If you’re planning a trip to Italy and want to know how to spend your time, this 10 Day Italy Itinerary will guide you through the trip of a lifetime to Italia! Read on to find places to go, things to do, delicious restaurants, and SO many more surprises throughout! Customize your trip with options provided to make it best for you. After living and traveling through Italy for 4 months, I’ve found some great tips and tricks to share with you that should make for a smooth and relaxing vacation to Italy!
10 DAY ITALY ITINERARY
This 10 Day Italy Itinerary is organized to provide the least amount of travel time to maximize your time seeing Italy! Below is an overview of your itinerary for your time in Italy!
Start your dream trip to Italy in the city of Rome, one of the most exciting and history filled cities in Italy! Rome has a LOT to offer so be sure to plan ahead and familiarize yourself with where to go and what to do! Rome is also one of the cheaper cities to fly in and out of, and is the most convenient to eliminate travel time.
Want more details on how to spend 3 days in Rome? Read my post 3 Days in Rome: The Ultimate Itinerary
DAY 1: AFTERNOON & NIGHTTIME SIGHTSEEING & DINNER
ROMA
On your first day, you likely aren’t looking to do a lot while adjusting to a new city. If Rome is your first stop on your trip to Italy, you’re probably reaaaalllyyyy tired and don’t feel like rushing to see everything before you leave! My best tip is to start with just seeing the basics on your first day. This is the most flexible day and can be arranged to how you like it, but I’ll go ahead and give you my recommendation on how to conquer the outdoor sight seeing of Rome.
*PRO TRAVEL TIP: Arriving just before lunch/mid-day and starting sight seeing right away will help you to adjust to the time change. It will be tough, but if you need a little boost, find an espresso and conquer the rest of your day!
If you are able to get to Rome and drop off your bags at your hotel, it would be smart to walk around and familiarize yourself with Rome in the afternoon and at night! The best way to do this is to get out and see all of the outdoor sights! You’ll have photos from both day and night at all the top sights to see. Below is a list of some unique spots you will want to stop and check out while roaming around Rome this afternoon/evening!
*PRO TIP: Use the Metro to your advantage to save time and get used to traveling around the city of Rome! To see more details on exploring the outdoor sights of Rome read “3 Days in Rome: The Ultimate Itinerary” and check out day 1!
Trevi Fountain (day & night)
Colosseum @ Night
Alter Della Patria + Piazza Venezia (day & night)
Spanish Steps (day & night)
Pantheon
Piazza Navona
St. Peter’s Basilica/Vatican @ Night
DAY 2: COLOSSEUM & ROMAN FORUM, OPTIONAL CATACOMBS
ROMA
Start off day 2 with a visit inside the famous Colosseum! This and the Roman Forum will likely take up most of your day, with room to explore later in the afternoon! I would absolutely recommend getting a guided tour of the Colosseum, so that you are able to learn about what you’re looking at while visiting! It also keeps you on track with time while still allowing for time to take it in and take all your photos!
Tour of Colosseum
Estimated Time: 2-3 hrs. w/Roman Forum
**There are so many options to combine the Colosseum with the Roman Forum tours, these are great options to lead you from one spot to the next! I do recommend going to the Colosseum first, so that you have the time to explore in the Roman Forum and check out the views from Palatine Hill!
TOUR OF ROMAN FORUM & PALATINE HILL
Estimated Time: 2-3 hrs. w/Roman Forum
Right after the Colosseum is the best time to go visit and explore the Roman Forum! It is right next to the Colosseum, meaning there really isn’t a travel time between events. It is always best to do these together. There are options to tour both in one tour booking, or you can book separately and get yourself from point A to point B. While you’re here, be sure to also explore and go up to Palatine Hill for the views! Here you can get some of the best photos of the Forum.
LUNCH
CATACOMBS
Estimated Time: 1/2 day.
