The Grand Tour itinerary

From the late 17th century to the early 19th, no young European gentleman's education was complete without the Grand Tour, a long journey, often lasting a year or more, to Italy. Young British lords, accompanied by tutors, crossed the Alps to see the ruins of Rome, the paintings of the Renaissance and the volcanoes of Naples, buying antiquities and views of Venice to take home. They were followed by writers and artists: Goethe, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Stendhal. The Italian journey became a myth that still shapes how the world looks at Italy.

This nine-day itinerary follows the classic route by high-speed train, with no car needed: Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples, with Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius. In each city we suggest the places the Grand Tour travellers loved, the cafés where they met and the books they wrote. See also our page on Italy's art cities.

1. Venice: Canaletto's city
2. Florence: the Uffizi Tribuna
3. Rome: the Eternal City
4. Naples: the volcano and the antiquities
5. Herculaneum: the excavations
6. Pompeii: the buried city
7. Vesuvius: the crater

The Grand Tour in brief

The expression "Grand Tour" became popular after 1670, when Richard Lassels used it in his guide to Italy. The classic route entered Italy over the Alps, often through Turin, and continued to Venice, Florence and Rome, ending in Naples. In the 18th century the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii made the journey to the south essential and fuelled the fashion for neoclassicism. Travellers sent home crates of statues, vases and paintings, which today fill the museums and country houses of Britain. The age of the Grand Tour ended with the railways and the first organised tours, but its route is still the most popular in Italy.

1. 1670Richard Lassels uses the expression "Grand Tour"
2. 1720Caffè Florian opens in Venice
3. 1738The excavations of Herculaneum begin
4. 1748The excavations of Pompeii begin
5. 1786Goethe sets off on his Italian journey
6. 1821Keats dies in Rome, by the Spanish Steps
7. 1839The first Italian railway opens, from Naples to Portici

Day 1: Venice, San Marco and Caffè Florian

Start in Venice, the city of carnival, theatres and gambling houses that captivated 18th-century travellers. Visit St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, then sit at Caffè Florian, open since 1720 under the arcades of the Procuratie, where Goldoni, Casanova and later Byron came. In the evening take the vaporetto along the Grand Canal, the view Canaletto painted for his English clients.

Where to stay: in Venice, for two nights.

Day 2: Venice of the painters

Spend the morning at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, with Venetian painting from Bellini to Titian and Tiepolo. In the afternoon cross to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and climb the bell tower for the view of San Marco, or visit the Armenian monastery of San Lazzaro, where Byron studied Armenian.

Day 3: Florence and the Uffizi

Take the train to Florence (about two hours and a quarter). In the Uffizi, look for the Tribuna, the octagonal room with a mother-of-pearl dome where the Medici displayed their masterpieces: an 18th-century painting by Johann Zoffany shows it crowded with English gentlemen admiring the Venus de' Medici. Finish the day on the Ponte Vecchio at sunset.

Where to stay: in Florence, for two nights.

Day 4: Florence, Oltrarno and the Boboli Gardens

See Michelangelo's David early in the morning, then cross the river to Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. In the Oltrarno, many British and American writers lived in the 19th century, from the Brownings to Henry James; walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the view of the city.

Day 5: Rome, the Spanish Steps and Goethe

Take the train to Rome (about an hour and a half). In the 18th century foreigners stayed around Piazza di Spagna, nicknamed the "English ghetto". At the foot of the steps is the Keats-Shelley House, where John Keats died in 1821; nearby, in Via Condotti, the Antico Caffè Greco, open since 1760, was frequented by Goethe, Stendhal and Byron. On Via del Corso, the Casa di Goethe is a museum in the house where the poet lived. In the evening throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain.

Where to stay: in Rome, for two nights.

Day 6: ancient Rome and the Vatican

In the morning visit the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine, where the travellers of the time drew ruins half buried among vegetable gardens and cattle. In the afternoon visit the Pantheon and then the Vatican Museums, whose classical statues, such as the Apollo Belvedere and the Laocoön, were the essential models of every Grand Tour.

Day 7: Naples and the Archaeological Museum

Take the train to Naples (about an hour and ten minutes). In the 18th century Naples was one of the largest capitals in Europe, with a royal court and a British envoy, Sir William Hamilton, who studied Vesuvius and collected Greek vases. Visit the National Archaeological Museum, with the frescoes, mosaics and objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and then walk along Spaccanapoli. In the evening go down to the seafront for the view of Vesuvius.

Where to stay: in Naples, for two nights.

Day 8: Herculaneum and Pompeii

Take the Circumvesuviana train to Herculaneum, smaller and better preserved than Pompeii, with houses still standing two storeys high and carbonised wood. Then continue to Pompeii, the great buried city, where Goethe wrote that few disasters had given so much joy to posterity.

Day 9: Vesuvius

In the morning climb Vesuvius: a bus takes you from Pompeii or Herculaneum to the car park at about 1,000 metres, and a path of about half an hour leads to the rim of the crater, with the whole Bay of Naples below. The volcano erupted several times during the Grand Tour, and its glowing lava was a show not to be missed. Then return to Naples for your flight or train.

How much it costs

Accommodation800 €

Meals375 €

Admissions185 €

Trains and transport130 €

Doge's Palace30 €

Uffizi25 €

Vatican Museums25 €

Pompeii22 €

Colosseum and Forum18 €

Herculaneum15 €

To save money: book high-speed trains several weeks ahead for the lowest fares, and take advantage of the first Sunday of the month, when state museums are free (but crowded). See travelling Italy on a budget and getting around Italy.

Practical information

• Bookings: the Uffizi, the Accademia in Florence, the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums should be booked online, especially from April to October.
• Trains: Venice Santa Lucia, Florence Santa Maria Novella, Rome Termini and Napoli Centrale are all in or near the centre; you need no car on this trip.
• Venice: on certain days visitors who don't stay overnight pay an access fee; if you sleep in the city you are exempt but may need to register.
• Comfortable shoes: in Rome and Pompeii you will walk 15-20 km a day.

Variations

• Turin and the Alps: the travellers' first stop after crossing the Mont Cenis pass; see Turin.
• Caserta: the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Versailles of the Bourbons of Naples.
• Sicily: Goethe continued to Palermo and Taormina; see Palermo.

What to read before you go

Goethe's Italian Journey, Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and a history of the Grand Tour. See also our practical tips for Italy.

Final tips

• Pace: two full days per city are the minimum; if you can, add a day to Rome.
• Combinations: from Florence you can link up with the Dante itinerary, from Rome with the hot springs itinerary, and from Naples with the islands itinerary.
• A tip: keep a travel journal, as the Grand Tour travellers did; you will reread it with more pleasure than your photos.