Planning to visit Italy? This 10 day custom Italy itinerary is for you. Explore Rome, Tuscany and the Alma Coast or Cinque Terre in just 10 days. Giving you a perfect taste of Italy! Be prepared to fall in love because once you arrive you will not want to come home. Especially if you are a foodie.
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Hi I’m Michala! Your Free Travel Agent to Italy
Italy just happens to be my husbands and I’s first trip out of the country back in 2018. We had only been dating officially for 3 months. I found $300 round trip flights to Rome and booked them without even asking if he wanted to go. Luckily he could not pass up on the opportunity.
With it being our first trip to Europe and our first trip as a couple we learned a lot. So in this 10 day Italy itinerary I will walk you through all the do’s so you can avoid the do nots of traveling in Europe. As well as teaching you how to plan your trip, book your trip and enjoy it once you arrive.
Where you will have 2 travel days, 3 days in Rome, 3 days in Tuscany and 2 days in Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre. For the perfect taste of Italy!
Highlights of the trip Include
- Visiting the Colosseum & Roman Forum
- The Vatican Museum
- The Trevi Fountain
- Off Roading in Florence
- Cooking Class in Tuscany
- Amalfi boat tour from Sorrento, visiting Capri
- Train ride to Cinque Terre for the day
Planning your Italy Itinerary
- Know when you are going to travel. Whenever traveling to Europe the most crowded and expensive time will always be the summer months. Middle of May through the beginning of September and major holidays. If you travel during the “off” season the crowds are less which means hotels, other accommodations, and activities will be more affordable. Bronson and I visited during March (for his spring break from college.) It was mostly raining the whole time but still very enjoyable. When we visit Italy again I will book during the end of September through the beginning of November when the weather is much nicer and less people are around.
- Make sure you have a credit card. If you travel without a credit card you are missing out. The right credit card gives you points or miles back on every purchase (this is how Bronson and I get free flights on our trips every year.) Has no foreign transaction fees. Provides free TSA or Global Entry Pre Check. And comes most of the time with travel insurance, rental car insurance, etc if you used your card to make the reservation. It’s the smart way to travel and builds your credit at the same time. I never leave my house without my Capitol One Venture X card. It’s how I travel affordably. Check it out and others if you don’t already have one. Then you can reap all the benefits too.
Booking your Italy Itinerary
- Get your Flights: Now that you know when you will be traveling begin searching for the flights. You will need to book one round trip flight from your home airport to Rome and back. For reference, Italy is 7 hrs ahead of mountain standard time. When planning your flight to Rome account for that. I always plan two days as travel days. One day to get to the destination and the other day upon leaving to go back home. Which leaves 8 days to explore Italy. Use Hopper and Google flights to find a good flight. You can use both to watch for prices and book when a good deal arises and remember booking through the airline is most likely cheaper and also offers you the most benefits as a flyer if a cancelation or something were to happen.
- Accommodations. Now that the flights are taken care of its time to book places to stay. Start by looking for the hotels through Bookings.com. It’s the only travel website I use for accommodations. Its easy to navigate, always has the best (lowest) prices and provides free cancellations on most everything. Or look into Airbnb. I normally don’t like staying in Airbnb’s out of the country but in Italy you can find some very cool and affordable places. Like this loft in the center of Florence.
- Experiences. When ever I travel out of the U.S. I use Get Your Guide and Trip Advisor to scout for fun activities. Sometimes I find hidden gems through Airbnb experiences like off roading in Tuscany in a Land Rover Defender. Tip: after browsing it can be cheaper to book directly through the businesses website instead of a third party website. Just check your sources first.
- Transportation: For this Itinerary you will need transportation either by rental car or train. Just use the taxi’s for rides (can book easily through Bookings.com) to and from the airport or the bus system when arriving into Rome. There’s a lot of people in Italy that will try to scam you, so make sure you get a price and agree on it before you pay. I highly recommend downloading the Rome 2 Rio app. It provides everything you need to know about the bus system, trains, taxis, etc when out of the country. If you decide to drive yourself, look at Kayak for a good rental and then source other websites like Bookings.com, or the actual rental company for the best prices. You will not need a car in Rome.
Preparing for your Italy Itinerary
- Packing: Pack light. You don’t need more than a carry on. You can also bring a personal bag/backpack too if you feel like you need it. I also recommend packing cubes, a wet bag and a liquid toiletry bag to help keep your luggage organized to maximize the most space. Oh and a towel. Only bring two pairs of shoes. Wear a pair of tennis shoes comfortable for walking and hiking and pack a set of sandals. If you are trying to travel on a tight budget, pack a personal backpack with small nourishing things like oatmeal packets, protein powder (Just Ingredients Travel Packets are my favorite), Chomps (beef jerky), trail mix, Wild Zora instant soups and That’s It energy bars to be able to replace some of your meals.
- ID’s: Please don’t forget your passports and driver licenses. I always carry all of mine and Bronson’s important documents and items in a crossover bag (get one that stays in front of you, in Italy there are a lot of pickpocketers) that stays with me at all times. Get Global Entry if you plan on visiting a lot of foreign countries too. Then you don’t have to go through customs every time you arrive back into the U.S. If you have a travel card like my Capitol One Venture X card, your credit card company will reimburse you for it. Double check. I prefer Global Entry because you also get TSA pre check. It’s a double win.
