Venice to Rome by Rail + Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

This escorted tour with Explore Worldwide follows Italy’s classic train route from Venice to Rome before continuing to the Amalfi Coast. Starting in Venice, you’ll navigate the city's canals and backstreets, crossing the Rialto Bridge and climbing the San Giorgio Maggiore bell tower for some of the best views of the lagoon. A high-speed train then takes you to Bologna, where long arcaded porticoes shield you from the elements, and a pasta-making session offers an insight into the city's culinary traditions.

Florence arrives next, with its Duomo dominating the skyline and the Ponte Vecchio spanning the River Arno. Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli appears briefly on the way to Rome, where the Colosseum and Forum recall an empire’s glory. After several days here, the tour heads south to the Bay of Naples. You’ll hike a gentle hour up Mount Vesuvius for views down to Naples and the sea, then visit Pompeii’s ash-preserved streets. Along the Amalfi Coast, a coastal walk passes lemon groves and ferry trips link the historic towns of Minori and Amalfi. The final two days take you to Sorrento and a possible visit to Capri’s Blue Grotto or Roman villas.

The pace combines guided group activity with ample free time. Trains link the cities efficiently, while local buses and ferries reveal the coast’s twists and heights. Along the way you’ll find narrow alleys as well as open piazzas, and a mixture of medieval, Roman, and Renaissance architecture. The trip ends in Sorrento after a mix of urban and coastal Italy.

New to Italy? Our Italy guide has the practical essentials: money, plugs, visas and when to go.

These are the places the trip visits, in order. Explore Worldwide publishes the day-by-day itinerary on its own site.