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 £339 per person, based on two people sharing. That covers 4 nights and return flights from London. January 2027 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.
Two nights in Rome and two in Florence at 4★ hotels with return flights from London and the high-speed train between the two cities. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Regional UK airports are available at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. January is the cheapest month and July the dearest. Museum entry, city tourist taxes, transfers and travel insurance are not included, and your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want and which UK airport you fly from.
Yes — and that is not the answer we give on our beach holidays, so it is worth explaining why this is different.
On a Mediterranean beach break the cheap winter months are cheap because the sea is too cold to swim and half the resort is shut. The low price is buying you the wrong holiday. On a city break it is not.
The Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi and the Accademia are the reason people come to these two cities, and all of them are indoors or queued for outside. In January the queues largely disappear. In July you are standing in them, in direct sun, having paid £429 rather than £339 for the privilege.
| Month | What you are getting |
|---|---|
| January 2027 | Cheapest; cold, but the galleries are empty |
| November | Mild, quiet, good light |
| February 2027 | As January, lengthening days |
| December | Christmas markets, still quiet midweek |
| October | Arguably the best month overall |
| May | Warm, before the crowds build |
| September | Warm, busy, good |
| June | Hot and filling up |
| August | Very hot; many Romans leave the city |
| July | Dearest, hottest, busiest |
October is the best all-round month — warm enough to be outside, quiet enough to move, and well below the July price. But if you are choosing on cost, January is a genuinely good city-break month rather than a compromise.
Bring a proper coat. Florence in January is colder than people expect, and Rome is not tropical either.
Because the train makes it almost free in time, and the two cities are completely different from one another.
The high-speed train between Rome and Florence takes around an hour and a half city-centre to city-centre, with no airport, no check-in and no transfer at either end. Adding a second city to an Italian trip costs you a morning.
Rome is imperial, baroque and enormous — the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican, and a scale that takes days to absorb. Florence is Renaissance and compact enough to cross on foot in half an hour, built around art rather than empire.
Two nights in each is tight but it is a real introduction to both. It is not enough to see everything in either, and nobody should pretend otherwise.
In Rome: the Colosseum and Roman Forum together are most of a day. The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are another half. The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are free and can be walked between in an afternoon.
In Florence: the Uffizi holds the Renaissance collection and the Accademia holds Michelangelo’s David. Both require booking ahead. The Duomo’s dome can be climbed, and the view from Piazzale Michelangelo across the river is the one everybody photographs.
The food changes between them. Roman cooking is offal, pasta and simplicity — carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana. Tuscan cooking is bread, beans, olive oil and grilled meat. They are genuinely different cuisines rather than regional accents.
Book the big museums before you fly. The Uffizi, the Accademia and the Vatican all sell timed entry, none of it is included in the package, and turning up without a slot in season means queuing for hours.
Trastevere in Rome is where to eat in the evening — a medieval quarter across the river with narrow lanes and no monuments to queue for, which after a day in the Forum is the point.
The Oltrarno in Florence is the equivalent: the south bank, where the workshops and artisans still are, and where the city feels less like a museum and more like somewhere people live.
Both cities reward getting up early. The Trevi Fountain at seven in the morning and the same fountain at two in the afternoon are different experiences, and the difference costs nothing.
All quoted at enquiry against your dates.
Flights are from London, around two and a half hours, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Italy is one hour ahead of the UK.
The high-speed train between Rome and Florence is included in the package and takes around an hour and a half, city centre to city centre. It is the most civilised part of the trip.
Both cities are walkable and both have metro or bus networks. Florence is small enough that you will barely need transport. Rome is not, and its historic centre is larger than it looks on a map — budget for taxis or the metro.
Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.
Italy is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave. A passport renewed early before October 2018 may carry months that no longer count.
The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, lasts three years and speeds up later trips. ETIAS is not currently required.
The city tourist tax is charged per person per night at each hotel and is not in the package price. On a two-city trip you pay it twice, at different rates.
Dress codes are enforced. St Peter’s and the Vatican Museums require shoulders and knees covered, and they turn people away at the door. The same applies at the Duomo in Florence.
Book timed entry early. This is the single practical thing that most changes how a short Italian trip feels, and none of it is included here.
Restaurants add a coperto cover charge and service is generally included, so tipping beyond rounding up is not expected. Kitchens often close between three and seven.
Watch your bag around Termini station in Rome and on crowded buses. Pickpocketing rather than anything worse, but it is persistent.
Validate regional train tickets before boarding where the ticket requires it — the green and white machines on the platform. Fines are issued on the spot and being a tourist is not accepted as a reason. The high-speed service between the two cities is booked to a seat and needs no validation.
