Routes · Europe

São Paulo to Italy: Rome, Florence and Venice

São Paulo → Rome → Florence → Venice

Italian art cities Best season (general guide): Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

This is Italy's classic first journey: three cities of art and history, connected by fast trains. From São Paulo there are direct flights to Rome, and you fly home from Venice, so the route runs in a straight line from south to north. The itinerary spends three nights in Rome, three nights in Florence and two nights in Venice.

How to pace it: After the connecting flights from São Paulo, plan days one to three in Rome: first Pantheon and Navona, then Colosseum and Forum, and finally Vatican Museums. Next, plan days four to six in Florence: first train to Florence, then Duomo, Uffizi, and finally Siena or Chianti day. Next, plan days seven and eight in Venice: first train to Venice, then St Mark's, and finally back canals and islands.

Three days in Rome are enough for the essentials: the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel, and evening walks between the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain. The train to Florence takes you to the heart of the Renaissance. Brunelleschi's dome, the Uffizi's paintings and the David are the main sights, and Tuscan day trips to Siena or Chianti are easy. Venice comes last. The train crosses the lagoon right into the city, where St Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace and the Rialto are busy by day, and the back canals are quiet in the evening.

Late April to June and late September to October are the most comfortable months. July and August are hot and very crowded in all three cities, and some businesses close around Ferragosto in mid-August. In autumn, Venice can experience acqua alta, high tides that flood low-lying areas.

Book timed entry for the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Colosseum. Venice has trialled an access fee for day-trippers on set dates in recent seasons, so check the official Contributo di Accesso site if you're not staying overnight.

Between Florence and Venice, the train passes through Bologna, a city famed for its food and arcaded streets, which makes a good lunch stop. In Venice, a vaporetto ride along the whole length of the Grand Canal is the cheapest way to see the palaces from the water.

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