Italy

Italy is renowned for its ancient ruins, coastlines, wine, food, and museums. Whatever kind of adventure you want to have here, this travel guide has everything you need for planning the ultimate Italy trip!

If you don’t have a car in Italy, choose your “home bases” carefully. Make sure you have access to public transportation for any day trips you want to take.

Cortina d’Ampezzo is the best home base for exploring the Dolomites, Sorrento is best for Campania (home to the Amalfi Coast), Florence for Tuscany, Sicily for exploring more of the islands, Venice for Veneto, Milan for Lombardy, Rome for Lazio, and Polignano a Mare for Puglia.

Ready to plan the ultimate Italy trip? Here’s everything you need to know!

Top Places to Visit

Typical Costs When Traveling

Exchange Rate

The currency in Italy is the Euro. Exchange rates are subject to fluctuations, so be sure to check this as your trip approaches. On average, €1 is equal to about £.87 British Pounds $1.10 U.S. and 7.8 Chinese Yuan.

Accommodation

A hostel room is in the €20-35 a night range (£17-30.50, $22-38, 156-270 Yuan). A budget hotel is in the €60–110 a night range (£52-95.50 , $66-121, 465-850 Yuan). A mid-range hotel should be between €110–200 a night (£95.50-174, $121-220, 850-1546 Yuan). More luxury accommodations start at €200 a night (£174, $220, 1546 Yuan) and go up from there.

Airbnb prices average around €60 a night (£52, $66, 464 Yuan).

Food

Meals from markets or street stalls are relatively cheap, around €5 (£4.25, $5.50, 39 Yuan). Pizza and pasta are between €6-15 (£5.25-13, $6.50-16.50, 46-116 Yuan). Dinner at a local restaurant will be €25–45 (£21.75-39, $28-50, 193-348 Yuan). And if Michelin stars dining is your preference, plan for meals to start at €60 (£52, $66.50, 465 Yuan) and go up to hundreds of dollars per dish.

Plan to spend around €5 on a wine or beer (£4.25, $5.50, 39 Yuan) and €10 on a cocktail (£8.75, $11, 77.50 Yuan).

If you only had basic meals or ate from markets, you could eat for about €20 a day (£17.50, $22, 155). But while this will keep you fed, you’ll miss out on the fantastic food culture of Italy. So I’d recommend allowing yourself at least a couple of sit-down meals to experience authentic Italian cuisine.

Here are 10 Must-Try Italian Dishes!

Metro Transportation

Rome, Milan, Naples, and Turin have extensive metro options within the city limits. Genoa, Catania, and Perugia have smaller and more limited metro options. Buses are your best transportation option for getting around the smaller cities and towns.

Individual tickets for buses, metro lines, trams, and vaporetti (small passenger ferries in Venice) will be about €1,50 (£1.3, $1.65, 11.60 Yuan) and are valid for 100 minutes. There should also be a 24 hours pass for €7 (£6, $7.75, 54 Yuan), a 48 hours pass for €12,50 (£10.75, $13.75, 97 Yuan), and a 72-hour pass for €18 (£15.75, $20, 140 Yuan).

Intercity Transportation

Italy’s railways are convenient and relatively cheap compared with other European countries. Most trains are run by Trenitalia, Italy’s national train operator. Another option is Italo, a private operator that runs high-velocity trains to and from Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Salerno.

Tickets for regional trains must be validated in the green machines found at the head of platforms before boarding. If you forget to validate a ticket, you’ll likely have to pay a fine once you board your train. Tickets printed at home or tickets for Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, Italo, InterCity, and EuroCity trains don’t have to be validated. Lonely Planet has a detailed guide of the types, prices, and duration of the main train routes.

Italy also has an excellent intercity bus network. Buses are particularly useful in the more mountainous and rural inland areas where there’s limited rail infrastructure. Bus tickets are usually comparable to train tickets. Omio (formerly GoEuro) is an excellent resource for finding the best bus deals.

There’s also an extensive ferry network that runs to and from the mainland and Italy’s larger and smaller islands. Ferry services are frequent from March until October, but the rest of the year ferry services are limited. Ferries also run between Italy and these countries: Albania, Croatia, Egypt, France (Corsica), Greece, Israel, Malta, Spain (the Balearics), Tunisia, and Turkey.

