itinerary, but my husband is not looking forward to packing up and jumping on a train every 2 days. I read that you recommended cutting out Capri, but that’s high on my list. Can you tell me if cutting out Cinq Terre is a good alternative?

    Reply

    1. Hi Camille,

       I think that’s a great alternative. If Capri is high on your list, that settles it, in my opinion! My itinerary only allocates a half day to Capri, but by removing Cinque Terre, you can either overnight in Capri with those two nights originally meant for La Spezia/Cinque Terre, or add two nights to the Amalfi Coast, allowing you to do a longer day trip to Capri than you would be able to do if you were going to Florence afterwards, like in my itinerary.

       The reason I recommended cutting out Capri in another comment is because (1) it only occupies half a day of my itinerary, so it’s one of the smallest things to cut out, and (2) it added the most inconvenience to the itinerary. But now, the train journey between Cinque Terre and Venice has also gotten about an hour longer than it used to be for some reason. I’m not sure if it is because of work on the route or if it’s a permanent change. But now the inconvenience is kind of similar between the two.

       And lastly, I think Cinque Terre on its own is easier to return to on a future trip than Capri on its own is.

       I hope that helps you make your decision! Enjoy your trip!

       – Em

       Reply

80. Thanks for this wonderful guide – it paints such a beautiful picture of Italy and all the details are really helpful. We are seniors and looking for info to ease the logistics of things. Specifically:
    Would it make sense to take a train from Rome to Sorrento, using Sorrento as your base for a few days. Then, on one of the days take a train back to Pompeii for the day to see the ruins – trying to avoid the luggage and train transfer hassles.
    Also, can you tell me how luggage is handled and where it is stored on the trains? Will there be any assistance available for this?
    Quick impressions of the best area to stay in Rome, Florence and Venice for convenience to attractions and trains would be helpful.
    Thanks so much.

    Reply

    1. Hi Kelley,

       I’m glad my guide is helpful!

       You can totally day trip to Pompeii from Sorrento if you prefer. You could technically even do it on the same day as you leave Rome, if you don’t mind doubling back on the same day. The train ride is around and hour each way, and it will be the same train you take from Naples to Sorrento, so you’ll already have experience with it.

       I’ve always put my luggage above me, if the carriage is so full that I cannot keep it near my seat. I’ve never traveled Italy with anything larger than the medium-sized check-in bag, though. (I mean the kind that are definitely too large to be check-in, but not the standard check-in sized luggage.) There is usually also a designated area for luggage at the end of each carriage. There isn’t impromptu service that I have witnessed. I’ve only ever seen train staff give directions and answer questions. But TrenItalia does have this service to deliver luggage to your hotel. So maybe that will interest you.

       I personally always try to stay walking distance from the train stations. In Rome, this area visually seems a little dodgy, so you might want to keep that in mind. You can try to find something still walking distance from the train, but in the direction of the attractions (northeast of the station). But in Florence, I found the area near the train to be fine. In Venice, I would definitely recommend to be near the train, because it is annoying transporting luggage over all the bridges, and it can be confusing to navigate the water taxis right upon arriving and with luggage in hand. Florence and Venice are both rather compact.

       I usually use Booking.com to search, because I like that their interface allows you to filter criteria and then move to a map view, which allows me to see where the accommodation is relative to the train and attractions. I’m not currently affiliated with Booking.com.

       I hope some of that helps!!

       – Em

       Reply

       1. So, do you have to change trains to get from Rome to Sorrento? Or is there a direct train?

          Reply

          1. Hi Kelley,

             As my itinerary details in the section about how to get to Pompeii, you have to transfer at Naples. There are two Naples stations. You go from Rome to one. Then, you walk to the other one and head on a second train towards Sorrento. My itinerary has you getting off this second train at Pompeii on the way to Sorrento, but you can of course just keep on the train and head to Sorrento. 🙂

             Hope that helps!

             – Em

             Reply

             1. I see. Thanks for the good info

                Reply

81. HI, Planning to do a trip of Italy plus Malta starting in first week of April 24 for 17 days.
    We are a family of 3 (2 adults and a 15 years old child)
    Landing in Milan and flyout from Rome
    Can you advice a complete itinerary with an option of flying in and out of Malta in between this 17 days. Malta can be 2 nights only.
    We would like to spend some quality time in Rome for sure. (if less also, give an option).

