Today I’m here to tell you what is the perfect itinerary in our opinion, for you to know the best of Italy between 10 days and 15 days of travel, which are very nice periods for you to know this fantastic country. These are very quick tips showing on the map which cities we recommend you to stay and how many days to stay in each one for a 10 or 15 days trip, but you can also adapt to your reality, it doesn’t have to be 10 or 15 days.
Italy is one of the most difficult destinations to plan. Some people suffer a lot the first time they go there, because you want to see so much. Italy is one of the only places in the whole of Europe, the only country that we recommend you spend a whole trip just for it. There is a lot of cool things you can do!
How to make that trip to Italy?
The first thing everyone thinks is, how am I going to make this trip? What means of transport will I use?
There are several options, the two main ones are the train that works very well, they are high speed trains, they are super comfortable, super safe and you can get around super well with them. But there is also the dream trip for tourists from all over the world, which is to drive through Italy, especially through Tuscany.
The journey by car is sensational, it’s worth it, the landscapes are beautiful. Car rental in Italy is one of the cheapest in the world, it’s great to drive there.
Cheapest car hire in Europe
We will show you more or less the distance between cities and you define what is better. If you are going to rent a car be sure to use a price comparator that we recommend.
It is super easy to use, it has cars in several countries in the world, you enter the site, put the date of your trip and it compares the price in all car rental companies in the city you want.
Arriving in Italy
Most flights to Italy arrive in Milan or Rome. Rome is the main city in Italy, obviously you have to stay more days because there is so much to do in this city. Spend at least 4 days in Rome.
To save on transport, there is also an important website, very good for comparing train tickets, lines and routes all over Europe. I leave the link here for you to check, it is very worthwhile and helps you save money.
In the 10-day itinerary, spend four days, because one day is reserved for the Vatican. It is 3 days for Rome and 1 day for the Vatican.
The Vatican is inside the city of Rome, so you will already know these sights and spend a lot of time there. In Rome you don’t need a car, I don’t advise it because the traffic is a bit chaotic most of the time, it’s hard to find a parking space. And yes, you can do everything on foot, using public transport.
Getting to know Tuscany
On this route we recommend that you have already rented a car.
Leaving Rome, you will visit Tuscany, the main city of Tuscany is Florence.
Siena
On the way to Florence, there’s Siena, a very good city to stay in, it’s a good stopover so you don’t drive so much and it’s very nice because it’s a beautiful city, super quiet, very Tuscan style so you can feel the atmosphere of Tuscany. And it is close to several other neighbouring towns, so you can take a day off to rest and then go to the towns next door.
Montalcino and Montepulciano are very close, they are very similar. You can visit both in the sequence of the same day. A little bit above Siena there is also San Giminignano, this is one of the most famous, it has a very different style, medieval, it is a historic town in Tuscany.
So far: Rome→Sienna→Montalcino→Montepulciano→San Gimignano.
Florence
From Siena we go to Florence. It is a city similar to Rome in style, a little smaller in size, but it is more or less Rome style. It is in the heart of Tuscany, so from here you can get to other important places.
It is interesting to stay at least 2 days in Florence. Spend a whole day to explore the city, visit the church Santa Maria del Fiore, the main square Piazza dela Signora, there are several restaurants, you will spend a whole day. The next day you can go to Pisa and Luca which is 1 hour away by car or you can go by train too.
Pisa
To Pisa you go in the morning, spend about 4 hours in the city and visit the Tower of Pisa and the Church of Pisa. It is a very beautiful scenery the two buildings together, there is a garden around and some other attractions, it is a very beautiful square. But it won’t take long to get to know everything. You can also have lunch there.
Luca
After lunch you continue to Luca. It’s a very small town, it is interesting because it is all surrounded by a wall, for being a city of war time, walls were built to protect it. Luca is 30 minutes from Pisa, it is super easy to get there especially if you have a car, but there is also train available to Luca. From there return to Florence at the end of the day.
Returning to Florence, the tip is to take the rest of the day at night to wander around, have dinner in a typical restaurant, explore the local food and feel the city’s nightlife (which is not very busy) which is quite pleasant.
Venice
Leaving Florence our tip is to go to Venice. This is the most different city of all, you have to know it because it is really different, it is surrounded by rivers, there are practically no cars. It is a gigantic city, with approximately 261,000 inhabitants. The tourist part is quite small, but that is what you have to focus on. 2 to 3 days in Venice I believe would be ideal. Staying well located you can visit Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge that was the scene of the movie Spiderman: Far from Home.
In Venice we believe that 2 to 3 days is enough to minimally know the city. Many people comment on Milan, if you have time to spare, it is worth visiting the sights there, it has incredible buildings, it is a city with a different architecture. In all Italy, Milan is the best city for shopping, it has several malls, shops, it is the cradle of fashion in Italy, it has several world famous shops.
