Lead-in price per person, based on two sharing. Tap any month and we’ll confirm live availability and the best price for your dates.
From prices are per person, based on two people sharing. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want, your departure airport and anything you add — tell us what you need and a UK specialist will confirm your price. ATOL 10713 protected.
A holiday to Italy costs from £259 per person, based on two people sharing. That covers 5 nights and return flights from London. November 2026 is the cheapest departure currently on sale. Secure it with £99pp and pay the balance nearer the time. Every holiday we sell is ATOL 10713 protected.
It is five nights in Italy’s two most famous cities: three in Rome, the high-speed train north — approximately three and a half hours — then two in Venice. You fly into Rome and home from Venice, and the train is included. Both stays are at 4★ hotels on a room-only basis. The advertised lead-in price is £259pp based on two sharing, from November 2026 to February 2027; July and August are the dearest at £499pp. Your exact price depends on dates, availability, room category and any options you add. It suits first-time visitors who want Rome and Venice in one short trip. No visa is needed, and every booking is ATOL protected under licence 10713.
Because it is the quickest sensible way between the two. The high-speed train takes approximately three and a half hours from Rome to Venice and is included, and it replaces a flight — with its airport transfers and security queues — with a morning on a train.
The flights are built around it. You fly into Rome and home from Venice, so the trip only moves forward, with no day lost going back to Rome for the flight home. Rome comes first because it needs more time and more energy; Venice, compact and car-free, is the gentler finish.
For a first visit, yes. Rome needs two full days: one for the Colosseum and the ancient city, and one for the Vatican Museums and an evening at the Trevi Fountain. Venice is small enough that one full day covers St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal.
If you want longer in either city, it can be priced on request, and your consultant confirms the figure in writing before you commit.
The advertised lead-in price is £259pp based on two sharing, for November and December 2026 and January and February 2027. October and March are £299pp; April is £399pp; May, June and September are £449pp; and July and August are the dearest at £499pp — £240 more than the cheapest months.
What the price buys: both flights, the high-speed train, and five nights at 4★ hotels, room only. What sits outside it: meals, attraction tickets, a gondola ride, airport transfers and travel insurance. In Venice, the city tourist tax is collected by your hotel. Tickets for the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums are worth booking ahead; we can arrange them if you would like them in place before you travel.
These are the World Meteorological Organization’s official averages for 1971–2000, supplied by the Italian Air Force’s Department of Meteorology.
| Month | Rome average high | Rome rainfall | Venice average high |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.9°C | 66.9mm | 6.6°C |
| March | 15.2°C | 57.8mm | 12.5°C |
| May | 22.8°C | 52.8mm | 21.5°C |
| July | 30.3°C | 19.2mm | 27.7°C |
| October | 21.4°C | 113.3mm | 18.0°C |
| November | 15.9°C | 115.4mm | 11.6°C |
October and March are the value picks, both at £299pp — £200 less than the peak. October is the warmer, with Rome at 21.4°C and Venice at 18.0°C, though it is one of Rome’s wetter months. March is cooler, at 15.2°C in Rome, but drier.
The £259 months are the cool ones. From November to February Rome averages 11.9°C to 15.9°C and Venice 6.6°C to 11.6°C, and November is Rome’s wettest month, with 115.4mm. They are the cheapest way to see both cities, provided you pack for the weather.
July and August are the heat, with Rome above 30°C. Plan outdoor sights for early morning. For more on the city, see our Venice guide, which prices every month against the weather.
It suits first-time visitors to Italy who want its two headline cities in one short trip; couples and friends travelling on a budget, particularly in winter; and anyone who would rather take a fast train than a domestic flight.
It is less suited to anyone who wants meals included, or who wants Florence as well — for that, see our Venice, Florence and Rome holiday. For a single city, there is our Rome city break and our Venice city escape.
| Holiday | Nights | Cities | Choose it if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome & Venice by High-Speed Train | 5 | Rome, Venice | You want the two headline cities in one short trip |
| Rome & Florence | 4 | Rome, Florence | You want Renaissance Florence rather than Venice |
| Venice, Florence & Rome | 6 | Venice, Florence, Rome | You want all three |
Our Italy multi-centre guide compares every Italian route we sell, with the trains between them.
You stay at a 4★ hotel such as Best Western Hotel Artdeco or similar, room only. The first full day is the ancient city, anchored by the Colosseum; the second is the Vatican Museums in the morning and the Trevi Fountain in the evening. Tickets for both the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums are worth booking ahead, particularly from spring onwards; they are not included, and we can arrange them.
The included high-speed train brings you to Venice, where you stay at a 4★ hotel such as Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal or similar, room only. Your full day covers St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal; a gondola ride is optional and paid locally.
The Venice access fee is not currently being charged: the City of Venice says it has not applied since 27 July 2026, and whether it returns in 2027 has not been decided. Even when it ran, overnight guests were exempt, because they pay the city tourist tax instead — collected by your hotel, per person per night, for up to five nights.
Entry rules are GOV.UK’s guidance, checked on 24 September 2026; the Venice access fee and tourist tax are the City of Venice’s, checked on 23 September 2026. Check the latest official requirements before you travel, as they can change.
