10 Days in Italy: Your Perfect Itinerary

Italy is such a beautiful country, I understand that it’s difficult trying to come up with the perfect itinerary where you see absolutely everything. So that you don’t try and see Sicily, Rome, Florence, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Venice, Lake Como, etc. all in one trip, I put together an itinerary for 10 days in Italy. As a warning, you’ll only see a small part of Italy, but you’ll definitely see more than just the main attractions and you’ll get to know the culture a bit. Plus, I built in plenty of time for gelato, wine, and pasta…I know because this is how I spent my 10 days in Italy. I’m very aware this doesn’t include Rome, so play with the schedule a little if your heart is dead set on it.

Day 1: Hop on a Plane

Leave your desk job, and hop on a plane to Venice! Pretty easy, am I right? In all actuality, this is the worst part because youโ€™re stuck on a plane for hours. To make sure youโ€™re properly prepared, make sure to check your carry-on packing list and bring plenty of snacks! Snacks (and wine) make everything better.

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 2: Arrive in Venice (And Eat Pasta!)

Arrive in Venice bright and early in the morning! If youโ€™re anything like me, you canโ€™t sleep on planes, but you do accept all complimentary wine, so youโ€™ve probably felt better. In any case, hop on a water taxi to the Venice city center, and thatโ€™ll perk you up.

The first day should include napping (to get rid of jet lag), plus plenty of walking around and eating pasta. I spent my first day in the city just wandering and getting to know the area a bit better.

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 3: Venice Main Sights

Focus on the main sights of Venice, Italy (aka the top tourist attractions.) Yes, they will be busy, but theyโ€™re busy for a reason. Highlights include St. Markโ€™s Basilica, heading to St. Markโ€™s Campanile (the bell tower) for panoramic views, taking a cruise down the Grand Canal, and of course a secret tour of the Dogeโ€™s Palace. I definitely recommend the secret tourโ€”you can see the room from which Casanova escaped, cross the Bridge of Sighs, and get sneak peeks into other hidden rooms! Also, you can skip the lineโ€ฆ

These are some of the main sights in Venice, so after a full day of touring, put your feet up and have some pasta and gelato (please note that you should end every day this way.)

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 4: Venice “Off the Beaten Path”

After hitting up Veniceโ€™s main sights, your next day will be dedicated to some of the lesser seen areas of Venice. Take a gondola ride down quiet canals, join a walking tour of โ€œHidden Venice,โ€ and of course, take advantage of aperitivo time with a cicchetti and wine bar tour.

Tonight, after your spaghetti, gelato, and wine, check out the ghost tour through Cannaregio. You get to see some seriously cool places and hear legends of ancient Venice.ย  For more insight into magical adventures in this city, check out my ultimate Venice bucket list!

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 5: Murano & Burano Day Trip

For my last day in Venice, I decided to check out Murano and Burano, two islands near Venice, and both easily reachable by water taxi. Another option is to do a Murano and Burano tour. Murano is known for its glassblowing (very warm to watch, but soooo cool to see). Burano is known for lace making, and also its colorful houses. I was obsessed with them and took approximately 2000 pictures there. For more, check out my guide to Buranoโ€ฆyou can see all the awesome photo ops, logistics on how to get there, and tour information.

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 6: Get to Know Florence

For day 6, head on over to Florence and take advantage of all the beauty the city has to offer. Some of my favorite spots were the top of the Duomo (warning: very many stairs!), the Bank of the Arno River, and all of the adorable side streets. Make sure to read up on my 5 top photo spots in Florence, Italy!

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 7: Florence Art

After youโ€™re somewhat acquainted with the city, spend the next day taking in all of the artistic masterpieces. Iโ€™ll be real, you could spend months just looking at all of the art in Florence, but Iโ€™m not big into art, so a day was plenty for me. Big highlights not to miss include the Uffizi Gallery, Accademia Gallery, the Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, and Palazzo Vecchio (do the secret tour!)

If youโ€™re an art newbie like me, I put together a cheat sheet to art in Florence to help you through these sightsโ€ฆI just wish I had it in advance! Youโ€™ll know the big pieces to look out for, plus I give some details about skip-the-line tickets. I did it, and it was soooo worth it.

Day 8:  Cinque Terre day Trip

Pretending to know about art is exhausting, so reward yourself the next day with a trip to Cinque Terre. I did a combination of hiking, train rides, and boat rides between the five villages, and it was such an awesome time. Iโ€™m a sucker for colorful houses, so when you put colorful houses against a gorgeous Mediterranean backdrop, Iโ€™m basically going to die of happiness. Add in a gelato, and Iโ€™m in heaven. You can either take public transportation there (too many connections), or do a Cinque Terre tour (I opted to do that.)

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 9: Tuscan Countryside on a Vespa

For your last day in Florence, do as the Italians do and take a Vespa ride through the countryside. Itโ€™s nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, check out the olive groves, and of course, enjoy a beautiful lunch (and wine!)

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Top the day off by visiting Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset and seeing the sun go down on Florence.

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

Day 10: Fly Home

Sadly, you probably have to fly home now. I know I totally fell in love with Italyโ€ฆ check out my post on all of the wonderful reasons why. Hint: many had to do with their food and wine. You pretty much had to roll me onto the plane #noregrets. I know Iโ€™ll be back again someday!

Discover your perfect itinerary for 10 days in Italy! Italy itinerary; perfect Italy itineraries

So tell me, how would you spend 10 days in Italy? I have to plan for my next trip…let me know your suggestions in the comments!

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own. These products/services have been found useful during my travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!

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18 Comments

  1. I just love Italy! I’ve been there countless times, and haven’t got tired of it yet, haha. I absolutely loved Florence, Burano, and Cinque Terre! I actually spent more time in Florence than I did in Venice – there’s something about Tuscany that makes you fall in love.

    10 days is quite difficult in Italy. The south is amazing! Naples (and surrounding islands) and Sardinia! Sardinia is quite unknown but absolutely worth it.

  2. I totally feel you on the challenges of planning just ten days. My first trip to Italy was five weeks, and I still missed Venice — so of course I had to go back just for that :). This itinerary is great about not moving around every day while still providing a few different regions.

  3. I’ve done a few trips around Italy – we travelled by train last year from Rome/Florence/Venice/Verona/Milan which was a good trip. The Amalfi coast is another great destination – we started there then travelled up via Rome and Bologna to Austria. The lakes too are great! I think a few housesits in Italy in the future may be the best way for us to see the country – slow travel sampling all the local food and wines! #feetdotravel

  4. Great 10 day Itinerary and one that can be changed and gives the traveler a chance to see Italy. When visiting Italy I did most of your itinerary except for Cinque Terre. My next trip I will have to try that tour. Thanks for sharing! #feetdotravel

  5. I’ve been to Rome several times, but haven’t spent much time in northern Italy. I love Italian food, so any itinerary for me would have to include lots of wine and eats!

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