10 Day Italy Itinerary: Rome to Venice by Train on a Budget

The best 10 day Italy itinerary for a first trip is Rome, Florence, Bologna and Venice, linked by train in one straight line with zero backtracking. You fly into Rome, fly out of Venice, and spend your days walking instead of sitting in stations.

I have backpacked Italy more than once on my usual budget, and this is the route I keep coming back to. It covers the famous names, adds one underrated food city, and keeps every main train ride under two hours. For more routes, browse the Travel Tricks Itineraries Vault.

Day one of my 10 day Italy itinerary always starts with ancient Rome.

The 10 Day Italy Itinerary at a Glance

Days 1 to 3: Rome, 3 nights. Days 4 to 6: Florence with one Tuscan day trip, 3 nights. Day 7: Bologna, 1 night. Days 8 to 10: Venice, 2 nights, then fly home.

How Many Days in Italy Each City Gets

A classic Rome Florence Venice itinerary skips Bologna. I add it because it sits right on the rail line between Florence and Venice, so it costs almost no extra travel time. If you are still deciding how many days in Italy you can spare, treat Rome and Florence as fixed and stretch or cut Venice.

The mistake I made on my first Italy trip was zigzagging: Venice, then Rome, then back up to Florence. I lost most of a day to trains and luggage. If your flights allow it, book an open jaw ticket into Rome and out of Venice. Before booking, read my Italy travel guide for money, safety and transport basics.

Days 1 to 3: Rome Without the Tourist Traps

Day 1: Ancient Rome

Start at the Colosseum early. One combined ticket usually covers the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, and slots sell out in busy months, so book on the official site. In the evening, eat on the quieter back streets of Trastevere.

Day 2: Vatican City

St. Peter’s Basilica is free to enter, but you need covered shoulders and knees. The Vatican Museums need a ticket. They are free on the last Sunday of most months, but the queues are brutal. I would rather pay for an early slot.

Day 3: Free Rome

Walk Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain before the crowds arrive. The Pantheon now charges a small entry fee and is still worth it. Refill your bottle at the public drinking fountains all over the city.

On my first morning in Rome, I sat at a café table near a big piazza and paid more for one cappuccino than for lunch the next day. Now I order at the bar and drink standing, like the locals. Table service often costs more.

Days 4 to 6: Florence and a Tuscan Day Trip

The high speed train from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella takes about 90 minutes.

Day 4: The Historic Center

Entering the cathedral is free, though climbing the dome needs a timed ticket. Cross Ponte Vecchio, then climb to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset.

Day 5: Art and Markets

Pick the Uffizi or the Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s David, and book a time slot. On one trip I skipped booking the Accademia and lost most of a morning in line. For hour by hour detail, my Florence 2 day itinerary breaks both days down.

Day 6: Siena or Pisa and Lucca

My decision rule: if you want a medieval hill town, choose Siena, and take the bus, which drops you closer to the old center than the train. If you want two towns in one day, take the regional train to Pisa for the Leaning Tower, then continue to Lucca and walk its old city walls.

Day 7: Bologna, the Food Stop Most Itineraries Skip

A fast train from Florence reaches Bologna in about 40 minutes. That short hop is why it fits so neatly into a 10 day Italy itinerary.

Bologna’s covered porticoes are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The best free activity is walking the long portico up to the San Luca sanctuary on the hill, close to 4 kilometers each way. I arrived during a heavy rainstorm and barely got wet all afternoon, because the porticoes kept me dry from the station to the main square.

Order tagliatelle al ragù, the local dish behind the “spaghetti bolognese” sold abroad, and try mortadella. Beds and meals usually cost less than in Florence or Venice, which makes Bologna a key stop for Italy on a budget.

Days 8 to 10: Venice Done Cheap

Fast trains from Bologna reach Venice in about 90 minutes. Get off at Venezia Santa Lucia, on the islands, not Venezia Mestre on the mainland, unless your bed is there.

Where to Sleep and How to Get Around

Mestre is the classic budget move: beds are often cheaper and the train to the islands takes about 10 minutes. Venice also charges day trippers an access fee on selected peak days. Overnight guests are generally exempt, but check the city’s official rules before you go.

A single water bus ride costs close to 10 euros, so a multi day pass usually pays off if you plan several rides. To cross the Grand Canal cheaply, use a traghetto, a simple gondola ferry that costs a few euros.

My best evening in Venice cost less than one sit down pizza: two cicchetti, small snacks on bread, and a spritz, standing outside a small wine bar in Cannaregio. Spend Day 9 on Burano and Murano by water bus, and wander Castello on your last morning.

Italy Itinerary by Train: Tickets and Timing

Every leg of this 10 day Italy itinerary runs on rail, and an Italy itinerary by train is easy to plan. High speed trains from Trenitalia and Italo are fast, need a seat reservation, and usually get pricier closer to departure. Regional trains are slower, with fixed prices and no assigned seats. Check timetables and fares on the official Trenitalia website, typing city names in Italian: Roma, Firenze, Venezia.

Out of Florence, I once forgot to validate my paper regional ticket in the platform machine. The conductor let me off with a warning. Other travelers get fined, so stamp paper tickets before boarding.

Every main leg of this route takes two hours or less by train.

Journey times are approximate. Check current timetables and prices before you travel.

Italy on a Budget: What 10 Days Really Costs

Italy stretches my usual $30 to $50 a day. On this 10 day Italy itinerary I plan roughly 55 to 90 euros a day before flights, in hostel dorms. Rome and Venice sit at the top of that range, Bologna at the bottom. Dorm beds in the big cities often run 30 to 60 euros a night, plus a small nightly tourist tax. Check current prices, because they move with the season.

• Eat pizza by the slice or market sandwiches at lunch, then sit down for one proper dinner.
• Drink coffee standing at the bar, not at a table.
• Join an aperitivo hour, where a drink often comes with free snacks.
• Buy breakfast at supermarkets and use your hostel kitchen.
• Pay for two or three major sights, then fill the rest with free piazzas and viewpoints.

Ending in Venice makes your last two days the slowest of the trip.

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