Road trip Italy: Itinerary for northern Italy
Do you want to make a nice road trip through Italy? Then consider the northeastern part of the country, with cities such as Venice and Bologna. We have mapped out a versatile itinerary for a great road trip Italy. An itinerary for a road trip along the most beautiful cities, the Adriatic coast and the popular Lake Garda in the north of the country. With this route you travel along the highlights of northern Italy.
Road trip Italy
You can start this road trip Italy from any city you want, such as Verona, Venice, Bologna, Rimini or San Marino. In this example we start in Verona, as this is the most northern city in this route through Italy. This road trip is mapped out for a journey of about two weeks. Of course we give options if you have more or less time. You can rent a car at, for example, Sunny Cars. Here you rent a car with all insurances included.
The start of you Italian road trip in Verona
Today you arrive in Italy. In our example in Verona. Book a nice hotel in the city to start your trip as relaxed as possible. If you have an early flight, you can already admire the main Verona sights today. Think of Romeo and Juliet’s balcony and the Verona arena. The next day you will also have enough time to discover the city.
The next day or the day after it is time for you to pick up your rental car. The day that your road trip Italy can begin. Today you drive in about 20 to 30 minutes to one of the most famous destinations in Italy, the gigantic Lake Garda. Book a hotel in one of the nicest villages around the lake and enjoy the mountains, nature, Italian food and beautiful villages.
Lake Garda
Today you have time to enjoy the most beautiful places around Lake Garda. In about four hours you can drive around the entire lake. With the most beautiful villages in the north, the mountains in the south, this will be a great day. Of course you can also choose to camp at one of the many campsites around Lake Garda.
A city trip Padova
After your time around Lake Garda you can drive from the south of lake to Padova, a nice town on the way to Venice. You can discover the most beautiful sights in Padova in half a day. You can either spend the night in Padova or drive to Mestre near Venice at the end of the day.
Click here to compare all accommodations in Mestre.
A highlight of your road trip Italy: City trip Venice
From Mestre you can travel by bus or train to Venice. Make sure you leave on time so that you have all day to admire the stunning Venice sights. I recommend to stay in Venice for two days. It is best to buy a ticket for the vaporetto for two days. Although you can of course also set aside one day for Venice. Or even a few more days. The cheapest way to spend the night is by booking a hotel in Mestre. Is money not an issue? Click here to compare all hotels in Venice.
From Venice you can travel by boat to the nearby islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is known for its brightly colored houses.
Chioggia and the Adriatic coast
Today is the time to leave Venice behind. First you make a stop in a town known as “Little Venice”, Chioggia. Chioggia is a perfect stop after Venice because it’s the perfect alternative for one of the most popular destinations in Europe. You won’t find huge sights here, but you don’t have to share it with many other tourists and it is truly beautiful. After spending a few hours in Chioggia you drive further south, straight through the Po Delta to the Adriatic coast near the city of Ravenna.
Of course you will have enough time to enjoy the beaches.
City trip Ravenna
After a day – or maybe even more – at the beach it is time to discover another city in northern Italy. Ravenna is not big, but nice to visit for a few hours. Ravenna is also known for the many mosaics that you can admire all over the city. At the end of the day you will drive on to Rimini where you can enjoy some drinks and delicious food in this popular seaside town.
Visit San Marino
From Rimini it is about twenty to thirty minutes to the mini-state of San Marino. You can opt for a bus, or you can drive there yourself by car. There are plenty of parking options around the center of San Marino. One day is more than enough for San Marino. Do not forget to get a stamp in your passport. At the end of the day you can drive to Bologna where I recommend to book a hotel for two or three nights.
Click here to compare all accommodations in Bologna.
City trip Bologna
Bologna is a wonderful student city where you can easily enjoy yourself for two days. The city has a number of beautiful sights and the atmosphere is super relaxed. Bologna is without a doubt one of my favorite cities in northern Italy.
The end of your road trip Italy
Of course you can also drive this road trip through Italy in reverse and make adjustments where ever you want. If you have more than two weeks, you can discover more destinations, such as Ferrara and Modena. Do you have less time? Then don’t drive all the way to San Marino and skip the day to Ravenna. Do you have questions about Northern Italy? Then leave a comment below. Have fun during your road trip Italy.
- Things to do in Ferrara
- Best things to do around Lake Garda
- All you need to know about Chioggia, Italy’s Little Venice