1 week in Italy is enough time to get a great overview of this rail-friendly country. Pick up a Eurail Pass and get ready to dine out on pizza and pasta, dip your toes in the ocean, and soak up some fascinating history with this short but sweet itinerary.
Rome’s Forum and Colosseum; art, gelato, and architecture in Florence; the Leaning Tower of Pisa; the canals of Venice; and fashion in Milan.
Click here or on the map to view this route in our Trip Planner
Days 1 - 2: Rome
Visit the Roman Forum, Colosseum and Palatine Hill. You can get combination tickets that are valid for two days.
Explore St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It's home to masterpieces by Michelangelo and Raphael.
Walk the streets and visit the likes of the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon before feasting on traditional Italian food.
Flying into Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino? Roma Termini railway station is 45 minutes away by train.
Days 3 - 4: Florence
Get a combination ticket and climb the bell tower and dome of the main cathedral, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.
Marvel at world famous artworks at Uffizi Gallery, then walk the streets towards Ponte Vecchio and buy a traditional gelato.
Have more time? Take in the panoramic view of the city from Piazzale Michelangelo.
From Roma Termini, take the train to Firenze Campo Marte. Reservations are required, but the high-speed train gets you there in under 90 minutes.
Day 5: Pisa
You can't spend 1 week in Italy without snapping a cheesy picture alongside the Leaning Tower of Pisa - you know you want to!
Visit the Duomo di Pisa, a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral. It survived a fire in 1595.
Don’t want to stay overnight? Pisa is an easy day trip by train from Florence. You can also store your luggage at the Pisa train station.
There are trains between Florence and Pisa throughout the day, and most don't require reservations. The journey takes under an hour, making a same-day return to Florence possible.
Day 6: Venice
Cross the Rialto bridge at the Grand Canal, walk along the smaller canals and get lost in the labyrinth-like alleyways.
If you can afford to splash out a bit, then hop aboard a traditional gondola for a scenic ride across the water.
Get an aerial view of Venice from San Marco Campanile.
Trains from Pisa Centrale to Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia, via Firenze Santa Maria Novella, leave approximately every hour. Reservations are required for the journey, but this reduces the journey time to under 4 hours (including a transfer in Florence).
Day 7: Milan
Explore the massive Gothic Duomo de Milano (Milan Cathedral) and appreciate the architecture. It took almost six centuries to finish!
Splurge (or window shop) at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the oldest shopping malls in the world.
Visit the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece The Last Supper at the Santa Maria delle Grazie.
The train from Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia to Milano Centrale runs every half hour and takes just 2 hours 30 minutes. Advance reservations are required.
1 week in Italy may sound too short to fully appreciate everything that this incredible country. But with easy flights to big cities like Milan and Rome, international connections are easy.
Thanks to the country’s comprehensive network of high-speed trains, 1 week in Italy is long enough to get an overview of the country’s top highlights. A Eurail Italy Pass will have you covered!
