Italy may not be a massive country, but there’s enough to see and do that it’s a little on the ambitious (if not a bit crazy) side to just say “I’m going to take a trip to Italy” without narrowing it down to a list of specific cities or at least regions you want to visit. Still, there are some travel tips that are applicable to the whole country. So until I write a specific article that’s first-time visitor guide to each individual city in Italy, this first time visitor guide to Italy will have to suffice!
Before You Leave for Italy
Even if you’re a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of traveler, there are probably some things you want to think about and/or take care of before you leave home and head for Italy. There will also likely be specific things you’ll want to look up for the places you’ll be visiting, but these articles should get you started with answers to some of the big questions.
- Basic Italy Travel Information, because it’s important to know things like the electricity used in Italy, the time zone, and how to use Italian telephones
- Maps of Italy, so you know where you’re going
- Italian History, because having at least a brief overview before you get there is a good idea
- How to Use Bank Cards in Italy, because smart travelers don’t bother with traveler’s checks anymore
- Travel Guides, since you won’t necessarily want to rely on an online guide for everything (or count on internet access everywhere)
- Italy Travel Deals, because there are sometimes deals so low it’s crazy not to go
Destinations in Italy
As mentioned, there is no shortage of places worth seeing in Italy. First time visitors tend to hit many of the same spots, but you may also want to throw a less-touristed city or town in for a change of pace. Here are some of the most popular places to go in Italy, and a few that are less popular. These pages have links to all kinds of other articles about each destination, often including how to get there and back, a list of things to do, suggestions of places to stay, information about public transportation, and even day-trips you can work into your itinerary.
- Rome Travel Guide
- Venice Travel Guide
- Florence Travel Guide
- Milan Travel Guide
- Naples Travel Guide
- Siena Travel Guide
- Pisa Travel Guide
- Cinque Terre Travel Guide
- Tuscany Travel Guide
- Umbria Travel Guide
- Amalfi Coast Travel Guide
- Italy Lakes Travel Guide
- Southern Italy Travel Guide
Italy Airfare
I may forever be envious of people who only are a short (and cheap flight) away from a visit to Italy. That is, until I am myself actually residing in Italy! For those of you who, like me, look with longing at the cheap fares from the U.S. to cities in France, England, and even the Netherlands, know that you’re not alone. Flying to Italy from the United States can be an expensive proposition - or at least more costly than many other places in Europe. I have no idea why this is, but I do know that many frequent Italy travelers find that the best way to fly cheap to Italy from the U.S. is to book their trip in a couple of segments. It can be a little more of a hassle logistically, but it’s definitely worth considering if you can save a few hundred bucks (or more).
There are two basic ways of doing this multi-segment trip-planning. The first is to fly into a big hub airport in a city in the U.S., or to fly into a big hub airport in Europe. For the former example, New York airports often have good deals on flights into Italy, so if you can get a cheap flight into New York you could take advantage of one of those. For the latter, check for flights into London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt - and at the same time, check for flights on some of Europe’s super-budget airlines from those cities into Italian airports. It may not always work out perfectly schedule-wise, but again, it’s worth looking into.
- More information on ways to find cheap airfare to Italy
Where to Stay in Italy
This is one of those topics that’s best done at the city or (at least) regional level, but on a country-level basis I do think it’s important to bring up the different kinds of accommodation options in Italy. Because in addition to the ones most travelers know and would expect, there are a few choices you’ll have in Italy that you might not think of or find in other places you’ve been.
- Overall Guide to Accommodation in Italy
- Types of Accommodation in Italy, and What You Can Expect from Each
- Italy Hotels
- Hostels in Italy
- Vacation Rentals in Italy
- Camping in Italy
- Staying in an Agriturismo in Italy
- Staying in Monasteries & Convents in Italy
Weather in Italy
I distinctly remember my first trip to England, when my English classmates (unfamiliar with the size of the United States) asked me, “What’s the weather like in America?” It’s a question that’s impossible to answer, without breaking the country down into state- or even smaller-sized pieces. In Italy, there are certainly regional weather differences, but it’s a small enough land area that television forecasts also cover the whole country. You’ll definitely want to check the current forecasts for where you’ll be going before you pack your suitcase, but you can also get a general idea of what the weather is like in Italy at different times of the year.
I’ve written an article covering each month in Italy, including a bit of information about what weather you can expect and also what festivals, holidays, or other events might be going on during that month as well. You’ll find all of them collected on the general weather article listed below. I’ve also written some packing tips for Italy, which include as much about fashion tips as they do about weather!
