Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Italy: Venice, Florence and Rome
10 days from Venice to Rome by fast train: three nights each in Venice, Florence and Rome, with the lagoon islands, a Chianti day and San Gimignano.
10 days · Venice to Rome · up to 12 guests
St Peter's and Ponte Sant'Angelo over the Tiber at night, Rome Photo: Jebulon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Peter%27s_Basilica,_Sant%27Angelo_bridge,_by_night,_Rome,_Italy.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Venice to Rome
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
City walking every day, about 8 to 12 km on most days on cobbles and paving, with many bridges and steps in Venice and uneven ancient ground in Rome. Museum mornings mean two to three hours on your feet. No altitude and no long drives; your bags go between cities by road, and every long day has a part you can sit out.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 795 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to June and September to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Piazza San Marco before 8 am, the Doge's Palace at opening and St Mark's Basilica on a reserved entry
- A lagoon day: a glass furnace on Murano, lunch on Burano and an evening walk through Dorsoduro
- Fast trains between the cities while your bags go ahead by road, with a long trattoria lunch in Bologna on the way
- The Uffizi at 8:15 and Michelangelo's David at opening, both with a local guide
- A Chianti winery lunch and San Gimignano's towers after the day coaches leave
- The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel on the first entry slot, then St Peter's
- The Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine in the morning, and a farewell dinner in Trastevere
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 795 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Venice
Venice Marco Polo Airport to your hotel in Venice by water taxi
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Venice
- By boat
Fly into Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), where a water taxi takes you across the lagoon to your hotel in the historic centre. Venice has no roads, only canals and lanes, so the boat is the way in, and the ride of about 30 minutes is the best first sight of the city, low and pale on the water. If you arrive by train, we meet you at Santa Lucia station instead. Check in, rest, and walk out when you are ready: your hotel is a short walk from the Rialto or San Marco. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead, how the museum closures shape the plan, and how your bags travel between cities.
Evening
Then we walk together to a welcome dinner of Venetian dishes, such as sarde in saor, risotto and fish from the lagoon, at a local restaurant.
Included
- Water taxi from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), or a meet at Santa Lucia station
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Plan to land by about 3 pm to reach the briefing; the exact time comes with your final itinerary.
San Marco before the crowds
A walking day in San Marco and Castello
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Venice
We leave the hotel at about 7:30, while the day visitors are still on their trains and Piazza San Marco belongs to the café waiters and the pigeons. Coffee standing at a bar, then your guide walks you round the square: the long arcades of the Procuratie, the Campanile, the clock tower and the two granite columns on the waterfront. At 9 am, opening time, we go into the Doge's Palace with a local guide, through the council chambers where the Republic was governed and over the Bridge of Sighs into the old prisons.
Morning
Late morning we enter St Mark's Basilica on a reserved slot to see its gold mosaics; cover shoulders and knees.
Afternoon
Lunch is a round of cicchetti, small bites eaten standing at a bacaro, the Venetian wine bar.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free: the Accademia galleries, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, or getting lost in Castello, the quiet district east of the square.
Included
- Early walk round Piazza San Marco with your guide
- The Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs at opening, with a local guide
- St Mark's Basilica on a reserved entry
- Cicchetti lunch at a bacaro
Optional experiences
- Gondola ride
- St Mark's Campanile
- Gallerie dell'Accademia
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About three hours on your feet in the morning. St Mark's Basilica opens only in the afternoon on Sundays, so departures are set so this day is not a Sunday.
Murano, Burano and Dorsoduro
Venice to Murano and Burano by vaporetto, then Dorsoduro on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Venice
- By boat
Your vaporetto pass covers today's boats. We cross the lagoon to Murano first, where Venice moved its glass furnaces in 1291 to keep fire away from the city, and watch a master shape a vase from molten glass at a working furnace. Then on to Burano, about 40 minutes further across the water, with its fishermen's houses painted in strong colours and a long tradition of needle lace.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal on Burano, where risotto made with lagoon fish is the local dish. We are back in Venice by mid-afternoon for a rest.
