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10 Days in Italy: Rome, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice
A 10 days in Italy itinerary: Rome, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice by train, with 2026 times, prices and bookings.
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Ten days in Italy is enough for Rome, Naples and Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice in one south-to-north run. Spend three nights in Rome, one in Naples, two on the coast, two in Florence and two in Venice, with high-speed trains between stages and ferries or buses on the coast. Book timed entries for the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Uffizi and Pompeii 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. Shorter options sit in our Italy itineraries if you are comparing trip lengths.
How does this 10-day route fit together?
| Stage | Nights | How you get there | Overnight base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | 3 | Fly into Fiumicino (FCO) | Monti, Trastevere or near Termini |
| Naples and Pompeii | 1 | Frecciarossa, about 1 hour 10 minutes | Historic centre near Toledo or Dante |
| Amalfi Coast | 2 | Train to Sorrento or Salerno, then ferry or bus | Sorrento for value, Positano for views |
| Florence | 2 | High-speed train via Naples, about 3 hours | Historic centre, Santa Croce or Oltrarno |
| Venice | 2 | Frecciarossa or Italo, about 2 hours 5 minutes | Cannaregio, San Polo or Castello |
Why this split works. Rome needs three nights because the Vatican and ancient Rome each fill a full day on top of arrival. Pompeii fits one night: the ruins take half a day and Naples deserves the evening. The coast needs two nights because day one is travel and only day two is truly free. Florence and Venice keep two each, since the Duomo, Uffizi and San Marco sit in compact centres.
The catch is hotel changes: five bases in ten days means packing light enough to carry your case up station stairs and over Venetian bridges. Treat day 6 as a rest day on purpose rather than filling it.
What should you book before you fly?
Timed entry decides whether your mornings feel calm or wasted. 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.
- Pompeii: the Express ticket costs €20 (about $22/£17) and the Pompeii+ ticket with suburban villas costs €25 (about $27/£21) under the January 2026 tariff on the official tickets page. Online tickets are nominative, so carry matching ID.
- Uffizi Gallery: advance entry €29 (about $31/£25), or €25 (about $27/£21) on the day, per the official tickets page. 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. See it the same day as the Uffizi or the next morning.
- 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 is free, though the security line runs long by late morning, and the Pantheon charges €7 (about $7.50/£6) since the 1 July 2026 rise. Coast hotels hurt most if left late: book Sorrento and Positano two to three months ahead.
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, eating 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 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 for the Gallery of Maps, Raphael Rooms and 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. End the day at Castel Sant’Angelo and dinner in Trastevere.
Day 4: how do you do Naples and Pompeii in one day?
Take an early Frecciarossa from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale, about 1 hour 10 minutes from €19 (about $21/£16) booked ahead. Drop your bag at the hotel, then follow signs downstairs to Piazza Garibaldi for the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi: about 40 minutes for a few euros. Leave by 9am to beat the crowds.
Pompeii needs three to four hours. The standard €20 (about $22/£17) Express ticket covers the Forum, the plaster casts, the theatre district and the main streets. The €25 (about $27/£21) Pompeii+ version adds the Villa of the Mysteries with its frescoed dining room. Start at the Porta Marina entrance near the station and work outward before the tour groups arrive around 11am. Wear closed shoes: the rutted basalt streets punish sandals, and there is little shade past noon.
Back in Naples by late afternoon, walk Spaccanapoli, the dead-straight lane slicing the old town, and eat a proper wood-fired margherita in the city where pizza was born: a classic pie runs €6 to €9 (about $6.50 to $10/£5 to £7.70). The centre around Toledo and Dante stays busy into the night. Sleep in Naples rather than returning to Rome: the morning train south starts here. Naples food gets fuller treatment in our Italy food pages.
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If you book through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.Days 5 and 6: how do you slow down on the Amalfi Coast?
Day 5 is a travel morning. From Napoli Centrale, take the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento (about an hour) or a high-speed train to Salerno (about 40 minutes), then a ferry along the coast. Ferries run roughly April to October and beat the coast road on every measure: faster, cooler, and with the cliffs in front of you. SITA buses fill the gaps, but summer traffic can double road journey times. Buy ferry tickets at the harbour, a day ahead in August.
Base the choice of town on budget and patience. Sorrento has the station, the harbour, and rooms far below Positano prices. Positano has the postcard view and stairs everywhere, with hotels that charge for it. On a ten-day trip with another move to come, Sorrento is the calmer base and Positano the day trip. Swim in the afternoon off Spiaggia Grande, warm enough from June into early October.
Positano from the water: cliffside houses above Spiaggia Grande.
Day 6 is the protected slow day. Take the bus or ferry to Amalfi town, then the short ride up to Ravello for the gardens at Villa Cimbrone and the Terrace of Infinity. Go in the morning before the heat. Afternoon stays empty: a long lunch, a swim, nothing booked.
