Day 1: Red-eye flight to Milan, long layover in Amsterdam (sleep in Milan)

Day 2: Milan and Lake Garda (sleep in Bolzano)

Day 3 : The Dolomites (sleep in Bolzano)

Day 4: The Dolomites to Venice (sleep in Venice)

Day 5: Venice (sleep in Florence)

Day 6: Cinque Terre (sleep in Florence)

Day 7 : Florence (sleep in Florence)

Day 8: Day touring Tuscany (sleep in Florence)

Day 9: Florence and Rome (sleep in Rome)

Day 10: Rome (sleep in Rome)

Day 11: Rome-the Vatican (sleep in Rome)

Day 12: Rome-LDS Temple (sleep in Rome)

Day 13: Pompeii and Sorrento (sleep in Sorrento)

Day 14: Amalfi Coast, night in Naples (sleep in Naples)

Day 15: Fly home from Naples

Day 1: Flight/Afternoon in Amsterdam

Arrive in Amsterdam and store luggage

  • 7-hour 40-minute layover in Amsterdam

  • Store luggage at the airport

    • walk through the arrivals hall/train ticket purchasing area and down the stairs to the luggage storage (Pay per piece of luggage)

  • Buy round-trip tickets for the train into Amsterdam and back to the airport

    • Price: €10 round-trip

  • Book in Advance: Anne Frank House (11:00 am tickets)—you cannot enter if you don’t book in Advance!

    • Link: annefrank.org

    • Only book through annefrank.org, any tickets bought on other sites will not admit you into the museum

    • Every Tuesday at 10 am CEST (Amsterdam Time), all tickets become available for a visit six weeks later. These go fast! I woke up at 4 am MST to purchase tickets when they first became available

    • Price: € 16.00

  • Pancakes Amsterdam (next to the Anne Frank House)

  • Stroop waffles at Van Wonderen

  • Walk back to Central Station

  • Pick up bags and head to Security

    • We heard that the security line could be pretty bad so we made a reservation through the Schiphol app (you can also make one on their website). There was hardly any line, so the timed entry line wasn’t open.

  • Arrive in Milan at 6:35 pm and spend the night in Milan

Day 2: Milan and Lake Garda

Spend the morning in Milan

  • Pick up a rental car at the airport and checked out at 7:45 am

  • Park in P8r parking garage in Milan

  • Book in Advance: The Last Supper

    • Link: Last Supper Tickets (cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it)

    • Bookings open 3 months in advance for timed entry tickets

    • If you aren’t able to purchase tickets 3 months out, additional tickets go on sale every Wednesday at 12 pm (Milan time) for the following week

    • Price: € 16

  • Book in Advance: Milano Duomo with terraces and lift (9:30 am)

    • Link: ticket.duomomilano.it

    • We purchased the combo lift ticket, which has a timed entry for the terraces lift. We were able to avoid the standby line and saved tons of time!

    • Price: € 25.00

  • Lunch at Granaio Caffe e Cucina

  • If time walk through the shopping district Via Monte Napenapoleone, Milan

  • Start the drive to Bolzano

    • We stopped at Sirmione (a 1.5-hour drive), saw the castle, and walked through the little town

    • We drove up the East side of Lake Garda through cute small towns towards Riva Del Garda

  • Lake Garda Itinerary (use this itinerary from earthtrekkers.com if it is a sunny day)

  • Tip: Ask for cream on top of your Gelato! It’s not advertised as an option, but it is so yummy!

  • Stay the night in Bolzano

Day 3: The Dolomites

Wake up in Bolzano and spend the day driving through the mountain villages

  • We were there on Easter Sunday and Bolzano had a cute little Easter Market in the town square! We spent some time walking around the booths.

  • Full day in the Dolomites

  • Rick Steves Dolomites (4.5 hours, Bolzano→Cortina d’Ampezzo→Passo Pordoi→Bolzano)-We were going to drive this Rick Steves loop, but ended up giving a hitchhiker a ride. His stop wasn’t on the loop, so we did a quick change of plan.

  • Our Mountain Drive (West of Bolzano Loop)

    • Lana (Apple Capital of Italy)-Dropped off a hitchhiker

    • Merano

      • We LOVED this little German Italian Town!

