Italian Express: The Best Of Italy

We will meet you at Venice Marco Polo Airport upon arrival and drive you to the hotel in a private car. Check into your hotel upon reaching there. You are free for the rest of the day. You can explore Venice on your own or book an optional activity with us.

The optional activity today is a private gondola ride. Enjoy cruising through Venice's canals, including the Grand Canal, for 30 minutes. The tour will come to an end at Station Vallaresso (Dogana). It can be booked on the spot.

Enjoy your breakfast before heading out on a guided walking group tour of Venice. Discover the major monuments of the city.

Start with the impressive San Marco Square. See Doge’s Palace and the famous Bridge of Sighs, the latter of which was crossed by prisoners before their execution. Your tour guide will also show you the lively part of the city, taking you to explore markets and artisan workshops. Finally, visit the majestic Golden Basilica. You can also visit the Basilica of San Marco after the guided tour is over (tickets included).

Join a group tour to the islands of Venice in the afternoon. This tour will give you the opportunity to visit the beautiful islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. While Murano is world-renowned for its glass products, Burano is known for its lace and colorful houses. Similarly, Torcello is famous for being the first settlement in Venice.

We suggest you try the traditional cicchetto while in Venice. Ask us the best place to enjoy the perfect cicchetti and we will help you find the place.

Check out of your hotel in Venice after breakfast and transfer to Florence by bullet train. Check into your accommodation before heading for a half-day guided group tour of Florence. Explore the most famous squares and streets of Florence.

The first part of the tour is focused on the beautiful hills surrounding Florence. We start with a panoramic bus ride along tree-lined roads to reach the beautiful Etruscan-Roman village of Fiesole, from where you can see stunning views of Florence and the Arno River Valley.

Stop for pictures at San Domenico, one of the most beautiful spots in town, before heading back to the city. Drive along the famous Lungarni to reach Basilica di Santa Croce and its historic square.

Follow your experienced tour guide to Piazza Della Signoria, the heart of the city’s social life, to admire the imposing architecture of Palazzo Vecchio and the famous statues of Loggia de' Lanzi, among which the magnificent Perseus by Cellini stands.

The final destination of the day is the Uffizi Gallery, where you can stand and admire the unique Renaissance masterpieces of great Italian artists like Leonardo, Giotto, Michelangelo, Botticelli and Raphael. You can stay inside the museum even after the guided tour is over if you want to.

Explore Cinque Terre by boat, train, and on foot during a full-day guided tour. Enjoy the most astonishing views of the seaside villages from land and sea and hike through its fabulous trails (including the famous via dell’Amore).

The tour includes roundtrip transfers, ferry tickets and a guided tour of Le Cinque Terre with an English-speaking guide. Hotel pickup and drop-off is included.

Transfer from Florence to Rome by high speed bullet train after breakfast. Check into your accommodation upon reaching the capital city and go out on a guided tour of the Colosseum and imperial Rome.

See the arch of Constantine, the biggest and one of the best preserved triumphal arches in Rome. From here your guide will take you inside the Colosseum (skip-the-line entrance tickets included), a must-visit in Rome.

Learn more about the history of the Roman empire from your tour guide. Leave the Colosseum behind and head for surrounding monuments such as Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum archeological area (no-ticket lines).

Also see the House of the Vestals, the Senate House, the Capitol Palace the Sacred Way and the Triumph Arches along with various temples.

Discover Pompeii during a 13-hour tour. Pompeii is the most compelling archaeological site in Europe, and its appeal goes beyond tourism. Much of its value lies not in the fact that it was an ancient settlement but in the fact that it was buried under a layer of lapilli (burning pumice stone), as Pliny the Younger describes in his celebrated account of the eruption.

The drive from Rome to Pompeii lasts about 3 hours and will be carried out by deluxe coach. A tour guide will lead your group. Also included is the entrance tickets to the ruins of Pompeii
and headsets while inside the excavation area. You will also get the chance to enjoy a typical Italian lunch with soft drinks today.

Explore the Vatican Necropolis and discover the catacombs underneath Saint Peter's Basilica during a 90-minute tour. In order to preserve this exceptional historical and archaeological site and due to limited space around the venerated tomb of the Apostle Peter, only around 250 visitors per day are permitted to enter.

Groups are composed of approximately 12 people and divided according to the guiding language. Each group is accompanied by a Vatican guide. Kindly note that conditions will be different underground, with a possible increase of temperature and humidity. Those who suffer from physical ailments that might be triggered or made worse by a place like this should avoid this tour.

See a variety of artwork at the Vatican Museums and take a trip to Sistine Chapel and the Basilica of Saint Peter before heading back to your hotel.

Join us on a half-day group tour of Rome after breakfast and explore the most important sites of the city. Visit Campo dei Fiori, certainly one of the most characteristic squares in Rome with its open-air market, as well as Piazza Farnese, which takes its name from the imposing Palazzo Farnese.

See Palazzo Spada, the brilliance of forced prospective introduced by the famous architect Borromini, before heading for the famous Piazza Navona, one of the most famous squares in the world. Piazza Navona is built upon the ruins of the ancient stadium of Domitian that was built in 89 AD. The symbol of the square is the Fountain of Four Rivers, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Also see Piazza della Rotonda and the Pantheon. Once inside the Pantheon, your expert guide will be glad to give a short explanation about the history and the architectural secrets of one of the gems of ancient architecture.

Head for Piazza Colonna, named after the second-century marble column celebrating the victories of Emperor Marcus Aurelius over the Germanic populations. At the present, the square is the centre of Italian political life. Trevi Fountain, probably the most famous fountain in Rome, is on the itinerary next. Admire this monumental masterpiece and don’t forget to throw a coin in the fountain.

End the tour in Piazza di Spagna, a paradise for fashion-conscious shoppers where you can find the most famous Italian and international fashion brands.

You are free in the afternoon after the tour is over.

We will transfer you to the airport after breakfast.