The terraced houses of Positano, seen from a terrace above the town.
The Amalfi Coast is the most expensive stage of this trip by distance: rooms, beach clubs and menus all run above Rome and Florence levels, and July to August pairs peak prices with the worst traffic. If summer is your only window, take ferries over buses and start early. From November to March several coast hotels and ferry lines shut down.
Spring in the gardens at Villa Cimbrone, Ravello, above the Amalfi Coast.
Days 7 and 8: what does two days in Florence hold?
Day 7 is the longest travel day: back through Naples to Florence in about three hours, or from Salerno with one change. Leave the coast by late morning to reach Firenze Santa Maria Novella mid-afternoon. The station sits ten minutes on foot from the Duomo: drop your bags, see the cathedral exterior and Baptistery doors, then cross the Arno for sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo.
Day 8 is museum day. Run the Uffizi at its 8.15am opening for Botticelli, Leonardo and Caravaggio, then lunch near Piazza della Signoria and the Accademia for Michelangelo’s David. Dine in the Oltrarno in the evening, where prices sit below the cathedral quarter and the crowd runs local.
The honest trade: two Florence days leave no room for Siena and San Gimignano. Bus tours to both towns cost roughly €70 to €90 (about $76 to $97/£60 to £77) per person but consume the full day your museums need. Keep Tuscany for the return trip.
Days 9 and 10: why does Venice close the trip well?
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. The station opens directly onto the Grand Canal, with vaporetto water buses at the steps. A single ride costs €9.50 (about $10/£8), so a day pass pays off from the second trip. Ride Line 1 down the canal, then get lost between Cannaregio and the Rialto over cicchetti, small bar snacks at €2 to €4 (about $2.20 to $4.30/£1.70 to £3.40) a piece with house wine. Save Piazza San Marco for the next morning.
Day 10 starts early. Walk to San Marco before 8am, when the square is near empty. The basilica opens at 9.30am Monday to Saturday (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. The traghetto is a shared gondola ferry across the Grand Canal: €2 (about $2.20/£1.70) for sixty seconds of gondola.
With a late flight, fit in Murano and Burano by vaporetto: glass workshops on the first, painted 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).
In 2026 Venice charged day-trippers €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. The trial ended on 27 July 2026 and the official site confirms no fee applies after that date.
How much does 10 days in Italy cost?
Per person for two travellers sharing a room, trains and main sights included, flights excluded. The full maths sits in our Italy budget breakdown.
| Tier | Per day | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €110 to €150 (about $119 to $162/£94 to £128) | Hostels or two-star hotels, bakery lunches, one sit-down dinner, public transport, advance museum tickets |
| Mid-range | €200 to €260 (about $216 to $281/£170 to £221) | Three-star hotels in central quarters, two restaurant meals a day, all major sights, ferries on the coast |
| Comfort | €380 plus (about $410/£323 and up) | Four-star hotels, Positano sea views, restaurant dining throughout, premium train classes, water taxi to the airport |
Fixed sightseeing costs total roughly €150 to €170 (about $162 to $184/£128 to £145) per person: Vatican €25 (about $27/£21) with booking, Colosseum €18 (about $19/£15), Pompeii €20 to €25 (about $22 to $27/£17 to £21), Uffizi €29 (about $31/£25) booked ahead, Accademia €20 (about $22/£17) plus booking, San Marco and Doge’s Palace €33 to €48 (about $36 to $52/£28 to £41) combined depending on add-ons. Trains are the swing variable: booked early, all four legs cost less than two walk-up legs. The coast is the dearest stage, so one Sorrento base instead of Positano trims the total without cutting a sight.
When should you go, and where would extra days go?
Mid-April to mid-June and mid-September to late October give warm evenings outside and walkable days with shorter queues than the July to August peak. July and August push Rome past 35C, crowd every platform, shut many small Roman businesses around the 15 August Ferragosto holiday, and double Amalfi Coast traffic. November to March flips the deal: shorter daylight and chilly gondola rides, but hotel rates often halve while several coast hotels and ferry lines close. Our Italy tips page covers closures month by month. The Italy overview sets this route against the country’s other regions.
If extra days appear, spend them where the route already stands rather than adding a city:
| Extra days | Where they go | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| +1 day | Amalfi Coast: Capri by ferry | Adds the Blue Grotto and island views; needs an early boat and calm seas |
| +2 days | Florence: Siena and San Gimignano | Adds the Tuscany day trip this route skips; costs nothing in repacking |
| +1 day | Rome: Borghese Gallery and Appian Way | Adds Bernini sculptures and a bike ride; the gallery needs booking weeks ahead |
| +1 day | Venice: slow lagoon day | Adds Torcello and a long Dorsoduro lunch; the least sightseeing per hour, on purpose |
Ten days gives you imperial Rome, buried Pompeii, cliffside Positano, Renaissance Florence and lagoon Venice without a wasted transfer. Start with the Italy overview, then browse our all itineraries when you plan the return trip.
