Route: London Paris Milan La Spezia Rome Sorrento Florence Venice Paris London
Duration: 21 nights
Transport: Take off on an amazing 3 week trip exploring 6 of Italy’s biggest cities with our Italian Escape interrailing route! This particular route is 22 days long, involving 19 nights in your accommodation, and two spent on night trains. Day journeys vary in length from one to five hours.
Sustainability: This trip only creates 140.6 kg of carbon emissions! To fly the same route would cost 964.5 ♻️
Reviews: All independent reviews
Fancy getting to see Italy’s biggest cities with a few lesser-visited destinations thrown in for good measure? With the Italian Escape, we’ll take you all the way there from the UK and back by rail so you won’t have to worry about arranging any flights! From Milan to Rome, and Florence to Venice, you’ll see the best of what Italy has to offer with our Italian Escape interrailing route!
Want a slightly shorter trip? Our 2 week option could be for you!
Starting off in London (or travelling from your nearest UK station for free) you’ll jump on the Eurostar and first up is a little pit-stop in Paris. You’ll get to wake up to phenomenal views of The City of Lights! Stroll around Parisian Montmartre with its Bohemian artist community and pretty red-canopied cafes. Go classic with the iconic sights of the Louvre, Arce de Triomphe and, of course, the Eiffel Tower! If you’ve seen it all before, head to the Pompidou Centre for your modern art fix, or sip on cocktails around Quai de Jemmapes – tres chic!
Next, you’ll hop onto a sleeper train to the fashion capital of Milan! Looking for a little more luxury? You can upgrade to Private Single or Twin Sleeper Cabins at check-out.
Arrive in the early morning, marvel at the stunning Duomo and shop until you drop in the city of design. Don’t forget to head to a little al fresco bar to soak up the views with a spritz, before travelling to the stunning city of La Spezia. Not only is this a quaint town in its own right, but it’s also the perfect hub to take a day trip to Cinque Terre! If you do decide to head there, be sure to take advantage of the chance to take in the bright and colourful higgledy-piggledy houses climbing the craggy seaside cliffs of each town.
Next on the agenda is a trip to magnificent Rome! Soak up the Italian dolce vita in the cosmopolitan capital and one of the world’s most photogenic cities. The Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and Castel Sant’Angelo, are all dead-cert must-sees, of course! When night falls, the city really comes alive… head to any of the city’s many unique clubs and jazz bars and you’ll be guaranteed a great night!
Carry on to Sorrento for beautiful coastlines peppered with sandy beaches and the occasional ethereal cove to explore. Here, you’ll find plenty of Insta-worthy views, tasty traditional dishes, and mind-blowingly good limoncello to sip on…and that’s without even mentioning the lively nightlife! With 3 nights here, you’ll easily have time to take a quick trip to Pompeii or Mount Vesuvius, too!
After a couple of days in Sorrento, Florence is your next stop. You’ll explore the awe-inspiring sights awaiting you in the birthplace of Italian Renaissance first-hand in no time at all! Although Florence is a real haven for artistic inspiration, it’s also just a short distance from Tuscany’s plentiful vineyards. It’d be rude not to take advantage of a full afternoon of wine-tasting in the Mediterranean sun!
Next up, you’ll head across the lagoon of Venice in style. Take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal, or splash out on a gondola through the city’s iconic labyrinth of medieval streets. Wander round the tiny backstreets and get wonderfully lost on your final full day before your night train to Paris. You’ll have another two nights to enjoy the French capital before resting your weary bones on the Eurostar back to London!
You can travel from London back to your nearest UK station for free using your Interrail pass, and then put your feet up and start planning your next adventure!
London may be huge, but Central London can be walked all over, from the quirky pop-up stalls of the south bank to the glitz of the West End and out to Hyde Park. The buzzing cosmopolitan nature of the city probably makes it the most culturally diverse in the world.
Train to Paris – 4 hours
Your first night in Paris is only a quick pit-stop, but don’t worry, you’ll be back for another night at the end of your trip so you’ll have plenty of time to make the most of this beautiful city.
Highlights
Check out the Eiffel Tower of course
Take a leisurely cruise along the Seine and marvel at the views
Night Train to Milan – 12 hours
Milan is cosmopolitan and fast-paced, a beacon of Western fashion with an addiction to culture as much as clothes. The world-acclaimed La Scala Opera House sits here, as does Leonardo da Vinci’s famous The Last Supper on the wall of Santa Maria Delle Grazie Basilica.
Highlights
Visit the vast 14th century cathedral
Get (window) shopping at Europe’s fashion capital
See a performance at the famous La Scala Opera
Train to Florence – 2 hours
This little port city focuses most of its culture around the sea, with plenty of interesting museums by the sea, specialty seafood restaurants serving up fresh dishes, and of course, quaint neighbouring seaside villages to explore. A short train ride away from Cinque Terre, it’s also the perfect base for scenic day trips.
Highlights
Explore the colourful cliffside towns of Cinque Terre with ease from here
Take in the city’s imposing Castello di San Giorgio
Lounge by the sea in any of the laidback open-air bars!
Train to Rome – 4.5 hours
Home to endless culture, stunning architecture and buzzing nightlife, Rome is one of the classic quintessentially European hubs to tick off your travel checklist. Take in the unreal food, fascinating culture, laidback lifestyle and experience it all!
Highlights
Marvel at the ruins of the Roman Forum
See the world-famous Colosseum
Try real Italian coffee, ice-cream and pizza
Train to Naples & Ferry to Sorrento – 3 hours
Famous for its golden sandy beaches and mouthwateringly good limoncello, Sorrento is the perfect place to unwind and get a taste of that dolce vita. With a couple of nights here, be sure to take a tour of the beautiful cloisters and cathedrals before popping to a liqueur tasting to cool off!
Highlights
Go beach-hopping around the beautifully rugged coastline
Get a taste of the city’s famously good limoncello
Take a load off by getting lost in the city’s cloisters and gardens
Ferry to Naples & Train to Florence – 4.5 hours
If you are touring the big cities of Europe and want to escape to the countryside, then the capital of Tuscany is one of the easiest places to do it from. Not that you’d want to of course once you are seduced by the birthplace of Renaissance art and architecture.
Highlights
See Michelangelo’s statue of David
Explore countless Renaissance chapels and churches
Eat any number of fun flavours of exquisite ice-cream and gelato
Train to Venice – 2.5 hours
Venice is nothing short of unique, built on mudbanks in the lagoon, having forgone the convenience of cars for the charisma of canals. Getting lost in Venice is part of the fun, and if you’re on foot you’ll only find small backstreets or large piazzas, not a single road in sight.
Highlights
Cross the iconic St Mark’s Square
Get lost in the alleyways and canals of the city
Ride the vaporetto down the grand canal
Night Train to Paris – 14.5 hours
Paris is a byword for romance, a synonym for style and the epitome of elegance. The pride of France and one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Paris needs little introduction, from the Eiffel Tower to the Pont Neuf, bedazzling visitors and oozing charisma at every turn.
Highlights
See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum
Watch a cabaret act the famous Moulin Rouge
Experience the colourful nightlife of the Marais
Train to London – 4 hours
End your trip back in the English capital – if you didn’t get chance at the start of your tour, make sure you spend time here and check out one of the most vibrant cities in Europe!
Highlights
See some world-famous landmarks
Watch a show at one of many West End Theatres
Experience the quirky nightlife of Soho
All you need to do is make your way to and from London and we’ll take care of the rest! You can use your Interrail pass to travel for free from your nearest UK station to and from London on the same day as departure and arrival – easy!