Tell us your dates, your departure airport and who is travelling, and your consultant will confirm a live price, the hotels and the payment schedule in writing before you commit. The package is protected under ATOL 10713, and you receive an ATOL Certificate setting out what is covered. ATOL protects the money you pay if a travel company fails; it is not travel insurance, which you should arrange separately. For more city pairs, see our multi-centre holidays and city breaks.
Fly from London to Rome and make your way to your 4★ hotel, such as Best Western Hotel Artdeco or similar. The evening is yours.
The Colosseum is the day’s anchor. Attraction tickets are not included and are worth booking ahead.
The Vatican Museums fill a morning; the Trevi Fountain is the classic evening stop. Tickets are not included.
Take the included high-speed train north — approximately 3.5 hours — and check in to your 4★ hotel, such as Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal or similar.
A full day in Venice. A gondola ride is optional and paid locally.
Make your way to the airport for your flight home to London.
Not included / optional
The lead-in price is £259 per person, based on two sharing, for five nights including flights into Rome and home from Venice, the high-speed train between them, three nights in Rome and two in Venice at 4★ hotels, room only. That price applies from November 2026 to February 2027. July and August are the dearest at £499.
Flights from London to Rome and from Venice back to London, the high-speed train from Rome to Venice, three nights at a 4★ Rome hotel such as Best Western Hotel Artdeco or similar, and two nights at a 4★ Venice hotel such as Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal or similar, both room only. ATOL 10713 protection covers the package.
Meals, attraction tickets, a gondola ride, airport transfers and travel insurance are not included. Both stays are room only, so breakfast and all other meals are your own — which, in Rome and Venice, is rarely a hardship. We can quote transfers or tickets if you would like them arranged.
Approximately three and a half hours on the high-speed train, which is included. It runs on the fourth day, so the move between cities takes a morning on a train rather than a flight.
So the trip only moves forward. You travel from Rome to Venice by train and fly home from Venice, rather than returning to Rome for your flight, which saves the best part of a day you would otherwise spend travelling back.
Not at present, and probably not at all on this holiday. The City of Venice says its access fee has not been charged since 27 July 2026, and whether it returns in 2027 has not been decided. Even when it ran, visitors staying overnight in Venice were exempt, because they pay the city tourist tax instead.
Yes. The City of Venice charges a tourist tax on overnight stays, collected directly by your hotel rather than included in the package price. It is charged per person for each night, up to a maximum of five nights, at a rate that depends on the type and category of the accommodation.
No. Both stays are room only, so breakfast and all other meals are your own. Tell us when you enquire if you would like breakfast added, and your consultant will confirm the price in writing before you commit.
For a first visit, yes. Rome has more to see — the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and the Trevi Fountain need two full days — while Venice is compact enough that one full day covers St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal. A longer stay in either can be priced on request.
October and March are the best value for pleasant weather, both at £299 per person. In October Rome averages 21.4°C and Venice 18.0°C; in March Rome averages 15.2°C and it is one of the drier months. July and August are hottest and dearest, with Rome above 30°C, at £499.
November, December, January and February, all at £259 per person. They are the cool months: Rome averages 11.9°C to 15.9°C and Venice 6.6°C to 11.6°C, and November is Rome’s wettest month. They suit people who want the cities cheaply and are happy to wrap up.
Hot. The official average high is 30.3°C in July and 30.6°C in August, and it is the driest time of year, with about two to three rain days a month. Plan the Colosseum and other outdoor sights for early morning, and keep museum visits for the hottest hours.
No. Tickets for the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Doge’s Palace and other sights are not included. Booking ahead is worth doing, particularly in the busier months, and we can arrange tickets for you if you would like them in place before you travel.
No. A gondola ride is optional and paid locally. It is the classic Venice experience, and the evening of your full day in Venice is the natural time for it, after St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace.
No. The flights, the train and the hotels are included, but not transfers between the airports and your hotels. We can quote transfers for both cities if you would rather have them arranged before you travel.
In Rome, a 4★ hotel such as Best Western Hotel Artdeco or similar, and in Venice, a 4★ hotel such as Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal or similar, both room only. Hotels are named as examples of the standard; tell us if a particular property matters to you and we will price it directly.
No. Italy is in the Schengen area, and GOV.UK says British visitors can travel without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued less than ten years before you arrive and be valid for at least three months after you leave the Schengen area.
GOV.UK says that when you enter the Schengen area for a short stay you may need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and a photograph. Registration is free and your digital record is valid for three years, so it applies at your first crossing rather than on every trip.
Italy is one hour ahead of the UK all year, because both change their clocks on the same dates. It is a short flight with no jet lag, which is why five nights is enough for two cities.
This holiday covers Italy’s two most famous cities in five nights, room only. A three-city trip adds Florence between them for a longer holiday. If Florence matters to you, our Venice, Florence and Rome holiday is the one to look at; if you want the short version, this is it.
Yes. The package is protected under ATOL 10713, and you receive an ATOL Certificate setting out what is covered. ATOL protects the money you pay if a travel company fails; it is not travel insurance, which is not included and which you should arrange when you book.
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