HOW TO TRAVEL BETWEEN ITALIAN CITIES
Book train tickets to travel around Italy through trenitalia. There are third-party providers that provide train tickets, but trenitalia is government approved Italian website – you can’t go wrong there! Train tickets during the summer are much more expensive than in the winter, so book book in advance to take advantage of 30% off standard rates. Here were my rates in 2021 when I travelled between Italian cities so you know what to expect.
- Venice -> Florence €39.90/pp
- Florence -> La Spezia Centrale €14.00/pp
- La Spezia Centrale -> Rome €39.90/pp
HOW TO GET AROUND
In Venice, I choose to walk around so I could fully explore the streets. The city is small and it is possible to get around only by walking (and maybe taking a water bus). In Florence, I also walked around since it is also a very small town too. In Cinque Terre (closest largest train station is La Spezia Centrale) I walked around exploring the towns but took the train to get between each town. Rome is the only city in Italy where I had to take the metro. I purchased a 24H pass for only €7 which allowed unlimited travel.
- Roma 24H Ticket: This 7 € ticket allows you to travel freely all day until 00:00 am.
- Roma 48H / 72H Ticket: With this ticket you can travel 2 days for 12.50 € or 3 days for 18.00 €.
MY ITINERARY
- Venice (Flew from London to Venice Marco Polo Airport, stayed 2 nights)
- Florence (Took a train from Venezia Santa Lucia to Firenze Santa Maria Novella)
- Cinque Terre (Took a train from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to La Spezia Centrale then took a local train from La Spezia Centrale to Manarola where I had booked my aribnb, stayed 2 nights)
- Rome (Took a train from Manarola to La Spezia Centrale and the fast train from La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini, stayed 1 night, flew from Fiumicino Airport back to London)
VENICE
Stay Details: AC Venezia Hotel (Where I stayed due to its awesome transport connections. It was located a 30 second walk from the airport bus station, ; 6 minute walk to the train station; 3 minute walk to a vaporetto; however a 35 minute walk to St. Mark’s Square),
THINGS TO DO IN VENICE
For first time visitors, I suggest at least three full days in Venice — there is just so much to see and do in Venice! This will be give you plenty of time to explore the city and also a short day trip to the lovely neighboring islands of Burano and Murano.
Venice is a very relaxing city and the city where I spent 100% of my time walking around. In fact, my feet were sore everyday at the end of the day (made me wish for a foot massage!). It was so easy to explore the streets of Venice and I was able to find a lot of spots for photos! Of course if you don’t have too much time to explore and you want to hit all the right spots, take a look at my complete Venice Photo Travel Guide.
In Venice, I returned to my favorite squid ink pasta restaurant, Enoteca Al Volto which I highly recommend. I also heavily recommend trying out their tiramisu as well – it’s my favorite. I visited there once 7 years ago and the taste is the same! If you’re looking for cheap eats, look no further than fresh fried seafood and spaghetti from Fried Land or fresh fruit juice from Frulala.
Spend some time exploring the canals of Venice, get lost and you never know what you will find!
Discover the most Instagrammable bookshop in the world, Libreria Acqua Alta
Explore St. Marks Square in the morning to avoid crowds (although there is a significant drop in crowds due to COVID-19)
Sip on some spritz while enjoying the canal boats whizz by
FLORENCE
Stay Details: Soggiorno Rubino (where we stayed! Highly recommended budget hotel right by the train station with an AMAZING breakfast fit for a king, €5pp surcharge which is absolutely worth it), Ancient Tower Florence Penthouse Airbnb (Amazing rooftop in Florence perfect for photos), Love Mini Suite Rooftop Terrace (Another rooftop terrace with views of the duomo)
Amazing breakfast at Soggiorno Rubino for only 5 EUROs per person!
We received a free upgrade upon check in and we ended up with a double and single bed in our hotel room and ended up with a great view of Florence rooftops and part of the Duomo in the background.
THINGS TO DO IN FLORENCE
The city of Florence is relatively easy to explore, the town is small and you can easily explore it all in a day. There is a plethora of galleries and churches to visit in Florence with different opening times and timed entry (due to COVID) so I suggest booking your tickets early in advance. I was not interested in visiting the galleries having seen them already seven years ago with my friend; and on this trip, my husband would much rather sightsee instead.
Visit Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the famous church in Florence): Probably the #1 priority on your list is to visit the most famous cathedral in Florence. Located right at the heart of the city, it’s hard to miss it and most of the streets you walk on will lead you to the cathedral. Entrance to the cathedral is free but there is a surcharge if you want to climb up to the roof (ticketed entry due to COVID-19).
Order take out pizza and climb up to to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset: This is exactly what we did! We ordered take out pizza from Pizza Napoli 1955 and we began the climb up the small mountain right before sunset! There were quite a number of people in the Piazzale and we didn’t feel comfortable eating with so many people without masks on so we walked left of the Piazzale towards San Salvatore al Monte where there was hardly anyone! We also ended up taking some photos at Belvedere Vittorio Sermonti which is an observation deck a bit further away but with lovely views of the city too (a zoom lens would be needed here).
Visit Ponte Vecchio: a picturesque, medieval bridge with souvenir shops located right on the bridge itself! Similar to the Ritato bridge in Venice.
