Planning a trip to Italy and want to visit more than one place without spending half your holiday travelling between them?
We've done loads of trips around Italy over the last few years, and one of my favourite ways to plan them is to pick two places that are easy to combine by train. You can spend a few days in each, get two completely different parts of Italy in one trip, and you don't need to hire a car.
Some of the combinations in this guide we've done ourselves, including Milan and Lake Como, Venice and Verona, Naples and Sorrento, and Florence and Pisa. I've also included a few more that work really well by train if you're looking for ideas for your own trip.
I've kept the train journeys fairly short, because for me that's the whole point of a twin-centre trip. I don't want to lose most of a day travelling between the two places.
For each one I've included the train route, approximate journey time, how many days I'd allow and why I think the two places work well together.
Planning a bigger Italy trip? We’ve travelled around Italy loads over the last few years, mostly using trains and public transport. You can find all our Italy travel guides and itineraries here, including budget trips, where to stay and how to get around without a car.
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| Italy Twin Centre | Train Journey | Best For | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence + Pisa | 59 mins | Art + sightseeing | Tuscany |
| Milan + Lake Como | Around 1 hr | City + lake | Lombardy |
| Florence + Bologna | 38 mins | Art + food | Tuscany / Emilia-Romagna |
| Pisa + Cinque Terre | Around 1 hr 15 mins | City + coast | Tuscany / Liguria |
| Naples + Sorrento | Around 1 hr 10 mins | City + coast | Campania |
| Rome + Naples | Around 1 hr 15 mins | History + food | Lazio / Campania |
| Rome + Florence | Around 1 hr 30 mins | History + sightseeing | Lazio / Tuscany |
| Venice + Verona | Around 1 hr 15 mins | Canals + history | Veneto |
| Turin + Milan | Around 1 hr | Two-city break | Piedmont / Lombardy |
| Milan + Lake Garda | Around 1 hr | City + lake | Lombardy / Veneto |
| Lake Garda + Verona | 15–20 mins | Lake + city | Veneto |
| Bari + Polignano a Mare | Around 30 mins | City + beach | Puglia |
| Scilla + Tropea | Around 1 hr | Beaches + small towns | Calabria |
| Palermo + Cefalù | 45–55 mins | City + beach | Sicily |
| Catania + Taormina | 50–60 mins | City + coast | Sicily |
• Florence + Pisa
• Milan + Lake Como
• Florence + Bologna
• Pisa + Cinque Terre
• Naples + Sorrento
• Rome + Naples
• Venice + Verona
• Milan + Lake Garda
• Lake Garda + Verona
• Bari + Polignano a Mare
• Palermo + Cefalù
• Catania + Taormina
• Scilla + Tropea
• Turin + Milan
• Rome + Florence
Florence and Pisa are really easy to combine if you want to see two places in Tuscany on the same trip. We've visited both as a family and travelled around this part of Italy by train, so you definitely don't need to hire a car to do it.
I'd give Florence the bigger share of the trip as there's far more to see there. You've got the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, museums, markets and loads of places to eat, so you can easily fill two or three days.
Pisa is much smaller and you probably won't need as long there. Obviously, the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli are the big sights, but it's worth having a wander away from this area too rather than just seeing the tower and leaving.
The train between Florence and Pisa takes around an hour, so you're not losing loads of your trip travelling between the two.
• Route: Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale
• Journey time: Around 59 minutes
• Best for: Art, sightseeing and first trips to Tuscany
• I'd allow: 3 to 4 days for both
If you have longer, you could easily turn this into a bigger Tuscany trip rather than stopping at two places. We included both Florence and Pisa as part of our 16 day Italy by train trip, travelling everywhere using public transport.
Milan and Lake Como are one of my favourite combinations on this list and we've actually done the two together twice now.
The first time was part of our 5 day Bernina Express itinerary, where we travelled from Zurich to Chur, took the Bernina Express down to Tirano, then continued to Lake Como before finishing the trip in Milan.
More recently, we did a much shorter trip starting in Milan and travelling by train to Lecco and Varenna, which showed us just how easy Lake Como is to add to a Milan city break.
If you're staying in Varenna, there's a direct train from Milan and once you arrive you can use the ferries to explore more of the lake. Lecco is another option and also has direct trains from Milan, so you have a few different ways you can plan this depending on where you want to stay.
For a twin-centre trip, I'd give Milan one or two nights and then spend at least two nights at Lake Como. If the lake is the main reason for your trip, I'd give it the extra night as there's plenty to see without needing to move accommodation.
