Bus Travel in Italy

bus

Generally speaking, and especially if you’re sticking to the bigger tourist destinations in Italy, you’ll have no trouble relying on the country’s train network to get you around. And once you’re in the cities, you can take advantage of usually excellent public transportation. If, on the other hand, you’re hoping to get at all off the beaten path while avoiding renting a car, you’ll probably want to look into Italy’s buses.

Yes, Italian trains will take you almost everywhere in the country - including some tiny towns that you wouldn’t think would be large enough to merit a train station. But some tiny towns really are off the rail network and are only accessible via roads. That means you’ve either got to rent a car and navigate your way around or you’ve got to take the bus. The latter option is especially good if you’re on a budget, or if the idea of driving on Italian roads scares the bejeezus out of you. Buses in Italy provide an inexpensive (if not always timely) means of getting around in areas where there is less of a tourist concentration - which might be just what you’re after.

Also, for some routes, the bus is a more efficient option than taking the train - even if a train connection exists. For instance, to get between Florence and Siena the bus is often faster than the train, simply because of the route the train must take. The bus is able to take a more direct route, making the journey more quickly.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a national bus company like there is with the train system, so the buses you’ve got to learn about will differ depending on where you’re planning to go. Nearly every town will have a bus station, however, so if you haven’t done your research in advance (or you didn’t really have a set itinerary in the first place), you can always ask around to find the local bus station and figure out the schedule once you’re there. For a starting point, many bus stations are conveniently located near the main train station in town, or they have a regular stop there. Also, many buses have a routine stop in the town’s main piazza. If neither of these hints helps you find the bus station, just ask the first kindly local you meet, “Dov’è autostazione?” (doh-VEY OW-toe-stah-tzee-oh-nay)

If you’ve got a more set itinerary or there’s a particular journey you know you want to make by bus, there’s an excellent website which has links to all the bus company websites throughout Italy here. They have thoughtfully marked which sites are the official business site, which ones include route information or timetables, and which ones are not affiliated with the actual business but provide good information anyway. Don’t be surprised if some of them are in Italian only; if you’re looking for route information or timetables, you might be able to figure out what you need to know even without speaking the language, as long as you’re using the Italian city names! The Bus Station website will tell you which areas the buses listed serve, so you can read only about the ones you need to. It’s really a fantastic resource.

And don’t forget to read more information about transportation in Italy, too.