Rome, Florence and Venice tours

May to October is the best time to visit, with long daylight hours ideal for sightseeing across all 3 cities and beyond.

Summer (June to August) is peak season, and it delivers – warm evenings made for dining al fresco, vineyard visits in Tuscany, and meandering around cities. It’s also the busiest and hottest stretch, so pace your days accordingly.

If you’re after milder temperatures and slightly fewer crowds, plan your trip during spring and early autumn.

Top tip: June, July and August are the most popular months to visit, so book well ahead if these are your dates. Prefer a more relaxed pace and cooler days? May, September and October are worth considering instead.

For the full breakdown, read our guide to the best time to visit Italy. And don't miss Adam's round-up of the top Italian festivals. 

To see it all properly, we recommend at least a week.

7 days is enough for the essentials in each city. That said, 10 days or more lets you fold in Tuscany or Umbria along the way. Longer routes also mean less rushing – proper time in each place, not just a glimpse.

Our team in Rome have crafted a range of itineraries that focus on Rome, Florence, and Venice. Simply pick the tour length that works for you.

There’s more beyond the “Big 3”, depending on your itinerary.

Our routes weave in Tuscany’s countryside, and several extend into Umbira’s hill towns too. Some itineraries add a day trip to Verona, and others venture to Lake Como.

Fancy seeing more than the headline cities? Check out our full range of Italy tour packages to find the itinerary that covers the ground you want.

Want inspiration for where else to go? Dive into our best places to visit in Italy guide.

It’s all taken care of. Every one of our tours includes transport between the cities and everywhere in between.

Choose a self-drive tour of Italy, and you’ll have a rental car at your disposal – all 3 cities, and the towns along the way, are well connected by road.

Prefer to sit back? On as Italy small group tour, you’ll travel with your guide and an experienced driver aboard a comfortable minibus, so you can sit back and soak up the views.

It depends how you like to travel.

Self-drive hands you the keys – literally – with full control over your route and time to detour through vineyards and hill towns. You’ll also get a hand-marked map with local recommendations from our Italy experts, plus a rental car of your choice with GPS, unlimited mileage, CDW insurance, and coverage for 2 drivers.

Fallen for one of our self-drive itineraries but don’t fancy driving? No problem. Just ask our team in Rome about turning any of these road trips into a privately guided tour of Italy. 

A guided small group takes the driving off your hands. You’ll travel with no more than 15 fellow travellers and a local guide who brings Italy to life with stories and knowledge you won’t find in a guidebook – no driving required, just settle in and take it all in.

Yes, you absolutely can. Want more time to explore? Add extra nights at the start or end of your trip – if you’d rather extend somewhere in the middle, just speak to your travel consultant.

You can also build in experiences, like a guided tour of Tuscany’s wineries with an expert sommelier, or a guided walking tour of Venice followed by a gondola ride. Fancy an upgrade to your accommodation or rental car? Just ask.

Time. Expertise. Local knowledge. And peace of mind.

Planning a trip to Italy from scratch eats up more hours than you’d think – comparing hotels, mapping out routes, cross-checking train times, sifting through reviews, tracking down opening hours. It piles up quickly.

We’ve already put in that work. Our Rome-based travel consultants shape your Rome, Florence and Venice trip so each city leads naturally into the next, with hotels we know and trust, and a balance of unmissable sights alongside the ones most visitors walk straight past.

And once you’re travelling, support doesn’t stop. If something goes sideways, we’re there 24/7 to sort it out, so your attention stays on the trip ahead.

We don’t include flights in our tour packages, which means you’re free to choose your own airline, departure city, and flight times.

Our advice: look into flights to Italy first, then book your tour, and wait for our confirmation before purchasing tickets.

What you’ll need depends on when you’re travelling and what activities you've got planned. Check our Italy packing list for the full breakdown.

Summer calls for light layers and sandals, plus swimwear and a travel towel if a pool or lake is on the itinerary. It's also worth squeezing in a smarter outfit or two – Italians dress well for the evening, especially around aperitivo hour.

One thing to remember: churches and cathedrals expect shoulders and knees covered, so keep a scarf handy in your day bag.

Your Italy packing essentials:

• Comfortable shoes or sandals
• Short and long-sleeve tops
• Light trousers or shorts
• A warm jumper or fleece for cool evenings
• Day bag or rucksack
• Swimwear and a travel towel
• Sunglasses, sun hat and suncream
• Umbrella or lightweight waterproof jacket
• Reusable water bottle
• Two-pin EU adaptor

If you're heading into the mountains, or crossing into Switzerland, pack for cooler, changeable weather. Warm, waterproof layers are essential, and a hat, scarf and gloves earn their place at higher altitudes.

Leave a little extra room in your suitcase too. Italy has a habit of filling it before you leave.