The best places to visit in Italy are a traveler’s dream come true. Whether you’re after guided city tours, unforgettable nature hikes, or a glass of vino italiano on the waterfront, Italy has you covered.
In fact, the “worst” part of visiting this country is that there’s a lot to see. So much, in fact, that you may not know where to begin.
That’s where we come in. We’ve highlighted some must-see places in Italy for weekenders and long-term travelers, covering sweeping mountain tops, out-of-this-world architecture, and some of the best beaches known to man!
Why Trust Our Recommendations?
When it comes to the best places to visit in Italy, our picks are more than just a travel wishlist. We base our recommendations on our writers’ lived experience, which is why we enlisted the help of our writer Andrej, who is also a self-proclaimed travel fanatic.
Whether it’s staying in hostels in Lyon or hitchhiking through northern Poland without speaking a word of the language, Andrej has a lot of unforgettable stories from his time traversing Europe’s most fascinating regions.
Ultimately, his passion for architecture, history, and foreign cultures makes him an authority on the top tourist attractions in Italy.
The Best Places to Visit in Italy
1. Rome
No trip to Italy would be complete without a visit to Rome, one of the most awe-inspiring and culturally significant cities in the world.
Everybody knows about the epic gladiator battles that took place in the Colosseum, as well as the 2,000-year-old Pantheon and the waters of the Trevi Fountain, but online photos barely do them justice. There’s no feeling quite like walking up the Spanish Steps and marveling at the Trinità dei Monti up close!
As epic as these places are, they barely scratch the surface of what Rome has to offer. That’s why we recommend a guided tour. The Trastevere neighborhood is a great introduction to the “real” Rome, and you get to learn the history of Teatro Marcello and the Jewish Ghetto, among others.
While you’re here, you’ll definitely want to step into Vatican City to see St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel with your own eyes. There are also the Vatican Museums tours, which you can round off with a look at the Secret Gardens.
You can easily spend a week exploring the city alone and still have plenty to see on a return trip. Finding a cheap flight to Rome might require some patience, but the results are well worth it.
One of the best things about Rome is its connectivity to other amazing attractions. Tivoli is one of the best places in Italy if you need a breather from the hubbub of the capital, especially with a tranquil tour of Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este. Best of all, it’s less than an hour away by car.
Alternatively, you can drive towards the coast and check out Ostia Antica, one of the most pristine archaeological sites in the country.
2. Milan
Milan is Italy’s second-biggest city, and unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most action-packed places in the country. Browse flights to Milan.
For most people, the obvious place to start is Duomo di Milano, Italy’s biggest church and home to some incredible Gothic art. Not to mention, the view from the Duomo Terraces is like something out of a fairytale!
Afterwards, art buffs should also take a tour of Sforzesco Castle, which houses works by the likes of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. Also nearby is the Pinacoteca di Brera, rich in religious art pieces and boasting a stunning courtyard.
And that’s just in the center! Driving towards the outskirts will take you to sights like the historic Villa Litta, easily worth a whole afternoon. You can even take a two-hour trip to the jaw-dropping Lake Como and its sloping hills up north.
Milan is considered the fashion capital of the world, so you may also want to do some shopping. Whatever you’re looking for, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Merlata Bloom Milano are some of the finest shopping malls in all of Europe.
If you want to explore beyond the most popular attractions, you’ll want to dedicate at least four days to this city. The good news is, Milan is one of the cheapest European cities to fly into, that leaves you with some extra spending money to experience the city of Milan.
3. Cinque Terre
If you’re looking for some low-key tourist attractions in Italy, Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe.
This is a chain of five small villages along the Ligurian Sea, each more breathtaking than the last. The villages produce top-shelf seafood and wine, but they’re best known for the gorgeous fishermen's huts by the shore.
If we had to pick a highlight, Vernazza is considered the crowning jewel of this whole route. It’s probably best known for the medieval Doria Castle, and the small but beautiful beach it overlooks.
Another option is to set up camp in the nearby city of La Spezia and embark on an epic boat tour of Cinque Terre. The tours are seasonal, though, so mind the timetables before committing to this trip.
Three days is the ideal amount of time to spend here. The villages make for amazing checkpoints, but half the magic happens in the spaces in between. If you have the stamina for it, you can hike the entire Blue Trail in a day, working your way south to Riomaggiore from Monterosso.
As an added bonus, once you’ve had your fill of Cinque Terre, you can always head out to Genoa. It’s a beautiful city in its own right, and it’s never more than an afternoon’s drive away from within eastern Liguria.
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4. Florence
Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy before it switched over to Rome for good. Still, it’s often called the arts capital of the country, which makes it one of the best places to visit in Italy today.
If you want a snapshot of what makes this city great, the view from the Ponte Vecchio Bridge speaks for itself. Right along the Arno River, you have the stunning Uffizi Galleries, as well as dozens of restaurants and boutiques competing for your attention.
Right around the corner is the Florence Cathedral, whose Brunelleschi Dome remains the world’s largest brickwork vault to this day. Then there’s Machiavelli and Michelangelo’s tombs in the Santa Croce Cathedral, alongside countless monuments dedicated to Italy’s greatest minds.
Available Brunelleschi Dome (Duomo) Guided Tours:
For a little more nature-based sightseeing, the Boboli and Bardini Gardens combine lush greenery with spectacular city vistas. You can also take a drive out to the nearby cities of Lucca, Siena, and Pisa (yes, that Pisa), or explore the countryside on a Tuscany wine tour.
