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8 Day Rome, Florence & Venice Signature
Highlights: Rome, Florence, Venice
Trip start: Rome
Trip end: Venice
Price Range from $2,712 to $3,280 *
* USD per person based on 2-4 people, double occupancy. Custom designed personal tour. Prices subject to change.

National Geographic Adventure Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth '98.33 Client Satisfaction Rating'

Winner National Geographic 'Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth'
2008 & 2009

Trip Summary
Map of Itinerary
Expand [+]

Rome, Florence & Venice - three enigmatic cities, all with distinct character in one of the most vibrant countries of Europe. Enjoy time in Rome, from the floor of the Colosseum where gladiators fought, and the genteel halls of the Vatican where you will find the world's oldest book, to the site of the Trevi Fountain and the bustling piazzas and trattorias. Spend the next few days exploring the city of Florence and the Chianti region (with a mix of private and shared tours along with time at leisure) and finish your Italian tour in the most romantic city in the world - Venice. Explore the city by gondola and on foot, along the narrow alleys and laneways giving on to magnificent squares such as the Piazza di San Marco. Check out the famous hand blown glass at Murano, and visit nearby islands of Burano and Torcello. Smile - for what worries can you possibly have when everything is looked after seamlessly for you from start to finish... Bravo!


Day Activities Hotel
Day 1
Rome
  • Rome: Transfer - Private - Airport (Fiumicino/Ciampino) - Vehicle/Driver
  • Welcome Pack - Package
  • Lunch (not included)
  • Private - 1/2 d Walking Rome (3 hrs) - Guide
  • Dinner (not included)
Artemide (4*)
(Alt: Boutique Hotel Trevi)
(Alt: Forty Seven) (B)
Day 2
Rome
  • Shared - Vatican & Ancient Rome (with Lunch) (9 hrs) - Coach/Guide
  • Lunch (included)
  • Dinner (not included)
Artemide (4*)
(Alt: Forty Seven)
(Alt: Boutique Hotel Trevi) (B)
Day 3
Florence
  • Transfer - Private - Train Station (departure) - Vehicle/Driver
  • Train - Rome - Florence [2 hrs 30 mins] - High speed Train - 1st class
  • Florence: Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
  • Lunch (not included)
  • Dinner (not included)
Santa Maria Novella (4*)
(Alt: Grand Hotel Cavour) (B)
Day 4
Florence
  • Private - 1/2 d Walking Tour with Uffizi Gallery (3hrs) - Guide
  • Lunch (not included)
  • Self-Guided - Shopping
  • Dinner (not included)
Santa Maria Novella (4*)
(Alt: Grand Hotel Cavour) (B)
Day 5
Florence
  • Shared - San Gimignano & Siena (9.5 hrs) - Coach/Guide
  • Lunch (not included)
  • Continuation of day tour
  • Dinner (not included)
Santa Maria Novella (4*)
(Alt: Grand Hotel Cavour) (B)
Day 6
Venice
  • Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
  • Train - Florence - Venice [3 hrs] - 1st class
  • Venice: Self-Guided - Local Water Taxi (Train Station) Arrival
  • Lunch (not included)
  • Dinner (not included)
Palace Bonvecchiati (4*)
(Alt: Palace Bonvecchiati) (B)
Day 7
Venice
  • Private - 1/2 d Murano Glass Factory Tour (2 hr) - Boat/Transfer
  • Lunch (not included)
  • Private - Gondola Ride & Dinner - Gondola/Dinner
  • Dinner (included)
Palace Bonvecchiati (4*)
(Alt: Palace Bonvecchiati) (B)
Day 8
Venice
  • Self-Guided - Local Water Taxi (Airport) Departure
Depart (Int`l Airport) 
B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, 1/2d = Half Day, Al = All Inclusive

Trip Options
All of our itineraries may be customized as you wish, add extra days, change a hotel, see different sights. Contact one of our expert consultants for your free, no-obligation vacation plan.