    Reply

    1. Hi Shani,

       That trip sounds like it will be a dream! I think Malta can be squeezed into this Italy itinerary quite nicely.

       What I recommend is to do my itinerary backwards then find a way to squeeze Malta in using the airports of Naples, Bologna, or Pisa.

       This could yield something like:

       April 24: land in Milan
       April 25: travel to Venice in afternoon or evening (depending on how much time you had in Milan on day 1)
       April 26: Venice
       April 27: travel to Florence in evening
       April 28: Florence
       April 29: Florence
       April 30: travel to Cinque Terre (La Spezia) in morning, stopping in Pisa if interested
       May 1: Cinque Terre
       May 2: travel to Pisa Airport (9am flight) and fly to Malta
       May 3: Malta
       May 4: fly to Naples Airport, travel to Amalfi Coast (Sorrento), stopping in Pompeii if interested
       May 5: Amalfi Coast
       May 6: Amalfi Coast
       May 7: travel to Rome in morning, stopping in Capri if interested
       May 8: Rome
       May 9: Rome
       May 10: fly home

       The flights I reference are all through RyanAir. So be sure to read my guide on flying with RyanAir without getting ripped off before purchasing.

       Hope that helps, and have a great trip!

       – Em

       Reply

82. Hiiiii,

    Planning to go to Italy for 2 weeks 15-17 days. I was planning to add Malta too.. do u think I can add Sicily and then Malta after Naples ? and miss Milan from the trip.
    Please let me know your thoughts on these places. If they all look and feel the same in June then may be I could skip them.

    Reply

    1. Hi Archana!

       There are direct flights between the three places (Naples, Sicily, and Malta), so you definitely can tack those onto the itinerary if you’d like. In that case, I would probably make the trip Venice > Florence > Cinque Terre > Rome > Naples/Amalfi Coast > Malta + Sicily. Or the exact reverse. The only thing is that removing Milan only saves one day, so if you are following the rest of my itinerary, your trip will be longer than 17 days if you tack on Sicily (which is a large island) and Malta. So you might have to cut a bit more out from my itinerary, if that is what you are following.

       I haven’t been to Sicily or Malta yet, so I can’t advise on them from personal experience. I’ve heard that Sicily is a bit of a different vibe from the rest of the country. And Malta of course is a separate country. But the three places are going to seem similar compared to, say, Norway. They are all in the Mediterranean, they are all southern Europe, they all have been part of the Roman Empire, etc. So it depends on your definition of “the same.” My own opinion is that I absolutely plan to visit both Sicily and Malta in the future!

       I hope that helps!

       – Em

       Reply

83. Hi there,

    Thank you so much for all the valuable information! We’re doing a bit of a shorter trip as we are staying a few days in Paris as well as Switzerland. We plan to have 11 -12 days in Italy. I am wondering how you would reconfigure the itinerary. I have been to Italy on a school trip and was planning on skipping Rome this time around (been to Florence as well but would like to go back). I also wanted to check out lake como. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jessica,

       I’m glad the information is helpful!

       Since the itinerary is 14 days and the Rome portion is 3 days, I would just remove those 3 days and have an 11 day itinerary. That would have you starting in Naples (which has an airport) and ending in Milan, or the reverse – whichever works out better for you.

       If you want to see Lake Como on a day trip, it’s possible and would keep the itinerary within 12 days. I detail how in my Lake Como day trip itinerary from Milan. If you want to overnight in Lake Como, I would cut some days out from whatever interests you least and tack on those days to Lake Como. Maybe the half day in Capri because it’s a little complicated, or maybe Milan because it’s not as beloved, or maybe a night from Florence since it’s a repeat for you, etc.

       I hope that helps!!

       – Em

       Reply

84. This post is amazing! Would love your input on 14 days flights to and from FCO – Rome (Wednesday arrive, Tuesday depart). We hope to hit Rome, Pescara, Roccamorice, Naples, Pompeii, Sorento, Pompeii, Amalfi, the hike you mention, and maybe Capri. We dont mind paying for some accommodations, but we also have a friend in Naples where we can stay for free. Any tips on itinerary and how to get around?

    Reply

    1. Hi Ken! I’m so glad to know the post was helpful! 🙂

       That’s so awesome you have free housing in Naples!

