Veloce Italia: Rome, Florence, Bologna & Venice — Self-Launched
5 days · Italy
Eskapas charges £950
No-markup version: ~£500 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Eskapas' 5-day "Veloce Italia" coach tour: Rome → Assisi → Siena → Florence → Bologna → Venice → Montepulciano → Rome, done on Italy's excellent (and cheap) train network with hostel and budget guesthouse stays. You cover the same headline sights — the Basilica of St Francis, Piazza del Campo, the Duomo and Brunelleschi's Dome, Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, St Mark's Square and the Bridge of Sighs, plus a Tuscan lunch in Montepulciano — but at your own pace, with self-bookable walking tours and food experiences instead of a guided group. Costs are rough backpacker/budget-traveller estimates for one person sharing a dorm or twin and travelling by regional trains and buses; add roughly 30-40% for a private room and more for peak summer.
Day-by-day
Rome → Assisi → Siena → Florence
Rome / Assisi / Siena / Florence
Start early from Rome Termini — the group tour leaves from a hotel at 07:00, but you can be on the 07:30-ish regional train to Assisi (via Foligno, ~2h, around £11-13). Walk uphill from Assisi station (or take the local bus, ~€1.50) to the Basilica of St Francis — free entry, dress modestly, and give yourself 60-90 minutes for the Giotto frescoes and the crypt. Grab a cheap panino or porchetta sandwich in town (the tour's 'lunch in Assisi' is optional anyway). Then train back via Foligno to Siena (~2h30, ~£15); Siena's Piazza del Campo and the shell-shaped square plus the Duomo are an easy 2-3 hour wander (climb the Facciatone for the view, ~£7). Late afternoon bus or train to Florence (bus ~1h15, ~£6-8 — the 131R bus is direct and cheaper than rail via Empoli). Check into a hostel near Santa Maria Novella and eat cheap at the Mercato Centrale food hall or a trattoria in Oltrarno.
🚌Regional trains Rome→Assisi→Foligno→Siena (~£28 total) + Siena→Florence bus/train (~£7)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse near Santa Maria Novella, Florence (~£22-30/night)
- →Basilica of St Francis, Assisi (free entry)
- →Piazza del Campo & Siena Duomo walk
- →Evening wander through Florence's Oltrarno
Florence: Duomo, Signoria & the Uffizi
Florence
Beat the queues by pre-booking the Brunelleschi Pass direct on the Opera del Duomo website (~£26) — it covers the Dome climb (463 steps, timed slot), Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistery and the museum, valid 72 hours. If you'd rather skip the climb, the Ghiberti Pass is ~£13. Do the Dome first thing, then the Bell Tower and Baptistery, and walk five minutes to Piazza della Signoria and the free-to-enter Palazzo Vecchio courtyard (tower ticket ~£11 extra). Cross to Santa Croce Basilica (~£9, or free if you just want the piazza vibe). Afternoon: pre-book the Uffizi on the official site (~£22 + booking fee) for Botticelli, da Vinci and Raphael — the tour lists this as optional, so it's your call. Finish with a cheap aperitivo in Santo Spirito square and a £10-12 dinner.
🚌All on foot — Florence centre is fully walkable
🛏Same Florence hostel (~£22-30/night)
- →Brunelleschi Pass: Dome climb, Giotto's Bell Tower, Baptistery, Duomo Museum (~£26)
- →Piazza della Signoria & Palazzo Vecchio
- →Uffizi Gallery (pre-booked, ~£22)
- →Santa Croce Basilica (~£9)
Florence → Bologna → Venice
Bologna / Venice
Take the morning Frecciarossa or cheap regionale from Firenze S.M.N. to Bologna (~35-60 min, £9-20 depending on train type). Walk from Piazza Malpighi through the porticoes to Piazza Maggiore — San Petronio Basilica (free), Palazzo del Podestà and the whispering walls of the Archiginnasio are all within 10 minutes on foot. Skip the coach 'local food experience' and instead build your own: a £10-12 lunch of tagliatelle al ragù and a glass of Pignoletto at a trattoria off Via dell'Indipendenza, or the Bologna food stalls at Mercato di Mezzo. Mid-afternoon train Bologna→Venezia Santa Lucia (~1h35 regionale, ~£10-13). Stay in Mestre or the Cannaregio/ Santa Croce side of Venice (dorms from ~£25, private budget rooms ~£50-70). Evening: free walk over the Rialto Bridge and an early Spritz & cicchetti crawl in Cannaregio for ~£12-15.