Evening
Around 5 pm your guide takes anyone who wants across the Accademia bridge into Dorsoduro: the Zattere waterfront facing Giudecca, the boatyard at San Trovaso where gondolas are still built and repaired by hand, and Campo Santa Margherita, where students and neighbours meet for a spritz at dusk. Dinner tonight is your choice.
Included
- Vaporetto to Murano and Burano with your guide
- Glassblowing demonstration at a Murano furnace
- Sit-down lunch on Burano
- Evening walk in Dorsoduro: the Zattere, the San Trovaso boatyard and Campo Santa Margherita
Optional experiences
- Burano Lace Museum
Easier option: See Murano only, then ride the vaporetto back down the Grand Canal at your own pace.
More active option: Add Torcello, a short boat ride from Burano, for the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and its Byzantine mosaics.
Free time: Mid-afternoon and dinner free
Activity: Boats are public vaporetti with steps on and off; the lagoon crossing can be choppy on windy days.
Fast train to Bologna, then Florence
Venice Santa Lucia to Bologna by fast train, then on to Florence
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Florence
- By boat
Morning
Your bags leave the hotel after breakfast and go to Florence by road in our vehicle, so you travel with a day bag only. A short boat ride takes us to Santa Lucia station, and the fast train reaches Bologna in about an hour and a half. Bologna is a working university city with few famous queues, which is exactly why we stop. Your guide walks you under its porticoes, the covered arcades listed by UNESCO in 2021, to Piazza Maggiore and the unfinished brick front of San Petronio, past the Neptune Fountain and the Two Towers, and into the Quadrilatero, the old market lanes of delis, fishmongers and pasta shops.
Afternoon
Lunch is a long sit-down meal in a trattoria: tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in broth and mortadella. Mid-afternoon a train takes about 40 minutes to Florence.
Evening
Your bags are waiting at the hotel, and the evening is free for a first walk to the Duomo.
Included
- Your bags taken by road from your Venice hotel to your Florence hotel
- Boat transfer to Santa Lucia station
- Reserved fast trains from Venice to Bologna and from Bologna to Florence
- Guided walk in Bologna: the porticoes, Piazza Maggiore, San Petronio, the Two Towers and the Quadrilatero
- Sit-down lunch in a Bologna trattoria
Free time: Evening free in Florence
Activity: About three hours on foot in Bologna, much of it under the porticoes. The Asinelli tower has been closed to climbers since 2023, so we see the Two Towers from the street.
Florence: the Uffizi at opening
A walking day in central Florence
- Breakfast
- Stay in Florence
We are at the Uffizi for the first entry at 8:15, before the corridors fill. A local art guide takes us through the rooms in order, so the Renaissance reads as a story: Giotto's Ognissanti Madonna, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo's Annunciation, and the view over the Arno from the top-floor corridor. Small groups wear quiet-guide headsets, so we never crowd a painting.
Morning
Late morning the same guide walks us round the historic centre, a UNESCO site since 1982: Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio, Orsanmichele, the bronze doors of the Baptistery and Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo, then across the Ponte Vecchio.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free, and lunch is your choice; the Mercato Centrale food hall is a good place to start.
Evening
At about 6 pm your guide walks anyone who wants up to San Miniato al Monte and Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the city turn gold at sunset.
Included
- The Uffizi at 8:15 with a local art guide and headsets
- Guided walk of the historic centre: Piazza della Signoria, Orsanmichele, the Baptistery, the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio
- Sunset walk to San Miniato al Monte and Piazzale Michelangelo
Optional experiences
- Climb of Brunelleschi's dome (timed slots, booked ahead)
- Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens
- The Bargello
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The Uffizi is closed on Mondays, so departures are set around it. The walk to Piazzale Michelangelo is a steady climb of about 20 minutes on steps and paths; a city bus goes up too.