Try out Italian Gelato shops: our favorite gelato shops were Gelateria de Neri – their lemon gelato and pompelmousse (grapefruit) flavors are the bomb! We came here twice during our trip! Other recommended gelato shops include Perché no! which was also great too. Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato is also a well known brand of gelato with stores in the UK too.
View from Piazzale Michelangelo in the day time
View from Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset (taken from Belvedere Vittorio Sermonti observation deck)
View of Ponte Vecchio at sunset (taken from Ponte alle Grazie bridge)
CINQUE TERRE
Stay Details: Alex Room (where we stayed! This airbnb was in Manarola and we had an awesome view from the room; clean room and great hosts too)
I stayed in Manarola because from the photos, it looked like a very lovely town. I was also looking for a place that was near a train station and didn’t feel like walking too much. I wouldn’t recommend staying at Corniglia (lots of steps!) and Monterosso (very touristy). Rather choose between Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza. These three towns are the most charming ones of all! Obviously due to its popularity, you can expect hotels/airbnbs to be 150+ euros during summer months just for a night. If you are on a budget, consider staying in nearby city of La Spezia which is just under 10 minute train ride away from Cinque Terre.
Read my FULL GUIDE to Cinque Terre Here!
THINGS TO DO IN CINQUE TERRE
Dine at Nessun Dorma in Manarola: Arrive when the restaurant opens to snag seats with views overlooking the ocean. Their food is delicious especially their bruschetta and burrata which seems to be what everyone was ordering! Note that their “Spritz” contains quite a bit of alcohol because I was quite drunk after one glass. It was either that or I was suffering from the heat or I was dehydrated, no idea.
Swim or Cliff Jump in Manarola: Manarola seems to be the best place for those adventurous cliff jumpers- as you walk by the ocean you will spot a lot of cliff diving spots to try out. People directly sunbathe in the waters below, just keep in mind the rocks hurt a little/or be slippery! Water is VERY clear so remember to bring your snorkeling googles!
Hike from one town to another: If you’re more interested in a hike rather than taking the train from one town to another, there are hiking routes available. Some routes cost a fee to enter but if you have the Cinque Terre card, then it’s already part of the package. I was unable to complete any hikes because it was just too hot when we visited!
Climb up for views of Vernazza from above: I did manage one hike because I thought it would be well worth it – if you’re looking for the classic and most popular view of Venazza, then you need to hike up the mountain (halfway through you will be asked to pay a fare – included in the CInque Terre day pass if you bought one).
Dining at Nessun Dorma in Manarola– come here when they open to snag the best seats!
Hike up the mountain to get this iconic view of Vernazza – small hiking entrance fee required
Try out Pesto Spaghetti and Pesto Ice Cream: pesto, pesto, pesto! Pesto is a specialty in Cinque Terre and it seems to be on every menu! Pesto pizza, pesto sphaghetti and even pesto ice cream! I wanted to buy some pesto to bring back to London but most of the jars were over 100ml and I couldn’t bring it on my carry on. However, the best pesto sphaghetti we had in Cinque Terre was at Monterosso called San Martino Gastronomia (best fresh pasta!) and the best pesto ice cream we tried was Gelateria Vernazza located in Vernazza. I found pesto ice cream to be very weird in taste, but hey! that’s just my opinion!
ROME
Stay Details: We stayed in Le Méridien Visconti Rome utilizing my employee discount rate, although I wouldn’t really recommend it — it was not near any metro stations (about a 12 minute walk). However, the hotel was VERY clean and modern, their buffet breakfasts was absolute divine and very enjoyable.
THINGS TO DO IN ROME
There is a ton of things to do in Rome and itineraries really depend on what you’re interested in and how many days you have in the city. For me, I had only 1.5 full day to actually explore the city – the rest was used up on transport/and getting to the airport. This was my second time to Rome so there were a lot of museums that I skipped out on this time (Felix wasn’t interested in them anyway) so we spent a great deal of time just walking about the city and to soak in the vibes. Here’s a list of popular activities you can consider if you visit Rome:
Visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City- Did you know that Vatican City is a completely different country situated in Rome? Although you don’t need need a passport to enter, they have their own flag and their police uniforms are entirely different! Also you can even step into St. Peter’s Basilica and marvel at the church for FREE!
Book a tour at the Colosseum (timed ticket entry due to COVID-19) and soak in the history at the nearby Roman Forum or Castel Sant’Angelo (timed ticket entry) or Pantheon (timed ticket entry).
Visit the most popular tourist spots: Trevi Fountain & Spanish Steps (FREE)
Shop around the Spanish Steps- there are a ton of luxury boutique shops and stores – note that they close early around 5-6PM so be careful about that!
Sip on some legitimate Italian coffee at Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffè located near the Pantheon. The Italians do know how to make their coffee and they are proud of it! That’s why it is literally impossible to find a Starbucks located in Italy — it just doesn’t exist!
Try gelato at Old Bridge Gelateria: My favorite gelato shop which came VERY RECOMMENDED by fans all over the world. It is located near Vatican City and was a great respite after walking so much!
Interior of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Hope you enjoyed my Italian Journal! It was an awesome 10 day journey for us in Italy and I hope I was helpful in planning your next trip! Drop me a comment if you have any questions!