Itinerary

Day 1 Rome

Rome, the 'Eternal City', is the capital of Italy. The historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Make sure to explore the sites of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. A few blocks away, Old Rome is the center of the medieval and Renaissance periods, with beautiful plazas, cathedrals, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Fountains of Trevi, Campo de' Fiori, Spanish Steps, and plenty of shopping and dining. Just across the river is the Vatican, the Papal City State and its endless treasure troves of sights, relics, and museums, as well as the surrounding Italian neighborhood, Vaticano. Via Veneto leads north into modern Rome to the train station and is lined with glitzy shops and hotels for every budget.

Enjoy a private Airport (Fiumicino/Ciampino) transfer with a private vehicle and driver.

A welcome package with your vouchers, a city map, train tickets (if relevant) and any other touristic information that we deem you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.

Discover Rome by foot on your guided 3 hour walking tour today.  Don't forget your camera as you visit the Spanish Steps, Scalinata, The Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, and Navona Square.

Hotel Artemide (4*) is a 19th-century property overlooking Rome’s central Via Nazionale, 500 metres from the Exhibition Palace and one kilometre from the Trevi fountain. Reception rooms at the Artemide Hotel retain original Art Nouveau features and the restaurant terrace boasts views of Rome’s city centre. Air-conditioned guestrooms feature minimalist or Art Deco-style decor with marble bathrooms and soundproof windows together with Internet access.  Under new Roman law, hotels charge a small amount per traveller per day as a “tourist tax”, which needs to be paid locally through your hotel in Rome. Amounts may vary, but currently the cost is 2EUR per person for 2* & 3* hotels and 3EUR for 4* & 5* hotels. The charges will be added to your bill upon check out and are non-negotiable.

Overnight at Artemide (4*).


Rome
Rome
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
Artemide Hotel
Artemide Hotel
Day 2 Rome

Spend the day on a shared tour in Rome. After being picked up from your centrally located hotel, you will pass by the Villa Borghese park, Porta Flaminia and cross over the Tiber river before reaching the Vatican Museum. During the visit you can admire the Hall of the Greek Cross, the Statue Gallery, the interesting cartographic study in the Geographical Maps Gallery, the Raphael Rooms, entirely frescoed by the Master and, above all, the Sistine Chapel. This is where Popes are elected and where you will find the Genesis and Last Judgement works by Michelangelo which have been recently restored. Please note that during high season there may be queues to enter the museums. Enjoy lunch (drinks included) before spending the afternoon exploring some of the most fascinating sights of the city in the company of an English speaking guide on board an air-conditioned coach. Crossing Piazza della Repubblica with the Najadi’s Fountain, you will continue along Via Nazionale till Piazza Venezia, heart of the city with the Monument to Victor Emanuel II also called "Vittoriano" – Continue by bus to the Colosseum and the surrounding Arches of Costantine and Tirus and have a walk into the Roman Forum, the most important archeological area in the world, and possibly the Capitol Square. Proceed to Theatre Marcello to reach St. Paul’s Outside the walls by coach where you will enjoy a visit. At the end of the shared tour you will be brought back to your hotel.

Overnight at Artemide (4*).


St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
Day 3 Florence

Even among Italy's finest cities, Florence is something special, rising from the beautiful landscape of Tuscany as a living piece of history. Everywhere you turn you'll see works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Brunelleschi and any number of Masters of Italy's Golden Age. It is in the museums and galleries of the city that most of Florence's treasures are concentrated. The piazzas are full of fashionable boutiques and ever more fashionable people, and the café is still central to the Florentine social life. In the evening the city lights up and its squares and streets are thronged with visitors and locals taking their "passeggiata" as the denizens of the city have done for thousands of years.

You will be met by a private driver and escorted from your accommodation in Rome to the train station in good time to catch your train.

Enjoy the train ride from Rome to Florence. Train duration is approximately 1 hour 30 mins.

Take a private train station transfer in Florence. Please note that a surcharge may be post billed to you if you require a transfer after 8pm or before 7am.