David, then Chianti and San Gimignano
Florence to Greve in Chianti, a winery lunch, San Gimignano and back to Florence
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Florence
- Drive about 3 h
Michelangelo's David stands in the Accademia, which opens at 8:15, and we are on the first entry with a local guide. With the hall nearly empty you can walk all the way round the marble figure, more than five metres tall and carved from 1501 to 1504, and see the unfinished Prisoners that line the gallery leading to it. By 10:30 we are in our own vehicle heading south into Chianti, about 45 minutes, to Greve and its arcaded triangular piazza.
Afternoon
Lunch is a long one at a family winery: a walk through the vines and the cellar, then Tuscan dishes with the estate's Chianti Classico and olive oil. Mid-afternoon we drive about an hour west to San Gimignano, a walled hill town and UNESCO site since 1990 that keeps 14 of its medieval towers. Most day coaches have left by late afternoon. Climb to the Rocca di Montestaffoli for the view of the towers, then it is about an hour back to Florence.
Included
- Michelangelo's David at the Accademia at 8:15, with a local guide
- Greve in Chianti
- Lunch at a Chianti winery with a walk in the vines, a cellar visit and a tasting
- San Gimignano in the late afternoon and the Rocca di Montestaffoli
Easier option: Stay in Florence after the Accademia, or take the city bus up to Fiesole for its Roman theatre and the view back over Florence.
More active option: Walk the lane from Greve up to the walled hamlet of Montefioralle, about 2 km uphill, before lunch; the vehicle meets you at the top.
Free time: Evening free in Florence
Activity: About 2 hours 45 minutes of driving, 140 km, in three legs of an hour or less. The Accademia is closed on Mondays, so departures are set around it. Back in Florence around 7 pm.
Fast train to Rome, the Pantheon and Trevi
Florence to Rome by fast train, then the old centre on foot
- Breakfast
- Stay in Rome
- By train
Morning
A slow morning. Your bags leave by road after breakfast, and you have until late morning to climb the Duomo, revisit a church or browse the leather stalls by San Lorenzo. The fast train to Rome takes about an hour and a half, south through the hills of Tuscany and Umbria.
Afternoon
From Termini our vehicle takes the group to the hotel in the centre, and after lunch on your own your guide leads an easy afternoon walk through the old city. The Pantheon comes first, the best preserved building of ancient Rome, rebuilt under Hadrian with a concrete dome still open to the sky at its centre. A few minutes away is the Jesuit church of Sant'Ignazio, where Andrea Pozzo painted a ceiling that seems to open into heaven and a flat canvas that passes for a dome.
Evening
We finish at the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona as the evening crowd comes out. Dinner is your choice.
Included
- Your bags taken by road from your Florence hotel to your Rome hotel
- Reserved fast train from Florence to Rome
- Transfer from Roma Termini to the hotel
- Guided walk: the Pantheon (entry included), Sant'Ignazio, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona
Free time: Morning free in Florence, evening free in Rome
Activity: An easy walk of about 3 km on flat streets in the afternoon.
The Vatican at opening
The Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Rome
We take the first entry slot at the Vatican Museums, at 8 am, with a licensed Vatican guide and headsets. The museums are huge, so the guide picks a route: the Pinecone Courtyard, the Belvedere Torso, the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms and finally the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted the ceiling from 1508 to 1512 and the Last Judgement more than twenty years later. The chapel is kept silent and photos are not allowed, so we explain what you are looking at before we go in. From there we cross to St Peter's Basilica for Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's bronze canopy under the dome; cover shoulders and knees.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Prati, the neighbourhood beside the Vatican. The afternoon is free: climb St Peter's dome, walk to Castel Sant'Angelo, or rest.
Evening
At dusk the view from Ponte Umberto I back to the lit dome is worth the walk.
