Cruise combination vacation packages in Italy

Many cruise guests choose to extend their vacation further by visiting different regions in Italy that have long been on their bucket lists. We have two great suggestions for land vacation packages in Italy before you start a cruise from Rome.

1. Venice – Florence – Rome

Our first choice for one of Italy’s best land vacation packages is a trip combining Venice, Florence, and Rome. Plan to fly into Venice and home from Rome. This type of flight ticket is called open jaw – that is, into one city and home from another. Some good flight deals can be found when you combine airlines for this journey.

Venice

• Airport: Venice Marco Polo airport (VCE)
• Best transport options: from the airport to Venezia Piazzale Roma, the central transport hub on Venice island. Bus: ACTV Line 5 or Line 35 ATVO VENEZIA EXPRESS service, 10 euros per person. Taxi: 40 euros one way.
• Best hotels: Click to find out our hotels recommends about where to stay in Venice.
• Top sights: St. Marks’s Square, Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale), Basilica of St. Mark, Campanile; Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge, Gondolo ride on the Grand Canal, the Venetian lagoon: Murano, Burano, and Torcello.
• Train: Search and book train tickets online before you leave home or at the train station. Travel from Venice (Venezia S. Lucia) to Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella). The fast train, Frecciarossa, goes direct to Florence and the journey time is just over 2 hours Prices are from around 50 euros per person depending upon when you travel.

Florence

• Best transport options: From the train station in Florence, you can walk 10 -15 minutes to the city center. It is also from this train station that you will find buses for trips to San Gimignano, Fiesole, and Sienna.
• Best hotels: Hotel Brunelleschelli, NH Collection Palazzo Gaddi, Mercure Firenze Centro, Morandi alla Crocetta. We like the NH Collection Palazzo Gaddi. It takes under 10 minutes to walk from the train station to the hotel, right in the heart of Florence. Click to search and book accommodation in Florence.
• Top sights: The Dumo, Michelangelo’s David statue at Galleria dell Academia, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio Palazzo Strozzi, Wine tasting at Tuscan vineyards, a half-day trip to St. Gimignano.
• Train: Search and book train tickets online before you leave home, or at the train station. Travel from Florence (Firenze S. M. Novella) to Rome (Roma Termini). The direct fast train from Florence to Rome, Frecciarossa, takes 1.5 hours. The price of a ticket starts at around 20 euros per person.

Rome

• Best transport options: From the train station, Termini, in Rome, you can walk to a nearby hotel, use a taxi, or hop on the underground train, which stops at the major areas of the Vatican, Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navone and the Pantheon. Fares start at just 1.50 euros per person.
• Best hotels: Click to search and book hotels in Rome.
• Top sights: The Jewish Quarter, Trastevere and Vatican City, Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese, Vittoriano, and the Colosseum.
• Cruise Port: Most cruise ships depart from the port of Civitavecchia, 80km northwest of Rome. For information on how to get to the port, click here. We recommend that you book a hotel and spend one day in Civitavecchia before you start your cruise.
• Airport: Rome-Fiumicino International Airport also known as Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO). To get to the airport after your cruise ends in Civitavecchia, travel by train, changing at Rome’s central Termini station.

2. Milan – Lake Como – Florence – Rome

Next as a winning vote for land vacation packages in Italy is the combination of our favorite destinations in Italy – Milan, Lake Como, Florence, and Rome.

Plan to fly to Milan and home from Rome. There are some excellent flight deals to be found when booking this type of open-jaw ticket, where you can combine airlines for this type of journey.

Milan

Milan is a busy and exciting city, and at the heart of European fashion. From stunning architecture, historic art museums and opera houses, to fantastic shopping and restaurants, we urge you to allow time to explore the heart of the city. You will not be disappointed.

After spending a few days in Milan, head to stunning Lake Como. This alternative is best with a rental car if you want to stay in the destinations of Menaggio, Bellagio, or Varenna at Lake Como.

However, there are some options if you prefer to travel by train. From central Milan you can travel by direct train to Como S. Giovanni station in the town of Como. The journey is only 40 km, taking around 40 minutes. Ticket prices start at just 5 euros per person. You can take a taxi from the train station to your Como hotel on the shore of the lake. We recommend the beautiful Hilton Lake Como with its spectacular views. The Hilton is 2 km from the train station, and the taxi takes around 15 minutes.

Alternatively, you can travel by train from Milan to the small, idyllic village of Varenna, often with just one change on the way.

