1 Week in Italy: Where to Go and What to See in 7 Days

There are a few things you'll need to plan ahead of time to set yourself up for a successful trip. Purchase museum and attraction tickets before you travel (or at least a few days before you plan to visit), because popular tourist spots book up fast. Without a ticket, you could be standing in an hours-long line just to get in.

As far as getting there, we flew into Venice and out of Rome; this is your best option so that you don't waste time backtracking to your original destination to catch a plane home. You could start in Rome and end in Venice, but the quiet (read: no cars), laid-back atmosphere of Venice made it easier to get acclimated. To make this work, you'll want to choose a flight that puts you into Italy early in the morning so you can sleep on the plane and hit the ground running when you arrive. If you have the extra time in your schedule, though, fly in the night before and get a good night's sleep in a real bed before your sightseeing begins.

Another expert tip: Cell-phone service can be spotty, and Google Maps may not always be able to save you. Pick up a detailed paper map in each city so you can easily navigate by foot or on public transportation. Use the more reliable hotel WiFi to pinpoint the exact location of any restaurants you are dying to visit, and mark them on the map before you head back out.

The best way to get around Venice is by boat (this includes getting from Marco Polo Airport to the historic city center). Your best bet here is to prepurchase the Venezia Unica City Card, a customizable, all-in-one pass that you can use for public transportation and admission to Venice's most popular attractions. Our pass included airport transfer, 48 hours' use of the vaporetti (public water buses), and admission to the St. Mark's Square museums and the Teatro La Fenice.

We chose to keep our first day light so we would have time for a nap/jet-lag recovery. Because we arrived in the morning, it was too early to check in to our hotel, but they were more than happy to store our bags while we went exploring. We grabbed breakfast, then headed straight for Teatro La Fenice, one of Venice's famous opera houses. It has burned to the ground more than once, but each time it has been reconstructed to echo its original splendor. Take advantage of the free audio tour to learn the tragic history of this popular theater.

The vaporetti are nice, but you can't visit Venice without a leisurely, romantic gondola ride. The prices are steep (€80 before 7 p.m. and €100 after), but it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is not to be missed. This is one that you don't need to worry about booking in advance; just head for the Grand Canal area across from St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and you'll see the gondolas among the water taxis and vaporetto stops. If the price is a bit scary for you, know that the cost can be split among up to six passengers; it's a great way to save a few euros if you aren't so worried about the romance part.

For dinner, we wandered the streets around St. Mark's until we stumbled upon Rossopomodoro, which had actually been recommended by a friend. While it is a chain restaurant, the first was opened in Napoli, and it serves up a killer pizza margherita. If you are a bit more adventurous, my husband dined on a fried pizza with three cheeses, grated lemon zest, and (gulp) anchovies.

We spent the majority of our morning and early afternoon in St. Mark's Square because there is so much to see. We started at St. Mark's Basilica, which is free to enter, but you could be stuck waiting over an hour to get in. It's worth the €2 to purchase "skip the line" tickets before your visit. We bought ours that morning and had no problem reserving a convenient time. Once you've sufficiently ogled the intricate mosaics of the basilica, take the stairs up to the St. Mark's Museum (€5), which gives you access to the rooftop balcony and impressive views of St. Mark's Square and the Grand Canal. Make note: all places of worship that you may visit in Italy require modest dress. This means knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. Most of the major tourist sites offer complimentary paper scarves if you show up in short shorts or a midriff, but plan to cover up just in case.

Our next stop was Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), which we had already purchased tickets for as a part of our City Pass. The palace is huge and ornate and was once the religious and government center of Venice, as well as the home of the doge (duke). Most interesting to me was the Bridge of Sighs, the bridge connecting the palace to the (no longer in use) prison. Legend has it that prisoners would sigh as they stole their final glimpse of freedom before entering the prison.

