Rome to Amalfi Coast: The Perfect 5 Day Italy Itinerary (With Real Costs)
Italy has a way of making you feel like you have seen everything and barely scratched the surface, all in the same week. This itinerary threads together four of the country's biggest names, Rome, Florence, Pisa and Venice, using nothing but Italy's high speed rail network, no ferries, no coastal buses, no seasonal timetables to gamble on. Everything connects by train, which means everything is bookable, predictable, and genuinely doable in six days without feeling like you spent half the trip in transit.
Flights from Dublin and London to Rome take about two and a half to three hours on Ryanair, Aer Lingus, or British Airways, which makes this an easy long weekend or a relaxed midweek escape. Depending on your itinerary, you can choose multiple entry points. Most popular ones are Rome, Pisa, Milan and Venice. You can use this link to checkout best flight prices. We use this site ourselves: Aviasales
Quick Overview
Day 1: Rome, Colosseum and ancient Rome
Day 2: Rome, the Vatican
Day 3: Train to Florence, explore the historic centre
Day 4: Day trip to Pisa, back to Florence
Day 5: Day trip to Venice, back to Florence
Day 6: Train back to Rome, flight home
Day 1: Landing in Rome and Getting Lost in the Old Streets
Land at Fiumicino and take the Leonardo Express train into Termini station, about half an hour for 32 euro return. Base yourself in Trastevere or Monti rather than right around Termini itself, both neighbourhoods are full of narrow cobbled streets and the kind of trattorias locals actually eat at, whereas Termini is convenient but has no real character of its own.
Spend the day at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, a combined ticket runs 18 euro, and booking online in advance saves you from a queue that can stretch for hours in summer. It is worth remembering while you are inside that this arena hosted gladiatorial combat for over four hundred years and could hold up to 80,000 spectators at once, roughly the same capacity as many modern football stadiums.
In the evening, walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona, all within about forty minutes of each other on foot and completely free to enjoy. Here is a fact most first time visitors do not know, the Pantheon has the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built, standing since 126 AD, meaning it is nearly two thousand years old and still fully intact.
Dinner in Trastevere runs about 20 to 25 euro per person for a proper meal, and the whole day, accommodation included, should come to roughly 60 to 80 euro per person.
Day 2: Rome, the Vatican
Book the first entry slot at the Vatican Museums, around 8am, since queues wrap around the block by mid morning. Entry runs 21 euro and covers both the museums and the Sistine Chapel, which took Michelangelo four years to paint while lying on his back on scaffolding, a detail that changes how you look up at that ceiling once you know it.
St Peter's Basilica itself is free to enter, though climbing the dome costs an extra 10 euro and rewards you with one of the best views in Rome if your legs can handle a few hundred stairs.
In the afternoon, Castel Sant'Angelo sits a short walk away across the river, entry is 15 euro, originally built as a mausoleum for the Roman emperor Hadrian before later becoming a papal fortress. Alternatively, spend the afternoon properly in Trastevere rather than just passing through it, this neighbourhood rewards slowing down with a coffee and simply people watching. Budget 55 to 65 euro per person for the day.
Day 3: Onward to Florence
Catch a morning high speed train from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, about an hour and a half on Frecciarossa or Italo. Prices swing a lot depending on how early you book, anywhere from 20 to 60 euro one way, so booking a week or two ahead genuinely pays off here.
Arrive in Florence by early afternoon and spend the rest of the day getting oriented, walk the historic centre, admire the Duomo's exterior, and cross the Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge in Florence that survived intact when retreating German forces destroyed the city's other bridges in 1944, reportedly on Hitler's direct order to spare it. If you have energy left, the Uffizi Gallery is worth booking ahead for tomorrow rather than tonight, since it regularly sells out same day slots. Budget 50 to 60 euro per person for the day including the train.
Day 4: A Day Trip to Pisa
Take a regional train from Florence to Pisa, about an hour and around 8 to 9 euro one way. Pisa genuinely does not need more than half a day, and trying to stretch it into a full one usually just means wandering repeat streets.
The Leaning Tower is the obvious draw, entry to climb it runs about 20 euro, and the tilt itself happened almost by accident, the tower began sinking into unexpectedly soft subsoil during construction, which started in 1173 and, thanks to repeated pauses caused by wars, took 199 years to finish. The surrounding Piazza dei Miracoli is free to walk around, and the Baptistery and Camposanto Monumentale are worth the extra few euro each if you want to go inside rather than just photograph the square.
