As a child, I dreamed of traveling to Rome and following perfect Italy itinerary to see it all. I wondered if and when it would ever be possible!
We followed this itinerary and saw everything we wanted to in only 6 days! We took our 7-year-old son with us and spent under $1200 total (flights not included). This is a budget-friendly and kids-friendly guide. Read more about how to sight-see with a kid here.
Day 1: Venice and a Scenic Mountain Drive
Start your trip in Venice. From America, it will be a short red eye. Try to get as much sleep as possible because you will hit the ground running.
From the Marco Polo Airport, take a chartered bus to Piazzale Roma.
As you enter the pedestrian and boat area, buy a one-way ticket on the water bus. This will give you an amazing overview of the area, the architecture, the canals, and the buildings. Get off at Piazza San Marco. Enjoy the plaza and tour St. Mark’s Bascillica.
From the Bascillica, work your way back to the bus stop. Get lost. Look at shops. Take photos at bridges. Dip your toes in the canals. Eat some lunch. An affordable lunch option is a cafeteria near the bus station called Brek.
After 3-4 hours in Venice, you will be tired. Get back on the bus and take a little nap because you aren’t done yet. Back at the airport, rent a car for the rest of the trip.
Before renting a car, please read, what to know about Driving in Italy
The drive to this off-the-beaten-path city of Bolzano is rewarding. You will see a tiny city surrounding a castle or church around every beautiful bend. I wish we would’ve counted how many we saw!
The City of Bolzano is right up against the Italian side of the Alps. The German influence is significant so if you want to know what a trip to Germany is like, this is a tiny taste.
In order to make the most of this Italy itinerary, stay up as late as you can to get on Italian time zone so you can be totally rejuvenated another full day.
Day 2: Bolzano City & Beseno, Arco and Scaliger Castle along Lake Garda
Our Sheraton hotel was free with points on a credit card. It was really cheap, so we figured it would be a dive, but it wasn’t! We had a rooftop pool and spa with a view of the gorgeous Alps. We had the whole place to ourselves! The off-the-beaten-path areas often have great deals on hotels, so look around!
Bolzano‘s main square has a church (free to tour) and gorgeous iconic side streets and shops. A bakery was just what we wanted for our morning breakfast.
After touring Bolzano, we started our drive back down the canyon determined to count how many villages and castles and churches we saw. We took the road less traveled along the lake. This was absolutely gorgeous. As luck would have it, we were here on Monday. Monday is the day that the castles are closed! Unfortunately, this meant we weren’t able to tour as much as we wanted. But we still stopped at Beseno Castle for a short hike and a view. We also drove around looking for Castello Arco. Our son enjoyed a park with a view of the Castle on the Hill.
The drive along Lake Garda was so beautiful!
Scaliger Castle in Malcesine was our last stop and luckily, it was open today. This was a magnificent and strong structure, with a beautiful view of the lake and city. Picturesque!
The rest of the drive down the lake is rewarding and beautiful. It is worth the slower pace. Soak in the mountainous splendor! Drive all the way to Cinque Terra to be ready for tomorrow. You are driving right near Parma if you’d like to stop in there.
Day 3: Cinque Terre & Leaning Tower of Pisa
Before researching for our Italy itinerary, I had never heard of Cinque Terre. But I’m so glad we fit this in!
Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 fishing communities build on the cliffs of the Mediterranean sea. They are colorful and varied and gorgeous! Even though it is a bit out of the way of other sights, it is worth the extra time.
You can spend all day visiting the 5 cities and exploring the coast and the colorful villages. I highly suggested hiking from one city to the next if you enjoy the outdoors. Monterosso is the furthest city and boasts a beach right by the train station. Rigamoirre has a castle and harbor to see. Each city is a little different, so you’ll want to stop and see them all.
Cinque Terre is so amazing with so much to see that I created a separate itinerary just for this day, Find it here.
We were tired by mid-afternoon, so we headed out to Pisa. An hour drive was a great rejuvenation.
We parked close to the main Plaza in Pisa. Despite others telling me that Pisa wasn’t worth a detour, we decided to see it since we were close. I am SO glad we did! The Leaning Tower of Pisa was unbelievable. The tower was open to go up to the top until 7:30 pm, so you can go late and still have an incredible experience.
