Italy Travel Guide: Itineraries, Tips & Things to Do

Plan Your Italy Vacation With Our Italy Travel Guide

Planning an Italy vacation can feel overwhelming when there are so many incredible places to visit. From the ancient streets of Rome to the canals of Venice, the rolling hills of Tuscany, and the colorful villages of Cinque Terre, there is no shortage of places to add to your Italy itinerary.

After traveling through Italy ourselves, we’ve learned that a little planning can make a big difference. On this Italy travel guide, we’re sharing the travel tips, transportation information, packing advice, places we stayed, and favorite experiences that helped make our trip easier and more enjoyable.

Whether you’re planning your first trip to Italy or looking for ideas for your next adventure, these guides can help you plan your own Italian getaway.

Narrow cobblestone street in Rome lined with tall shuttered buildings, potted plants, a hanging streetlamp, graffiti, and a scooter.

Italy Travel Blog: Our Italy Travel Guides

1 Day in Venice: Our Perfect Venice Day Trip from Florence

Can you really see Venice in just one day? We did!

We took the train from Florence to Venice early in the morning and returned to Florence that evening. Our day included Rialto Bridge, a gondola ride, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Murano, a glass-blowing demonstration, gelato, an Aperol Spritz, and plenty of time wandering Venice’s beautiful streets.

If you’re looking for a Venice day trip from Florence, this guide shares exactly how we spent our day and what we would do again.

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Itinerary

What to Pack for Rome in Summer: Complete Packing List

Visiting Rome during the summer? Be prepared for some serious heat! We visited Rome in August and quickly learned that comfortable, lightweight clothing and the right travel essentials can make a huge difference.

Our Rome summer packing list covers what to wear, comfortable shoes for walking, what to bring when visiting churches and the Vatican, and the items that helped us stay cool while sightseeing. There’s also a free printable packing list you can use while getting ready for your trip.

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Packing

How to Get Around Italy: A Complete Transportation Guide

Wondering how to get around Italy without renting a car? We traveled between Florence, Venice, La Spezia, Cinque Terre, and Rome using a combination of high-speed trains, regional trains, public transportation, taxis, and plenty of walking.

This guide shares what we learned about public transportation in Italy, including taking trains between cities, getting around Rome, using the Metro, traveling to Ostia, and navigating Italian train stations.

If you’re planning an Italy itinerary without a car, this is a great place to start.

Advice

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Our Favorite Tours and Experiences in Italy

Tuscany Wine Safari

A gravel path runs through a vineyard toward rolling hills, with cypress trees on the left and a clear blue sky above.

If you love wine, beautiful countryside, and unique experiences, a Tuscany wine safari is a fantastic way to experience the Tuscan countryside. Instead of simply visiting a winery, you get to explore the landscape while enjoying local wine and food along the way.

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Golf Cart Tour of Rome

Tree-lined paved walkway with benches and lamp posts, opening to a distant Vatican beneath a clear blue sky.

Rome is packed with incredible sights, but walking between them all can be exhausting—especially in the summer. Our golf cart tour was a fun way to see more of the city while learning about its history without spending the entire day on foot.

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Colosseum Tour

The Colosseum’s weathered stone arches and upper walls rise behind trees and a metal fence under a clear blue sky.

No Italy vacation would be complete without seeing the Colosseum. A guided tour gives you the opportunity to learn more about the history behind this incredible ancient landmark rather than simply walking around and looking at it.

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Pasta Cooking Class in Rome

One of the best ways to experience Italy is through its food. A pasta cooking class in Rome is a fun, hands-on experience where you can learn how to make traditional Italian pasta and enjoy the meal afterward. It’s also a great way to bring a little bit of Italy home with you.

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Where We Stayed in Italy

Choosing the right place to stay can make a huge difference, especially when you’re traveling between multiple Italian cities. We looked for convenient locations that allowed us to walk to attractions, restaurants, and transportation whenever possible.

Here are some of the places we stayed during our Italy vacation.

Rated 5 out of 5
Hotel Venezia – La Spezia
We really enjoyed staying in La Spezia and thought it was an excellent base for exploring Cinque Terre. The town itself has plenty of restaurants and places to explore, but one of our favorite things about staying here was the convenience. Hotel Venezia is within walking distance of the train station, which made getting to the Cinque Terre villages incredibly easy. If you’re planning to explore Cinque Terre by train, staying somewhere close to the station can save you a lot of time and hassle.
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A round dining table with four dark chairs, placemats, a vase of red flowers, and a large frosted window in a kitchen at our apartment rental in Florence, Ariento 6.
Rated 5 out of 5
Florence Apartment – Two Bedrooms Near the Train Station
For our stay in Florence, we chose a spacious two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment that was conveniently located near the train station. Having two bedrooms and two bathrooms gave us plenty of space, while the location made it easy to arrive with luggage and catch the train for our day trip to Venice. If you’re traveling with family or a small group, having an apartment with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms can be a great alternative to booking multiple hotel rooms.
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Rated 5 out of 5
Rome Apartment – Monti Neighborhood Near the Colosseum
For our stay in Rome, we chose an apartment in the Monti neighborhood, just a short distance from the Colosseum. The location was one of the biggest advantages because we could walk to many of Rome’s major sights and enjoy the restaurants and atmosphere of the Monti neighborhood. If you want to be close to the Colosseum while staying in a neighborhood with a more local feel, Monti is worth considering.
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