Venice is technically made up of more than 100 small islands, and we ventured out to explore a couple on our second afternoon. Our first visit was to San Giorgio Maggiore, just across the lagoon from the historic city center. Exploring the church and its grounds is free, but we did pay a few euros to ride the elevator to the top of the bell tower. I suggest skipping the long lines at the St. Mark's bell tower in favor of San Giorgio Maggiore's quiet atmosphere and panoramic views of Venice.

From there, we made our way to Isola di San Michele, an island that has been used as Venice's cemetery since the 1800s. A bit macabre, perhaps, but it provided a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of the city center and offered a unique glimpse into Venetian traditions and history.

No trip to Venice is complete without an evening spent people watching in St. Mark's Square. We chose Caffè Florian, a Venice establishment dating back to the 1700s. You'll pay €6 per person surcharge just for sitting down to hear the orchestra play, but the experience is well worth it. We added macarons and a couple of drinks to our tab and settled in for a romantic evening while music and dancers swirled around us.

Our first day in Florence began with a trip to Piazza del Duomo, a square in the heart of Florence that houses the medieval Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (once the largest church in Europe), Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, a baptistry, and a museum. Admission to the cathedral is free, but you'll need a €15 ticket to explore the other sites on the piazza. This will also give you the opportunity to choose a time to climb the dome and bell tower so you aren't stuck waiting in yet another long line.

At 463 steps, it's a long climb to the top of the dome, but your hard work will be rewarded with views of Florence and the surrounding hills of the Tuscany region. The bell tower has almost as many steps and similar views, and the baptistry allows you to rest your legs and admire the mosaics until you are ready for more walking. The museum is a wealth of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque masterpieces that took up a surprising part of the afternoon to explore.

Be sure to check opening and closing times for each building before you go — we thought we knew the schedule, but there was a different one posted on the doors of the baptistry when we arrived, so we had to rearrange our plans a bit in order to see everything.

We weren't exactly dressed for a nice meal following our bike tour, so we walked across the Ponte Vecchio bridge and back into the Oltrarno district for dinner. During my pretrip search for the best pizza in Italy, I stumbled across multiple recommendations for Gusta Pizza, and it did not disappoint. The service was quick and friendly, and most of the brick-oven pizzas and calzones on the short menu were less than €6. Perfect postride fuel.

We hopped on another train from Florence to Rome and arrived at the busy Roma Termini station midmorning. We dropped our bags at the hotel and walked straight for the Colosseum. The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are just across the street, so give yourself at least half the day to explore these ancient Roman ruins. Unfortunately, even our prebooked tickets didn't allow us to skip the long line, so this is one case where I would recommend spending the extra money on a guided walking tour that does allow you to skip the line. You can book this ahead of time, or there were plenty of tour guides offering up their services as we approached the entrance.

Our final day of sightseeing was spent at the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, another stop where you will want to block off at least half your day to see. Entry to St. Peter's Basilica is free, but you'll need a ticket for the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The lines were long enough that I would advise booking in advance. Also worth the price of admission is a climb to the top of St. Peter's Dome. It'll only cost you an additional €6-€8 (a bit more expensive if you choose to bypass the first set of stairs by taking the elevator) and you'll get gorgeous 360 degrees of St. Peter's Square and all of Rome.

Ancient Rome is only made more beautiful by moonlight. Take a stroll up the Spanish Steps, throw a few coins into Trevi Fountain (this is said to ensure your return to Rome), and grab a bite to eat on Piazza Navona or Piazza Campo dei Fiori. Don't forget to grab one more gelato before your time in Italy runs out.

For our final day in Italy, we thought it best to get a bit of R&R on the beach. Locals steered us away from the convenience and close proximity of Ostia Lido due to the cloudy water and crowds. We instead chose Santa Marinella, a beach with gorgeous clear water and less than an hour train ride from Rome. We paid about €30 for an umbrella and two beach chairs for the day, and there were plenty of options for food right on the beach. It was the perfect way to give our weary bodies a break from sightseeing and dream of our next European adventure.