The 10-day route
- Days 1–3 — Rome
- Day 4 — Naples
- Days 5–6 — Sorrento or Positano
- Days 7–8 — Florence
- Day 9 — Venice
- Day 10 — Venice (departure)
-
Day 1: Rome: arrive and walk the centro storico
Land at Fiumicino and walk the centro storico on arrival day.
- Pantheon
Overnight: Rome
-
Day 2: Rome: the ancient city
A full day for ancient Rome.
- Colosseum
Overnight: Rome
-
Day 3: Rome: the Vatican
A full day for the Vatican.
- Vatican Museums
Overnight: Rome
-
Day 4: Naples and Pompeii
Morning high-speed train to Naples, Circumvesuviana to Pompeii for three to four hours among the ruins, pizza in Naples at night.
- Pompeii Forum
- Spaccanapoli
- Naples historic centre
Overnight: Naples
-
Day 5: On to the Amalfi Coast
Train to Salerno or Sorrento, ferry or bus along the coast, afternoon on the beach and dinner in Positano.
- Sorrento
- Positano
- Spiaggia Grande
Overnight: Sorrento or Positano
-
Day 6: A slow day, Ravello and the gardens
Bus up to Ravello for Villa Cimbrone and the Terrace of Infinity, then a free afternoon with no bookings.
- Ravello
- Villa Cimbrone
- Amalfi town
Overnight: Sorrento or Positano
-
Day 7: North to Florence, Duomo at sunset
Long travel day back through Naples to Florence in about three hours, cathedral exterior and sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo.
- Florence Duomo
- Piazzale Michelangelo
- Ponte Vecchio
Overnight: Florence
-
Day 8: Florence museums and the Oltrarno
Uffizi at opening time, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, evening across the river in the Oltrarno.
- Uffizi Gallery
- Accademia Gallery
- Oltrarno
Overnight: Florence
-
Day 9: Venice canals and cicchetti
Midday high-speed train to Venezia Santa Lucia in about two hours, vaporetto down the Grand Canal, evening in Cannaregio.
- Grand Canal
- Rialto Bridge
- Cannaregio
Overnight: Venice
-
Day 10: San Marco early, then departure
Piazza San Marco before 8am, the Doge's Palace on a timed ticket, Murano and Burano if the flight is late, then out via Marco Polo airport.
- St Mark's Basilica
- Doge's Palace
- Burano
Overnight: Venice (departure)
At a glance
Pompeii Archaeological Park
Roman city preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, with the Forum, plaster casts and frescoed villas.
- Address
- Pompeii, IT
Pompeii Archaeological Park
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 10 days enough for Italy?
Yes for a first visit that includes the south. Three nights in Rome, one in Naples with Pompeii, two on the Amalfi Coast, two in Florence and two in Venice keeps every train leg under three hours. It leaves no room for a fourth region, so treat Sicily, Puglia or the lakes as a second trip.
Do you need a car for this itinerary?
No. High-speed trains link Rome, Naples, Florence and Venice, and the Amalfi Coast runs on ferries and SITA buses from April to October. City centres restrict private cars and fines for entering limited-traffic zones are steep. A car only helps if you extend the trip with a multi-day rural loop in Tuscany.
Should you stay in Sorrento or Positano on the Amalfi Coast?
Sorrento suits most travellers on this route: cheaper rooms, a mainline station, and ferries to Positano and Amalfi town from the harbour. Positano suits one splurge night with sea views and steep stairs everywhere. Either way, book two to three months ahead for May to September.
How do Pompeii tickets work in 2026?
Since 12 January 2026 the standard Pompeii Express ticket costs 20 euros and the Pompeii+ ticket with suburban villas costs 25 euros, bought at the gate or online with a small booking fee. Online tickets are nominative, so the name on the ticket must match photo ID. Book a morning entry slot and start at the Porta Marina entrance.
What if you have 12 or 14 days instead?
Add the days to the coast or Florence, not to a new city. A third Amalfi night buys Capri or the Path of the Gods without repacking, and a third Florence night buys the Siena and San Gimignano day trip. Rome at three nights is already right for this route.
Useful links (6)
- Pompeii Sites official timetables and tickets 2026— pompeiisites.org
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo, visitor ticket regulation April 2026— colosseo.it
- Uffizi Galleries official tickets page— uffizi.it
- Vatican Museums official site— museivaticani.va
- Venice access fee, official site— cda.veneziaunica.it
- Trenitalia official site— trenitalia.com
Photo credits
Thank you to Commonists, Bernard Gagnon and Mentnafunangann 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.
