Overview
Rome, Florence and Venice form a natural train line down (or up) the country, and nine days gives each city enough time to breathe without feeling like a checklist.
Best time to visit
April-June and September-October give warm days, manageable crowds and lower prices than peak July-August, when the heat and tourist volume both spike in all three cities.
Suggested day-by-day
- Days 1-3: Rome - Colosseum and Forum, Vatican Museums and St Peter's, a Trastevere food evening.
- Day 4: High-speed train to Florence (under 2 hours).
- Days 4-6: Florence - Uffizi, Duomo climb, a day trip to Siena or the Tuscan countryside.
- Day 7: Train to Venice via Bologna.
- Days 7-9: Venice - St Mark's Square, Doge's Palace, a vaporetto ride to Murano and Burano.
Practical tips
Book Vatican Museums and the Uffizi timed-entry tickets at least a few weeks ahead - both routinely sell out same-day. Buy Trenitalia or Italo high-speed tickets in advance for meaningfully lower fares than walk-up prices. Venice charges a day-tripper access fee on certain peak dates - check before arrival if you're not staying overnight.