• Best transport options: Two airports serve Milan. Most international flights land at Malpensa, 40km northwest of Milan. Milan’s other airport, Linate, is closer, just 9 km west of the city. Either way, you will need transport from the airport to your hotel in central Milan. Choose an official taxi outside the arrivals lounge or the train into the heart of Milan. The Malpensa Express train leaves from terminals 1 and 2 and takes you into Milano Centrale. It is also from here you can collect a rental car.
• Best hotels: Hotel The Square Milano Duomo, Hotel Milano Scala, We like the NH Collection Milano President. Each of these hotels is within walking distance of the incredible Duomo. Click to search and book hotel options.
• Top sights: Milan Cathedral (The Dumo), Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Santa Maria delle Grazie church (view De Vinci’s Last Supper),
• Train: Search and book train tickets online before you leave home, or at the train station. Travel from Milano Centrale, to either Como S. Giovanni train station or to Varenna. Alternatively, organize a car rental for your trip to Lake Como. You can leave the car at Como Train Station in time for your train journey to Florence.
• Car Rental: Hertz offers car rentals with pickup from the train station in Milan. We recommend you pick it up at Milan train station and return the car to Como train station.

Lake Como

• Best transport options: Get around quickly with a rental car. A car allows you more flexibility on where to stay in Lake Como. If you opt to arrive by train instead, we recommend staying in the town of Como and visiting other towns around the lake by boat.
• Best hotels: Hilton Lake Como, Grand Hotel Victoria in Menaggio, and Hotel du Lac in Bellagio. Click to search and book hotel options.
• Top sights and places to stay: The lake is best explored by boat and easily bookable while you are there from any of the small towns surrounding the lake. The four main towns we recommend you see are Como, Menaggio, Varenna, and Bellagio.
• Train: Search and book train tickets online before you leave home, or at the train station. Travel from Como S. Giovanni to Florence, Firenze S.M. Novella. Opt for the shortest journey time, a little under 3 hours. You will ride a regional train to Milan and switch to a fast train for the rest of the journey to Florence. Tickets price start at around 50 euros per person.
• Car Rental: Hertz offers one-way car rentals with a pickup in Milan and drop-off close to the train station in Como.

Florence

• Best transport options: From the train station in Florence, you can walk 10 -15 minutes to the city center. It is also from this train station that you will find buses for trips to San Gimignano, Fiesole, and Sienna.
• Best hotels: Hotel Brunelleschelli, NH Collection Palazzo Gaddi, Mercure Firenze Centro, Morandi alla Crocetta. We like the NH Collection Palazzo Gaddi. It takes under 10 minutes to walk from the train station to the hotel, right in the heart of Florence. Click to search and book hotel options.
• Top sights: The Dumo, Michelangelo’s David statue at Galleria dell Academia, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio Palazzo Strozzi, Wine tasting at Tuscan vineyards, a half-day trip to St. Gimignano.
• Train: Search and book train tickets online before you leave home, or at the train station. Travel from Florence (Firenze S. M. Novella) to Rome (Roma Termini). The direct fast train from Florence to Rome, Frecciarossa, takes 1.5 hours. The price of a ticket starts at around 20 euros per person.

Rome

After enjoying the splendor of Florence, the train journey to Rome’s central Termini station is just 1.5 hours. Choose the direct, fast train Frecciarossa for around 20 euros per person.

And if this is your first visit to Rome, allow at least three nights to discover this ancient city. Visit our Cruise from Rome page for detailed walking itineraries and tips on what to see and do and where to stay.

And after your cruise, if you have an afternoon or evening flight home from the airport, we have the best 3 best ways to spend the day in Rome before traveling to the airport.

• Best transport options: From the train station, Termini, in Rome, you can walk to a nearby hotel, use a taxi, or hop on the underground train, which stops at the major areas of the Vatican, Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navone and the Pantheon. Fares start at just 1.50 euros per person.
• Best hotels: Click to search and book hotels in Rome.
• Top sights: The Jewish Quarter, Trastevere and Vatican City, Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese, Vittoriano, and the Colosseum.
• Cruise Port: Most cruise ships depart from the port of Civitavecchia, 80km northwest of Rome. For information on how to get to the port, click here. We recommend that you book a hotel and spend one day in Civitavecchia before you start your cruise.
• Airport: Rome-Fiumicino International Airport also known as Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO). To get to the airport after your cruise ends in Civitavecchia, travel by train, changing at Rome’s central Termini station.

Cruise port Civitavecchia

Follow our guide on how to spend one day in Civitavecchia to make the most of this Italian town before you start your cruise. You will find more information on how to get to the port and where to stay here.

If you choose to stay in Rome again after your cruise, find the best and fastest way to transfer from your cruise ship in Civitavecchia to central Rome here.