- Weather in Italy
- What to Pack for Italy
- What to Wear in Italy in the Summer
- What to Wear in Italy in the Winter
Getting Around Italy
Italy is blessed with a fantastic rail network, which has made getting around Italy easy - and cheap - for hundreds of years. With the advent of Europe’s many super-budget airlines (like Ryanair, easyJet, and Italy’s own Air One), the country’s train system is trying to modernize and introduce newer and even faster trains so that people don’t abandon rail travel.
For most journeys in Italy, traveling by train is still the best way to go. It’s still usually the cheapest way to get from Point A to Point B, and I also like it because it does evoke that travel era which many of us consider a “more romantic” one - the whole “Grand Tour” aesthetic of rolling across Europe by train. Some places in Italy, however, are remote enough that they don’t have a train station - or the train station isn’t as well-placed for tourists as the bus station. And for longer trips, those budget flights are becoming better options.
The mode of transportation you use for your trip will depend on where you’re going, and you may end up using a few different transportation methods in the end. Here are some articles to get you started on your planning process.
- Overall Guide to Transportation in Italy, including links to articles about getting from one specific place to another & links to the public transport options in some individual cities
- Guide to Train Travel in Italy, including information to help you decide whether to buy an Italy RailPass or just buy point-to-point tickets as you go
- Buy an Italy RailPass, if it fits your trip (and if you’ve got specific questions about whether it’s worth it, you can ask questions of BootsnAll’s RailPass expert on that site, too)
- Guide to Bus Travel in Italy
- Guide to Driving in Italy
- Renting a Car in Italy
Things to Do in Italy
There is absolutely no way I can list here (or on any one page) all the things there are to do in Italy. In fact, in some ways, you can consider this entire website a list of what to do in Italy. But while this conversation is absolutely best done at the city or regional level, there are a few articles I can link to here that may help you get started with your trip planning and figure out how to prioritize all the things you really want to see or do.
- Overall Guide to What to Do in Italy, including links to lists of things to do in individual Italian cities
- The Perfect 2-Week Italy Itinerary, especially for first-time visitors
- 20 Things Everyone Should Do in Italy
- Festivals in Italy
- Seeing Soccer Games in Italy
- Taking a Guided Tour of Italy
Italian Food
Okay, now we’re getting into one of my passions - the food in Italy. As anyone who’s read any of my food-related articles on this site knows, the idea that “Italian food” is the same throughout Italy is a false one. The cuisine of Italy is very regional, so depending on where you’re going you’ll want to be eating different things in order to sample the local specialties. But many of the articles I’ve written will be helpful no matter where you’re going in Italy.
- Overall Guide to Italian Food
- Different Words for Restaurants in Italy
- Menu Tips for Italy
- Italian Food Book Everyone Should Travel With
- Guide to Shopping in Italian Food Markets
- Information About Tipping in Italy
- How to Order Gelato in Italy (and don’t forget to learn all those Italian gelato flavors, too!)
- Guide to Italian Coffee
- Guide to Different Kinds of Italian Pasta
- Cooking Schools in Italy
- Vineyards in Italy
- Home Food (Dining in the Homes of Italian Cooks)
- Italian Recipes You Can Make at Home
Learning the Italian Language
While it’s certainly not necessary to become fluent in Italian before you take a vacation in Italy, it’s common sense that learning a few words not only is a polite thing to do, it also makes your trip easier. The Italians are, luckily, overwhelmingly forgiving when it comes to foreigners trying to speak Italian, so even if you make mistakes they’re quite likely to work with you, understand you, and even help you improve.
- Italian Language Tips
- Why You Shouldn’t Say “Ciao” to Everyone
- Rosetta Stone CD-Roms for Learning Italian
- Italian Phrasebook for Travelers
- For fun, but not for general use, here are my favorite Italian swear words!
Planning a Wedding or Honeymoon in Italy
Travelers in love also tend to be in love with the idea of a destination wedding - something that combines both traveling and that whole getting married thing? That rocks. And it can also be a huge headache - especially in a country like Italy, which (as I like to say) invented red tape. Hiring a wedding planner in Italy is almost a must, unless you’ve got family there to help you through the sea of paperwork. For those of you who aren’t keen on all the hoops you’d have to jump through, you could always choose a honeymoon in Italy instead.
photo at top by stevehdc
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Jessica..this is an excellent post. I have been to Italy/Sicily 3 times, A week in sicily, which was not enough time but that is all we had, and we were right in the tip below Syracuse..but one thing we had to do was drive to Mount Etna..which we did.
Lake Como was fabulous, so we just centred out holiday around there, Bellagio, Menaggio, Como, etc but did have a drive to Switzerland..