Water is free and everywhere. Rome’s public drinking fountains run constantly and the water is good. Carry a bottle rather than buying one at monument prices.
Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. October is the best month all round. January is the cheapest, and on a city break of this kind it is a genuine recommendation rather than a compromise.
From £339 per person, reduced from £430, for two nights in each city at 4★ hotels with return London flights and the high-speed train between them. January is cheapest and July dearest. Your figure depends on dates and departure airport.
Genuinely, yes. The Colosseum, Vatican, Uffizi and Accademia are indoors or queued for outside, and in January the queues largely disappear. It is cold, so bring a proper coat, but cold is a small penalty when what you came for has a roof.
October — warm enough to be outside, quiet enough to move around, and well below the July price. May is the equivalent on the way up. If cost decides, January is a genuinely good city-break month.
Around an hour and a half on the high-speed service, city centre to city centre, with no airport or check-in at either end. It is included in the package and is the most civilised part of the trip. First class can be added.
It is tight but it is a real introduction to both. It is not enough to see everything in either, and we would not pretend otherwise. A third or fourth night is priced on request and this itinerary genuinely rewards it.
The package uses 4★ hotels and we confirm the exact properties in writing before you pay. If a central address matters to you, say so and we will price it.
Your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay, so there is no ambiguity about what is covered. If you would prefer half board or all-inclusive, tell us when you enquire and we will price it against your dates.
No. The Vatican Museums, Uffizi, Accademia and Colosseum all charge separately and all sell timed entry. Book before you fly — turning up without a slot in season means queuing for hours. We can add skip-the-line entry to your booking.
Yes, and the Accademia too. Both sell timed entry and both sell out in season. This is the single practical thing that most changes how a short Italian trip feels, and none of it is included in the package price.
Rome is imperial and baroque and enormous — the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican, at a scale that takes days. Florence is Renaissance and small enough to cross on foot in half an hour, built around art rather than empire. Genuinely different cities.
Yes, an Italian city tourist tax charged per person per night at the hotel and payable locally rather than in the package price. On a two-city trip you pay it twice, at rates set by each city separately.
Yes, and it is enforced at the door. St Peter's and the Vatican Museums require shoulders and knees covered, and they turn people away. The same applies at the Duomo in Florence. Plan what you wear on those days rather than improvising.
No. Italy is in the Schengen area and British passport holders can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid three months after you leave. Checked against GOV.UK on 17 September 2026.
Different cuisines rather than regional accents. Roman cooking is offal, pasta and simplicity — carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana. Tuscan cooking is bread, beans, olive oil and grilled meat. Eating in both is part of the argument for the twin-city trip.
No, airport transfers are not included at either end. Both cities have public transport from their airports, and we can add private transfers to your booking if you would rather have one waiting after the flight.
Less than people assume. The historic centre is larger than it looks on a map, and you will want the metro or taxis for some of it. Florence is the opposite — small enough that you will barely need transport at all.
Be alert rather than anxious. Termini station in Rome and crowded buses are where it happens, and it is pickpocketing rather than anything worse. Keep bags closed and in front of you and you will almost certainly have no trouble.
It is very hot, it is busy, and many Romans leave the city so some restaurants close. At £419 it is near the top of the range too. October or May give you better conditions for less money.
Our Naples and Amalfi Coast holiday starts for the coast and the food rather than the art. Milan, Lake Como and Venice runs six nights from £439. The 12-night Ultimate Italy Tour covers Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan from £799.
Yes, and on this itinerary it is the upgrade we most often recommend. Two nights in each city covers the headline sights and little else. A third night in either, or a fourth, is priced on request against your dates.
Ninety-nine pounds per person, with the balance due before travel. The holiday is ATOL 10713 protected and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. Prices are per person, based on two people sharing.
For travel dates, a few months is usually enough outside peak summer. For the museums, book as soon as your dates are fixed — the Uffizi, Accademia and Vatican timed slots go long before the flights or hotels become a problem.
Save 22%
ATOL Protected
Rome
Bed & Breakfast
“Visit the Colosseum and Roman Forum”
Save 21%
ATOL Protected
Milan
Bed & Breakfast
“Visit the iconic Duomo Cathedral”
Save 22%
ATOL Protected
Sicily
Room Only
“Visit Mount Etna and Taormina”
Tell us where you would like to go, how you want to travel, and what matters most to you. Our UK travel designers will build the itinerary around you.
Share the shape of the trip and a UK travel designer will come back to you within one working day with a costed proposal.