Included
- The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel on the first entry slot, with a licensed guide and headsets
- St Peter's Basilica
- Sit-down lunch in Prati
Optional experiences
- St Peter's dome climb
- Castel Sant'Angelo
- Galleria Borghese (timed entry, booked ahead)
Easier option: After the Sistine Chapel, skip St Peter's and take a taxi back to the hotel before lunch.
More active option: Climb the 551 steps to the top of St Peter's dome, or take the lift part of the way and climb the last 320.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About three hours on foot inside the museums, with stairs. The museums close on Sundays except the last Sunday of the month, so departures are set so this day falls Monday to Saturday.
Ancient Rome and a Trastevere farewell
The Colosseum, the Palatine and the Roman Forum, then Trastevere
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Rome
Morning
We are at the Colosseum for the first timed entry of the morning, with a licensed archaeological guide. Inside the amphitheatre, opened in AD 80, the guide shows how around fifty thousand spectators were seated by rank and how animals were lifted into the arena from the passages beneath its floor. Then we walk up the Palatine, the hill where the emperors built their palaces, and down into the Roman Forum along the Via Sacra, past the Arch of Titus and the Senate House.
Afternoon
Lunch is on your own in Monti, the old neighbourhood behind the Forum, and the afternoon is free for the Capitoline Museums, the Borghese Gallery or a long rest.
Evening
In the early evening we walk across the Tiber into Trastevere, with its ivy-hung lanes and the gold apse mosaics of Santa Maria in Trastevere, for a farewell dinner of Roman dishes: cacio e pepe, artichokes in season and saltimbocca.
Included
- The Colosseum, the Palatine and the Roman Forum on a timed entry, with a licensed guide and headsets
- Evening walk into Trastevere and Santa Maria in Trastevere
- Farewell dinner in Trastevere
Optional experiences
- Capitoline Museums
- Galleria Borghese (timed entry, booked ahead)
- The Colosseum underground (separate ticket, limited places)
Easier option: Skip the Palatine climb: after the Colosseum, follow the flat Via dei Fori Imperiali, with views down into the Forum, and rest in Monti.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About four hours on foot in the morning on uneven ancient paving with little shade; bring water and a hat.
Leave from Rome
Your Rome hotel to Rome Fiumicino Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
After breakfast the trip ends.
Evening
Our vehicle takes you from the hotel to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), about 30 km and 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, at a time set for your flight; your guide checks everyone's departure details the evening before. For an unhurried morning, book a flight after about 11 am and allow three hours at the airport for flights leaving the Schengen area. If you are staying on, the hotel can hold your bags after check-out, and we can book extra nights in Rome or a transfer to Ciampino or Termini instead. Many first-time visitors add two or three days here: the Borghese Gallery, Ostia Antica and the Appian Way are all easy to reach from the centre, and your guide is happy to sketch a plan before you part.
Included
- Transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO)
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am, or tell us your time and we set the transfer to match.
