Best of Northern Italy Self-Launched: Florence to Venice
8 days · Northern Italy
G Adventures charges £1,185
No-markup version: ~£655 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, train-based version of the classic Florence → Cinque Terre → Lake Como → Venice route. You'll book your own hostel/guesthouse beds, ride regional trains with tickets bought on Trenitalia, hike the Cinque Terre coastal trail with a Cinque Terre Card, ride the Como–Brunate funicular, and ferry across Lake Como — all independently, at your own pace, at roughly half the cost of the small-group tour.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Florence
Florence
Land in Florence and get settled. From Florence airport (FLR), take the T2 tram to Santa Maria Novella station (~€1.70, 20 mins) or the Autolinee Toscane bus — don't bother with a taxi. Check into a central hostel or guesthouse around Santa Maria Novella or San Lorenzo. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Duomo square, Piazza della Signoria and the Oltrarno lanes, and grab a cheap aperitivo with a spritz and a plate of crostini. Book your Uffizi or Accademia ticket online tonight for tomorrow (Accademia ~€20, Uffizi ~€25 — skip the queue lines).
🚌Airport T2 tram or local bus (~£2); everything else on foot
🛏Hostel or family-run guesthouse near Santa Maria Novella (£30)
- →Evening orientation walk: Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio at dusk
- →Pre-book Accademia/Uffizi tickets online
- →Aperitivo in Oltrarno
Florence then on to Cinque Terre via Pisa
Florence / Cinque Terre
Morning in Florence: either the Accademia (Michelangelo's David) or a self-guided Renaissance wander plus the Mercato Centrale food hall for a panino lunch. Around midday, take a regional train Florence → Pisa Centrale (~1hr, €9) and walk 20 mins to the Field of Miracles for the Leaning Tower (a climb is ~€20 and must be booked in advance online — optional). Then continue Pisa → La Spezia (~1hr, €8) and a short regional train into the Cinque Terre (Monterosso or Vernazza, ~€5 with a Cinque Terre Card). Settle into your guesthouse and eat pesto and focaccia by the harbour.
🚌Regional trains Florence–Pisa–La Spezia–Cinque Terre (~£19)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Monterosso / Vernazza (£32)
- →Accademia Gallery (self-booked) or Duomo climb
- →Mercato Centrale lunch
- →Leaning Tower of Pisa visit (optional climb)
- →Sunset in Vernazza harbour
Cinque Terre hiking day
Cinque Terre
Buy the Cinque Terre Trekking Card (~€7.50/day for trail access; add the Treno MS card ~€19 for unlimited village trains) at the station. Hike the classic Monterosso → Vernazza → Corniglia coastal path — steep steps, terraced vineyards, huge views, roughly 4–5 hours with stops. Use the unlimited train ticket to skip any section that's closed or that you've had enough of, then ride down to Riomaggiore for a swim off the rocks and a late lunch. Alternatively, if the Sentiero Azzurro is partly closed (it often is — check the Cinque Terre National Park site that morning), take the higher Beccara/Sentiero del Crinale trails or simply village-hop by train and ferry.
🚌Train pass between villages + ferries (€19–25)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Monterosso (£32)
- →Monterosso–Vernazza–Corniglia coastal hike
- →Riomaggiore village and swim
- →Village-hopping by train and ferry
Cinque Terre to Lake Como
Lake Como (Como)
Train day: Cinque Terre → La Spezia → Milan → Como San Giovanni, roughly 4–4.5 hours and €25–35 if you book regional/Frecciabianca tickets in advance on Trenitalia (a Frecciarossa leg Milan–Como is only ~40 mins). Drop bags at your hostel or B&B, then ride the historic Como–Brunate funicular (~€6 return) up to the village for the 'Balcony of the Alps' views over the lake and towards the Alps. Stay in Como town rather than the pricey villages — it's cheaper and the ferries leave from right there.
🚌Regional/Freccia trains Cinque Terre–Milan–Como (~£30); funicular £5
🛏Hostel or B&B in Como town (£34)
- →Como–Brunate funicular
- →Brunate village and Punc viewpoint walk
- →Evening walk along Como lakefront and the Duomo
Lake Como by ferry
Lake Como
Buy a day pass on the Navigazione Lago di Como slow ferries (~€15–20) and hop along the lake: Como → Bellagio (or the faster hydrofoil if you want to save time), then on to Varenna and Menaggio. In Bellagio, wander the steep lanes and the Punta Spartivento viewpoint; in Varenna, walk the Passarella lakeside path. Villas open to the public (Villa Carlotta ~€15, Villa Melzi gardens ~€10) are easy add-ons. Last ferry back to Como in the early evening, then a relaxed dinner of risotto and local wine.
🚌Slow ferry day pass on Lake Como (~£17)
🛏Hostel or B&B in Como town (£34)
- →Ferry hop Como–Bellagio–Varenna–Menaggio
- →Punta Spartivento and Bellagio lanes
- →Passarella walk in Varenna
- →Optional Villa Carlotta gardens
Lake Como to Venice
Venice
Morning train Como → Milan → Venice Santa Lucia (~3.5–4hrs, €25–40 booked on Trenitalia). Check into a hostel in Cannaregio or Santa Croce — cheaper than San Marco and still central. In the late afternoon walk the canals from Ponte delle Guglie through the Rialto, and either self-book a small-group Venice food tour on GetYourGuide/Klook (~£45–55) or DIY a cicchetti crawl around the Rialto Market bacari (€2–3 per small plate and glass). Finish at Piazza San Marco after dark when the crowds thin out.
🚌Train Como–Milan–Venice (~£32); walk everywhere in Venice
🛏Hostel in Cannaregio or Santa Croce (£30)
- →Canal walk Ponte delle Guglie to Rialto
- →Optional small-group Venice food tour (self-booked)
- →Piazza San Marco and Basilica at night
Venice islands and hidden Venice
Venice
Full day on the lagoon. Buy a 24-hour ACTV vaporetto pass (~€25) rather than single tickets. Ferry to Murano for the glass furnaces (free demonstrations), then Burano for the coloured houses and lace, with a stop at Torcello if you want the Byzantine mosaics in near-silence. Back in Venice, visit the Doge's Palace (~€30 booked online in advance — a combined St Mark's ticket covers the Basilica and museum), climb the Campanile for the view (~€10), or take a shared gondola from a station rather than a private one (~€90 per boat, split with others, or a traghetto crossing for €2).
🚌24hr vaporetto pass (£21)
🛏Hostel in Cannaregio or Santa Croce (£30)
- →Murano and Burano islands by vaporetto
- →Doge's Palace (self-booked)
- →Campanile San Marco
- →Optional shared gondola ride
Depart Venice
Venice
Last morning for a slow coffee in Campo Santa Margherita, a final wander, or an early vaporetto to the Giudecca for the view back across the basin. Head out via Piazzale Roma: ATVO or ACTV airport bus to Marco Polo (30 mins, €10), or a train onward from Santa Lucia if you're continuing through Italy or into Europe.
🚌Airport bus from Piazzale Roma (£9)
🛏—
- →Morning coffee in Campo Santa Margherita
- →Optional Giudecca vaporetto
- →Departure transfer to Marco Polo
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£655 | £1,185 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £530 per person (45%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£655
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Best of Northern Italy Self-Launched: Florence to Venice cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £655 per person for 8 days in Northern Italy. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,185 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £655 — a saving of roughly £530 (45%) per person.
How long is the Northern Italy trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Northern Italy.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, hiking, foodie trip through Northern Italy, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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