7 Days in Italy: First-Timer Plan
Seven days is the Rome-Florence-Venice triangle at a full 2 days per city, plus exactly one add-on: a Naples and Pompeii day trip out of Rome, just 1h10 by train each way. That’s the honest ceiling for a first-timer trip; resist stacking Milan, the Amalfi Coast, or Cinque Terre on top as well, that’s the classic overtourism-brochure mistake this itinerary is built to avoid. Only have 6 days? Our 6-day itinerary is this same triangle without the add-on.
Book these before you go
- Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill combo ticket, 18 euros adult, timed entry: book via GetYourGuide
- Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel, 20 euros on-site or 25 euros online, earlier booking recommended for the 2026 Jubilee year: check GetYourGuide
- Pompeii, 20-30 euros depending on ticket tier, timed entry: check GetYourGuide
- Rome-Florence and Florence-Venice high-speed trains, book 4-12 weeks out for the cheapest fares: compare on Trainline
| Day | Focus | Time needed | Rough daily cost (EUR, no lodging) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon | Full day, mostly on foot | 30-45 |
| Day 2 | Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s, Trastevere | Full day | 30-45 |
| Day 3 | Naples and Pompeii day trip from Rome | Full day plus 1h10 train each way | 45-65 |
| Day 4 | Train to Florence, Duomo complex, Uffizi Gallery | Full day plus 1h40 train | 40-60 |
| Day 5 | Accademia Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno | Full day | 30-45 |
| Day 6 | Train to Venice, St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace | Full day plus 2h train | 45-65 |
| Day 7 | Grand Canal, gondola, departure | Full day | 35-55 |
Day 1: Ancient Rome
Book the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill combo ticket ahead of time; 18 euros for adults (2 euros for EU visitors 18-25, free under 18), timed entry, and it does sell out. Give the ruins a proper couple of hours, then walk to the Pantheon in the afternoon, now 7 euros as of 1 July 2026. Keep your bag zipped and worn to the front around Termini station and Metro Line A, Rome’s known pickpocket spots. For dinner, order a proper Roman pasta: cacio e pepe, carbonara, or amatriciana, three distinct dishes.
Day 2: Vatican Rome
St Peter’s Basilica is free, so start there before the crowds build. The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel ticket is 20 euros on-site or 25 euros online; book earlier than usual since 2026 is a Vatican Jubilee year. Spend the afternoon and evening in Trastevere, Rome’s best dinner neighborhood.
Day 3: Naples and Pompeii
Base yourself in Rome and take the roughly 1h10 train south to Naples for the day. Naples’ historic centre is UNESCO-listed, the largest in Europe, and this is also the birthplace of pizza: the two safe, verified, historic pizzerias are L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (1870, Margherita and Marinara only) and Gino Sorbillo (1935), don’t go looking for others by name. If you’d rather spend the day at Pompeii itself, buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD, tickets run 20-30 euros depending on tier, timed entry, book ahead; either Naples or Pompeii fills a full day well on its own, and trying to do both properly in one day trip is tight. Don’t try to stretch this into the Amalfi Coast or Capri as well, the SITA bus alone runs 90 minutes to 2.5 hours each way in summer traffic; that’s a trip of its own, not an add-on to an add-on. Head back to Rome by evening.
Day 4: Florence, the Duomo and the Uffizi
Take the morning high-speed train to Florence, roughly 1h40, booked 4-12 weeks ahead for the best fare. The Duomo’s cathedral interior is free; the dome climb needs a separate paid ticket and, since March 2025, photo ID at the gate. Give the afternoon to the Uffizi: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera in Rooms 10-14 fill fast after 10:30am, so book an early slot, roughly 25 euros online. For dinner, order bistecca alla fiorentina or ribollita.
Day 5: The Accademia, Ponte Vecchio, and Oltrarno
Book the Accademia Gallery the same way as the Uffizi, roughly 20 euros; it’s where Michelangelo’s David lives. Cross Ponte Vecchio, then spend the afternoon in Oltrarno, quieter than the centro storico and better for food; look for lampredotto if you want one distinctly local bite. Close the day at Piazzale Michelangelo for the sunset view.
Day 6: Venice, St Mark’s Square, and the Doge’s Palace
Take the afternoon train to Venice, roughly 2 hours from Florence. Settle into Dorsoduro (skip Mestre on the mainland, even to save money, you’d lose Venice’s early mornings and late evenings). See St Mark’s Square and Basilica, then Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. In the evening, find a bacaro for cicchetti and an “ombra,” the small-plates-and-wine ritual that defines eating here.
Day 7: The Grand Canal, the gondola, and departure
See the Grand Canal by vaporetto, the affordable way to take it in. If you want a gondola, it’s a genuine splurge, 90 euros for 30 minutes by day (110 euros at night), but that’s per gondola, holding 5-6 people, not per person. Fly out of Venice Marco Polo; flying into Rome and out of Venice at the end of a south-to-north route means no backtracking anywhere on this trip.
One entry note worth knowing before you fly: the EES (Entry/Exit System) has been live since 10 April 2026, so your first Schengen crossing includes a fingerprint and photo instead of just a passport stamp. ETIAS is not required yet.
Is Naples and Pompeii the right 7th day, or should I pick Milan or Cinque Terre instead?
Any of the three works, pick based on what pulls you: ancient history and real Neapolitan pizza (Naples/Pompeii), the Last Supper and northern Italy’s fashion capital (Milan), or hiking between five cliffside villages (Cinque Terre). The rule that matters more than which one you pick is picking only one; adding two on top of the Rome-Florence-Venice triangle is exactly the overtourism mistake this itinerary avoids.
Should I book the Last Supper if I swap in Milan as my add-on?
Yes, and earlier than anything else on this trip. The Last Supper (Cenacolo) is the single tightest ticket in Italy: 40 people per 15-minute slot, released quarterly, selling out within 48 hours in peak months. Book 3-4 months ahead if Milan is your choice of add-on.
Do I need to drive anywhere on this route?
No. The whole trip runs on the high-speed rail spine (Rome-Naples about 1h10, Rome-Florence about 1h40, Florence-Venice about 2 hours), and all the historic centres are ZTL zones where an unregistered car gets an automatic camera fine of 80-300 euros; Venice is car-free entirely. Book your trains 4-12 weeks ahead, and book the Vatican, Uffizi, Accademia, and Pompeii slots before you leave home; all of them sell out.