ItalyItineraries · Italy
7 Days in Italy: Rome, Florence and Venice by Train
A 7 days in Italy itinerary: 3 nights in Rome, 2 in Florence, 2 in Venice, with 2026 train times, ticket prices and timed entry advice.
This guide may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How this works.
In this guide
Seven days in Italy works best as three nights in Rome, two in Florence and two in Venice, linked by high-speed train. Rome to Florence takes about 90 minutes and Florence to Venice about two hours, so each move costs you half a day at most. Book timed entries for the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Uffizi and Accademia two to four weeks ahead, buy train tickets 30 to 90 days out, and fly into Rome and home from Venice. That open-jaw pattern saves a full day compared with looping back. Browse our Italy itineraries if you are comparing this week with longer options.
How does this 7-day route fit together?
| Stage | Nights | How you get there | Overnight base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | 3 | Fly into Fiumicino (FCO) | Monti, Trastevere or near Termini |
| Florence | 2 | Frecciarossa or Italo, about 90 minutes | Historic centre, Santa Croce or Oltrarno |
| Venice | 2 | Frecciarossa or Italo, about 2 hours 5 minutes | Cannaregio, San Polo or Castello |
Why the 3-2-2 split works. Rome needs three nights because the Vatican and ancient Rome each fill a full day on top of arrival. Florence fits two because the Duomo, Uffizi and Accademia sit within a kilometre. Venice needs two because San Marco belongs to overnight guests before 9am and after 6pm.
Three cities in seven days sounds rushed until you see the train times. The two intercity legs total under four hours for the whole week. The catch is hotel changes: pack light enough to carry your case up station stairs and over Venetian bridges.
What should you book before you fly?
Timed entry is the difference between a calm morning and a three-hour queue. Reserve these before anything else:
- Colosseum, Forum and Palatine: the standard 24-hour ticket costs €18 (about $19/£15) under the April 2026 park regulation, with a Full Experience version at €24 (about $26/£20). Pick a 9am slot two to three weeks ahead.
- Vatican Museums: standard ticket €20 (about $22/£17) plus a €5 (about $5.50/£4.25) online booking charge. Book the 8am or 8.30am entry.
- Uffizi Gallery: advance entry €29 (about $31/£25) booked ahead, or €25 (about $27/£21) on the day, per the official tickets page. From 4pm the fare drops to €16 (about $17/£14), but morning light and thinner rooms repay the full fare.
- Accademia Gallery (David): €20 (about $22/£17) plus a €4 (about $4.30/£3.40) booking fee since the February 2026 rise. Pair it with the Uffizi on the same Florence day or the next morning.
- Duomo dome climb: the combined Brunelleschi Pass runs about €30 (about $32/£26) and covers the dome, bell tower, Baptistery and crypt. Dome slots go first, so reserve at least two weeks out.
- Trains: book each leg on Trenitalia or Italo as soon as your dates are fixed. Advance fares of €20 to €35 (about $22 to $38/£17 to £30) climb to €70 to €90 (about $76 to $97/£60 to £77) on the day.
St Peter’s Basilica itself is free, though the security line runs long by late morning. The Pantheon charges €7 (about $7.50/£6) since the 1 July 2026 rise. Everything else on day one costs nothing but shoe leather.
Days 1 to 3: how do you spend three nights in Rome?
Day 1 is for landing and walking. The Leonardo Express runs from Fiumicino to Roma Termini in 32 minutes for €14 (about $15/£12). Drop your bags and walk one loop: Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona. Eat near Piazza Navona or in Monti rather than beside any monument. Jet lag makes day one the wrong day for the Vatican or the Colosseum. Our Italy guides cover neighbourhood choice in more depth.
Day 2 is ancient Rome. Take the earliest Colosseum slot you booked, then cross to the Forum and climb the Palatine Hill on the same ticket. Allow three hours for all three. The order matters: the Colosseum enforces its time slot while the Forum and Palatine accept you any time within the 24-hour window. End the day at Trevi and dinner in nearby Monti.
Day 3 is the Vatican. Enter the Vatican Museums at 8am and follow the route through the Gallery of Maps and Raphael Rooms to the Sistine Chapel. Allow three and a half hours. From the chapel, take the side exit into St Peter’s Basilica, which skips the separate square-side security queue. Note two weekly traps: the museums close most Sundays, and a Wednesday papal audience shuts St Peter’s Square until about 12.30pm, so plan basilica visits for the afternoon on Wednesdays. Spend the late afternoon at Castel Sant’Angelo and dinner in Trastevere.