Ferry ticket prices, like bus and train tickets, depend on how far you’re going, what class you want, and what time of year it is. Traghetti.com is the best site for researching ferry services to, from, and within Italy.

Car Transportation

Renting a car will start around €30 a day (£26, $33, 232 Yuan), and then you’ll need to pay tips, tolls, and gas. Auto Europe is my favorite site for renting cars in Europe. Before renting a car, make sure you understand all insurance and drivers license requirements

Taxi fares within city limits are relatively reasonable, averaging between €10-15 (£8.75-13, $11-16.50, 77-116 Yuan). Uber Black is available in Rome and Milan, but Lyft doesn’t operate in Italy.

Other Expenses

I’d budget around €60 a day (£52, $26, 182 Yuan) for entrance fees, tours, guides, snacks, tips, and souvenirs.

Bancomats (ATMs) are widely available in large and mid-size cities. When visiting smaller towns, I’d recommend already having cash-on-hand. Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, and Cirrus are the most commonly accepted bank and credit cards. Most hotels, restaurants, and larger stores accept credit cards, but always have cash for smaller establishments.

Tipping

A 10% tip is standard in restaurants, and a euro or two is okay for pizzerias and trattorias. It’s not necessary to tip if you sit at the bar, but leaving some small change or rounding up your tab is appreciated.

At high-end hotels, you should tip porters €5 (£4.25, $5.50, 38.50 Yuan). For a taxi, you can round up to the nearest euro. You should tip around €5 per person (£4.25, $5.50, 38.50 Yuan) for group tour and museum guides and €20 (£17.50, $22, 155 Yuan) per person for private tours.

Suggested Daily Costs

These budget estimates include eating and drinking out at least once a day and a couple of train or bus rides.

Lower End: €100 a day (£87, $111, 775 Yuan). Midrange: €175 a day (£152, $193, 1353 Yuan). Higher End: €250 a day and up (£217, $276, 1933 Yuan).

When To Go

Italy’s High Season is from June to August. Everything is open and in “full swing” during these months – sights, tours, transportation, etc. But accommodation prices can be double what they are the rest of the year, and tourists and temperatures will be at their highest.

The Shoulder Season from April to May and September to October is considered the best time to visit. Accommodation prices are about 20% lower (and usually even lower in the south), and the temperature and tourist numbers are more manageable.

The Low Season is from November to March when accommodation rates can drop by 50%. But many hotels, sights, and restaurants shut down, especially on the coast and islands, ferry schedules are limited, and it will be cold.

If you want to be lying out on a beach, you should go from May-September.

Italy is one of my Best Destinations To Visit In September!

What To Pack

In addition to your usual travel essentials, you’ll want these items in Italy:

Day pack and water bottle. If you’re doing any treks or longer hikes, make sure you have any specialized clothing or equipment you might need.

Rain jacket because there’s always a chance of rain. If you’re here in the winter months, you’ll want several warm layers and a waterproof outer layer for rain, sleet, or snow.

But even if you’re here in the Summer months, you’ll want a lightweight jacket or sweater if you’re in the higher elevations.

Electrical outlets in Italy are Types C, F, and L. So if you’re from the EU, you won’t need an outlet adaptor. But British, U.S., and other travelers will need an adaptor.

What To Wear

Italians are very conscientious about their appearance, and they usually dress quite fashionably and conservatively. So, to dress like the locals, pack practical dressy-casual clothes. Long or capri pants, skirts, and dresses for women and long pants for men. You won’t see the locals wearing shorts unless they’re on a beach.

If you’re visiting a religious site, you’ll want to wear pants or a dress or skirt that isn’t too short or tight-fitting. You’ll also want to have a layer to cover your shoulders. Some sites, like the Vatican, won’t let you enter if you’re not dressed conservatively.

Comfortable, practical, and interchangeable clothes are always smart choices when packing for an international trip. And if you’re here in the warm months, choose light and breathable fabrics.

Bring your most comfortable shoes! You’ll be walking A LOT, and you’ll continuously be on cobblestone sidewalks or streets.

Have you been here? Comment below with anything you’d add for planning the ultimate Italy trip!

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This guide to planning the ultimate Italy trip is not a sponsored post, and, as always, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this guide to plan the ultimate Italy trip are entirely my own. Some of the links in this guide to plan the ultimate Italy trip are affiliate links, and, at no cost to you, I may earn a small commission.