The entire plaza around the leaning tower was amazing and peaceful. There were several other buildings you could tour. Right before the cathedral closed at 7 pm, we were able to get tickets (free) to go inside.
Eating just off the plaza in view of the tower made a memorable night. My son still talks about the delicious pasta he traded me his pizza for.
Drive another hour to Florence to be ready for the next day.
Day 4: Florence & Drive through Tuscany
We aren’t art appreciators, so we didn’t spend much time in Florence. The busy bustling city scene in contrast to the outdoors and small cities we enjoyed the last couple of days was exactly our cup of tea. However, the Florence cathedral was absolutely a must see. The grandeur, the details, the engravings, it was all so amazing. Plus, it’s free!
Walk around the plazas, through the Uffizi art museum, ride the merry-go-round, and enjoy the Ponte Vecchio Bridge.
Drive through Tuscany.
We stopped in Siena. The historical city center is a limited traffic area (ZTL). This means you need to park outside the city. It is a large area, so if you want to be close to the best sights, park in the Il Campo area. Parking will be pricey so if you can find a street parking area you are lucky! Our time was short, and we didn’t park in the right place, so didn’t see the best parts of the city. So now you know better!
Unfortunately for us, our drive through Tuscany was cloudy and a bit rainy. It wasn’t as beautiful as I’ve seen in photos. But even the rolling hill, speckled with tiny villages was definitely worth the drive.
We pulled off the road into a small town. We still don’t know the name of it, but we made our way to the church in the center and walked around the 5 blocks of the village. I love getting out of the tourist sights, but we did get some strange looks from the local town gossips.
Back on the road, we ate at an above-the-freeway restaurant and were sorely disappointed that the only dish left to eat was fish flavored spaghetti. Maybe keep driving until you find another food venue.
Day 5: Rome
In the morning, we returned our rental car in downtown Rome. We started our sightseeing on foot. It was crazy driving in Rome, but the rest of Italy was very reasonable.
We brought a scooter for our son and he loved moving through Rome in style and was able to keep up with our fast pace (or rather, we kept up with him!) See more tips for sight-seeing kids here
We started at the Coliseum. Buy tickets at the Palatine Hill entrance, so you don’t wait in line and can start your tour there. See Palatine Hill, the Roman Forums and skip the lines at the Coliseum. A headphone tour of the area helped us get more out of the tour since we didn’t know much about what was there.
The major sites to see are the Trevi Fountain {Newly Cleaned in 2016}, The Pantheon, Spanish steps {under contruction}, a bike tour of Villa Borghese Park, Piazza del Popolo, and Piazza Venezia.
48 hour itinerary of Rome is here {Coming soon}
Day 6: Vatican
Get tickets to tour the Vatican museums before you go so you can skip the long lines. The Vatican museum is long and crowded. It is difficult to move or see much. Once you get to the Sistine Chapel you won’t be able to take pictures {or move at all!} Take a mirror if you want to look without hurting your neck. After all that effort, you will want to look longer than you’ll be able to!
St. Peter Square is a great place to eat a picnic lunch.
The climb up 1000+ Stairs to the top of St Peters Basilica is well worth the minimal cost and effort. The view from the inside of the dome is incredible and the city sight is awesome as well. 
We had more time after our tour of the Vatican museums and Saint Peters Basilica so we headed back into Rome to Castle Sant Angelo. This was a mighty fortress with antique war canyons. It is worth a tour. 
Walking along the river toward Piazza Navona. was beautiful. The last Plaza we said goodbye to Italy in was Piazza Navona. The water feature here is awesome and so much Italian food, shopping, gelato and ambiance (and you’ll pay for it too!)
Day 7: Fly home from Rome or take a day tour to Pompei
We went home on day 7, but if you have more time, I wish I could’ve taken our son to Pompei.
This is a full itinerary, you definitely won’t go home rested. But you’ll never regret getting the most out of your week in Italy.
Let me know how this itinerary works for you! Is there anything else you would add as a must-see in Italy?
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3 Comments
Great read! What month did you travel ?
We were there at the end of April and it was perfect weather!
I love your insights, Jamie! Thanks for the suggestions!