      • Ate at Augustiner

    • Quellenhof

    • Winddegg (golf, spa)

    • Snowy mountain climb

    • Reifenstein Castle (toured, buy tickets at the door)

  • Dinner at Batzen Häusl pub (ate the classic South Tyrol dish Canederli)

  • Stay the night in the Dolomites (night 2) (Bolzano)

Day 4: The Dolomites to Venice

Wake up early to drive to Venice (3.5 hour drive through mountains, 2.5 hour drive through Verona)

  • Mountain drive from Bolzano to Venice

    • 3 ½ hour drive from Bolzano→Belluno→Venice

      • Drive through Carezza (ski town)

      • Drive through San Pellegrino (ski resort)

      • Stopped and took pictures of the mountains peaking out at Falcade Alto

      • Finished our drive to the Venice Mestre station

  • Drop off car at Mestre Station (5:00 pm)

    • Dropped off at the parking garage at the station

    • Take the Train to Venice St Lucia Station (bought tickets at the station)

    • 25-minute walk to Airbnb or water bus 2

  • Spend the afternoon/evening in Venice

    • Ate dinner at Osteria in Campo Santo Stefano (red snapper, shrimp and pesto gnocchi, ravioli, lasagna)

    • Walk around flooded San Marco Piazza at night

    • Gelato at Venchi

  • Stay the night in Venice

Day 5: Venice to Florence

Morning in Venice

  • Breakfast-crackers and cheese

  • Gondola rides (€90 for a boat with a max of 5 people)

  • Water bus ride through the Grand Canal

  • Museo Cerrero

  • Book In Advance: Combo Ticket for Museums and Doges Palace

    • Link: Combo Ticket Museums and Doges Palace (9 am - 5:45 pm)

    • This ticket allows you to skip the line, which will save you alot of time!

    • Includes entrance to Museums and Doges Palace

    • Price: $32 per person

  • Lunch at cafe to-go by station (sandwiches)

  • Book In Advance: Travel from Venice to Florence on Italo Train

    • Link: The Italian Train

    • 2 hours 15 minutes (we booked Italo trains because they were much cheaper than Trenitalia. Booked Prima Class)

  • Evening in Florence:

    • Cross the Ponte Vecchio and go to Michelangelo Park to watch the sunset and see the city at night (super crowded!)

    • Dinner at Pizza Ponte Vecchio

  • Stay the night in Florence (night 1)

Day 6: Cinque Terre

Day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre (we did this on a tour, but you can also take the trains and do it on your own)

  • Book in Advance: Viator Cinque Terre Guided Tour

  • Cinque Terre (See Viator link above for the full itinerary)

    • Train from La Spezia to Manarola

    • Train from Manarola to Corniglia (lunch)

    • Hiked from Corniglia to Vernazza

      • Castle Doria in Vernazza

    • Train from Vernazza to Monterosso

      • Beach in Monterosso

    • Train from Monterosso to Riomaggiore

      • Fried Fish Cone

    • Train from Riomaggiore to La Spezia, then a bus home

  • Nightly walk for Gelato

  • Sleep Florence (night 2)

Day 7: Florence

Full Day in Florence

  • Book in Advance: The David, Galleria Dell’Accademia Di Firenze

    • Link: The David, Academia

    • B-ticket is the only official place to buy tickets

    • This ticket allows you to skip the line

    • I recommend booking a time when The Academia first opens so you can see The David with fewer crowds (our entry time was 9:15 am)

    • Price: €20 per person

  • Breakfast at Oliandolo, just down the road from Academia, with a view of Duomo (amazing omelets, hot chocolate, and fresh-squeezed OJ)

  • Book in Advance: Dome Entry Bundle Ticket (12:00 pm)

    • Link: Bundle Ticket for Duomo, Bell Tower, Museum, and Baptistery

    • Arrive at Dome for Entry time, book in advance to skip the long line!

    • Free luggage/baggage storage included

    • You can use the ticket for the cathedral, bell tower, museum, and baptistery any time over 3 days

    • We timed this so the 3rd day of our ticket was the day we checked out of our Airbnb, so we could use the free luggage storage included with the ticket to store our luggage for the afternoon

    • Price: €30 per person

  • Bell Tower, part of the Dome Entry Bundle Ticket

  • Cathedral and Museum in the basement, part of the Dome Entry Bundle Ticket

  • Eat lunch at All’Antico Vinaio, Florence (sandwiches)

  • Shopped at Rive Gauche

    • Across the Ponte Vecchio

    • Handmade leather shoes and belts

  • If you have time, visit the Uffizi Gallery (you can purchase tickets day-of)

  • Sleep Florence (night 3)

Day 8: Tuscany Tour

Day trip to Tuscany

  • Siena

  • Fattoria Poggio Alloro (family-run farm and vineyard)

  • San Gimignano

  • Pisa

  • Book in Advance: Viator Tuscany Tour

  • Places to Visit on each stop of the tour

    • Siena:

      • Palazzo Del Campo

      • Dolce Siena-almond cookies and cake

      • Bar Gelateria-Siena

    • San Gimignano:

      • Gelateria Dondoli-very unique gelato flavors!

