Italy / Things to do
Things to do in Italy
The kinds of experiences Italy is known for, and the booking routes we use for each of them.
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What Italy is known for
The experiences people travel to Italy for
General guidance on the character of the destination, follow the partner links above to see the specific tours and tickets on sale for your dates.
Ancient sites and ruins
Rome's Colosseum and Forum and the preserved streets of Pompeii are the headline acts of Italian sightseeing.
Art museums and galleries
Florence and Rome hold some of the world's most visited collections, timed-entry tickets are the norm.
Historic old towns
Piazzas, cathedral squares and medieval lanes are the experience in most Italian cities, best taken on foot with a guide.
Countryside and coast day trips
Tuscany's hill towns and the Amalfi Coast are classic day or overnight escapes from the big cities.
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What are the best things to do in Rome?
Rome is an open-air museum, and its headline sights sit close together: the Colosseum with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on one combined ticket, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and across the river the Vatican, with St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel inside the Vatican Museums. Two to three days covers the great sights at a walking pace, with evenings in Trastevere, the old neighbourhood across the Tiber, for the food.
Book the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums before anything else, because both sell timed tickets that run out in the busy months, and start early: the Forum is at its best in the morning light, before the heat and the groups build. Between the monuments, Rome rewards simply walking: the piazzas, the fountains and the side streets are the experience as much as any single ticket.
What are the best things to do in Florence and Venice?
Florence is the art city: the Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, the Duomo with Brunelleschi's dome, and the Ponte Vecchio, with the sunset view from Piazzale Michelangelo above the river to close the day. Venice is the water city: a vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal, St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, then the quiet back lanes of Dorsoduro and Cannaregio, away from the day crowds.
Both cities are compact enough to walk everywhere, which is how they are best seen. In Florence the whole historic centre is one walkable area, so the sights stack naturally into two days. In Venice, stay overnight if you can: the city changes completely once the day visitors leave, and the early morning in St Mark's Square belongs to the people who slept there.
What are the best day trips and escapes from the big cities?
From Rome or Naples, Pompeii is the great day trip: a whole Roman town preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius, which needs a full day rather than a quick stop. From Florence, Tuscany's hill towns and wine country fill a day easily. From Naples, the Amalfi Coast rewards a slow day by ferry and bus, not by rental car, because the one coast road jams by midsummer.
Further afield, the Cinque Terre villages suit a day on foot between the cliff paths, the Italian Lakes, Como, Maggiore and Garda, suit a slow overnight, and Milan pairs its Duomo with the Last Supper, which must be booked weeks ahead. Sicily is a trip of its own rather than a day trip: its temples, volcano and coast deserve several days, so treat it as the fourth stop on a longer route, not an add-on.
Common questions
Italy questions, answered
What is the one Italy experience not to miss?
If a trip has room for only one headline experience, most travellers choose the Colosseum and the Roman Forum together: standing in the amphitheatre and then walking the street of the ancient city beside it is the scene Italy is pictured by. In Florence the equivalent is the Uffizi, and in Venice an early morning on the Grand Canal before the crowds arrive.
Should I book Italy's big sights in advance?
Yes, book the fixed points in advance: the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi Gallery and the Last Supper, all of which sell timed tickets that run out in spring and summer. City sightseeing, food walks and most day trips can usually be arranged a few days ahead once you are there.
Are day trips from Rome and Florence worth it?
Yes, they are how most visitors see the countryside without changing hotels. From Rome, Pompeii and the hill town of Tivoli are the classic day trips. From Florence, the Tuscan hill towns and the wine country fill a day, and Pisa is a short train ride away.
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