       The bulk of everything you listed is day-trip-able from Naples – just Rome, Pescara, and Roccamorice aren’t. I haven’t been to Pescara or Roccamorice, but based off a quick Google Maps search of public transport, it seems there are trains and buses between Rome and Pescara. It seems that there is a long (5hr) Flixbus between Naples and Pescara, but that a train trip between the two has to transfer at Rome. I didn’t see any way to get to Roccamorice with public transport from Pescara, Rome, or Naples.

       Off the top of my head, I would say to combine Rome, Pescara, and Roccamorice as one leg of the trip. Let’s call it Leg A.

       Leg A:
       Day 1: land in Rome, explore if you have time/energy, sleep in Rome
       Day 2: Rome, sleep in Rome
       Day 3: Rome, sleep in Rome
       Day 4: travel (probably train) to Pescara, explore, sleep in Pescara
       Day 5: day trip to Roccamorice (I imagine there must be some way to get there by local bus? I’d look more into that!), sleep in Pescara
       Day 6: travel to Rome (or to Naples by Flixbus, depending on the day)

       Sorrento, Pompeii, a hike up Mt Vesuvius (if that interests you), and Capri are all super-duper easy day trips from Naples. So, if you’re wanting to save budget, I’d plan all those as day trips (and maybe overnight in Capri if you want, to experience it without the day-trippers) from your friend’s place. And Naples itself also has things to see!

       I think it’s worth spending a night or two in either Positano or Amalfi to spend one day in each and do the Walk of the Gods hike. But you technicallyyy can day trip to them from Naples as well. If you do, I’d recommend by ferry, because doing the train from Naples to Sorrento, then the bus from Sorrento to Positano/Amalfi, and then returning…all in the same day…multiples days…just sounds terrible to me! But the ferry would be €30 – €40 ish round trip each time, so multiply that by multiple people and two or three days, and I feel like you can just put some of that money towards accommodation instead, spending more time exploring and less time commuting!

       Either way, I’d say to combine Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, the hike, and Capri into another leg of the trip. Let’s call this next bit of the trip Leg B.

       Leg B:
       Day 1: travel to Naples from Rome by train (or from Pescara by Flixbus), explore depending on time, sleep at friend’s place
       Day 2: day trip to Pompeii + Sorrento, sleep at friend’s place
       Day 3: travel to Positano in morning (probably ferry), explore, sleep in Positano (or Amalfi if you decide)
       Day 4: take bus/cab to Amalfi, explore, take bus/cab to start of hike, hike to Positano, sleep in Positano (or rearrange this if you decided Amalfi for Day 3)
       Day 5: take ferry to Capri, explore, take ferry to Naples, sleep at friend’s place (or overnight in Capri, taking ferry to Naples the next day)

       So all that puts you at about 10 – 13 days, depending on if you add extra nights to Capri or the Amalfi Coast or Naples, and whether you combine day 6 of Leg A with Day 1 of Leg B.

       If you have an extra 2 – 4 days, you can add a Leg C of Naples/Rome-Florence-(+ Pisa if you want)-Rome, or Naples/Rome-Florence-Venice-Rome, or Naples/Rome-Venice-Rome, etc. by fast train. Know that Venice is going to be a long train ride from Naples, though!

       And you can rearrange any of the Legs A – C into whatever order fits best with your flights or your friends’ schedule, etc. since Rome is kind of the focal point of them all.

       Hope some of that is helpful!! I think it all depends on how much you care to “fit everything in!” If that’s not a concern and you can return to Italy later on to tour the north, I’d say spending all 14 days in the areas you listed and taking it more slowly sounds the most enjoyable! (Renting a car is also an option, but as I’ve never done that in Italy and my itinerary was all public transport, I’ve stuck to public transport in this response.)

       I’m sure you’ll love your trip whatever you decide. 🙂

       Reply

85. Hi there!

    Is it best to book the air first and then find the accommodations? I’m wanting to go to Italy this May…in a few weeks.

    Reply

    1. Hi Ruth! Italy in May sounds like the perfect time!

       I’m a huge planner, so I like to plan a rough itinerary (which includes looking at any train schedules/prices, skimming housing options, flight options, etc.) before booking anything.

       Sometimes I book free-cancelation accommodation first before booking my flight/transport. But if I am staying in an Airbnb or something not fully-refundable, or if the flight price is very good, then I tend to book the flight before the accommodation. So there really is no correct order! 🙂

       But since your trip is coming up soon, maybe it’d be a good idea to at least look at accommodation first to make sure there are enough options for your destination within your budget before you put down money on a flight.