🚌Regionale Firenze→Bologna (~£10) + Bologna→Venezia (~£12)
🛏Hostel dorm in Mestre or Cannaregio, Venice (~£25-32/night)
- →Bologna portico walk: Piazza Malpighi to Piazza Maggiore, San Petronio, Palazzo del Podestà
- →DIY Bologna food stop (~£12)
- →Rialto Bridge walk & Cannaregio cicchetti evening (~£14)
Venice: San Marco, Doge's Palace & the lagoon
Venice
Get to Piazza San Marco on the vaporetto (Line 1 or 2, single ticket €9.50, or a 24h ACTV pass ~£20 if you're riding several times — walk from the station instead and it's free). Visit the Basilica di San Marco (free entry, ~£5 for the Pala d'Oro) and admire the Doge's Palace exterior and the Bridge of Sighs from the Ponte della Paglia — the full Doge's Palace ticket is ~£25 if you want to go in, bookable on the official Musei di Venezia site. Take a guided St Mark's walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£20-25) if you want the storytelling the group tour includes. Afternoon options: cross to San Giorgio Maggiore for the campanile view (lift, ~£6, far better value than St Mark's tower), or the free-ish Dorsoduro wander. Finish with a Spritz & cicchetti evening in Cannaregio — 3 cicchetti plus a spritz sets you back ~£12-15.
🚌Vaporetto / walking in Venice (~£8-20 depending on pass)
🛏Same Venice hostel (~£25-32/night)
- →St Mark's Basilica & Pala d'Oro (~£5)
- →Doge's Palace exterior & Bridge of Sighs
- →Optional Doge's Palace interior (~£25) or San Giorgio Maggiore campanile (~£6)
- →Spritz & cicchetti evening in Cannaregio (~£14)
Venice → Montepulciano → Rome
Venice / Montepulciano / Rome
An early start: regionale Venezia Santa Lucia→Firenze S.M.N. (~2h, ~£17), then change for Chiusi-Chianciano Terme (~1h20, ~£8), and hop the local bus or a 15-minute shared taxi up to Montepulciano (~£3). Wander the steep historic centre — Piazza Grande, the church of San Biagio below the walls — and have a slow Tuscan lunch of pici pasta and a glass of Vino Nobile (~£18-22) in a trattoria rather than the tour's set lunch. Then bus back to Chiusi and take the regionale/Frecciarossa to Roma Termini (~1h30-2h, £12-25 depending on train type). You'll land in Rome by late afternoon/early evening — the coach tour gets back at 19:30, so you're on similar timing with far more flexibility. Extra night in Rome if you're flying out the next day (~£25-30).
🚌Regionale Venezia→Firenze→Chiusi (~£25) + local bus to Montepulciano (~£3) + train Chiusi→Roma Termini (~£15)
🛏Budget hostel or guesthouse near Roma Termini if staying overnight (~£25-30)
- →Montepulciano historic centre & Piazza Grande
- →DIY Tuscan lunch with Vino Nobile (~£20)
- →Chiesa di San Biagio walk
Self-launched vs. Eskapas
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Eskapas | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£500 | £950 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £450 per person (47%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Eskapas-style trips? Check them out here.~£500
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Veloce Italia: Rome, Florence, Bologna & Venice — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £500 per person for 5 days in Italy. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Eskapas?+
Yes — Eskapas charges around £950 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £500 — a saving of roughly £450 (47%) per person.
How long is the Italy trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Italy.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, city-breaks trip through Italy, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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