Last year Liguria, near Albenga.. concentrated on the seaside towns from from the French border to Portifino…you have to do this otherwise you lose out in seeing so much, if you haven’t planned some trips. Hopefully this year we are going to Tuscany, and I am looking at staying either in Lucca or Bagni di Lucca or Barga, not quite sure yet. If we do go ,we cannot go until November (end of F1) so careful planning.
Thank you for sharing. I plan on going to Italy. that is great.
No need to go anywhere else - complete, thorough and all inclusive. Gr8 article - for the first-time visitor and all others!
Hi Jessica
My husband and I taking our first international trip to Italy in October (Venice, Florence and Rome.) By far, this website has been the most helpful to me! You’re posts and articles get right to the point and really have a lot of great, useful information. Thanks!
Thanks, Jennifer! I’m glad you’re enjoying the site, and finding it helpful - and I hope you have a great time in Italy!
Hi,
My wife and I are planning to visit Italy with another couple in Sept-Oct 2010.
We would like to spend approximately 3 weeks in italy and travel by car.
For each week we were thinking of choosing a town that is centrally located with regards to the places we intend to visit , rent a house (or an apartment or villa) and use that as a base for visiting .
ALthough we would like to visit as much as possible, we also want to take the time to really enjoy
our stay in Italy.
We would very much appreciate your guidance in choosing what to visit and where to stay.
I have read many of your articles and find them very interesting .
Thank you so much for your help,
Hi, Carlo:
I think your idea of choosing one place per week and making day trips from a central location is a good one. Renting an apartment or a house is also a great idea, as it’ll allow you to cook for yourself with all the goodies you’ll find at the local markets!
You said you wanted to choose towns that are centrally located regarding places you intend to visit - but you didn’t say what those places are, so it’s impossible for me to offer suggestions on where you might make your home base. I think your first priority should be to determine where you want to visit, whether it’s particular musuems or festivals or just specific towns, and then mark them on a map of Italy. Once you’ve done that, you should be able to figure out some towns in the areas of the things you want to visit that might make a good base for each of your three weeks. Remember that some of your day trips, depending on where you’re staying and where you want to go, could be easier if you go by train than if you went everywhere by car - some of those historic towns are really difficult to drive and park in.
I hope that helps, and I hope you have a great trip!
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
We are a newly married couple and would be visiting Italy from 10th to 24th October this year. We have chosen - Rome, Florence ( a day trip to Pisa), Venice and Milan as the places we would like to visit. We are still thinking on how to distribute our days, i.e, how long to stay in each place. Would you be able to suggest. This is the first visit to Italy for both of us and we are currently staying in Malaysia.
Many thanks and we are absolutely planning everything based on your postings only.
Regards,
M
Hi, Malchik:
As much as I’m flattered by you planning your whole trip based only on what I say, I think it would be smarter if you looked around at other resources, too - I’m certainly not the only person worth listening to when it comes to Italy travel! Personally, I like the Rick Steves guidebooks.
If you haven’t already seen it, it sounds like my article on the “perfect two-week itinerary in Italy” would be useful to you. You can adjust it to suit your specific trip duration and the things you want to do and see.
http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/italy-itinerary-the-perfect-two-weeks.html
Have a great trip!
Jessica
Hi Jessica, heard that there are many pickpockets in italy - hence it is safe for tourist who are carrying/ pulling their big luggage bags?
Hi, Hugo:
There are pickpockets in big cities all over the world (and often in smaller ones, for that matter, as long as there are lots of tourists around), and I don’t think you need to be any more careful in Italy than you would in any other place you travel. I’m not sure what you mean here, either, in that I assume you’re not going to be pulling your luggage with you everywhere you go? If you just mean is it safe for you to pull your luggage from, say, the train station to a taxi or to your hotel, or something like that, then I’d say yes. Just be sure you’re paying attention to your surroundings, don’t leave your bag unattended, and don’t hand your bag to someone who claims to be a “porter” or something like that.
Have a good trip,
Jessica
G’day Jessica,
My wife & I are travelling to Rome for three nights (Hotel Milani), then an 11 night Eastern Meditteranean cruise (Costa Cruises - Pacifica).
We are in our 50’s and I have never been overseas before (I’m still coming to terms with this flying thing!!!).
If you find anything wrong with our plan, let me know, even though it is already paid for.
We really like your site (I have deleted all others)!
Thank you for your help and tips.
Regards,
Robert & Karen.
Hi, Robert:
It sounds like you’ve got most of your trip planned for you, since you’re taking a cruise, so I’m not sure what you need my input on… With only three days before you leave on your cruise, I think you’re definitely doing the right thing not trying to do more than one city. So if that’s what you’re asking, then yes - stick with three nights in Rome, enjoy a few days in the busy city before you relax on your cruise!
