Luxury
Hotel de Russie, Rocco Forte
Rome · Piazza del Popolo
Between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. Secret Garden courtyard, Le Jardin de Russie and the celebrity Stravinskij Bar.
From 780€Check prices→
01
Excursions
The most-booked experiences on the island · book with free cancellation
Tours & excursions · Best-sellers on Viator
The eight best-reviewed excursions across Italy
Hand-picked from Viator's top-rated experiences on Italy, sorted by review volume and average rating. Free cancellation up to 24 h before, reserve now and pay later.
- ◆ Free cancellation 24 h
- ◆ Reserve now, pay later
- ◆ Instant confirmation
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Culture3 hVatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter's — skip-the-line
4.7(42,000 reviews)
Priority Vatican entry, Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's.
From
£62per person
- Priority Vatican entry
- Raphael Rooms & Sistine Chapel
- St Peter's Basilica walkthrough
Culture3 hColosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill guided tour
4.7(38,000 reviews)
Skip-the-line Colosseum with the Roman Forum + Palatine included.
From
£54per person
- Skip-the-line Colosseum
- Roman Forum + Palatine
- Gladiator arena floor option
Nature10 hAmalfi Coast full-day tour — Positano, Amalfi & Ravello
4.8(5,400 reviews)
Cliff-road drive through the three postcard villages of the coast.
From
£95per person
- Positano, Amalfi, Ravello
- Cliff-road panoramas
- Lemon-grove tasting
Boat & beach8 hCapri Blue Grotto & island boat tour from Sorrento
4.7(6,900 reviews)
Blue Grotto access, Faraglioni and a swim stop at Marina Piccola.
From
£110per person
- Blue Grotto access
- Faraglioni sea stacks
- Marina Piccola swim stop
Culture3 hUffizi & Accademia — David + Botticelli skip-the-line
4.8(12,000 reviews)
Michelangelo's David plus the Uffizi's Renaissance greatest hits.
From
£78per person
- Accademia — David
- Uffizi Botticelli & Da Vinci
- Renaissance-expert guide
Food & wine8 hChianti wine tour from Florence with lunch
4.9(4,800 reviews)
Two family wineries and a Tuscan lunch in the vineyards.
From
£120per person
- Two family wineries
- Tuscan lunch in the vines
- Greve + Castellina villages
Culture4 hVenice — St Mark's Basilica + Doge's Palace + gondola
4.7(7,200 reviews)
The three headline experiences of Venice bundled into one morning.
From
£85per person
- Skip-the-line St Mark's
- Doge's Palace + Bridge of Sighs
- Shared gondola ride
Adventure6 hMount Etna 4×4 sunset tour from Taormina
4.9(3,400 reviews)
Silvestri craters, lava caves and a Sicilian wine tasting on the slopes.
From
£95per person
- Silvestri craters
- Lava caves
- Sicilian wine tasting
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02
Towns
The essential villages and what to do in each
01 · SeptRome
Two millennia in one walk — Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon and Trastevere trattorias. Base four nights near Piazza Navona or Monti.
Read the guide →- 04 · Sept
Florence
The Renaissance city — Uffizi, David, Duomo. Two hours from Rome on the Frecciarossa.
Read the guide → 
06 · SeptVenice
118 islands and 400 bridges. Sleep in the sestiere of San Marco or Dorsoduro; escape the day-tripper waves at dawn.
Read the guide →- 08 · Sept
Amalfi Coast
Positano, Amalfi and Ravello on the world's most photographed cliff road.
Read the guide → - 10 · Sept
Capri
Faraglioni, Blue Grotto and the Piazzetta — the world's original dolce vita island.
Read the guide → - 12 · Sept
Taormina · Sicily
Clifftop Greek theatre facing Etna and the Ionian sea — the White Lotus setting.
Read the guide →
03
Town map
Filter by category and see what to do in each town
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VerComerPlayaExcursiones● Beach
04
Beaches
Beach-by-beach guide with parking, best time and facilities
6 handpicked beaches
Beaches on this island
Each beach has its own guide: where to park, the best time to arrive, what's actually on site, the beach bars worth recommending and what to avoid.
Town beach300 m
Spiaggia Grande, Positano
Positano
The pastel amphitheatre — Positano's front-row beach
- ◆
- Parking: Paid car parks in the upper town — walk down 300 steps.
- ◆
- Best time: Golden hour for the light on the village.
Rocky cove150 m
Isola Bella, Taormina
Taormina
The tiny islet reached by a sandbar at the foot of Taormina
- ◆
- Parking: Public lot at Mazzarò or take the cable car from Taormina.
- ◆
- Best time: Morning for snorkelling; late afternoon for photography.
Sandy beach1.5 km
Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre
Monterosso al Mare
The only true sandy beach of the Cinque Terre
- ◆
- Parking: Paid lot at Fegina — small, arrive by train.
- ◆
- Best time: May–June and September for calm sea without crowds.