Days 4 and 5: what does two days in Florence hold?
Check out of Rome by 11am and take a morning train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella. The Rome to Florence run takes 91 to 102 minutes depending on stops. The station sits ten minutes on foot from the Duomo, so drop your bags and start with the cathedral exterior, the Baptistery doors and Giotto’s bell tower. If you reserved the dome climb, do it now while your legs are fresh: 463 steps, no lift. Then cross the Arno for sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo. The climb takes about 25 minutes over Ponte Vecchio.
The view from the Duomo terrace over Florence rooftops toward Palazzo Vecchio.
Day 5 is museum day, with one decision to make. The classic version runs the Uffizi at its 8.15am opening, two and a half hours through the Botticelli rooms, Leonardo and Caravaggio, then lunch near Piazza della Signoria and the Accademia for Michelangelo’s David in the afternoon. That is a full but manageable day, and it keeps you inside the compact centre.
The alternative swaps the second museum block for Tuscany. Small-group bus tours to Siena and San Gimignano leave from near the station. They cost roughly €70 to €90 (about $76 to $97/£60 to £77) per person, which beats renting a car for a single day once you count fuel, parking and the awkward bus connection between the two towns. Skip Pisa on a seven-day trip unless the tower is personally non-negotiable. Dine in the Oltrarno in the evening, where prices sit below the cathedral quarter and the crowd runs local. Florentine food gets its own treatment in our Italy food pages.
Find experiences for your Italy trip
If you book through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.Days 6 and 7: why does Venice reward sleeping over?
Take a late-morning train from Florence to Venezia Santa Lucia, about two hours and five minutes. Around 90 minutes in, the tracks join the long bridge across the lagoon and Venice appears out of the water. Santa Lucia station opens directly onto the Grand Canal, with vaporetto water buses at the steps.
The Grand Canal and Santa Maria della Salute, seen from near the Accademia bridge.
Spend day 6 walking and getting lost on purpose between Cannaregio and the Rialto. Cicchetti are small Venetian bar snacks at €2 to €4 (about $2.20 to $4.30/£1.70 to £3.40) a piece with a glass of house wine, eaten standing at the counter. Save Piazza San Marco for the next morning. The square belongs to day-trippers from late morning to late afternoon, and to overnight guests before 9am and after 6pm. That timing split is the single best argument for two Venice nights rather than a day trip.
Day 7 starts early. Walk to San Marco before 8am, when the square is near empty. The basilica opens at 9.30am Monday to Saturday and 2pm on Sundays; standard entry is €3 (about $3.25/£2.55) with €7 to €15 (about $7.50 to $16/£6 to £13) add-ons for the Pala d’Oro, treasury and bell tower. The Doge’s Palace runs €30 (about $32/£26) with a timed ticket. A gondola costs €90 (about $97/£77) for 30 minutes by day and €110 (about $119/£94) after 7pm, per boat for up to five people on the city-set fare. The traghetto is a shared gondola ferry across the Grand Canal: €2 (about $2.20/£1.70) for sixty seconds of gondola for the photo.
Burano in the lagoon, an easy half-day trip from central Venice.
With a late flight, fit in Murano and Burano by vaporetto: glass workshops on the first, painted fishermen’s houses on the second. Reach Marco Polo airport by Alilaguna boat at €15 (about $16/£13, about an hour) or the ATVO bus from Piazzale Roma at €10 (about $11/£8.50, about 20 minutes). Allow three hours from hotel door to gate.
One note on paperwork: in 2026 Venice ran a day-tripper access fee of €5 (about $5.50/£4.25) booked ahead or €10 (about $11/£8.50) last minute on 60 busy days from 3 April to 26 July, with overnight guests exempt on proof of booking. The trial ended on 27 July 2026 and the official site confirms no fee applies after that date. Check before a spring trip in case later rules are approved.
Should you buy a rail pass or point-to-point tickets?