• Route: Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino
• Journey time: Around 1 hour
• Best for: City sightseeing and time by the lake
• I'd allow: 3 to 4 days for both
You can see our 5 day Bernina Express, or our more recent Milan, Lecco and Varenna itinerary here if you're looking for a shorter trip.
Florence and Bologna are a really easy option if you want two city stops without much travelling in between. The fast train takes around 40 minutes, so you can check out of your hotel in one city and be in the next before you've really lost any of your day.
We've visited Florence ourselves, but haven't made it to Bologna yet. I'd choose this combination if you want a trip that's mostly about sightseeing, eating and exploring on foot rather than adding a beach or lake stay.
Florence is where I'd probably spend the most time, especially if it's your first visit and you want to see the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and some of the museums. Bologna would then give you a change for the second half of the trip, without having to travel far to get there.
• Route: Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Bologna Centrale
• Journey time: Around 38 minutes by high-speed train
• Best for: Food, sightseeing and two-city breaks
• I'd allow: 4 to 5 days for both
If you only have a few days in Italy and don't want to spend hours moving between hotels, this is one of the shortest train journeys on this list.
Pisa and Cinque Terre would work well if you want to combine some sightseeing with a few days on the coast. We've visited Pisa ourselves, although we haven't made it to Cinque Terre yet.
I'd probably spend one night in Pisa and give the bigger share of the trip to Cinque Terre. Pisa is quite compact, so you can see the Leaning Tower, Piazza dei Miracoli and have a look around the city without needing several days there.
From Pisa, you can travel north by train towards Cinque Terre, with Monterosso taking around 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the train you choose. Once you're there, the five villages are connected by train, so this is another trip you can easily plan without hiring a car.
• Route: Pisa Centrale to Monterosso
• Journey time: From around 1 hour 15 minutes
• Best for: Sightseeing and time on the coast
• I'd allow: 3 to 4 days for both
This could also work well if you find cheap flights into Pisa but don't necessarily want to spend your whole trip there. You can see Pisa first and then carry on up the coast for the rest of your stay.
Naples and Sorrento are another combination we've done ourselves, and they work really well if you want a few days in a busy city followed by some time on the coast.
I'd give Naples at least two days, especially if you want to include Pompeii. We used Naples as our base and travelled out to both Pompeii and Sorrento by public transport, so you can fit quite a lot into one trip without needing a car.
For Sorrento, we used the Circumvesuviana train from Napoli Garibaldi. The journey took around 1 hour 10 minutes and was very cheap, although it was busy when we travelled.
You can also travel between Naples and Sorrento by ferry, so if you're deciding which is best, I've got a full Naples to Sorrento: Train vs Ferry Guide with the route, prices and what we chose as a family.
I'd probably split four or five days fairly evenly between the two, with an extra night in Sorrento if you want to use it as a base for the Amalfi Coast.
• Route: Napoli Garibaldi to Sorrento
• Journey time: Around 1 hour 10 minutes
• Best for: City sightseeing, Pompeii and the coast
• I'd allow: 4 to 5 days for both
You can also see our 3 Days in Naples itinerary, which includes both Pompeii and Sorrento and gives you a good idea of how much you can fit into a shorter trip.
Rome and Naples are a really easy twin-centre if you want two completely different cities without a long journey between them.
We've visited both, and although they're both busy, they feel very different. Rome is the obvious choice for the big sights like the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City, while Naples feels much more relaxed and is a great base if you also want to visit Pompeii or Sorrento.
The high-speed train between Rome and Naples takes just over an hour, so you can move between the two without losing much of the day.
I'd probably give Rome the bigger share of the trip if it's your first visit, then spend a couple of nights in Naples afterwards.
• Route: Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale
• Journey time: Around 1 hour 15 minutes
• Best for: History, food and first trips to Italy
• I'd allow: 4 to 6 days for both
If you want to add a day trip while you're in Naples, Pompeii and Sorrento are both easy to reach by public transport.
Venice and Verona are a combination we've done twice now, first as part of our 16 day Italy by train trip, and then again last year when we put together a shorter 7 day Venice, Verona and Lake Garda itinerary.
They're really easy to combine by train and I'd happily do the two together again. For a first trip, I'd give Venice at least two days and Verona another couple, then add more time if you want to explore some of the places nearby.