- Tip: make sure you have google translate and learn some Italian before visiting. Locals are rude when they realize you don’t know any of their language and some take advantage of you. Especially at restaurants. Avoid any that are right outside of major history sights and museums like the Vatican. Most will rush you in, bring you food you did not order and leave you a hefty bill you did not ask for. Also get reservations for popular restaurants in advance or else you won’t get a table.
Full 10 day Italy Itinerary | Rome, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast
Day 1: Make sure everything is packed and ready to go before leaving for the airport. Get to the airport at least 2 hours (1.5 hours in advance before your flight) and relax before take off. I like filling up my water bottle and getting a coffee or snack before boarding. Airplane food is always the worst. P.S. more than likely you will arrive into Rome the next day when the flight lands. This depends on you flight, lay overs, etc.
Day 2: Sight seeing in Rome! Wake up, grab some breakfast at your hotel or look up a little cafe. If you want an American style breakfast, Homebaked is really good. After breakfast head to the Colosseum. Purchase tickets beforehand and look into the Rome City Pass to see if that is a good option for your needs. It provides bus transportation and entry to a lot of major sites. After the Colosseum visit Roman Forum to the right. Grab lunch or eat a packed lunch and head to the Vatican Museum. Finish the night with dinner and the Trevi Fountain. It’s so magical at night!
Day 3: Take a train to Pompeii for the day. You don’t have to but I highly recommend it. Use the Rome 2 Rio App to purchase your train tickets in advance. Pompeii is the great roman city that got destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses where visitors are free to explore.
Day 4: Start the day by seeing any other historical sights you missed yesterday and then take the rest of the day to wander. You will be amazed at what you will find when you just roam. Slowing down allows one to take in the beauty. Bronson and I stumbled across a painter who was selling beautiful, handmade water colored prints of Italy. To this day it’s one of our favorite souvenirs and our most memorable day in Rome.
Day 5: Early in the morning meet in the center of Piazza del Popolo, by the large fountain with the lions (in Rome) to hop on a tour bus that will take you to Amalfi and Positano. For a boat cruise and short visit of the Iconic coastal towns. I recommend booking through Get Your Guide. The Rome: Amalfi Coast and Positano Day Trip with Coastal Cruise.
Day 6: Check out of your hotel in Rome and hop onto a train to Florence. You should get a round trip ticket for when you need to be back in Rome to fly home. Once you arrive get settled into your place and walk into town. You must visit Mercato Centrale. It’s a giant food hall that showcases some of Tuscany’s best products. Then head on over to Piazza della Repubblica to listen to live street music and ride the Marry-go-round. Finish the night with wine, good food and a small hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset.
Day 7: Optional Day trip to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a strand of 5 cities on the Italian Riviera Coastline. With the Sentiero Azzurro cliffside hiking trail linking them all together. I loved it so much! It was way less crowded than the Amalfi coast. The colorful homes in the small fishing towns with fresh sea food was a breath of fresh air. It is a place I would go back to again. Make sure and get the Cinque Terre Card if you visit. It’s 5 euro per person to be able to take the train to all 5 cities. You’ll need a separate (round trip) train ride from Florence to Cinque Terre too. This was one of my favorite days.
Day 8: Check out of your hotel in Florence and head to Tuscany. You’ll need a rental car for a day or two. We stayed in this very affordable and charming tuscan casita with a pool. And had the most amazing meal of our lives. Susanna, the owner provides cooking classes. Bronson and I made pasta from scratch, marinara from scratch, white sauce from scratch and the best tiramisu. Tap this link for the recipe. I still make it like Susanna taught me. As well as drinking their in house wine from their small Vineyard. After visiting I’m convinced I need to settle down in Tuscany someday.
Day 9: Just a normal road in Tuscany! That’s what Marco kept repeating to us as he took us off roading through the tuscan back roads. You have to book this Airbnb experience! Click this link to book. It’s the whole reason Bronson and I fell in love with Land Rover Defenders. It’s an activity you will never, and I mean never forget. Seeing central Italy through the mountains and rural trails is so magical. And if you are lucky, Marco will sing Opera for you. Have the best day adventuring! Then go see an old, black and white, Italian movie at the Cinemark followed by a Margherita pizza, gelato and a midnight dip in the pool.
Day 10: It’s time to go. Pack up, check out, return the rental car, head to the train station to go back to Rome, to hop on an airplane home. Try and squeeze in one last pizza and gelato cone before you leave. It’s going to be a long day of travel. You will need the fuel and energy. Then look over photos you took of the trip and enjoy ever moment and memory you just made. Once you are back to reality, make an instagram post or photo book so you never forget. Italy should never be forgotten.
Remarks | From Michala Your Free Travel Agent
I hope you find this Itinerary helpful in planning your trip. If you do please leave a review below so others can hear about your experience. My goal with this blog is to make planning your trips easier, cheaper and less stressful. So you can just enjoy them and make happy memories.
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