Travel Time from Colosseum: 10 min. METRO
Cost: $70/person
After lunch, take the time to check out the Catacombs and aqueducts of Rome! If spooky bones and underground sites freak you out this totally isn’t for you, but the history is fascinating and it is a neat spot to check out! This tour will take you through the Roman aqueducts, as well as give you a complete tour of the Catacombs and Crypts, and provide transfers between the sites along the way!
DINNER
DAY 3: POMPEII DAY TRIP FROM ROME
POMPEI
Taking a Pompeii day trip from Rome is the most convenient way to see Pompeii in Italy, as it is a lot closer to Rome than any other cities you’ll see in Italy! The cost of the train to get from Rome to Pompeii is around 53 Euros ($55 USD), and will of course vary depending on when you go and what time of day you prefer. The train takes anywhere from 2.5 – 4.5 hours depending on which train you take. Read more on taking a day trip from Rome to Pompeii by clicking the link above to see more details on this day trip!
*PRO TIP: Be sure to choose the Pompeii Scavi train station when booking, as the site is located just off the station and you can walk to it in about 5-10 minutes!
Pompeii
Estimated Time: Full Day
Travel Time from Rome: 2.5 hours each way by train
Cost: $20-50/person
POMPEII TICKETS WITH AUDIO GUIDE
DAY 4: VATICAN, SISTINE CHAPEL, ST. PETER’S BASILICA
ROMA
Day 3 is a fun adventure filled day with some major sights to see!
ST. PETER’S BASILICA
Estimated Time: 2 hrs.
Travel Time from Colosseum: 35 min METRO
Hours: 7am-6pm; April – Oct. 7am-7pm
Early morning after breakfast is a good time to visit St. Peter’s Basilica. This is absolutely a MUST SEE in Rome. You can’t miss THE basilica of all basilicas! This 3 days in Rome itinerary is planned so that you can see it both during the day and at night and have photos of both! On your first day you’d remember getting your photos during the day and night. To get inside costs nothing but your time. You’ll have to wait in line outside and go through a security like checkpoint on your way in. The line may look scary long when you get to it, but it does move quickly!
vatican museums & sistene chapel
Estimated Time: 2 hrs.
Travel Time from St. Peter’s Basilica: 13 min WALK
Hours: 8:30AM – 6:30PM
After St. Peter’s Basilica, head over to the Vatican museums as they are super close together. The Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel are all in one building together. Visiting the Vatican museum can be SUPER overwhelming, but if you want to just see the part you came for, you can go straight to the Sistine Chapel. There should be signs that guide you, but if lost, don’t be afraid to ask for directions! This can take anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on how much you want to see! The museum is open until 6:30, so I would aim to enter in no later than 4:30pm! Last entry is likely to be at 5:30pm.
LUNCH
After lunch, you’ll head on a train to get to Florence to spend the night and see Florence the next 2 days! This gives you time to check out of the hotel, gather your bags and take the 2 hr. train to Florence in time for dinner.
TRAIN TO FLORENCE
DAY 5: UFFIZI, MICHELANGELO’S DAVID, SIGHTSEEING, STEPS DI MICHELANGELO
FLORENCE
To truly see Florence, you’ll need 1.5 to 2 full days. If you find there are things you are okay with skipping, you can of course shorten your itinerary and skip a few things, but I am recommending the things that will truly make your trip to Florence worthwhile! Your stays in Florence will be more than 2 full days to account for trips to Pisa and Cinque Terre. These days can be cut out or adjusted as needed for flexibility. Read our post on 3 days in Florence to get more details about the locations below!
MICHELANGELO’S DAVID
Estimated Time: 1 hr.
Hours: 8:15AM – 6:30PM
Uffizi gallery
Estimated Time: 1 hr.
Hours: 8:15AM – 6:30PM
LUNCH
MERCATO CENTRALE
SIGHTSEEING
Estimated Time: 2 hr.