Point-to-point advance tickets win for this exact route. Passes only pay off if you add extra museum days or side trips.
| Option | Price in 2026 | When it wins |
|---|---|---|
| Advance point-to-point, both legs | €40 to €60 (about $43 to $65/£34 to £51) total | You book 30 to 90 days ahead; cheapest for the fixed Rome-Florence-Venice line |
| Walk-up point-to-point, both legs | €150 to €170 (about $162 to $184/£128 to £145) total | You value flexibility over price, or plans change at the last minute |
| Roma Pass, 72 hours | €52 (about $56/£44) | You ride the metro and buses and pair the Colosseum with one more big site; it never covers the Vatican |
| Firenze Card, 72 hours | €85 (about $92/£72) | You visit four or more museums; two-museum visitors pay less with single tickets |
Trenitalia sells Standard, Premium, Business and Executive; Italo sells Smart, Comfort, Prima and Club Executive, with near-identical legroom in standard. The cheapest tier is non-refundable, the middle tier allows date changes for a fee, and the top tier flexes fully. Booking opens 90 to 120 days out, so buy each leg the week your dates firm up.
How much does a week in Italy cost?
Per person for two travellers sharing a room, trains and main sights included, flights excluded. See our Italy budget breakdown for the full maths.
| Tier | Per day | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €95 to €130 (about $103 to $140/£81 to £111) | Hostels or two-star hotels, bakery lunches, one sit-down dinner, public transport, advance museum tickets |
| Mid-range | €180 to €240 (about $194 to $259/£153 to £204) | Three-star hotels in central quarters, two restaurant meals a day, all major sights, one gondola split between two |
| Comfort | €340 plus (about $367/£289 and up) | Four-star hotels, restaurant dining throughout, premium train classes, private Vatican entry, taxi to the airport |
Fixed sightseeing costs total roughly €125 to €150 (about $135 to $162/£106 to £128) per person: Vatican €25 (about $27/£21) with booking, Colosseum €18 (about $19/£15), Uffizi €29 (about $31/£25) booked ahead, Accademia €20 (about $22/£17) plus booking, San Marco and Doge’s Palace €30 to €45 (about $32 to $49/£26 to £38) combined depending on add-ons. Trains are the swing variable: booked early both legs cost less than one walk-up leg.
When should you go?
Mid-April to mid-June and mid-September to late October give warm evenings outside and walkable days, with shorter museum queues than the July to August peak. July and August push Rome past 35C, crowd every platform, and shut many small Roman businesses around the 15 August Ferragosto holiday. November to March flips the deal: shorter daylight and chilly gondola rides, but hotel rates often halve and San Marco in fog belongs to almost nobody. Our Italy tips page covers closures and holiday traps month by month.
What if you have more or less time?
Five days: cut one Florence day. Keep three nights in Rome and two in Venice, with a single Florence afternoon between trains. The Siena day trip is the first thing to drop, since it costs a full day the rest of the route never reinforces.
Ten days: add Naples and Pompeii after Rome (two nights, with Pompeii as a day trip) or the Cinque Terre between Florence and Venice (two nights in Vernazza or Monterosso for coastal paths and swim stops). Pick one extension, not both.
Reverse direction: flying into Venice and home from Rome works just as well. Run Venice (2), Florence (2), Rome (3), since Rome’s late dinners and evening streets close a trip better than Venice’s quiet nights after 9pm. Train logistics mirror exactly.
Seven days gives you imperial Rome, Renaissance Florence and lagoon Venice without a wasted transfer. Start with the Italy overview, then work through our all itineraries when you plan the return trip.
The 7-day route
-
Day 1: Rome: arrive and walk the centro storico
Land at Fiumicino, drop bags, then walk the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona at street level with no tickets needed.
- Pantheon
- Trevi Fountain
- Piazza Navona
Overnight: Rome
-
Day 2: Rome: the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine
Timed morning entry to the Colosseum, then the Forum and Palatine Hill on the same ticket, with an evening in Monti or Trastevere.
- Colosseum
- Roman Forum
- Palatine Hill
Overnight: Rome
-
Day 3: Rome: the Vatican
Early entry to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, then Castel Sant'Angelo and a last Roman dinner.
- Vatican Museums
- Sistine Chapel
- St Peter's Basilica
Overnight: Rome
-
Day 4: Train to Florence, Duomo and sunset views
Morning Frecciarossa to Florence in about 90 minutes, the Duomo exterior and Baptistery in the afternoon, sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo.