On our trips we've also visited Burano and Murano from Venice, and Sirmione on Lake Garda from Verona, so there's plenty you can add without having to keep changing hotels.
The train between Venice and Verona takes around 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the service, which makes moving between the two really easy.
• Route: Venezia Santa Lucia to Verona Porta Nuova
• Journey time: Around 1 hour 15 minutes
• Best for: Sightseeing with easy day trips
• I'd allow: 4 to 5 days for both
You can see our full 16 day Italy by train itinerary if you're planning a longer trip, or our 7 day Venice, Verona and Lake Garda itinerary for a shorter route including Burano, Murano and Sirmione.
Milan and Lake Garda are really easy to combine by train and we've done this route as part of a longer trip through northern Italy.
On that trip we started in Turin, visited Milan, then continued to Lake Garda before finishing in Verona. We've been back to both Milan and Lake Garda on other trips too, so this is an area of Italy we know quite well.
From Milan, you can take a direct train to Peschiera del Garda at the southern end of the lake. We've stayed in Peschiera and found it a really handy base without a car, as you've got the train station there as well as buses and ferries for getting around.
We've also visited Sirmione from here, and there's plenty more around the lake if you want to stay for a few days rather than just stopping overnight.
For a twin-centre trip, I'd probably spend one or two nights in Milan and give Lake Garda the bigger share, especially if you want time to explore a few different towns.
• Route: Milano Centrale to Peschiera del Garda
• Journey time: From around 1 hour
• Best for: City sightseeing and a few days at the lake
• I'd allow: 4 to 6 days for both
You can see our Turin to Verona by train itinerary for the longer route we followed, including Milan and Lake Garda.
Lake Garda and Verona are probably one of the combinations we know best on this list, as we've now combined the two on three different trips to northern Italy.
If you're staying at the southern end of Lake Garda, Peschiera del Garda is really handy for getting to Verona. Direct trains run between Peschiera and Verona Porta Nuova and the journey can take less than 20 minutes, so you're barely losing any time moving between the two.
We've stayed in Peschiera ourselves and used the trains, buses and ferries to get around Lake Garda without a car. From here we've also visited Sirmione, and you can easily use the ferries to explore more of the lake.
For a twin-centre trip, I'd give Lake Garda the bigger share and then add one or two nights in Verona. Verona is quite compact and easy to explore on foot, while I'd always want a few days at Lake Garda to visit some of the different towns.
• Route: Peschiera del Garda to Verona Porta Nuova
• Journey time: From around 15 to 20 minutes
• Best for: Lake time and sightseeing
• I'd allow: 4 to 6 days for both
If you want to make it a longer trip, our 7 day Venice, Verona and Lake Garda itinerary shows one way you can put all three together, while our 16 day Italy itinerary and Turin to Verona itinerary show two other routes we've used that include Lake Garda and Verona.
Bari and Polignano a Mare are one of the combinations on this list that we haven't done ourselves yet, but I've included them because they're so close together and really easy to combine by train.
I'd use Bari for the city part of the trip, then move down the coast to Polignano a Mare for a couple of nights. The train journey takes around half an hour, so again, you're not wasting much of your holiday getting from one place to the other.
Polignano a Mare is quite small, so you probably don't need loads of time there. A couple of nights would give you time to explore the old town, see Lama Monachile beach and have a wander along the coast without trying to squeeze it all into a day trip.
• Route: Bari Centrale to Polignano a Mare
• Journey time: Around 30 minutes
• Best for: City and coast
• I'd allow: 3 to 4 days for both
This is also one I'd look at if you find good flights into Bari and want to see somewhere else in Puglia rather than spending the whole trip in the city.
Palermo and Cefalù would be a really easy twin-centre if you want to combine a bigger Sicilian city with somewhere smaller on the coast.
I visited Cefalù on my 4 day solo Italy and Sicily trip, when I stayed in Messina and travelled there by train for the day. Palermo is further along the same train line, but I only had a few days in Sicily and chose to visit Taormina instead, so I haven't made it to Palermo yet.
Cefalù is quite small and really easy to explore on foot, with the old town and beach right next to each other. It worked well as a day trip for me, but I'd happily stay there for a night or two as part of a longer trip.
From Palermo, trains to Cefalù take around 45 to 55 minutes depending on the service, so you could spend a few days in Palermo and then move on to Cefalù without losing much time travelling.