       Hope that helps!

       Reply

       1. So, I’ve decided to change my trip to 21 day in and out of Milan…how would you restructure the itinerary?

          Reply

          1. How exciting!

             With seven extra days I would use one day to travel back to Milan from Rome at the end of the trip (Roma Termini to Milano Centrale, fast train takes 3 hrs) and for the remaining six days, choose what interests you the most from the below options:

             – one extra night in Milan to do a day trip to Lake Como (or spend a couple nights on Lake Como)
             – one extra night in Milan or Venice to do a day trip to Verona (or spend one night in Verona in between traveling between Milan and Venice, or spend two nights in Verona to see Verona one day and day trip to Sirmione on Lake Garda the second day – I meant to go to Sirmione from Verona myself but didn’t because of rain)
             – one or two extra nights in Cinque Terre to rush less or do a day trip to Portofino (this guide is from Genoa but is just as doable from Cinque Terre) and/or Portovenere
             – one extra night in Florence to do a day trip to Siena
             – one extra night in Florence to do some sort of organized day trip that includes Val d’Orcia and/or Tuscan countryside wine tour (I haven’t done either of these)
             – one extra night in Florence to do a day trip to San Gimignano (I haven’t been but have heard nice things)
             – one extra night in Amalfi Coast to rush less (and/or add a night to Capri to spend a full day there and not just a few hours)
             – a couple nights in the Emilia Romagna region (in between Venice and Florence – main city is Bologna) I only recommend this if you love the food from here (bolognese sauce, parmesan cheese, prosciutto di parma, and balsamic vinegar are a few famous ones) and plan to do food tours, as it’s known as a foodie haven

             The above options allow you to stay in the same area and get to know it better/less rushed. But you could also add an entirely different region to your trip if that is what you prefer. You could rent a car and explore the Dolomites in the north, you could travel alllll the way south and see some of Sicily or Puglia (but that would be a very long travel day back to Milan or require a domestic flight), you could spend time on the island of Sardinia, etc. I haven’t done any of these things (yet!) so I can’t give much advice on them. If it were me, I would stick to the first options I listed and save further-away things for return trips to Italy. 🙂

             Hope some of that helps!! 🙂

             Reply

86. I have a 2 week vacation coming up in May and I’m thinking about going to Italy but have to idea how to plan it; where to go or where to stay!

    Reply

    1. Hi Stephanie! How exciting! I think May is a perfect time to see Italy (that and September) because the weather is warm but it’s not high season. You’re going to have an amazing time. 🙂

       If it were me and my first time in Italy, I would follow this two week itinerary exactly as I have it laid out. I like to maximize places I’m seeing while still having enough time to “see everything” in each place, and the itinerary as I have it laid out does that. It hits the three main, can’t-miss Italy destinations (Rome, Venice, and Florence) plus fits in the next tier of popular destinations (Cinque Terre, Pisa, Milan, Amalfi Coast/Capri, and Pompeii).

       The only additional planning you would need to do is your accommodation. I like to use Booking.com because I like its interface and app, that many properties listed allow free cancelation, and that it lists hostels (I’m not doing hostels at the moment though, due to the virus). But other sites you can use include Hotels.com, Airbnb, or HostelWorld. It depends on your budget and style. 🙂 Also, I always check the walking distance from the train station to the accommodation on Google Maps before I book.

       If the itinerary as I have it laid out seems too jam-packed for you and you like to travel slower, you can let me know what you’re looking for (beaches/relaxing, focusing on one region and returning to the country later for other regions, art/history/museums), and I can give my thoughts on what to add and take out! 🙂

       Reply

87. My wife & I are heading to our 2 weeks Italy adventure next week. After Rome, we were thinking of renting a car until the end. Do you know what is the parking situation? Would hotels/airbnbs provide accessible parking options overnight? Is parking fare like insane expensive?

    Reply

    1. Hi Karan! How exciting!!

       I’ve never driven a car in Italy, so I can’t say much from personal experience. But the answer depends on what places you are visiting. 🙂 If you are seeing just the places on this itinerary, for me, a car isn’t worth the hassle because it’s so easy to travel between the main tourist destinations by train. The only parts of this itinerary that I think could be easier to get to with a car would be Positano and Amalfi, so just 2 out of 14 days. But maybe you will be exploring smaller towns of the Tuscan countryside, or heading to Sicily, or something like that, which then would have a different (easier) parking situation than the major tourist cities/spots! So the answer depends a lot on your specific itinerary.