All in all, you’ll need at least four days to explore this city to the fullest.
Even just the historic Sant’Ambrosio neighborhood makes this one of the best places in Europe to travel solo. Filled to the brim with eateries and marketplaces, and the friendly locals are eager to give visitors the ultimate travel experience.
5. Naples
Every major city in Italy is rich in things to see, but Naples might be the most diverse in the entire country.
To get the obvious part out of the way, Naples is only a short drive away from the Amalfi Coast (view avaiable day trips), which many call the most beautiful part of The Boot. The region’s charming villages, flanked by mountains and hypnotizing greenery, are among the top tourist attractions in Europe as a whole, not just Italy alone.
Mount Vesuvius is another must-visit in the region. This is Europe’s only active mainland volcano, and it’s one of the region’s main draws, along with the ancient city of Pompeii. These landmarks are so popular that, in 2024, a daily visitor cap of 20,000 had to be set to counter overtourism!
All that being said, Naples itself has no shortage of things to experience. For starters, Ovo Castle stands out with its unique design and legendary views of the Gulf of Naples. For something a little different, the Catacombs of San Gennaro are among Europe’s earliest and most fascinating products of Christian worship.
Putting everything together, you need about a week to experience everything the region has to offer. Even if you don’t plan on taking trips outside of Naples, you should give yourself three to four days in the city.
6. Venice
Booking trips to Venice has become a bit of a cliché, but it’s genuinely one of the best places to visit in Italy.
Although they can be a bit pricey, the gondola rides (browse availability) are a rite of passage for anyone visiting Venice. Cruising along the Canal Historic District and watching the residents casually going about their day is a memory you won’t ever forget.
Also, Doge’s Palace is among the most intriguing places on the planet for history buffs. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the lives of medieval royals were like, this place lets you explore everything from their resting chambers to armories and torture rooms.
Italy is full of gorgeous cathedrals, but St. Mark’s Basilica (see entry tickets) will leave you speechless with its golden mosaics, spanning around 4,000 square meters. It’s located on St. Mark's Square, a favorite among tourists looking to get a feel for Venice.
Then, for all the bookworms out there, Libreria Acqua Alta features everything from modern bestsellers to rare collectibles you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Naturally, you wouldn’t want to leave Venice without trying prosecco. You could take a guided food and wine tour based in the historic Jewish Ghetto, complete with unbelievable stories and legends, straight from the mouths of locals.
Four days is the perfect sweet spot for Venice, but you can easily spend a week here if you have the budget for it.
7. Sardinia
Although Sicily gets a lot of attention (and for good reason), Sardinia is starting to attract more and more international attention.
One of the biggest reasons to visit Italy’s second-biggest island is the staggering beaches, with Spiaggia di Tuerreda as the reigning champ. Nestled between Capo Spartivento and Capo Malfatano, the beach has some of the clearest water you’ll ever have the pleasure of swimming in.
For something a bit more secluded, you can check out the easternmost part of the island and go for a dive in Cala Goloritzé. You might know it for its recognizable limestone arch, and it’s fairly removed from the hubbub of the big city.
Speaking of, Cagliari is the island’s picturesque capital, and the design of the city is unique even by Italian standards. You’ll often get the sense you’re walking through a labyrinth as you wander the narrow alleys of the Castello quarter, sandwiched between historic houses and medieval monuments.
Ideally, you’d want to spend a week checking out Sardinia. Sure, you could stick to the coast, but then you’d miss out on sights like Su Nuraxi, Nuraghe Arrubiu, and other archaeological sites located inland.
Final Thoughts on The Best Places to Visit in Italy
From the panoramic terrace views of Cinque Terre to the two millennia of history at the Colosseum in Rome, you could spend a lifetime admiring everything the country has to offer. It’s next to impossible to create the perfect travel guide for a country this incredible, but we feel our list comes pretty close.
And who knows? Italy issues thousands of visas for digital nomads and other expats, and after dipping your toes for a week or two, you might be tempted to join the club!
Looking for alternative destinations in Europe to travel?
Read: The 7 Best Places to Visit in Switzerland
Read: Paris Travel Tips
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Andrej Paskalov is a psychologist with a penchant for writing and a love of travel.
Up until his teens, Andrej had barely traveled outside his home country of Macedonia. After moving to Bulgaria for university, he got a taste for the outdoors and decided to pursue writing to fund his new hobby.
In 2021, he went on a fateful youth exchange to a quaint French village, and he's been collecting passport stamps ever since. Not even two weeks after the trip, he got on another plane bound for Lyon, and that was only the beginning. He traveled every summer and winter, and whenever he could snag a few days off on state holidays.
He spent the next year and some change visiting all the ex-Yugoslav countries, and he threw in two weeks in Turkey and another three in Greece for good measure. Not long after that, he greeted the Christmas holidays in 2023 with a glass of mulled wine in Poland.
His favorite trip ever was to Cyprus, where he got to volunteer for 3 weeks. In that time, every moment not spent working was dedicated to exploring the island top to bottom. To him, the view from Capo Greco is the most beautiful he's ever seen.
Although he has far less travel time than he used to as a student, Andrej's heart and mind are always on the road. Writing about his travels lets him reexperience a lot of his favorite travel memories, and he's hoping to create even more.
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