By early afternoon, take the train back to Florence, leaving you the rest of the day free. This is a good time for a slower second look at whatever you rushed on day 3, or to explore Oltrarno, the quieter neighbourhood across the river from the main tourist centre, known for artisan workshops rather than souvenir shops. Budget 40 to 50 euro per person for the day including both train legs. Also read: Pisa in a Day: First Impressions, the Leaning Tower & Honest Travel Tips
Day 5: A Day Trip to Venice
This is an early start. Catch a train from Florence to Venice Santa Lucia around 7:30am, about two hours, with prices ranging from 20 to 45 euro one way depending on how far ahead you book.
Venice does not need multiple days to hit its best known sights, and honestly trying to stretch it out usually just means paying Venice's notoriously steep evening prices for a second dinner you did not need. St Mark's Square and St Mark's Basilica come first, basilica entry itself is free though a skip the line ticket costs about 3 euro and saves real time in peak season. The Doge's Palace next door runs about 30 euro and gives you access to the Bridge of Sighs, named for the sighs of prisoners catching their final glimpse of Venice through its windows on the way to the cells beyond.
Spend the afternoon crossing the Rialto Bridge and simply getting lost in the smaller canals away from the main square, this is genuinely the best free thing to do in Venice and where the city stops feeling like a stage set. Venice is built across 118 small islands connected by roughly four hundred bridges, and no cars operate anywhere in the historic centre, everything moves by foot or by boat.
Catch an evening train back to Florence, arriving in time for a proper dinner at Florence prices rather than Venice ones. Budget 70 to 90 euro per person for the day including both train legs and entry tickets. Also read: Venice in One Day: What to See, Do & Skip (First-Timer’s Guide)
Day 6: Back to Rome, Flight Home
Take a morning train from Florence back to Roma Termini, about an hour and a half, leaving you a buffer window in Rome before heading to Fiumicino for your flight home. Use whatever time you have left for one final walk, a last plate of pasta, or simply relaxing before the airport.
An Important Callout If Your Flight Home Is Early Morning
This whole final day only works cleanly if your departure flight is afternoon or evening. If you are booked on an early morning flight out of Rome, do not try to squeeze the Florence to Rome train in on day 6 itself. Instead, take the last train from Florence back to Rome on the evening of day 5, after you return from Venice, and sleep in Rome that final night. Day 6 then simply becomes airport day with no extra sightseeing attempted, which sounds like a downgrade but is genuinely the safer call, an early flight combined with a same morning train leaves zero room for delays.
What This Trip Actually Costs
Budget travellers should expect to spend around 420 to 500 euro per person across the six days, excluding flights. This covers accommodation, food, transport between cities, and entry tickets. Mid range travellers, particularly anyone booking closer to city centres in Florence and Venice, should budget 650 to 750 euro per person. Flights from Dublin or London typically run 60 to 180 euro return depending on the season. Train tickets alone, booked reasonably early, should come to roughly 100 to 140 euro per person for the full loop, Rome to Florence, Florence to Pisa and back, Florence to Venice and back, and Florence to Rome.
What We Would Do Differently
Book train tickets as early as your dates allow. Trenitalia and Italo both price tickets dynamically, similar to airlines, and the difference between booking two weeks ahead versus showing up at the station can genuinely be double the price on the Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice legs.
We would also resist the urge to add a second city on the way back through Rome on day 6. It is tempting to think you can fit in one more sight, but between the train, luggage, and airport timing, day 6 works far better as a wind down day than another checklist day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 6 days enough for Rome, Florence, Pisa and Venice?
Yes, this pacing works well specifically because Pisa and Venice are handled as day trips rather than full relocations, which avoids the packing and unpacking that eats time in a lot of multi city itineraries.
Should I stay overnight in Venice instead of doing it as a day trip?
You can, and it does change the experience, Venice empties out noticeably once day trip crowds leave in the early evening. The tradeoff is cost, Venice accommodation runs considerably higher than Florence, and dinner prices in Venice are steep enough that most visitors end up happier eating back in Florence anyway.
What happens if my flight home is early morning?
Do not plan on taking the Florence to Rome train on day 6 itself if your flight is early. Take the last train back to Rome on the evening of day 5 instead, after returning from Venice, and treat day 6 purely as airport day.
Do you need to book Uffizi and Vatican tickets in advance?
Yes, both regularly sell out same day slots, particularly from spring through early autumn. Booking a few days to a week ahead is usually enough outside of peak July and August travel.
Is it worth taking a car for this route?
No, every leg of this itinerary is faster, cheaper, and less stressful by train. Italian city centres are also largely pedestrianised or have very limited parking, so a car mostly becomes a cost and a headache rather than a convenience.
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