       Airbnbs sometimes do have parking and they list it on their Airbnb page if they do. Same with hotels. But if it’s not listed on their page, I wouldn’t expect parking. In my experience driving in other European cities, parking is expensive, but like I said, I can’t speak from experience on Italy.

       If you do go with a car because you prefer to not be on a train schedule, I would suggest to plan where you will be parking in advance (Google search or see what others on TripAdvisor have shared). You might be able to find the costs in advance and then decide for yourself if it is too expensive vs the trains or worth it. 🙂

       I hope some of that helps!

       Reply

88. My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy in late May. Your itinerary has been of great help in coming up with our plan – thanks very much for taking the time to write such a detailed travel plan. The following is our draft itinerary:

    17-Mar Arrive Milan 2:30 PM
    18-Mar Milan sightseeing
    19-Mar Lake Como
    20-Mar Morning train to Venice
    21-Mar Venice, Train to Florence in the evening
    22-Mar Florence
    23-Mar Florence, Pick up rental car drive to Tuscany in the afternoon
    24-Mar Tuscany (includes Pisa and Cinque Terre among other places)
    25-Mar Tuscany
    26-Mar Tuscany
    27-Mar Drive back to Florence, drop rental car, take train to Rome
    28-Mar Rome
    29-Mar Rome
    30-Mar Vatican
    31-Mar Train back to Milan, flight out at 2 PM

    We will be meeting my sister and brother-in-law in Florence and will be with them for the Florence and Tuscany leg of the trip. The dates and days for this leg of the trip are kind of fixed so we are going with their plan and will be sharing the AirBnB they booked in Tuscany. We intend to cover Pisa and Cinque Terre while we are there. We intend to rent a car to drive to Tuscany, only place on this trip where we plan to do that.

    Initially I had Amalfi Coast in there but reading your comments, I took that out for a later trip that could combine that and potentially Sicily (always wanted to visit Palermo/Bagheria – The Godfather effect!).

    Would appreciate your insights on the overall itinerary. A couple of doubts that we have are are we budgeting too little time in Venice and is 3 days too much for Rome/Vatican? Thanks a lot in advance.

    Reply

    1. Hi Kam! I’m so glad to know my post and comments have been helpful to you. 🙂

       What you have looks like an awesome itinerary! You are going to have a great time leaving it just as is. Personally, I liked Rome most between Rome/Venice/Florence, so I may be a little biased in saying that 3 days would never be “too much” for Rome. 🙂 That being said, my own itinerary only allots 2.5 days to Rome, so if you wanted to arrive in Rome one day later so that you take the train from Florence the following morning, arrive in Rome by or even past noon, and have 2.5 days instead of 3, I think you can still see everything in Rome that you would have seen. That would allow you to either have more time in Florence or maybe arrive in Florence from Venice the next morning and have one more night in Venice. (Not sure if that part is already fixed though?)

       I think, make your decision on what interests you and your wife most between ancient history (Rome), renaissance art (Florence), and a visually stunning city (Venice). I think you’ll be able to “see everything” in Venice with your current itinerary because it’s a pretty small place, especially the touristic center. So the decision is more if you think you want to “hang out” longer in a visually pleasing city rather than about if you will miss seeing something touristic. As for the Vatican, some people allot a whole day to it. Others half a day. (This also depends on if you are buying skip-the-line tickets in advance.) I personally am not interested enough to spend more than half a day (I love Rome’s ancient Rome stuff more than the Vatican stuff), but maybe you and your wife love art and museums more than I do. 🙂

       So to answer your question, I think the itinerary as you have it looks good and you’ll “see everything.” But if you are nervous, I think you can remove 0.5 days from Rome and add it elsewhere without seeing any less of touristic Rome. And I think Amalfi + Sicily for a future trip sounds like a dream!

       Reply

       1. Many thanks for taking the time for writing a detailed reply and apologies for my late response. We have made one change to our original plan: the more Youtube videos I saw of the Amalfi coast the more it felt like we should get at least a glimpse of it on this trip. So I have gone in the opposite direction and added one more night to Rome (stealing a day from Tuscany)!. In addition to giving more time for the historical sites, we plan to do a quick day trip of the Amalfi run by Walk Tours of Italy which should gives us a glimpse of its wonder and hopefully tempt us for a return trip! Once again many thanks for your help and all the best.