Santa Maria Novella Hotel (4*) is located steps away from Florence central train station. The Santa Maria Novella Hotel opens its windows onto the piazza with the same name. The view offers exclusive glances of Santa Maria Novella Cathedral. This hotel is a marvellous painting of history, art and culture dating back to the nineteenth century with the name of Hotel Nazionale, a stop for businessmen and artists from all over the world.The restoration, entrusted to Mrs. Marianna Gagliardi, architect, aims to an extreme detail care in the lacquered boiseries, the textiles, the drapes, the curtains, the French furnishings and the antiques. Today, the Santa Maria Novella Hotel is with no doubt the most chic address in Florence to visit the city from a privileged point of view.

Overnight at Santa Maria Novella (4*).


Florence
Florence
Hotel Santa Maria Novella
Hotel Santa Maria Novella
Day 4 Florence

Enjoy a half day walking tour with your private English speaking local guide in Florence, taking in a visit to the Uffizi gallery. You will be met at your hotel and proceed on foot to view the Piazza Duomo and Piazza della Signoria.  This personalized tour will give you local insight into the real history and hidden gems. A visit to Florence is not complete without visiting one of the most important art galleries in the world, the Uffizi. Enjoy a private guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery to have an unforgettable journey through the masterpieces of famous artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Giotto, Cimabue and Masaccio. At the end of the tour, you are free to remain in the museum to explore further at your leisure. (The tour includes a prebooked entrance and guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery in English).

Florence is a great city for browsing and shopping. The street for antiques is Via Maggio: some of the furnishings and objets d'art here are from the 16th century. Florence's Fifth Avenue is Via dei Tornabuoni, the place to head for the best quality leather goods, for the best clothing boutiques, and for stylish but costly shoes. Here you'll find everyone from Armani, Gucci, Versace, Coveri, to Ferragamo. Besides shops, Florence is rich in open-air markets. The Market of San Lorenzo, situated in the center of the city, is worth checking out. The New Market, where one can acquire leather goods and souvenirs, is sheltered under the sixteenth-century Loggia del Porcellino. At the Flea Market, near Piazza Santa Croce, where you may able to make good deals on small antique items.

Overnight at Santa Maria Novella (4*).


Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery
Shopping in Florence
Shopping in Florence
Day 5 Florence

Enjoy a full day shared tour which gives you the opportunity of discovering the Chianti region. A coach with an English speaking Guide will first take you through the countryside of the Chianti area with ever-changing scenery of vineyards and olive trees. Enjoy a visit to San Gimignano, a tiny city that has remained intact through the centuries. The city is situated on top of a hill and is famous for its numerous towers, frescos and other art treasures. On arrival in Siena there is some free time for lunch (not included). Your guide will than bring you on a escorted visit through this magnificent city. You will see the Cathedral situated in the Piazza dal Campo, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Located near this famous Piazza is the Town Hall, and San Domenico, which is known for it's numerous treasures of Italian painting. During the return journey you will see the old medieval village of Monteriggioni enclosed by its famous walls which are still standing strong.

Overnight at Santa Maria Novella (4*).


San Gimignano
San Gimignano
Day 6 Venice

In the rich cultures of Europe and celebrated cities of Italy, few places capture the imagination as much as Venice. Its fabled canalled thoroughfares and gilded palaces possess a beguiling beauty unsurpassed by anywhere else on Earth. Everywhere you go you'll find works of art - in the architecture itself or within the walls of the palaces and basilicas that are liberally sprinkled in every area of the city. Venice is an ever-changing, living canvas. No other place has such a mutable geography where you can discover delightfully peaceful piazzas and deserted canals seemingly unmarked on any map. Quite simply, there is nowhere else in the world quite like it.

Take a private train station transfer in Florence. Please note that a surcharge may be post billed to you if you require a transfer after 8pm or before 7am.

Enjoy the train journey from Florence to Venice by fast speed train. Travel time is approximately 2 hours 40 mins.