I do recommend that you read through my Rome articles, especially the survival guide for first-time visitors and the “things you should know about Rome” article, because it can be overwhelming. It’s a hectic city, and just crammed with people, but I’d hate for you to come away from your first overseas trip not liking Rome. Both of those articles (plus many others) are linked from the main Rome travel guide: http://www.italylogue.com/rome
I’m glad you’re enjoying the site, and that you’re finding it helpful - and I hope you have a great trip! Do send me a note when you get back and let me know how you like Rome.
Ciao,
Jessica
We are travelling to Italy in May 2010 but only have 1 week available. My father was born in Genoa so of course I would like to go there and we are thinking of flying directly from London to Genoa and spend a couple of days there first. I would also like to go to Rome and was wondering what you would suggest as the best way of getting there. If we hire a car and drive how long would it take? Is there a train? or would we be better to fly from Genoa to Rome? I look forward to your suggestions.
Sue
Hi, Sue:
Thanks for your note. I think limiting yourself to just a couple places - like Genoa and Rome - if you only have one week is a good idea. For getting from Genoa to Rome, you have a few choices.
TRAIN - It’s about a 5-5.5 hour train trip from Genoa (Genova in Italian) to Rome (Roma), and one-way tickets on the fast train will cost roughly 65 euro for first class or 47 euro for second class. Most trains are direct, so you wouldn’t have to change trains somewhere along the way.
FLY - I’m finding only one “budget airline” that connects Genoa and Rome (blu-express), and for a round-trip ticket (assuming you’re going back to Genoa and not directly back to London) the best prices I’m finding right now are in the 25 euro range. Most of the tickets are in the 70-100 euro range, however, and because your trip is far enough in the future that I’m not able to search for May fares it’s impossible to say what the fares would be for a May trip. The flight itself is about an hour, but it arrives at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (further away from the city center, so it’ll take an hour or so to get into the city from the airport).
DRIVE - It’s more than 500km from Genoa to Rome, and according to the Via Michelin site it should take you roughly 5 hours (and that’s without traffic). It also says you’ll pay roughly 33 euro in tolls along the way.
With as little time as you have, I might suggest taking the plane - or at least looking at that as your best option. And if you’re flying from Rome directly back to London, be sure to check out one-way fares first to make sure it’s not so much more expensive that it puts it well beyond your budget.
Hope that helps,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
My husband and I are planning our first trip to Italy in May. The tentative dates of our trip are May 8-22. However, we are aware that hotel prices usually go up at some point in May, and I am wondering if it would be wise to reschedule our trip for around May 1-14 (or even the end of April) instead in order to take advantage of lower hotel costs. Can you please advise when the hotel rates normally go up?
Thanks!
Diana
Hi, Diana:
I don’t know that there’s a specific date when hotel rates go up all over Italy - it seems (from what I can tell) to be sort of on a hotel-by-hotel basis. The high season in some places does stretch all the way into May now, however, so you might find higher rates right through the start of May in many cities (especially the more popular ones).
I’d suggest that you start looking up specific hotels in places you’re going to be visiting and seeing what they say their high/low seasons are - most hotel sites will list the dates for their high/low seasons, so you’ll be able to tell easily. And if they don’t, you can email and ask them. That will give you a better idea of whether it’s worth it to reschedule your trip or if the price difference isn’t as great.
Hope that helps,
Jessica
Hello,
I am researching a trip to Italy this summer. I have never before left the US, I am female, and I will be traveling alone. With enough research, planning, and common sense, will I be okay in Italy for a few weeks? Or am I setting my sights on an adventure for which I’m perhaps ill-suited? I’ve read your articles, but haven’t found anything that deals specifically with young females traveling alone.
Thanks!
Carly
Hi, Carly:
Yes, you’ll be fine. Italy is an easy country for novice travelers, especially if you’re planning to stick to more touristed cities (Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, etc.). There are some places where you might not feel comfortable as a woman traveling alone, but I’d suggest that would have more to do with being a novice traveler than it being in Italy - because there are places all over the world (including in the US) where you’d be uncomfortable going by yourself.
I hope that makes sense; if you have more questions, let me know!
Ciao,
Jessica
Jessica: My wife’s 50th birthday is this year and I want to surprise her with a trip to Italy from March 10th through the 23. We have a son with Duchennes MD and she has not been away from him for 13 years. I would like to spend one day skiing in the Alps, a bucket list item, and then spend the rest of the time spoiling my wife. We have no set plans and don’t care where we fly into or out of. Price conscious but really not a big deal. She is an avid wine drinker and likes good food. Other than that we just want to have a good time and see the sights. What would you recommend?
Tim