          Reply

          1. An organized day trip is a great way to quickly see the Amalfi Coast from Rome! It’s very stunning/unreal place, and I know you’ll love it! I would love to know how the whole trip went after you return. 🙂 Have the best time!!

             Reply

             1. Thanks for your help again and will be sure to write after we return from the trip.

                Reply

89. Hi.
    We are planning on arriving in Naples March 26th or so and want to spend two weeks in Italy. Our final destination will be Marseilles France. We will arrive in Naples from Sicily.
    What do you recommend for an itinerary for those 2 weeks.
    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hello! I’d recommend this exact itinerary, just in a different order. Since you are arriving in Naples instead of Rome, that’s actually less backtracking. 🙂

       I’d say to start with the Pompeii/Amalfi Coast/Capri leg. If you wanted to be based in Naples, it is technically possible to do Positano, Amalfi, Capri, and of course Pompeii each as day trips from Naples. So you would either rent a car, join tour groups, hire a driver, or DIY it by using the buses/ferries I mention. It would just be more time in transit each day vs being based in, for example, Sorrento.

       After that, I would take the train up to Rome and do the Rome portion of this itinerary. Then, from Rome take the train to Florence and continue with this itinerary exactly as is for Florence > Pisa/Cinque Terre > Venice > Milan. RyanAir has direct flights from “Milan” (the BGY airport in Bergamo, not the MXP airport) to Marseilles. But remember that they are a budget airline and very strict on baggage size/weight!

       Hope that helps! Feel free to respond back 🙂 Sounds like it will be such a lovely trip!!

       Reply

90. Thank you for such GREAT information!!
    We plan to be in Italy in November…Hubby is teaching in Milan & Lithuania the first week of Nov & I will meet him in Rome when he’s finished. We should have 15 days, not including our travel days and I’m thinking Rome, Florence & Venice for sure. We like to be leisurely when we travel 😉
    Are there any of the destinations you listed that we should omit due to it being November?
    Leslie

    Reply

    1. Hi Leslie! So glad you found the info useful 🙂

       As a Californian who’s pretty much only known the drought years, weather (including rain) really impacts where I want to travel! So keep in mind that bias in my response LOL.

       Like I mentioned towards the beginning of this post, Venice is prone to flooding during rain. So if it’s raining heavily there on your visit, it might not be enjoyable, but you won’t really know the forecast until closer to the date. I wouldn’t go as far as to say omit it, but just keep that in mind, and maybe you can pack or plan to purchase rain boots worst case.

       Personally my own interest in beach-y places (which in this itinerary would be Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast area, and Capri) is entirely dependent on warm weather. So those would be the ones I personally omit and save for another visit. The order of omission for me would be: Capri, Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre would be last to go for me because it’s all connected by train, so I imagine it would still be just as easy to visit. And apparently no one checks for the ticket to the paid hiking trail in winter, so assuming it is not rainy or just rained (muddy trail would not be fun) that might be a plus to going in winter. Amalfi Coast should still be doable, but I imagine the ferry schedules would be heavily reduced in low season, and potentially more canceled due to sea conditions, so getting to Capri might be annoying. All three of these destinations’ villages/towns are filled with souvenir shops, boutiques, and restaurants, so I would imagine some might be closed in winter, but not all.

       Since you like to be leisurely and the itinerary as I have it is very jam packed,
       * I would omit the entire Amalfi Coast and Capri leg of the itinerary. It’s a lot of moving around in a short time frame, and I don’t know that it’s worth it in cold weather. You can keep the Pompeii portion of the itinerary by just adding 1 more night in Rome and making Pompeii a day trip. So in the end, that would net save you 3 days.
       * I think Cinque Terre will be worth it if you just wanted to SEE the pretty towns (they’ll look exactly the same in winter as summer, and will be much less crowded!) but not worth it if you’d be very upset if the trails are closed do to mud from rain. If you omit this, that would save you 1.5 days. I’ll assume you don’t omit this for the following bullet.
       * With the 3 extra days, I would choose the 3 of the following that interest you most:
       ~ Day trip to Siena from Florence (add 1 night to Florence)
       ~ Day trip to San Gimignano from Florence (add 1 night to Florence) – I have not been, but have heard nice things
       ~ Day trip to Bologna from Florence or Milan (add 1 night to Florence or Milan) – I only recommend this if you love the food from here and plan to do a food tour, as it’s known as a foodie haven and is in the region where a LOT of the Italian dishes Americans love/know are from
       ~ Day trip to Verona from Venice or Milan (add 1 night to either Venice or Milan) – where Romeo and Juliet was set
       ~ If it happens to be a nice day, day trip from Milan to Lake Como (add 1 night to Milan)