- Venice3 nights
- Florence3 nights
- Rome3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild and the best months. July and August are hot, often above 30°C in Florence and Rome, and crowded, so we start early and keep the middle of the day free. From October to January Venice can have acqua alta, high tides that flood low squares such as San Marco for a few hours.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first trip to Italy that covers Venice, Florence and Rome without one-night stops
- Travellers who want the big museums with a guide, on early and quieter entries
- A mix of guided mornings and free afternoons and evenings
- Anyone who would rather not haul a suitcase through stations and over bridges
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Venice means bridges with steps and Rome means uneven ancient paving
- Travellers who want the Amalfi Coast or the Cinque Terre (see our longer Italy trips)
- A slow countryside holiday: nine of ten nights are in cities
- Travellers who want every afternoon planned with the group
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Venice3 nights
- Florence3 nights
- Rome3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 3 in Venice, 3 in Florence and 3 in Rome
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, within walking distance of San Marco or the Rialto, the Duomo and Piazza Navona; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Hotel city taxes
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Water taxi from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), or a meet at Santa Lucia station, on day 1
- Transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on day 10
- Reserved fast trains: Venice to Bologna, Bologna to Florence and Florence to Rome
- Our own vehicle and driver for your bags between cities, the Chianti and San Gimignano day and the Rome station transfer
- A vaporetto pass for your days in Venice and the boat to Santa Lucia station
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10
- Licensed local guides at the Doge's Palace, the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Vatican and the Colosseum, and in Bologna
- Quiet-guide headsets in the museums
- Tips for local guides and drivers
Activities
- Venice: the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, St Mark's Basilica, a Murano glass furnace, Burano and a Dorsoduro evening walk
- Bologna: a guided walk with the Quadrilatero market lanes
- Florence: the Uffizi, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, a walking tour of the centre and Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset
- Chianti: Greve and a winery visit with a tasting; San Gimignano
- Rome: the Pantheon, Sant'Ignazio, the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's, the Colosseum, the Palatine and the Roman Forum, and Trastevere
- All entrance fees for included sights, on timed entries where the site offers them
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: cicchetti at a Venice bacaro, on Burano, in a Bologna trattoria, at a Chianti winery and in Prati near the Vatican
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Venice and a farewell dinner in Trastevere
Not included
- International flights to Venice and from Rome
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, such as ETIAS once it applies
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed
- Drinks, apart from wine with the winery lunch
- A tip for your See Sight Tours guide, at your discretion
- Optional activities such as a gondola ride, the Duomo climb or the Galleria Borghese
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 795 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Nine nights in central 3-star-plus hotels, 9 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners, reserved fast trains, your bags moved by road between cities, airport transfers, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, licensed local guides, and timed entries to the Doge's Palace, St Mark's, the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Vatican, the Colosseum and every other visit in the day plan.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. Other Italy group trips often run to 16 or 18, so a group of 12 or fewer moves through crowded museums more easily, hears the guide on headsets and fits round one table at lunch.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the first evening in Venice to the last morning in Rome. At the Doge's Palace, the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Vatican and the Colosseum, licensed local guides lead the visits, as the sites require, with your own guide alongside.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. Expect 8 to 12 km on foot on most days, many bridges with steps in Venice, and uneven ancient paving at the Forum and the Palatine. Museum mornings mean two to three hours standing. There are no long drives, your bags travel by road, and the longer days have an easier option.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
Yes, but it is published up front: a room of your own costs CAD 795 more on the small-group trip, about 17 percent of the price, with the same central hotels as everyone else. If you would rather share, ask when you request to book and we tell you whether a roommate is available.
When is the best time to go?
April to June and September to October bring mild weather and longer opening hours. July and August are hot and crowded, so we start early and keep the middle of the day free. From October to January Venice can have acqua alta, high tides that flood low squares for a few hours.
Do we skip the lines at the Vatican and the Colosseum?
Yes. Every major site is on a reserved timed entry, mostly the first slot of the day: the Doge's Palace at opening, the Uffizi and the Accademia at 8:15, the Vatican Museums at 8 am and the Colosseum at its first entry. Security checks still apply, but there is no ticket queue.
Do I have to carry my luggage on the trains?
No. On the two city-change days our vehicle takes your bags by road to the next hotel while you ride the fast train with a day bag. In Venice a water taxi brings you and your bags to the hotel on arrival, and our vehicle takes you to the airport at the end.
How does booking work and how much does it cost?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes. The small group starts from CAD 4,680, and private trips from CAD 8,425. Pick your start date and request to book; we confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, with your own guide and vehicle, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains and guided visits.
Do I need a visa for Italy?
Canadian, US, UK and Australian citizens can visit Italy and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180. The EU's ETIAS travel authorisation is expected to start in late 2026; we tell you exactly what applies to your passport when you book.
Why three nights in each city?
Pace is the most common complaint about Italy tours. Three nights in each city means you unpack only three times, every city gets a free afternoon or evening, and the busy sights are done early on separate mornings instead of being squeezed into a single rushed day.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.