If you ask us what tour South Africans book most often, the answer is consistent across every year we've been doing this: 14 days in Italy. It's the right length to see the country properly, the right pace to enjoy it, and the right price to justify the flights from Johannesburg or Cape Town.
Here's how the 14-day Europamundo Italy itinerary actually works, day by day, and why it keeps winning.
The route, simplified
Rome → Naples / Pompeii → Sorrento → Rome again → Assisi → Florence → Pisa → Venice → Verona → Italian Lakes → Milan. Most variations on this theme run 13 to 15 days. The route covers four classic Italian regions: Lazio (Rome), Campania (Naples and the south), Tuscany (Florence and Pisa), and Veneto / Lombardy (Venice, Verona, the Lakes, Milan).
Days 1 to 3: Rome
You arrive at FCO Fiumicino on day 1, settle in, and start the formal tour with a welcome briefing in the evening. Day 2 is the Rome city tour: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon. Day 3 is optional Vatican City in the morning, free afternoon. The Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel + St Peter's takes about 4 hours. It's hot in summer; go in the morning or skip in favour of a long lunch.
Days 4 to 5: Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento
Day 4 you head south. Naples is gritty, beautiful, and the original home of pizza. Pompeii is an extraordinary half-day; you'll walk for 90 minutes through preserved Roman streets. The Sorrento overnight is the prettiest single night on the tour, Bay of Naples, lemon trees, sea view. Day 5 you can do the optional Capri ferry or take a slow lunch.
Days 6 to 8: Assisi and Florence
Day 6 you transfer back via Assisi (St Francis's hilltown, half-hour stop, very photogenic) to Florence. Day 7 is the Florence walking tour: Duomo, Baptistery, Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi (optional booking, pre-pay through us). Day 8 is the Tuscan day trip, usually Pisa with optional San Gimignano. Free afternoon.
Days 9 to 10: Venice
Coach to Venice. The drive is about 3 hours. You enter Venice by boat from the mainland. Day 9 walking tour: St Mark's Square, Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs, glass-blowing demo on Murano. The included gondola ride is slightly corny but worth doing. Day 10 free in Venice or optional Burano excursion.
Days 11 to 13: Verona and the Lakes
Day 11 short transfer to Verona (Juliet's balcony, the Roman arena). Day 12 the Italian Lakes, Lake Garda or Lake Como depending on the departure. Boat ride. Lakeside lunch. This is the slow-paced rest day everyone needs by week two.
Day 14: Milan and departure
Short city tour of Milan (Duomo, La Scala, the shopping galleries) before transfers to MXP airport for the flight home. Most SA travellers go via Emirates Dubai or Qatar Doha.
What it costs from South Africa
- Land tour per person sharing: R32,000 to R45,000 depending on season and hotel category
- Flights JHB or CPT to Rome / Milan via the Gulf: R12,000 to R18,000
- Schengen visa + VFS fees: R2,200 per adult
- Travel insurance: R450 to R800
- On-ground spend (lunches, optional excursions, drinks, gelato, shopping): R20,000 to R30,000
- All-in solo: R70,000 to R95,000
- All-in couple: R130,000 to R175,000
When to go
April-early June and mid-September to October are the sweet spots, warm, not stiflingly hot, gardens at their best. Summer (July-August) is hot and crowded and locals leave the cities. Winter is mild, less crowded, and you'll see Christmas in Rome if you go in December.
What's included vs. what to budget for
Included: hotels (3 and 4 star, central), all coach transfers, daily breakfast, several included dinners, all city tours with local guides, English-speaking Tour Director throughout, basic travel insurance, gondola ride in Venice.
Not included: lunches, most dinners, museum entry fees (Vatican, Uffizi, Doge's Palace), these are bookable as optionals on the coach. Drinks at meals. Tips for the Tour Director and driver at the end.
For families, see our three-generations-on-one-bus story. For comparison shopping, our Europamundo vs Trafalgar piece covers the same route at twice the price. Browse Italy coach tours when you're ready.