        • My favorites were Rosemary Baby (raspberries and Tuscan rosemary) and Michelle (Sicilian almonds and saffron Cantuccini)

    • Pisa

      • You can enter the cathedral and baptistery for free, you just have to ask for a ticket from the visitor center

      • We didn’t think it was worth paying to go up into the leaning tower, but some people did and loved it

  • Florentine Steak Dinner-Toscanaccio

  • Stay the night in Florence (night 4)

Day 9: Florence and Rome

Morning in Florence

  • Store luggage at Duomo Baggage Storage-Free!

    • TIP: we checked out of our Airbnb on the 3rd day of our Duomo Combo Ticket (Book in Advance), which meant we could store all of our bags for free at their Baggage storage while we spent the morning and afternoon in Florence

  • Breakfast at Oliandolo Caffe Ristoro (we loved it so much we came back!)

  • Baptistry of St. John (part of Duomo Combo ticket)

  • Museo dell'Opera (part of Duomo Combo ticket)

    • Original Baptistry doors- Gates of Paradise

  • Travel to Rome (1.5 hour train)

  • Arrive in Rome and spend the evening:

    • Walk around our neighborhood

    • Dinner at Osteria Del Curato

  • Stay the night in Rome (night 1)

Day 10: Rome

Day in Rome

  • Free Admission Day:

    • The first Sunday of each month is Rome’s free admission day. The tourist sights throughout Rome have free entry. This meant we could not book any tours or tickets in advance, but I would suggest buying Colosseum and Roman Forum tickets in advance if possible.

    • Link to buy in advance if possible: Roman Colosseum and Forum

    • Here is a list of Rome Attractions with Free Admission on the First Sunday

  • Colosseum

    • lined up for tickets at 7:40 am and had tickets by 8:50 am. There is only one line for both the Colosseum and Roman Forum tickets.

    • I would suggest getting to the Colosseum early to see it before all of the crowds

    • We used the Rick Steves app to guide our visit

  • Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

    • Same ticket as the Colosseum. Had to wait in a short line to enter.

    • We loved it and spent HOURS here!

  • Pantheon

    • Long lines for free entry (if possible, buy tickets in advance)

  • Trevi Fountain

    • SO crowded, try to go early in the morning (6 am) to avoid crowds

  • Spanish Steps

  • Watched sunset at the Gardens of Borghese

  • Stay the night in Rome (night 2)

Day 11: The Vatican

Day at the Vatican

  • Early morning walk to the Trevi Fountain to see it without crowds (even at 7:00 am there was still a bit of a crowd)

  • Book in Advance: The Vatican Tour—YOU MUST BOOK THIS IN ADVANCE to avoid a 5-hour wait in line. I recommend booking with a tour company that allows you to skip the line.

    • Link: Vatican and St. Peter’s Tour - this is the tour we booked and we really enjoyed it

    • Link: Vatican and St. Peter’s entry tickets (no tour), skip the line

    • Book a tour for a morning time slot to see the Vatican with fewer crowds

    • Easy to take the train from Rome to the Vatican (you can use tap to pay with Apple Pay)

    • Price-Tour: $108 per person

    • Price-Entry Tickets: prices vary based on bundle

  • Grab lunch near the Vatican

  • Finished the evening with hop-on/hop-off bus tour around Rome

  • We loved eating dinner at Pan Bernardo-their artichokes and sea bass ravioli were so yummy

  • Stay the night in Rome (night 3)

Day 12: Rome

Day in Rome

  • Croissants from McDonald’s (honestly, they are some of the best and cheapest in Rome!)

  • LDS Rome Temple and Visitors’ Center (30ish minutes outside of Rome)

  • Lunch at Fracco Ristorante Pizzeria (Via de Settebagni 310, a short walk from the Rome Temple)-we loved this restaurant!!