       This would be a lot less moving around, so a lot more leisurely. If you want to save moving accommodation from Florence to Cinque Terre, you can also just do Cinque Terre as a day trip from Florence, especially if you do not plan to hike. I detail how I’d recommend fitting all villages (plus the main hikes) into one day here. This way, you would only be based in Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan for the entire 2 weeks.

       Hope some of that helps! Feel free to respond back 🙂

       Reply

       1. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your reply is very helpful 🙂
          We’re less about the beaches so omitting the Amalfi Coast & Capri makes sense. I hadn’t considered the Bologna region and that idea intrigues me as we do like food 😉
          Is it a crazy idea to think that we can plan just our Rome leg from the States & then figure out the rest while we’re over there, according to the weather forecast at the time? That would give us flexibility as to whether we begin or end in Venice before heading back to Rome for our flight home.
          Again, I appreciate all the time & effort you’ve put into your blog & responses!
          Leslie

          Reply

          1. I don’t think that’s crazy at all! You will just have to pay some more for any long distance train tickets due to purchasing them closer to the date of travel vs weeks or months out (which I mention some price examples of in the post as well). November will be off season, and on top of that, we have the lovely pandemic which doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, so I do imagine you would be able to get accommodation just fine.

             One thing I personally would do though is to still plan out what you want to do in each of the non-Rome legs of your trip in advance (at least roughly), and then just mix and match the order of the non-Rome legs later on. So plan what you want to do in Florence, how many nights there, roughly how to do any day trips from there, and then same for Venice and any other base cities, but then don’t book until getting to Rome if you like. That way, you don’t waste your vacation time in Rome searching the internet to plan time-consuming details. You can just spend a few minutes searching the weather, deciding the best order, and booking 🙂

             Reply

             1. Awesome, that’s good to hear. Thank you again!!

                Reply

                1. You’re welcome! I’m sure you’ll love your trip 🙂

                   Reply

91. Hi, my husband and I are planning a 14-day honeymoon this October. I am worried we will spend most of our time on trains if we try to visit too many places. We fly in and out of Rome. Would you recommend skipping out on Amalfi Coast and heading north (Rome-Florence-Cinque Terre-Milan-Venice-Rome) instead? We don’t want to miss out on anything!

    Reply

    1. Hi Ashley! I definitely understand that sentiment!

       If there was any portion of this itinerary to take out, in my opinion, the Amalfi Coast/Capri/Pompeii leg would be the one to go. The main reason for that is that it is a rather high ratio of travel time to non-travel time compared to the other legs of this itinerary, AND it easily could make up its own entire week+ Italy trip if you are able to return. A third reason would be that since you mention you don’t want to miss out anything, I think all the other destinations rank above Amalfi Coast/Capri/Pompeii in terms of what is considered most “must see.”

       So yes, what you said is what I would recommend. 🙂 Especially for a honeymoon, slowing down would be a lot more romantic!

       Reply

92. Hi, this itinerary sounds amazing. My husband and I would like to travel from the US to Italy for the first time next May. Do you have lodging accommodation recommendations and how to book them?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jennifer! May is a lovely and comfortable time to travel to Italy. You will love it!

       I can’t say I have specific lodging recommendations for each destination, but I pretty much always use Booking.com to look for and book my accommodation. I just really like the interface of their website for searching as well as how it lists your bookings out in chronological order, so it’s easy to keep track of where you are headed next. Plus, a lot of their listings offer free cancelation so that (1) I feel comfortable booking something earlier than I’m totally certain on it and (2) things are easy if plans change. And I find this to be true of both their desktop site and mobile app. They also have a large range, from five star hotels to hostels to guest homes, so I really like it as a one stop shop. (I’m not affiliated with them at all, they just happen to be the site that I almost always use for several years now.)

