Last updated on March 13th, 2023 at 02:12 pm
In this post, I will go through in detail how to see Rome, Florence & Venice in 7 days. This is for people who have 1 week in Italy and want to want to visit 3 of Italy’s most popular cities.
As a bonus, it even includes a half day of exploring in Pisa. In these cities you can bask in a variety of art, history, architecture and culture.
Go to
- Itinerary
- What to do in Venice?
- Where to stay in Venice?
- How to get around Venice?
- Where to eat in Venice?
- What to do in Florence?
- Where to stay in Florence?
- How to get around Florence?
- Day Trip From Florence to Pisa
- What to do in Rome?
- How to get around Rome?
- Additional Information
Don’t miss out on my itinerary for 3 days in Rome here: What to do in Rome for 3 Days: 72 hour Itinerary
Have you time for a 2 week holiday? Then take a short flight (1 hour) across the water to explore the stunning Croatia – What to do in Split for a week?
Itinerary: Rome, Florence & Venice in 7 Days
- Day 1: Arrive and explore Venice
- Day 2: Explore Venice
- Day 3: Get train to Florence and explore
- Day 4: Day trip to Pisa
- Day 5: Get train to Rome and explore
- Day 6: Explore Rome
- Day 7: Explore Rome
- Day 8: Leave
Venice for 2 Days
What to Do in Venice?
Take a ride on a Traghetto on the Grand Canal
If you do not want to pay over €80 per couple, for a 25-30 minute ride on a gondola, but still want to experience a ride on a gondola in Venice then this is for you…
Take a traghetto across the canal for €2. A traghetto is like a bigger gondola and it has the two standing gondoliers that steer. So, you can still take a few photos and enjoy the 2 – 3 minute trip across the grand canal. You can see the locations of the traghettos that run regularly here all along the Canal Grande.
If you still want more and are willing to pay extra for a longer ride, you can book a 30 minute gondola ride here.
Walk along the Grand Canal and Cross The Rialto Bridge
Go for a walk down the Grand Canal in Venice and watch the Gondolas pass by. Then take a stroll over the pedestrianised Rialto Bridge.
The Rialto bridge is definitely the most famous bridge on the Grand Canal. It features in many movies such as Cassanova, Spiderman: far from home, Casino Royale and more.
St Marks Basilica & Doges Palace
St. Marks Basilica & Doge’s Palace are both within St Mark’s Square. It is free entry for St. Marks Basilica but I would advise getting skip-the-line tickets, as there are massive queues there. Here is the cheapest place to buy skip-the-line tickets. They are only €6.
If you want an audio guide also, choose this option. You need to cover your knees and shoulders or you won’t be let in. If you would like to visit Doge’s Palace, the cheapest place to buy tickets is here.
Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs connects the interrogation rooms in Doges Palace with the prison and apparently it is said that the name comes from the sighs of prisoners who passed over it.
Walk along the Cities Narrow Streets & go Shopping
Walk along the narrow streets of Venice and browse the shops. There are plenty of souvenir shops and interestingly, many places that sell fountain pens, notebooks and glass ornaments. It is nice to take some time to wander around there.
Also, near the water by St Marks Square, there are more stalls, many that sell paintings for reasonable prices. If you do want to buy a painting while in Italy, buy one in Venice. In my opinion, the paintings on sale were nicer than those in Florence and Rome.
Where to stay in Venice?
Residenza la Veranda la Rialto – we paid €125 per night. The accommodation was really nice. We had a double room with a shared bathroom. There is a shared balcony, looking out onto the Grand Canal. It is just an 8 minute walk from the Rialto Bridge and a 7 minute walk from St Marks Square.
La Pescheria Backpackers is a good hostel option, located very centrally (2 minutes from the Rialto bridge). €75 per night for a single bed in a dorm. It has very good ratings on hostelworld.
How to get around Venice?
How to get from Marco Polo airport to Venice Centre?
We arrived in to Venice Marco Polo airport. Just outside the exit on the left, the bus route no 5 AeroBus departs to Venice. Here you will find a ticket machine for the bus. The journey takes about 20 minutes to the centre and you can find the bus timetable here. A one-way ticket costs €8.
Walking to the accommodation was a little tricky for us as google maps sometimes does not work great with the tall buildings and narrow streets.
Look at where your accommodation is in advance to have an idea of what direction you will need to take when you come off the bus. If you still get lost, just ask someone on the street to help.
How to get from Venice to Florence by train?
The high speed train from Venice to Florence takes 2 hours 13 minutes and currently costs about €50. I use the omio site to book tickets.
Where to eat in Venice?
My advice would be to go away from the hotspots like St Marks square and go down some of the narrow streets to get cheaper food. Some restaurants in the touristy areas charge up to €3 for just sitting down at the restaurant. We walked out towards Basilica di Santa Maria and 2 coffees and 2 croissants cost just €6, quite good right?
