Luxury Venice, Rome, and Sorrento - 7 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Venice in True Style

Welcome to Venice! Your personal concierge will greet you at the airport arrival hall and escort you by private boat to your hotel. Your personal concierge will assist you with check-in, run through your itinerary and answer any questions you may have.

Venice is famous for both industry and tourism. With nicknames like "Queen of the Adriatic," "City of Water," and "City of Canals," it is clear that the city's many canals are its main draw. Venice has long been a commercial and cultural hub thanks to its strategic placement. Silk, spices, and art were traded throughout the Middle Ages, making Venice very wealthy. The city is also famous for its many historic attractions, such as Saint Mark's Square and Basilica, the iconic Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, and the ornate Doge's Palace. 

Day 2: The Lagoon Islands of Venice and the Grand Canal by Private Gondola

Your private guide will accompany you to see the marvels of the islands of the Venetian Lagoon by private motorboat. You will first visit Murano, famous for its glassmaking industry. You will be able to watch glassblowing masters expertly shape the molten glass using techniques passed down through the generations.

Next, you'll explore the picturesque island of Burano. This quiet little island is known for its many-hued houses,  painted in bright yellows, pinks, blues, and greens.  Here you will have the chance to visit one of the island's most famous lacemaking ateliers and its museum.  

You'll enjoy lunch at your leisure on the island of Torcello before returning to your hotel in Venice by private transfer.

Your day ends with a private gondola ride. The magic of Venice will come alive as you glide down the shimmering Grand Canal and float down narrow canals spanned by tiny romantic bridges. Taking a gondola ride in Venice gives you a completely different perspective on the city. Gondolas have been a tradition in Venice for centuries. Originally used to carry goods through the narrow canals of Venice, today gondolas are primarily used for sightseeing and ceremonial functions.

Day 3: Venice to Rome by Rail

Leave Venice with your private concierge and head to the train station by private boat. Upon arrival in Venice Santa Lucia Station, you will be shown to your standard class reserved seats. In Rome, you will be met by your private driver and proceed to your hotel.

According to legend, Rome was founded by the brothers Romulus and Remus in 753 BCE atop Rome's Palatine Hill. Once the center of the powerful Roman Empire, Rome boasts nearly 3,000 years of architecture, history, art, and culture. Italy's capital is considered to be one of Europe's top cities thanks to its ancient monuments, incredible art masterpieces, and cosmopolitan vibe. Rome is a center for fashion, and the city boasts a vibrant food culture and a growing nightlife scene. 

Visitors and locals wanting to soak up the sunshine flock to the beautiful Giardino degli Aranci, the city's vibrant orange tree gardens on the Aventine Hill, or relax in the lush greenery of the Villa Borghese Gardens.

Day 4: Rome to Sorrento With a Stop in Pompeii

Today you'll say goodbye to the Eternal City today and, after one last cappuccino at the open-air café, meet your private driver and hit the road for the 3.5-hour drive to Sorrento.

Along the way, you'll stop at the ruins of Pompeii and enjoy a two-hour walking tour. Pompeii was a bustling seaside city that was buried underneath many feet of ash and volcanic debris after Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 CE. The ash, which killed many of the city's residents, acted like an archaeological time capsule by preserving many of the city's original buildings and features. Items from jars to furniture were frozen in time.

The city was forgotten for 1,500 years following Mount Vesuvius' eruption before its accidental rediscovery in 1599. Your guided tour of Pompeii's ancient streets will take you to preserved villas, shops, public buildings, and plazas, giving you an insider's look into what life was like 2,000 years ago. 

After the tour, you'll continue to your hotel in Sorrento.

Day 5: Group Tour of Capri

Today is devoted entirely to a trip to Capri, an island rich in natural beauty, scenic views, and historical and social activities.

You'll be picked up and taken to the port of Sorrento, where you'll board a fast, comfortable boat for the fascinating journey. Enjoy views of the Sorrento Peninsula as you travel. After about 20 minutes, you'll arrive at Marina Grande, the small port on the island. After landing, you'll take a minibus to Anacapri. This beautiful village is an integral part of the island. Inhabited since Roman times, Anacapri had its heyday between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when it became a coveted retreat for artists from across Europe.

In Anacapri, you can visit the famous Villa San Michele, which was built in 1895 by Swedish doctor Axel Munthe, who fell in love with the ruins of an ancient chapel and designed a home to be built on that spot. While doing restoration work in the adjacent vineyard, the remains of an ancient Roman villa came to light. Munthe decorated his new house with numerous archaeological finds. Upon his death in 1949, Munthe left his house to the Swedish state. Today it is owned by a Swedish foundation that has transformed the villa into a museum where, in the summer, classical music concerts are held.

You'll have free time in Anacapri for lunch, and those who want to shop will be spoiled for choice, given the wide variety of local products, clothing, and accessories available. If you prefer to enjoy the outdoors, you can ride a chair lift to the summit of Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island.

You'll continue on to the famous Piazzetta of Capri, meeting place of VIPs and a vantage point of great beauty. You'll have free time for shopping or walking to the flowering terraces of the Gardens of Augustus. The gardens were commissioned in the 1930s by the German steel magnate Friedrich Alfred Krupp.

Next, you'll return to the port at Marina Grande, where, time and weather permitting, you can enjoy the beauty of the island's coast during a boat ride or visit the world-famous Blue Grotto, which is known for its size and for its intense blue and silvery-white water. The blue color of the Blue Grotto is due to the fact that daylight enters through an underwater "window" that lies just under the entrance. The window absorbs the red color and lets blue filter through.

Later in the afternoon, you'll return to the port of Sorrento and transfer by minibus to your hotel.

Day 6: Free Day in Sorrento

Today you'll a free day to explore the city and the surrounding area. Select from the following suggestions to make the most of your time in Sorrento.

Soak in the sunshine in Piazza Tasso, Sorrento's largest, most popular gathering place. It is crossed by Corso Italia, one of Sorrento's best shopping streets.
 
Go shopping at the colorful Via San Renato street market, a weekly open-air market selling everything from clothes to household items to fresh produce and delicious cheeses.

Have lunch in Marina Grande Beach, Sorrento's fishing village. It's famous for its seafood restaurants and volcanic sand beach, which is the perfect place to relax after a delicious meal.

Head to the Puolo neighborhood, popular with locals because of its shallow beach and waterfront promenade.

Take a day trip to nearby Mount Vesuvius, the infamous volcano that buried Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago.

Tour the nearby coastal city of Salerno, home of western Europe's oldest medical school, now a museum, and the ancient Greek city of Paestum, which contains some of the world's best-preserved Greek temples.
 
Enjoy a private sommelier-guided wine tour in the Irpinia region, where you'll visit two prestigious wine estates in Campania’s rugged Apennine Mountains.

Day 7: Goodbye, Italy!

After one last cappuccino over breakfast, head to the airport to catch your connecting flight home. Have a good trip!