7-Day Self-Launched Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Bologna & Venice

Land at Fiumicino and take the Leonardo Express train into Termini (~€14/£12) or the slower FL1 regional to Trastevere (~€8) if your hostel is there. Check in and ease into the city: free evening wander past the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and a first look at the Trevi Fountain. Grab dinner at a trattoria in Monti or Testaccio rather than near the monuments. Skip the operator's private airport transfer — public transport is quick and cheap.

🚌Leonardo Express airport train ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Monti/Trastevere (~£30–40/night)

• →Evening walk: Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain
• →Dinner in Monti or Testaccio

This mirrors the operator's big Day 2, but as three separate regional train legs. Take an early Trenitalia regional from Roma Termini to Assisi via Foligno (~2h15, ~£12), walk up to the Basilica of St Francis (free entry; dress modestly), then continue by regional train to Siena (~1h45). Siena is a 20-minute local bus from the station to Piazza del Campo — climb the Torre del Mangia if you have energy. Finally bus/train Siena–Florence (~1h15). It's a full, tiring day; alternatively split it over two days and stay a night in Siena or Assisi for a much calmer pace.

🚌Regional trains Rome–Assisi–Siena–Florence ~£30 total plus local buses ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse near Santa Maria Novella, Florence (~£35–45/night)

• →Basilica of St Francis, Assisi (free)
• →Piazza del Campo, Siena
• →Optional Torre del Mangia climb (~£10)

Book a GetYourGuide small-group Florence walking tour (from ~£25) or a Duomo complex skip-the-line pass (~£30, includes Brunelleschi's Dome, Baptistery and Campanile — book the dome slot ahead). Wander Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio's courtyard and Santa Croce. Optional half-day Pisa trip: regional train from Firenze S.M.N. to Pisa Centrale is ~1h and ~£8 each way; the Leaning Tower climb needs pre-booking. Eat a cheap lampredotto sandwich from a street stall for lunch.

🚌On foot; optional Pisa return train ~£16

🛏Same Florence hostel (~£35–45/night)

• →Florence walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£25)
• →Duomo complex pass (~£30)
• →Optional Pisa day trip

High-speed Frecciarossa or Italo Florence–Bologna is 37 minutes (~£15–20 booked ahead). Drop bags at Bologna Centrale lockers (~£5) and walk the porticoes to Piazza Maggiore, Piazza del Nettuno and San Petronio. Do your own street-food crawl — a crescentina, a plate of tagliatelle al ragù at a trattoria near the Quadrilatero, or aperitivo in the Mercato di Mezzo. Then take a Frecciarossa Bologna–Venezia Santa Lucia (~1h20, ~£15–20). Arrive in Venice and take a vaporetto to your hostel — buy a multi-day ACTV pass (~£35 for 48h) since it covers all water buses.

🚌High-speed trains Florence–Bologna–Venice ~£35 total; ACTV 48h pass ~£35

🛏Hostel in Cannaregio or Mestre (cheaper) (~£35–50/night)

• →Piazza Maggiore & San Petronio, Bologna
• →Self-guided Quadrilatero street-food crawl
• →First evening vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal

Join a GetYourGuide Venice walking tour (~£25) or self-guide through the Rialto and San Marco district. Book Doge's Palace + St Mark's Basilica skip-the-line tickets online (~£25 and ~£5 respectively) — the queues without pre-booking are brutal. Cross the Bridge of Sighs from inside the palace. Late afternoon, do the Venetian aperitivo yourself in Cannaregio: a couple of cicchetti and a spritz at a bacaro for ~£10–12. A gondola is optional (€90 for 30 min shared, or ~€2 on the traghetto ferry crossing).

🚌Vaporetto on ACTV pass; on foot

🛏Same Venice hostel (~£35–50/night)

• →Venice walking tour (~£25)
• →Doge's Palace & St Mark's Basilica (~£30 combined)
• →Cicchetti and spritz crawl in Cannaregio (~£12)

This is the trickiest leg to self-launch. Take an early Frecciarossa Venice–Florence (~2h, ~£20), then a regional train Florence–Chiusi-Chianciano Terme (~1h30, ~£10), then the local bus or a shared taxi up to Montepulciano (~30–40 min, ~£4). Wander Piazza Grande, duck into a cantina for a self-booked tasting with local wine (~£15–25), and have lunch with a glass of Vino Nobile. Then buses/trains to Rome: bus Montepulciano–Chiusi, train Chiusi–Roma Termini (~1h30, ~£12). It's a long day — consider dropping Montepulciano and taking a direct Frecciarossa Venice–Rome (~4h, ~£30–45) if you want a relaxed final evening.

🚌Trains and buses Venice–Chiusi–Montepulciano–Rome ~£45 total

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Termini, Rome (~£30–40/night)

• →Piazza Grande, Montepulciano
• →Self-booked cantina wine tasting (~£20)
• →Tuscan lunch with a glass of Vino Nobile

A final Roman breakfast, then one last sight if time allows — the Colosseum exterior and Roman Forum from the Via dei Fori Imperiali viewpoint are free. If you want inside access, book a GetYourGuide Colosseum ticket (~£18–25) for the earliest slot. Head to Fiumicino on the Leonardo Express (~£12) — allow 3 hours before an intercontinental flight.

🚌Leonardo Express to Fiumicino ~£12

🛏None (departure day)

• →Colosseum & Forum exterior walk (free) or optional Colosseum ticket (~£20)
• →Last espresso and cornetto