Compare Ultimate Italy by G Adventures vs Italy by Rail by Geckos Adventures

Day 1 Rome

Arrive at any time.

There are no planned activities until tonight's welcome meeting.

We recommend booking pre-tour accommodation to fully explore this magnificent city. Please speak to a G Adventures representative about booking accommodations in Rome before Day 1 of this itinerary. Please note that if Vatican City is on your must-see list, we highly recommend purchasing your tickets online several weeks prior to your trip. Advance tickets can be reserved online at https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home. Same-day entrance to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel) cannot be guaranteed without advance tickets. We also recommend pre-booking your ticket to the Colosseum to guarantee entrance and avoid long queues: https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/ticket-colosseum-roman-forum-palatine_24h/

Day 2 Rome

Enjoy a G Adventures supported migrant led walk of Rome before enjoying a free day to explore a myriad of options. Opt to tour Vatican City, cross the river to charming Trastevere, eat some gelato in Piazza Navona, or swing by the Colosseum and Forum.

While you're here, why not opt to rent a Vespa for the day? Live "la dolce vita" and opt to pre-book the Rome Vintage Vespa Tour on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.

Day 3 Rome/Montepulciano

Travel to Montepulciano in the heart of the Tuscan countryside. Explore the medieval and renaissance hill town with an orientation walk.

Montepulciano is famous for producing delectable local pork, cheese, "Pici" pasta, and honey. It is also major wine producing area. Take in the stunning vistas, wander cobbled lanes, or opt to sample the local delicacies in small, family-run establishments.

Day 4 Montepulciano

Spend the day in the Italian countryside. The famous wine-producing region is the perfect place for an optional vineyard tour and wine tasting, or a bike ride in the rolling hills.

Opt to travel further afield to the thermal springs of Bagni San Filippo.

Day 5 Montepulciano/Florence

Continue on to Florence. Enjoy an evening walk to Piazzale Michelangelo for a fantastic panoramic view of the city.

Continue to the inimitable Firenze. Walk through the city catching a glimpse of the Duomo, Piazza Indipendenza, Piazza della Signoria, and the Ponte Vecchio. Continue to Piazzale Michelangelo for the most famous and photographed vista of the city. Opt to visit the local leather markets and souvenir stalls set up all over the city.

Day 6 Florence

With a free day, the choices are endless. Opt to visit the Duomo, David, the Galleria dell’Accademia, Uffizi Gallery, medieval Ponte Vecchio, or the Medici Chapels, just to name a handful.

The day is yours to explore. Check out the Mercato Centrale or any number of cafés and trattorias. If you came to shop, start at one end of the city and just keep going. There's beautiful architecture, famous museums, Renaissance art pieces, and charming cobblestone streets everywhere. If you wish to go further afield, take a wine tasting bike tour up to Fiesole and the vineyards of Chianti. For a truly local experience, indulge your inner gastronome on a culinary tour of the city. Opt to pre-book the "Florence Food Tour" on the checkout page ahead of time, to include this optional on your tour.

If you wish to visit popular museums like the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries, we strongly advise reserving tickets in advance to avoid waiting in line for a long time (especially during the high season from May-September, where this can take several hours). Advance tickets can be reserved online at https://www.uffizi.it/en/tickets and https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/tickets/

Day 7 Florence

Enjoy a day trip to vibrant Siena. After an orientation walk around this medieval city, opt to visit Torre del Mangia, Battistero, il Campo, or the Duomo or to take a "passeggiata" and meet the Sienese locals. Return to Florence at the end of the day.

Day 8 Florence/Cinque Terre

Visit Pisa en route to the coast. Settle into the colourful, charming town in the Cinque Terre.

Head by train to Pisa and stop for a visit at the Field of Miracles to see the famous leaning tower (entrance fee not included). Later, head on to the coastal paradise of Cinque Terre.

Day 9 Cinque Terre

Walk the coastal path between Riomaggiore and Monterosso or opt to take the train. Visit charming, colourful towns along the way.

The national park pass and daily unlimited train ticket is included. Opt to follow your CEO along centuries-old footpaths and mule tracks leading through olive groves, vineyards, and orchards on a full day hike, or hop on and off the train, experiencing each town on your own. Choose to rest in each of the 5 villages, sampling delicacies in each place, such as local pesto, espresso, or delicious gelato.

Please note that some popular hiking paths along the Cinque Terre have been temporarily closed due to water erosion and damage caused by landslides in 2016. Your CEO will guide you on the best, most accessible path for today's hike.

Day 10 Cinque Terre/Lake Como

Travel to Lake Como, a perfectly picturesque region laden with villas and lush gardens. Arrive in the late afternoon and start exploring the town.

Set out from Cinque Terre on a train journey with a few changes en route, passing through Milan and on to elegant Como Town, located on the shores of Lake Como. On the border with Switzerland, enjoy the spectacular backdrop of the snowy-peaked Alps.

Day 11 Lake Como

Spend the day on Lake Como with a day pass for the Lake Como boat. Visit multiple towns along the shores. Opt to take the funicular to Brunate for a fantastic view over the area.