- Florence Duomo
- Baptistery
- Piazzale Michelangelo
Overnight: Florence
-
Day 5: Florence: Uffizi, David and the Oltrarno
Uffizi Gallery at opening time, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, Ponte Vecchio and dinner across the river in the Oltrarno.
- Uffizi Gallery
- Accademia Gallery
- Ponte Vecchio
Overnight: Florence
-
Day 6: Train to Venice, canals and cicchetti
Midday high-speed train to Venezia Santa Lucia in about two hours, then a vaporetto ride and an evening cicchetti crawl in Cannaregio.
- Grand Canal
- Rialto Bridge
- Cannaregio
Overnight: Venice
-
Day 7: Venice: San Marco early, then departure
Piazza San Marco before 8am, the Doge's Palace on a timed ticket, Murano and Burano or the back streets, then out via Marco Polo airport.
- St Mark's Basilica
- Doge's Palace
- Burano
Overnight: Venice (departure)
At a glance
Colosseum
Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome, the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, paired with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on one ticket.
- Address
- Rome, IT
Colosseum
Open in Google Maps ↗Know before you go
Italy at a glance
Best time to visit
April to June, September to October
- January: cool, some showers
- February: mild, some showers
- March: mild, some showers
- April: mild, some showers
- May: warm, some showers
- June: warm, some showers
- July: hot, mostly dry
- August: hot, some showers
- September: warm, rainy
- October: warm, rainy
- November: mild, rainy
- December: cool, rainy
Mostly dry Some showers Rainy
- Capital
- Rome
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Language
- Italian
- Time zone
- CET, UTC+1
- Plugs
- Type C / F / L, 230 V
- Driving
- On the right
Emergency112
Frequently asked questions
Is 7 days enough for Italy?
Yes for a first visit built around Rome, Florence and Venice plus one Tuscany option. Three nights in Rome, two in Florence and two in Venice keeps every train leg under two and a half hours. Ten days lets you add Naples and Pompeii or the Cinque Terre. Do not add a fourth city to a seven-day trip; you will spend the week changing hotels.
How do you get between Rome, Florence and Venice?
By high-speed train on Trenitalia Frecciarossa or Italo. Rome to Florence takes about 90 minutes and Florence to Venice about two hours and five minutes. Book 30 to 90 days ahead for fares around 20 to 35 euros; the same seats cost 70 to 90 euros or more on the day. Both operators leave from Roma Termini and Firenze Santa Maria Novella and arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia, right on the Grand Canal.
Do you need to book the Vatican, Colosseum and Uffizi in advance?
Yes, from April to October. The Vatican Museums sell out days ahead, the Colosseum needs a timed entry slot on its 18-euro 24-hour ticket, and the Uffizi at 29 euros booked ahead is far calmer in the morning than the afternoon queue. Book two to four weeks ahead and pick the earliest slot of the day.
Do day-trippers still pay the Venice access fee in 2026?
In 2026 Venice charged day-trippers 5 euros booked in advance or 10 euros last minute on 60 busy days between 3 April and 26 July, with overnight guests exempt. The trial period ended on 27 July 2026 and the city states no fee or registration applies after that date. Check the official access-fee site before you travel in case later measures are approved.
Should you rent a car for this itinerary?
No. All three city centres restrict or ban private cars, Florence and Venice most strictly, and fines for entering limited-traffic zones are steep. Trains beat driving on every leg of this route. Rent a car only if you extend the trip with a multi-day Tuscany or countryside loop.
Useful links (6)
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo, visitor ticket regulation April 2026— colosseo.it
- Uffizi Galleries official tickets page— uffizi.it
- Venice access fee, official site— cda.veneziaunica.it
- Vatican Museums official site— museivaticani.va
- Trenitalia official site— trenitalia.com
- Italo official site— italotreno.com
Photo credits
Thank you to Diliff, Rhododendrites, Wolfgang Moroder and kallerna for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.
Editorial byline
Olivia Parker Italy and Spain editor
Olivia covers Italy and Spain for Epic Trip Ideas: art cities, coastal towns, itineraries, local food and markets, and what a trip really costs. Olivia Parker is a pen name the Epic Trip Ideas editors use for Italy and Spain; every guide is checked against official sources before it goes live.
