7 days in Italy: itinerary

The route is a straight line on the high-speed spine: land in Rome, train north to Florence, fly out of Tuscany. No car, no backtracking, one hotel change.

Rome sits at the centre of the network. Florence is 1h35 away on the Frecciarossa or Italo, and both stations are in the middle of the city, so the transfer costs you half a day at most, including the walk to your hotel.

Florence is the better final stop because Pisa airport (PSA) is 50–60 minutes away by train or bus and has more low-cost flights than Florence's own airport (FLR), which is 15 minutes from the centre by tram. Check both before booking.

Day 1 — Rome. Land, drop bags, and walk without a plan: Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, then dinner in Trastevere or Monti. Book nothing for arrival day; flight delays are common and a missed timed entry is money gone.

Day 2 — Ancient Rome. Colosseum first thing with a timed ticket, then the Forum and Palatine Hill on the same ticket. Afternoon: Capitoline Museums or a rest. Evening: Campo de' Fiori and a long dinner.

Day 3 — Vatican. Museums and Sistine Chapel in the morning, St Peter's Basilica after. Wednesday mornings are busy because of the papal audience; check the calendar. Afternoon: Castel Sant'Angelo or a slow walk back through Prati.

Day 4 — Rome, second layer. Pantheon interior, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, then the Borghese Gallery if you booked it, or a half-day trip to Ostia Antica or Tivoli. Pack in the evening.

Day 5 — Florence. Take an early train, leave bags at the hotel, and spend the day on foot: Duomo, Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio. Climb San Miniato al Monte or Piazzale Michelangelo for the evening view.

Day 6 — Florence, art day. Uffizi in the morning (book a slot), Accademia for David in the afternoon, then cross the river to Santo Spirito for dinner. If art is not your thing, swap in the Boboli Gardens and a market morning.

Day 7 — Day trip or departure. Siena is about 1h15 by bus or train, Pisa about 1h, Lucca about 1h20. If you fly home today, keep the trip short and be back by early afternoon.

Trains do the work. Rome Termini to Florence Santa Maria Novella runs on Frecciarossa and Italo services; book a fixed-time super-economy fare weeks ahead for the lowest price, or pay more for a flexible ticket. Regional trains are cheaper but slower and not worth it on this route.

Inside Rome, the metro covers the Vatican and Termini but not the historic centre, which is a walking city. Buy single tickets or a multi-day pass; validate paper tickets. Taxis from Fiumicino run on a fixed city fare, and the Leonardo Express train runs to Termini.

Inside Florence everything is walkable; buses cover the hills. For day trips, regional trains to Pisa and Lucca are cheap and frequent, while Siena is often quicker by bus from the bus station near the train station.

Do not rent a car for this itinerary. ZTL restricted zones in both cities carry fines, and parking costs more than the train.

In Rome, stay between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona for the classic first trip, Monti for a quieter base near the Colosseum, or Prati for the Vatican. Trastevere is atmospheric but noisier and slightly further from the metro.

In Florence, the area between the Duomo and Santa Maria Novella station is the most practical for a short stay: you can walk to everything and roll your bag to the train. Oltrarno, south of the river, is calmer and cheaper but adds 15–20 minutes on foot to the main sights.

Book both cities early for April–June and September–October. Air conditioning, lifts and late check-in matter more than star ratings in older buildings.

A mid-range week for one person, excluding flights, lands around €1,100–1,700 (about $1,200–1,850). Budget travellers who use hostels, picnic lunches and regional trains can do it for roughly €600–900; a comfortable hotel-and-restaurant trip runs €2,000 and up.

The biggest variables are accommodation in Rome and Florence, and how many paid museums you book. Trains on this route are cheap if booked early. Food is where you control the budget: a standing coffee and pastry breakfast, a pizza or panino lunch, and one sit-down dinner a day keeps costs sane.

Swap Florence for Venice if canals beat Renaissance art: Rome 4 nights, Venice 3, flying home from Venice Marco Polo. The train is longer (about 3h45 from Rome, or 2h from Florence) and Venice hotels cost more, so this version is tighter.

Add Naples instead of Florence if you want ruins and coast: Rome 4 nights, Naples 3, with Pompeii and Herculaneum as day trips and the Amalfi Coast as a long day. Fly home from Naples.

If you have more time, the same spine stretches naturally: 10 days adds Venice, and 14 days continues south to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Seven days with three cities is the version that fails — you spend the week checking out.