• Route: Palermo Centrale to Cefalù
• Journey time: Around 45 to 55 minutes
• Best for: City sightseeing and the beach
• I'd allow: 4 to 5 days for both
You can see how I visited Cefalù by train in my 4 day solo Italy and Sicily itinerary, which also includes Messina and Taormina.
Catania and Taormina are another easy Sicily combination, with the train journey between them taking around an hour.
I've visited Taormina myself as part of my 4 day solo Italy and Sicily trip, although I travelled there from Messina rather than Catania. I haven't visited Catania yet, so that's still one for a future trip.
Taormina was one of the places I really wanted to fit into my Sicily trip, and I'm glad I did. I visited for the day, which gave me enough time to explore, but I'd happily stay there for a night or two next time.
If you're flying into Catania, you could spend the first part of your trip in the city and then travel up the coast to Taormina for the second half.
• Route: Catania Centrale to Taormina-Giardini
• Journey time: Around 50 minutes to 1 hour
• Best for: City sightseeing and time on the coast
• I'd allow: 3 to 4 days for both
One thing to remember is that Taormina-Giardini station is down by the coast rather than in the centre of Taormina, so you'll still need to get up into the town when you arrive.
Scilla and Tropea are a lovely combination if you want to see more of Calabria, and this is a twin-centre trip I've done myself.
On my 4 day Calabria itinerary, I spent two nights in Scilla followed by one night in Tropea, travelling between the two by train. If I did the same trip again, I'd probably switch that around and give Tropea the extra night, but both are well worth including.
Scilla is quite small and I loved wandering around Chianalea, the old fishing village right by the water. Tropea has a bit more going on, with its old town, beaches and the views from up above the coast, which is why I'd give it slightly longer next time.
The train journey between them follows the coast and takes around an hour depending on the service, so they're really easy to combine without hiring a car.
• Route: Scilla to Tropea
• Journey time: Around 1 hour
• Best for: Beaches, small towns and the Calabrian coast
• I'd allow: 3 to 4 days for both
You can see exactly how I combined them in my 4 Day Calabria Itinerary for Scilla & Tropea, including where I stayed, how I got around using public transport and what the whole trip cost.
Turin and Milan are really easy to combine if you fancy a two-city break in northern Italy, and we've travelled between the two ourselves.
We did this route as part of a longer trip where we started in Turin, travelled to Milan, then continued to Lake Garda before finishing in Verona. The high-speed train between Turin and Milan takes around an hour, so it's an easy journey and you don't lose half a day moving between the two.
I'd give both cities a couple of days if you have the time. Milan has the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and plenty to see around the centre, while Turin is somewhere I think often gets overlooked when people are planning an Italy city break.
• Route: Torino Porta Susa to Milano Centrale
• Journey time: Around 1 hour
• Best for: An easy two-city break in northern Italy
• I'd allow: 4 to 5 days for both
You can see how we combined Turin and Milan in our Turin to Verona by train itinerary, which continues on to Lake Garda and Verona if you want to turn this into a longer trip.
Rome and Florence are one of the easiest twin-centre trips to put together in Italy, especially if it's your first visit and you want to see two of the big cities in one holiday.
We've travelled directly between Rome and Florence ourselves on our 16 day Italy by train trip, using the high-speed train. The journey takes around 1 hour 30 minutes, so it's really easy to move between the two without losing most of the day travelling.
I'd give Rome the bigger share of the trip as there's so much to see, particularly if it's your first visit. Florence is smaller and really easy to explore on foot, so for a five-night trip I'd probably go for three nights in Rome followed by two nights in Florence.
• Route: Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella
• Journey time: Around 1 hour 30 minutes
• Best for: First trips to Italy, history and sightseeing
• I'd allow: 4 to 6 days for both
Italy is somewhere we keep going back to, and over the last five years we've visited 26 different places across the country, sometimes travelling to Italy as many as four times in one year.
A lot of those trips have been by train, from quick city breaks to longer routes where we've travelled between several different parts of the country. That's also how we've done many of the twin-centre combinations in this guide.
If you're not sure which two places to choose, I'd start with how long you've got and what you actually want from the trip. Some of these combinations work really well for a long weekend, while places like Lake Garda, Lake Como and the coast are somewhere I'd always want to give a little longer.
You can find all our Italy travel guides and itineraries here, including the routes we've taken, places we've stayed and how we've travelled around Italy using public transport.
Whenever I spot great-value DIY flights and accommodation from UK airports, I share them with members of the Build a Break Travel Club. If you'd like to travel without paying package holiday prices, it's a great place to start.
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