The Venice Santa Lucia Train Station is the main station travelers arrive and depart from in Venice. It’s a modern building in the main city and is connected to the Grand Canal. The station is a great entrance to the ancient city of Venice and is very easily accessible by public transport and local water taxis. Upon your arrival, please follow the signs and make your way to the exit. Walk down the steps and veer left towards the LOCAL WATER TAXI stand, between the bridge and the vaporetto station. Join the queue and instruct the driver to take you to your specific hotel. Please be aware that not all hotels have a private boat launch so you may be dropped off at the nearest water taxi stand. It is a short walk to your hotel from there. When departing, please ask your hotel to arrange a water taxi for you. Please note that a private boat transfer can easily be arranged for you and by local Venetian Law, the price is approximately 120-300 Euro.

The Palace Bonvecchiati (4*) is located in the heart of Venice, has the most privileged position of any 4-star hotel in Venice: the hotel is in Calle Goldoni, just a 3-minute walk from Saint Mark's Square and 5 minutes from the Rialto Bridge. Palace Bonvecchiati is unique to Venice: a modern luxury hotel in the heart of historic Venice. The lounge is of exceptional class and elegance, where authentic contemporary works of art are found as a counterpoint to the very original red sofas that stand out against the terrazzo floor and the precious marble of the walls.

Overnight at Palace Bonvecchiati (4*).


Venice
Venice
Palace Bonvecchiati Hotel
Palace Bonvecchiati Hotel
Day 7 Venice

Take a guided 2 hour private tour to Murano on your own private boat with an English speaking guide. After being picked up by your guide in your hotel, take in the sights as you sail past the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Public Gardens, the tip of Sant'Elena and the famous Arsenal of the Venetian Republic. You will reach Murano, known throughout the world for its glass manufacturing industry. We will visit one of the most famous and ancient glass factories, where you will enjoy a live glass blowing demonstration performed by a Maestro Glass Maker and will have time to visit the Glass show rooms. At the end of the visit your tour Guide will bring you back to your hotel or to central Venice.

Sit back and relax on a marvellous and enchanting half an hour evening gondola ride through the Grand Canal and inner canals of Venice. You will breathe the atmosphere of this ancient city built on water. Your gondola will take you to the Restaurant da Raffaele, where you can enjoy typical traditional veneta and Italian plates. Departure from Santa Maria Del Giglio Gondola Station (next to Hotel Gritti) at 07.00 pm, arrival at restaurant around 7.30-07.40 pm.

Overnight at Palace Bonvecchiati (4*).


Glass Blowing Factory
Glass Blowing Factory
Moored gondolas
Moored gondolas
Day 8 Venice

Take a water taxi from your hotel to the airport. Your hotel concierge should be able to help you with the arrangements on site. The fare to the Venice Airport is dependent on the location of your hotel and how many people are traveling with you. Alternatively, if you would like to have a private transfer arranged for you in advance, please speak to your Sales Advisor.

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport).



Trip Includes
Guaranteed departure - Accommodation, Activities, Transfers, Meals, Fees where indicated as per the itinerary - Local and international traveler assistance during your tour - Specialised and personalised services

Trip Excludes
Tips - Laundry - Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages unless explicitly noted - Optional activities/extras – Visas (unless noted) - Vacation insurance

Trip Terms & Conditions

  • Your deposit is due immediately on booking (30% of program price, minimum $250). The balance is due 90 days prior to departure. We accept payment via credit card, certified check, wire transfer or money order.
  • Tour quotes do not include airfare to/from the trip start point unless noted on the itinerary
  • Cost increases in currency exchange, government fees, taxes, surcharges or hotel/lodge tariff increases between quote date and start date are payable by the client.
  • Availability cannot be guaranteed until booked. We will exercise best efforts to book hotels per the itinerary, however, in busy seasons and with client bookings made within 90 days of tour date we may be forced to offer substitutes.
  • Cancellations of confirmed bookings 90 days or more prior to departure will receive full refund minus a $350 (per person) administrative fee and any non-refundable paid fees (e.g. non-refundable airfare, cruise or hotel deposits). 60-89 days will be subject to loss of deposit. 30-59 days will be subject to loss of 50% of program price. 29 days or less will be subject to 100% of program price.
  • Payment of the program price constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions set out at www.kensingtontours.com/terms-and-conditions
  • Living Standards and practices at destination may differ from those in North America with respect to provisions of utilities, services and accommodation.