       One tip with them and with any hotel listing site is to check TripAdvisor after you have settled on the hotel but before you book. The photos on those booking sites are always provided by the hotel itself, so I often just do a quick skim of the traveler uploaded photos on TripAdvisor, especially if it is more of a budget accommodation.

       A lot of people of course love apartment rentals, so if you and your husband like that experience more, definitely look at AirBnB and Vrbo. I just personally prefer not having to coordinate check in and check out time with each host in an itinerary like this where you are moving around every few nights. I like that at hotels/hostels I can drop off my bag with reception if I arrive before check in or leave it there after check out if I’m sticking around. But the plus side is that you have the whole place to yourself, feel a bit more “like a local,” and can save money on food by grocery shopping and using the kitchen, packing lunches, etc. So kind of just depends on your style!

       I hope some of that helps! I just haven’t revisited each destination on this itinerary enough to try out enough different accommodations to be able to give strong recommendations 🙂

       Reply

93. This is the most amazing, detailed, helpful itinerary I have seen. Thank you for putting this together, it was SO helpful!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂 I’m glad to know it was helpful. I hope you love your time in Italy!

       Reply

94. Hello there! Your itinerary is so helpful! My husband and I are a planning a hopeful trip to Italy this summer and since we are coming from the states we will have two less days than your itinerary permits. Do you have any advice when it comes to narrowing it down? Also, we are flying in and out of Rome. Thank you!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jenny! I’m so excited for your hopeful trip!!

       This itinerary is for 14 full days in Italy, so with two less days I understand you will have 12 full days instead. I would recommend you remove the Pompeii/Amalfi Coast/Capri and head straight from Rome to Florence instead.

       This is for three reasons:

       -Firstly, this part of the trip is the trickiest logistically (unless you hire a private car the whole way), so crowding it into the 14 day itinerary was already pushing it.

       -Secondly, this part of the trip is a little less “must-see” than the other destinations in my opinion. I define the “main” Italy spots as Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, and in recent years, Cinque Terre.

       -Thirdly, this region would make/justify a nice one-week trip on a return visit to Italy.

       This would bring you down to 10 full days (which I happen to map out here: https://thattravelista.com/italy-ten-day-itinerary/). I would save one day as a travel day back to Rome at the end. That brings you to 11 full days.

       I would use the last full day as an extra night in either Cinque Terre, Florence, or Rome. I’d reco Cinque Terre so you don’t have to rush through it as quickly as I have in the itinerary. But you could also see more of Tuscany via a day trip from Florence if that region interests you more (Siena and San Gimignano are two popular ones, or perhaps a wine tasting excursion!). Or if you or your husband love the history of Pompeii, you can do a day trip there from Rome.

       Hope that helps! Feel free to respond back if any more questions/thoughts!

       Reply

95. I can’t believe how detailed and helpful this is! I will definitely use this when my long-awaited trip happens. ❤️

    Reply

    1. So glad to hear it’s helpful, Rachel 🙂 <3 I seriously wish I was (safely) traveling Italy right now! But at least we can plan now so everything's ready once we can go later 🙂

       Reply

96. Since Italy is my “neighbour” country I’ve been there numerous times and visited majority of the places you included in the itinerary – and I must say you did a great job! Thorough & interesting – definitely super helpful for anybody who is planning their trip to Italy!

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Sandra! Jealous that Italy is so close for you! 😉

       Reply

97. You post has me missing Italy so much! I love how detailed you are in this itinerary. I definitely missed out on quite a few gems in Italy.

    Reply

    1. Thanks!

       The best part about missing something is it’s an excuse for a return trip 😉

       Reply

98. I love all the detail here. Will use this to plan my next trip to Italy. Amalfi Coast and Capri definitely on my list, including the Blue Grotto, but not sure now if I can do it.

    Reply

    1. If Blue Grotto is top of your list, definitely don’t rule it out! Just budget enough time and skip out on some other Capri sights 🙂

       Reply

99. The detal in this post is amazing! I’ve been looking to visit Italy for a few days so these tips are very helpful.

    Reply

    1. I hope you love your trip! I’m sure you will 🙂

       Reply

100. This is such a wonderful and detailed blog, so much useful info. And your photos are beautiful, thanks for sharing!

     Reply

     1. Thanks, Emma! 🙂

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101. wow!! the detail on this post is beautiful!! 🙂 this is inspiring me to go back to Italy ASAP 😀

     Reply

     1. Thank you, Daniela!

        Reply