Travel Itinerary: Two Weeks in Italy – See the best of the country in 14-16 days!
Italy is a top destination for travelers! And with so much to see spread across the country, it’s difficult coming up with a travel itinerary to see it all. If you can spare 2 weeks in Italy (14-16 days), then this travel itinerary will highlight some of the top attractions and destinations in Italy. It’s a busy trip, but this travel itinerary does leave some room to be flexible (less time in one place and more in another).
Download the Itinerary HERE:
Here is our travel itinerary for an ultimate Two Weeks in Italy! (prices are for 2 people)!
* PoP Travel Flight Tip: While round-trip flights are sometimes cheaper, this is not always true. Sometimes you can fly into one city and out of another at a great price (maybe even cheaper)! But the true value is that you can actually save money and time by not having to return to your arrival city, especially if your route is not a circle. This is called “open-jaw” — and we’ve done it many times. In this itinerary, we are flying into Rome and out of Venice. Another option is to search for 2 one way flights.[vc_separator type=’transparent’ position=’center’ color=” thickness=’10’ up=” down=”]
Accommodations We Recommend for this Travel Itinerary in Italy
Rome: We stayed in a cheap hostel in Rome, it was OK but nothing really exciting or recommendable (besides a low price). However, another hotel that is a great option is Retrome Colosseum Garden B&B — it’s moderately priced, tastefully decorated with a hip / retro theme — and it’s in a fabulous location right near the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and other major tourist sites in Rome. The price, great reviews, decor, and location makes it to the top of our list for recommended hotels in Rome. Overall, we definitely recommend staying in the center area — because that is where you will be spending most of your time. You want to be able to walk and explore all the hot spots — day and night — easily from your hotel.
Siena / Tuscany area: Castillo de Selvole – we LOVED this budget agriturismo, which is actually a working vineyard, and an old villa with separate apartments nestled among rolling countryside in Tuscany.
Florence: PlusFlorence – this was actually a hostel in the heart of Florence, but also close to the train station. Even though it’s a hostel, they have private rooms — ours even had a balcony over looking the city! They also have tours, cafe, rooftop bar, indoor swimming pool and a sauna. Great place!
Cinque Terre: The Cinque Terre area is actually a series of villages along the Meditterranean coast, just north of the city of La Spezia. Be careful when searching for hotels, some of them claim to be in the Cinque Terre — but they aren’t actually in the villages along the coast. The main villages are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. There aren’t many big hotels here, mostly small B&B’s and family run apartment rentals. One of the most picturesque villages is Vernazza – and we recommend staying at Affittacamere Rollando in Vernazza village. It’s a great location, highly rated, and a good price for what you actually get.
Bologna: Since you are traveling from Florence to Venice with a stop in this city, you will want a hotel right near the train station to maximize your time and comfort. The Starhotels Excelsior is literally across the street from train station, and only about a 15 minute walk into the heart of town. So you can drop off your bags and go out to explore, and have easy access to the train in the morning to head out of town for Venice. This is quite a nice hotel, with great reviews. You can find something cheaper elsewhere, but then you will need to decide if the hassle of transportation (and cost) is worth the savings.
Venice: It should be no surprise that Venice is an expensive place to visit. Having visited a couple times, I can tell you that you will want to be near the action — yet slightly out of the way (where it’s a little cheaper to stay). Obviously, being next to St. Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge are going to be quite spendy. And lets be honest, in general you will probably not feel like you got your money’s worth out of your hotel…but that’s Venice. Overall, I found a great place that I highly recommend for a visit. The Palazzo Rosa is just a few minutes walking to the Rialto Bridge, so it’s a central location. It’s also in a quite area along a canal — and yes, canal view rooms are affordable (we had one!). They also served an Italian breakfast (breads, coffee, juice) and the people were super friendly. Great reviews online, so definitely check them out if you are on a moderate budget in Venice but want the real Venice experience.
** Note: Some hotels will advertise like they are in Venice, but really, they are on the mainland or another area near Venice. These places are ok if you only want to do a day trip into Venice, or if you want to be near the beaches (there are some really popular resort areas close by with great beaches). But it will be costly and time consuming to go into the old city.
Activities & Other Expenses During Your Two Weeks in Italy
Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel
Tivoli Villas and Gardens – UNESCO ($74)
San Gimignano Cooking Class ($94)
Chianti Wine Tasting Experience ($54)
Florence Uffizi & Accademia Museum Tickets ($80)
Venice Museum Pass & Doge’s Palace Entrance Ticket
Half-Day Lagoon Trip: Burano, Murano & Torcello Islands
Venice Ghosts and Legends Walking Tour
Venice Romantic Sunset Tour by Typical Venetian Boat
Gondola Ride of Venice’s Grand Canal (shared) – you can also get your own Gondola, but be prepared to pay roughly $120+. And for that, I recommend walking away from the touristy areas (back alleys) and negotiating with a Gondolier on your own. You need to be a hard bargainer, but you will get much better deals away from the tourist zone (and probably a better / longer ride too).
Download This Travel Itinerary – Two Weeks in Italy
Use for your own trip, or make modifications as needed.
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