There are so many sights to see in Florence that don’t require a ticket for entry ! Since the David and Uffizi gallery will take you up until lunch, after lunch is a great time to sightsee until the last fun excursion that will be best to do an hour before sunset. The following are things to see and explore in Florence until your evening sunset climb for a view up at the top of the Steps di Michelangelo!
Baptistry of St. John (doors)
Duomo (exterior)
Piazza della Republica
Piazza della Signoria
Ponte Vecchio
Basilica di Santa Croce
Leather Shop
Basilica di Santa Maria Novella (on the way to train station)
STEPS DI MICHELANGELO
Estimated Time: 2 hr.
DINNER
DAY 6: PITTI PALACE & BOBOLI GARDENS, GELATO, DUOMO CLIMB
FLORENCE
Day 5 in Florence will take you to a unique spot that is often overlooked in Florence, Italy itineraries! Seeing the Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens is a must and certainly won’t be regretted! I loved seeing these, and it also provides some great views of Florence for photography opportunities and so much more!
PITTI PALACE & BOBOLI GARDENS
Estimated Time: 1/2 DAY (AM)
Hours: 8:30AM – 6:30PM
LUNCH
Gusta pizza
LA CARRAiA GELATO
SUNSET Duomo climb
Estimated Time: 2 hr.
Hours: 8:30AM – 6:30PM
DINNER
DAY 7: CINQUE TERRE DAY TRIP FROM FLORENCE
CINQUE TERRE
Cinque Terre is a MUST see while in Italy! Some people come to Italy just to stay in Cinque Terre. If you find you really want to explore this area more, you could opt to stay this night in Cinque Terre to see everything at night. There are day tours you can take from Florence to make your day a bit easier to avoid having to take your luggage with you. This day tour does make for a very early and very long day, but is SO worth the trip! Most of the tours provided offer lunch while on the tour.
CINQUE TERRE DAY TOUR
Estimated Time: FULL DAY
DAY 8: 1/2 DAY TRIP TO PISA, TRAVEL TO VENICE
PISA, VENICE
Day 8 takes you on a quick trip to see Pisa, and then back to travel to Venice at night to spend the next and final two days of your trip in Venice! Spend a half day seeing the leaning tower and then take the train to Venice. At night, you can take time to explore Venice, walk around, and see some extra sights while grabbing dinner and relaxing.
PISA 1/2 DAY TOUR
Estimated Time: 1/2 Day
Hours: 9am – 8pm
*note: hours do vary depending on season
DAY 9: VENICE
VENICE
This day in Venice is PACKED so be sure to drink a big cappuccino at breakfast! Today is the day to see all the sights, as tomorrow you’ll only have half the day to walk around and explore. If you like, you can always add one more night stay in Venice and an extra day for travel to this itinerary! I’d recommend it, you’ll love Venice and won’t want to leave!
Doge’s Palace, Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark’s Basilica
Estimated Time: 1/2 Day
Hours: 9am – 8pm
St. Mark’s Bell Tower
Estimated Time: 1 hr
Hours: 9am – 8pm
TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED @ TOWER
Gondola Ride
Estimated Time: 30m
Hours: 9am – 8pm
Walk Rialto Bridge
DAY 10: VENICE + TRAVEL HOME
vENICE
Since this is your last day in Italy (I know, you won’t want to leave!) This is a great time to just walk around and explore Venice! The best part of seeing this unique and beautiful city is getting to walk around and explore and take photos. Be sure to grab lunch, and have your bags ready to go when you have to get checked out and head to the airport!
***PRO TIP: Fly home out of Venice if you can! If you want to fly out of Rome again, you’ll need the second half of your day to be on a train back to Rome, which is around 4 hours. If you do this, be sure to get a late night flight!
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This post was about how to have the best and most efficient 10 day Italy itinerary with minimal amounts of travel time! I hope this helps you to plan out your future travels to Italy. For more detailed info on each of the destinations, check out some of my other posts to customize your itinerary for your specific needs!
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