Town beach200 m
Marina Piccola, Capri
Capri
Facing the Faraglioni sea stacks under Monte Solaro
- ◆
- Parking: Take the funicular from Marina Grande + bus 'Marina Piccola'.
- ◆
- Best time: Late morning — sun swings behind the cliff by 4pm.
Sandy beach230 m
Fetovaia, Elba
Campo nell'Elba
Elba's most photogenic cove — a granite crescent on Napoleon's island
- ◆
- Parking: Paid summer lot at the road above the beach.
- ◆
- Best time: Morning — the cove faces south and gets full sun.
Wild cove600 m
Cala Mariolu, Sardinia
Baunei
The Gulf of Orosei's most photographed cove, boat-access only
- ◆
- Parking: No road access — depart by boat from Cala Gonone or Santa Maria Navarrese.
- ◆
- Best time: Board the 09:00 boat to arrive before crowds.
05
Sleep
Beds worth the trip
Style
Luxury
Hotel Splendido, A Belmond Hotel
Portofino · Ligurian Riviera
16th-century monastery clinging to the pines above Portofino harbour. Saltwater pool and legendary sunset aperitivo.
From 1,100€Check prices→
Luxury
Le Sirenuse
Positano · Amalfi Coast
Family-owned 18th-century palazzo. La Sponda (1★) lit by 400 candles and the most photographed pool on the Amalfi Coast.
From 950€Check prices→
Luxury
Aman Venice
Venice · Grand Canal
16th-century Palazzo Papadopoli on the Grand Canal — Tiepolo frescoes, two private gardens and only 24 suites.
From 2,200€Check prices→
Boutique
Belmond Villa San Michele
Fiesole · above Florence
15th-century Franciscan monastery with a façade attributed to Michelangelo. Views over Brunelleschi's dome.
From 1,400€Check prices→
Luxury
Passalacqua
Lake Como · Moltrasio
18th-century villa reborn in 2022 — World's #1 Hotel 2023. 24 suites, terraced gardens, private jetty.
From 1,800€Check prices→
Popular areas in Italy
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06
Eat
Tables jotted on a napkin
- Book →
La Pergola (3★)
Heinz Beck · Rome's only 3-star · Rome · Monte Mario
- Book →
Enoteca Pinchiorri (3★)
Tuscan grande dame · Florence
- Book →
Reale (3★)
Niko Romito · Abruzzo mountains · Castel di Sangro
- Book →
La Sponda (1★)
Amalfi Coast · 400 candles · Positano
- Book →
Otto Geleng (2★)
Michelin terrace over Etna · Taormina
- Book →
Roscioli
Rome's cult carbonara & cacio e pepe · Rome · Campo de' Fiori
07
Diario
A journal entry
Entry 03 · Wednesday
Vatican Museums at first light
07:30 breakfast entry through the Cortile della Pigna — 90 minutes with the Sistine Chapel almost to ourselves. Walk down Via della Conciliazione to St Peter's for the 09:30 opening. Late lunch: cacio e pepe and carbonara at Roscioli near Campo de' Fiori. Afternoon Pantheon and Trevi with the crowds gone. Aperitivo on the rooftop of the Hotel de Russie at 19:00 — the sun sets pink over the terracotta.
- ✓Book Vatican breakfast entry 6 weeks ahead
- ✓Roscioli takes reservations at 09:00 CET, 60 days out
- ✗Pantheon is now ticketed — 5€, skip-the-line online
08
Itineraries
Ready-to-copy routes
5 days · Rome & Amalfi
Two nights in Rome (Vatican + Colosseum) and three on the Amalfi Coast in Positano or Ravello, with a Capri boat day.
Leer itinerario →7 days · Rome + Florence + Venice
The Grand Tour classic by Frecciarossa: Rome, Florence with Chianti, and Venice with the lagoon islands.
Leer itinerario →10 days · Italy end-to-end
Add Lake Como, Cinque Terre or Puglia and finish in Taormina or Sardinia for a beach-and-Etna finale.
Leer itinerario →09
Practical
What we've noted for next time
Getting there
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Milan Malpensa (MXP) are the two long-haul hubs. Venice (VCE), Naples (NAP) and Catania (CTA) are useful regional bases. Frecciarossa and Italo trains link Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Venice at 300 km/h.
Getting around
Rely on high-speed rail between big cities: Rome–Florence 1h30, Florence–Venice 2h, Rome–Naples 1h10. Rent a car for the Amalfi Coast, Chianti, Puglia and Sicily. Avoid driving in Rome, Florence or Naples historic centres — all are ZTL (limited-traffic) zones with heavy fines.
Best time to go
May–June and September–early October are the sweet spots — warm sea, open beach clubs, no August madness. Avoid Ferragosto (mid-August): Italy shuts, coasts overflow. February for Venice Carnival, December for a snowy Rome without queues at the Vatican.
Emergencies
112 pan-European number. Public hospitals (SSN) are free at point of use for EU visitors with a EHIC/GHIC. Farmacie with a green cross are on 24 h rotation in every city — 'farmacia di turno'.