5 Days in Italy: Rome and Florence

Fly into Rome, finish in Florence. In between: Rome (2 nights) → Florence (2 nights), joined by a high-speed train of about 1 hour 30 minutes. A 5 day Italy itinerary only works with two bases, because every extra city costs half a day of packing and travel. Rome and Florence are the pair that fits: ancient Rome and the Vatican in the first, the Renaissance in the second.

Venice, the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany's hill towns are all good, but none of them fit in five days without cutting what you came for. Add them to a longer trip.

You have one full day and two half days, so group the sights by area. Do the Vatican first thing on day two: the museums open at 9 am, and a timed early entry puts you in the Sistine Chapel before the main crowds. St Peter's Basilica is free to enter and open until the evening, and the climb to the dome is worth the 551 steps if you have the legs.

The afternoon belongs to ancient Rome. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill share one ticket, and a guide is useful because the Forum is a field of ruins that makes little sense without someone to rebuild it in words. Book tickets ahead for both the Vatican and the Colosseum, as same-day lines can run to two hours or more.

Day one evening is for walking: the Pantheon (which now needs a ticket for entry), Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain. They are all within 15 minutes of each other on foot, and they look best after dark.

Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains run between Roma Termini and Firenze Santa Maria Novella every 30 minutes or so through the day, in about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. Book a seat in advance for the best fares. The station in Florence is a 10-minute walk from the Duomo, so there is no need for a transfer.

On the morning of day three, you have time for one more Roman stop before the train. The Borghese Gallery (Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings, timed entry in two-hour slots, booked ahead) is the best choice. Or choose Trastevere for a long breakfast and a walk.

Florence is small enough to walk end to end in 30 minutes, and its sights are dense. Book the Accademia first thing on day four to see Michelangelo's David before the group tours arrive. Then walk to the Duomo, the cathedral with Brunelleschi's dome, finished in 1436. Climbing the dome takes 463 steps and needs a timed ticket, which you reserve in advance.

The Uffizi in the afternoon holds Botticelli's Birth of Venus and works by Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. Two to three hours is enough, and a guide helps you focus on 15 or 20 rooms rather than all of them. Finish the day across the river at Piazzale Michelangelo, for the view over the roofs and the dome at sunset.

If your flight leaves late on day five, spend the morning on the Oltrarno side, with its artisan workshops and the Pitti Palace.

Eat the local way. Florence is known for bistecca alla fiorentina, a thick T-bone steak cooked rare and shared between two, and for ribollita, a thick bread-and-vegetable soup. The Mercato Centrale near San Lorenzo has a food hall upstairs for a quick lunch between museums. In Rome, order cacio e pepe or carbonara in a trattoria away from the big squares, and book dinner, because the good ones fill by 8 pm.

Rome: the historic centre between Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps, so that most sights are on foot and you can walk home after dinner. Florence: near the Duomo or in the Santo Spirito area across the river. Both are safe to walk at night, but both are busy in high season, so book early.

April, May, late September and October are best, with mild days and good light. July and August are hot, often above 33°C, and the queues are longest. November to March is quieter and cheaper, and the museums are far less crowded, but days are short and it rains in Florence. Easter and the weeks around it are busy in both cities.

Got 6 or 7 days? Add Venice with a third night and a morning train (Florence to Venice is about 2 hours), which is the route of our 7-day Essence of Italy tour. Prefer Rome only? Spend all five days in Rome and see the quieter side of the city, as our 6-day Rome Hidden City tour does. Want the coast instead of Florence? Choose Rome and the Amalfi Coast, which our 8-day Rome and Amalfi tour covers. Want the countryside? Swap one Florence night for a night in Tuscany.

We book your timed entries for the Vatican, Colosseum, Borghese, Accademia and Uffizi, reserve the train, and hire local guides in both cities. A real person on our team is your contact from the first email to your flight home.