Set out by boat to explore the lake and its many elegant villas and towns, such as Bellagio with its shops, restaurants, and fine residences. In the afternoon, there is plenty of free time for soaking up the elegant atmosphere in one of the lakeside cafés or restaurants. Take some time for shopping — some of the finest Italian designers are to be found in Como's chic boutiques.

Day 12 Lake Como/Venice

Travel to Venice, the "city of canals," and enjoy an orientation walk over bridges and canals and view Piazza San Marco.

Travel east to captivating Venice, the unique "city of canals," full of magnificent monuments. There will be plenty of time to wander the narrow cobblestone streets and wide piazzas, crossing hundreds of tiny bridges and, of course, getting lost in Venice's labyrinth.

Day 13 Venice

Spend the day getting lost in Venice. Opt for a vaporetto (water taxi) ride to the islands of Murano and Burano, take a gondola under the Ponte Rialto (Bridge of Lovers), explore the Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs, or get lost in the twisting maze of the city.

Day 14 Venice

Depart at any time.

We recommend staying an extra day or two to fully experience all this beautiful city has to offer.

Day 1 Venice

Ciao! Welcome to Italy. If you arrive early, hit the tiramisu hard as you touch down in Venice, land of gondolas and romantic sighing. In this little slice of old-world heaven, get lost in a maze of cobblestone streets and dance across the Piazza San Marco. Fancy a tipple? Prosecco is the drink of choice here; match it with a pasta fazool and embrace your inner Dean Martin. Now, ‘that’s amore.’

Day 2 Venice

A grand city of canals, Venice is built over a hundred small islands connected by 400 bridges. Still rich with artistic masterpieces, modern Venice combines history with contemporary life through food, performance, art and architecture. There are only two ways to explore Venice - by boat or on foot. Some of the more popular sights include the Grand Canal, the shops of the Rialto Bridge, the Palace of the Doge (ruler of Venice), the Piazza and Basilica di San Marco and the Bridge of Sighs. Take the time to wander the narrow, cobblestone streets and spacious piazzas and cross the hundreds of tiny bridges, where shops, markets, galleries, churches and stunning buildings lie around every corner. You can't leave Venice without going on a classic Venetian gondola. It's a common way for visitors to see the major canal routes from a fascinating perspective.

Day 3 La Spezia

Travel on a series of trains (approximately 5 hours) to the Liguria region. La Spezia, a medieval port town whose name is derived from its historic importance in the spice trade, will be your base for exploring the truly epic stretch of coast known as the Cinque Terre (approximately 30 minutes' train ride away). In La Spezia appreciate indulging in the foods of the Liguria region, which take advantage of the products of the Mediterranean. Pesto is a speciality, and is often served with pasta, green beans and potato. Focaccia is also a speciality, and makes a tasty start to lunch – team it up with some cheese and ham and you have a simple yet delicious picnic.

Day 4 Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre’s colourful houses built into cliff faces are an amazing feat of engineering. Those Italians aren't afraid of nothin'. Hike along the famous paths between the villages. Olive groves and vineyards cover the mountains that plunge into the sea, so brace yourself for some crazy, crazy views. You can walk as many sections as you like, or jump on a train between any of the villages or get back to base in La Spezia whenever you want.

Day 5 Florence

Board a train bound for Florence (approximately 3.5 hours). You'll arrive around mid-afternoon. Get a feel for the heart of Tuscany – birthplace of the renaissance, capital of Tuscany and cultural hub of dear Italia. It's brimming with religious monuments and Renaissance masterpieces. No wonder a third of Europe's fat-cat artists lived here back in the day! The minds and talents of the Medicis, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Brunelleschi, Machiavelli, Donatello and Michelangelo all flourished here. Join your leader on a visit to the Mercato Centrale (the central market). Your leader will teach you some words in Italian, and then it's off to the various produce stalls for you to try your new language skills.

Day 6 Florence

It's best to see the main sights of the 'outdoor museum' on foot – the Pitti Palace, the Ponte Vecchio, the Arno River front, the many statues and monuments of the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio, the 13th-century Duomo, Baptistry and Belltower and the Santa Croce Church. It's a dizzying list, but don't forget to visit the Uffizi, one of the world's oldest art galleries and a work of art in itself. And of course there's Michelangelo's super-famous statue of David in the Galleria dell'Accademia. What a guy.

Day 7 Rome

Head to Rome by train (approximately 2 hours). Time for some Roman around. Arrive in Italy's capital and dive head-first into all it has to offer. Crowded with ancient ruins and religious monuments, Rome still pulses to the beat of modern life and is packed with designer shops, restaurants, cafes and exciting nightlife. Don't miss the Colosseum, Arch of Constantine and the Forum (the centre of ancient Rome). And no visit would be complete without a trip to Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica. Entry to the Basilica is free, and there's a small charge to climb the dome so you can catch the awesome views from up there. The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel are also well worth your time before.

Day 8 Rome

On the last day it's time to say ciao to your new travel companions, and you're free to depart whenevs. If you have some more time in Rome why not join one of the Urban Adventures on offer in this great city. Check out urbanadventures.com for more details.