  • Grabbed gelato at the place right next door. (The Biscoff Gelato was so good!)

  • Ubered back into Rome for our cooking class.

  • Book in Advance: Rome cooking class, pizza.

    • Link: This is the cooking class we booked. I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t super impressed. I took a cooking class in Florence with my sister on a previous trip that was much better.

    • I have friends who loved their Ravioli or Pasta classes. I will check these out next time I am in Italy! (This one looks fun and has great reviews.)

  • Artichoke Festival in the Jewish Quarters

    • This was a fun surprise!

    • This festival is held the second week in April every year in the Jewish Quarters (near Campo de’ Fiori).

    • Each restaurant has a menu specifically for the festival featuring artichokes. In Rome there are two main styles of artichoke preparation—Roman Style (cooked in liquid) and Jewish Style (fried and crispy). Definitely try one of both!

    • Mouth of Truth (featured in Roman Holiday)-this near the Jewish Ghetto and was easy to go to after dinner

  • Walked around the city to see the sights at night.

  • Stay the night in Rome (night 4)

Day 13: Pompeii and Sorrento

  • 9:41 am train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale (arrive at 10:53 am)

  • Transfer to Regional Train Circumvesuviana toward Sorrento for train to Pompei (30 minute train ride)

    • Do not need to book train in advance

    • Get off at Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri train station

    • Store Luggage for free at pompeii site

  • Book in Advance: Pompeii self guided tickets 

    • Link: Pompeii Official Ticketing Site

    • There are many options for tickets. We purchase the Pompeii+ ticket. The additional sites included in this ticket are accessible from the main Pompeii area via a free shuttle. We stopped in Pompeii on our way from Rome to Sorrento and wanted time in the evening to spend in Sorrento. With our limited time there, we did not have time to see the additional sites and could have purchased the Pompeii Express ticket. However, for €4 extra, it might be worth the plus ticket to give you the option to see additional sites if time permits.

    • By booking in advance, you can skip the line of people waiting to purchase tickets on site

    • Price: €23 per person for Pompeii Plus Ticket

    • We used the Rick Steves App to guide our tour

  • Things to know about Pompeii:

    • Enter through Porta Marina

    • Luggage storage in available on site near this entrance

    • Starting November 15, 2025

      • Daily limit of 20,000 visitors

      • Time slots for the site of Pompeii during the summer months, the period with the highest number of visitors - from 1 April to 31 October- which will enable:

      • From 9.00 am to 1.00 pm, a maximum of 15,000 admissions (subdivided into 12,000 for Pompeii express and 3,000 for Pompei +)

      • From 1.00 pm to 5.30 pm, a maximum of 5,000 admissions (subdivided into 3,000 for Pompeii express and 2,000 for Pompei +)

      • Nominative tickets

  • Train from Pompei Scavi-Villa Dei Misteri to Sant’Agnello (1 hour train ride)

    • 15 minute walk to hotel (or uber)

    • Leave pompeii by 3:00ish

  • Late afternoon and evening in Sorrento Town Center (37 minute train ride from Airbnb)

  • Our airbnb was in Sant’Agnello in the Sorrento Area

  • Stay: Villa Crawford- Sorrento (booking.com) 

Day 14: Tour the Amalfi Coast

  • We hired a driver through the front desk of our hotel to take us on a tour of the Amalfi Coast

    • You could rent a car and do this drive on your own, but the roads are very narrow and windy. We were grateful we weren’t driving!

    • The cities on the Amalfi Coast are not accessible via train.

    • You can take a ferry from Sorrento to Positano

  • There are also tours you can book to tour the Amalfi Coast. This one has a great ratings: Tour Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi ($95/person)

  • Amalfi Coast Cities we visited:

    • Sorrento

    • Positano

    • Conca dei Marini

    • Amalfi

    • Ravello

  • Take regional train from Sorrento to Naples, buy tickets from kiosk at station

  • Spend the evening in Naples:

    • Napoli Pizza at Sorbillo

    • Naples fried pizza was delicious!

  • Stay: Naples airbnb-like accomodation through booking.com (It was a pretty sketchy area and we had problems getting ahold of the host to let us in. But the inside was very nice and modern. We picked it because we had a very early flight and this place was super close to the airport.)

Day 15: Fly Home

  • Ubered to airport for our 6am flight

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