I would recommend Pizzeria l’angelo, it does very nice vegan pizza and sandwiches. Farini Pizza is another good option – it does really nice pizza slices and has nice breakfast options. The prices are reasonable too.
If you are walking along the promenade near St Marks Square, you can get take-away aperol spritz in a cup from a stall that will cost €3 (and there is a good dose of alcohol in them too). Whereas, if you were to sit down in the restaurant there, it will cost as least double.
Another tip is to bring a water bottle with you as there is loads of water fountains around the city that you can drink from. This will save you buying water when you are out.
Florence for 3 Days
What to Do in Florence?
Piazza del Duomo & Walk up the Duomo or Bell Tower
Piazza del Duomo is the most visited place in the city so it should be top of your list for Florence. Here you can see the Florence cathedral. It is the fourth largest church in the world. The cathedral complex includes the baptistery of St John, Giotto’s bell tower and the dome.
We walked up the bell tower and tickets cost us €20 each here. To walk up the Duomo, it is €30 and you purchase tickets here. If you want a guided tour, here is a good option.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge
Take a walk across the Ponte Vecchio bridge, that crosses the River Arno. It is known for the shops built into the side of it. There are a variety of shops to explore along here.
Pizzale Michaelangelo
Pizzale Michaelangelo is where you can take in a panoramic view of Florence. Even though this is a bit further out (about a 25 minute walk from the Cathedral), it is worth the visit.
There is roughly a 10 minute up-hill walk which is quite steep towards the end. At the top, you can get a drink, sit down and take in the fantastic view.
Galleries & Museums
There are a number of galleries in Florence. The Uffizi Palace and Gallery, Accademia Gallery, the Bargello Museum and more. We did not get around to visiting these. But if if you are interested, then you can buy tickets here.
Where to stay in Florence?
Strange Uncle B&B seems to be a good option on booking.com. It is just 300m from Florence Cathedral. The prices here are reasonable. It has a very good rating of 8.7 and the reviews are great too. It is roughly €100 per night for a double room and shared bathroom.
My Friends Hostel is another good option based on reviews and ratings online. Hostelworld has it rated at 9.3,which is classed as superb. It is just a 10 minute walk away from the Florence Cathedral. The price can be as low as €25 per night for a bed in a dorm depending on when you book.
How to get around Florence?
How to get from Florence to Rome by train?
We took the high speed train Frecciarossa 9403 from Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella) to Roma Termini. It took 1hr 35 min and was €40 each. I use the omio website to book my tickets.
Day Trip from Florence to Pisa
A half day is what we spent in Pisa and is enough time to see the main attractions. After you get off the train at Pisa Centrale, you take a 20 minute walk to the square where you will cross the River Arno.
The most notable sites are all in the one square. Here you will see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta & the Baptistery. These are stunning buildings, so take some photos, eat an ice-cream, have an Aperol Spritz and away you go back to explore some more of Florence.
How to get from Florence to Pisa by train?
We got the regional 18413 train from Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella) to Pisa Centrale. It took 1 hour. Tickets were €18 return and you can book them here.
Rome for 3 Days
What to Do in Rome?
If you are doing Rome, Florence & Venice in 7 Days, ensure you leave enough time for the country’s capital, Rome. There is so much to do in this city that I dedicated a full blog post to it. Read my 72 hour Rome itinerary for more.
This is a full guide that shows you exactly what to do in Rome, has recommendations of where to stay in Rome and has information on transport around the city etc. This post also includes details of where to get your tickets for the Vatican city, the Colosseum and much more…
How to get around Rome?
Getting around Rome
Click here to find more information about how to get around Rome, getting from the train Station to the centre and the Roma Pass.
How to get from Rome to Fiumicino Airport?
To get to the Fiumicino airport where we flew from, we got a bus to Termini and then got a train direct to the airport (€14 each). I booked online here. You can also get a bus from Termini to the airport which is much cheaper (€6 each). You can book it here.
How to get from Rome to Ciampino Airport?
The second airport is is Ciampino. There is an airport shuttle bus for €6 one way to and from Roma Termini. You can read more about the trains and buses to Ciampino here.
Additional Information
Weather in Italy
We went on the second week of May and it got to about 28 degrees Celsius throughout the day. So shorts and sun cream are required. The best time to visit Rome is probably September or October when the weather is still good but the crowds are lower than peak season.
Plug type in Italy
Bring your travel adapter, it is the same one used in most European countries. There are three different plug types that will work in Italy (C,F and L). Click here for more information.
One tip if you have an extra day to spare in Italy, visit Bologna on the way from Venice to Florence. The train stops in Bologna, so get out for a few hours and walk around the Piazza Maggiore and eat some Bolognese!
Now, I hope you enjoyed this itinerary and have the best time exploring Rome, Florence & Venice in 7 days. Share this with your friends and let me know what you think in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Lisa