I plan all of our trips to Italy from transport and hotels to attractions and restaurants. It certainly takes longer than clicking “Purchase” on a tour company website, but can prove much less expensive and has the obvious effect of creating a customized trip specific to your tastes.
Our travel style can be described as relaxed, food and wine-inspired meandering. Although we love to learn and appreciate art, we seldom spend hours in museums or at popular tourist attractions. We prefer to explore new neighbourhoods, appreciate the scenery (natural and architectural), observe the locals and find the tastiest food and wine spots off the beaten path. In Italy, we’ve never had difficulty getting around, finding great spots or seeing breathtaking sites through DIY travel planning.
Here are some of my top tips and resources for crafting your own Italian adventure, your way, on your budget and your schedule.
Transportation
Airport Transportation
Taxis and ride-sharing (in cities that have that option) can be quite expensive. Unless you have a lot of cumbersome luggage to schlep, I’d always opt for an airport bus or train shuttling you into the centre of town. From there, you can utilize local transport or just walk to your accommodations. The best place to find airport transport is on the website of the airport itself, but booking ahead can be tough given the unpredictability of wait times for customs and baggage. I typically have an idea of the options, then look for an information kiosk at the airport to point me in the right direction. Departure times of transit are usually listed on a board so you can determine your best option.
Larger cities will have multiple options, so if you can look at the route in advance, you may find the best option is not the one advertised as the most convenient. For example, last time I was in Rome (FCO), I took a bus which stopped a few minutes walk from my hotel, rather than the very-popular, but more expensive, Leonardo Express train.
If you fly into a city which is not your final destination, you’ll likely need to take a bus or train to the Termini (the city’s terminal train station, e.g. Roma Termini) to board a train elsewhere.
Ground Transportation
In larger cities, taxis are still very effective means of travel. That said, they can be a challenge for tourists who don’t speak Italian. You run the risk of confusing the driver, not getting to your destination or being completely ripped off (even if you ask the cost in advance). My preference is to use taxi apps like Free Now which, similar to Uber or Lyft, will allow you to enter a destination, provide you with a price range (set by the proper taxi meter fare), show you who is coming to pick you up and let you pay and tip via the app with a credit card so you avoid dealing with cash.
In smaller towns, you may have to call a taxi from a nearby city. Look online to find a company, and get your Google translate out so you can specify your location and your final destination.
Cars
If you decide to rent a car, be wary of car rental scams and read reviews of rental places online before booking a car. Plus, it’s always a good idea to purchase the extra insurance to protect you from any unexpected costs. Italian driving is often fast and erratic, so be prepared to get honked at, be the subject of hand gestures and eye rolls. Take a deep breath, keep calm and carry on driving.
Many Italian cities have ZTL or Zona Traffico Limitato. The ZTL areas are core areas of the city for which you require a permit to drive. So, as a tourist, you will risk huge fines driving into a ZTL area. Do your homework for all the places you plan to visit by car in advance to ensure you steer clear of the ZTL. If you get fined for driving in a ZTL, your car rental company will charge a fee to your credit card for releasing your address to the authorities and then you will receive a hefty ticket via mail months after you return back home. Gross.
We walk everywhere, so trains and buses are our preferred means of transportation. Plus, despite manual transmission driving lessons, we are still horrendous drivers on a manual car. Automatics can be harder to come by and more expensive.
Trains
In Italy, trains are either run by government-owned Trenitalia, Trenord (only in Lombardy region) or Italo which runs fast trains between larger cities. There are sites like ItaliaRail which will enable you to book trains for a small service fee. My preference, however, is to book directly with the train company on their website. Both sites have an English language option, but Trenitalia refers to all its stops in Italian. Don’t be scared, just translate the English city names online or use Google.it. Here’s a helpful chart of the larger cities:
| English City Name | Italian City Name | Central Station Name |
|---|---|---|
|
Florence |
Firenze |
Firenze Santa Maria Novella |
|
Rome |
Roma |
Roma Termini |
|
Naples |
Napoli |
Napoli Centrale |
|
Milan |
Milano |
Milano Centrale |
|
Venice |
Venezia |
Venezia Santa Lucia |
|
Turin |
Torino |
Torino Porta Nuova |
What to Look For: When you arrive at the station look for two boards “Partenze” (Departures) and “Arrivi” (Arrivals). The departures board will tell you your train number, departure time and track it leaves from which will be written as “BIN” for binario.Your train may say “Destinazione” (Destination) and list the city which is the last stop on the route.
Buying and Validating Your Ticket: If you don’t have a ticket online you can buy one from the counter or there are ticket machines in most stations which function in English. Printed tickets should be validated in little green machines – just put your ticket in the slot and it will imprint a time.
Onboard: For tickets purchased online you may be asked for the barcode by a train attendant so keep the ticket handy on your phone or via a printout. Some tickets will assign you a seat, but most often you can select a seat yourself. Luggage can be stored overhead or there are luggage areas where you can stack your bags. Finally, at your stop, the doors may not automatically open. But you are no fool, just press the two arrows to open the door and disembark like a champ!
Buses
So you want to challenge yourself to a new adventure? Ride an Italian inter-city bus! Woot! Bus transit is very good in Italy, in my opinion. The buses tend to be clean, comfortable and generally on time. If you live in a town without a train station, then unless you have a car, you had better be on the lookout for bus stops. You can use an app like Moovit or Rome2Rio to see about transit options. If you try to plan a trip using the Trenitalia site, they will also provide you with affiliated bus options, e.g. Ferrovie Del Sud Est is the bus company that runs in Salento (south Puglia). There are private buses as well like FlixBus so look at all your options.
Once you have a schedule in mind, you can purchase a ticket either online or at a tabaccheria (just let them know the day of your travel and your destination). Then find that bus stop! You may see a sign marking the stop (“fermata”) with the name of the bus company, or not, people may just gather on the sidewalk. You can ask locals, but most people drive cars and have no clue where the bus stops. Your best bet is to find what you think is a stop and ask people standing around if that’s where the bus stops for your destination city. Commuters to local towns will know where you need to stand. Do this research in advance of having to travel so you don’t risk missing the bus. My advice is to get there early (buses arrive and leave quickly, they are not waiting for you) and prepare some Italian sentences to ask drivers of other buses pulling up which bus you need and where it stops. Basically, look alive kids, you’re in for a treat!
Google Maps
PRO TIP – Google Maps does not work exceptionally well in dense areas (like in Venice or in the oldest parts of Rome) so you cannot always rely upon its navigation to get you to the right spot. I have also found that it’s relied upon less frequently as a source of information for operating hours, so if you are planning on going somewhere at a certain time, call first to make sure they will actually be open. Finally, unlike in many places in North America where somehow every tiny shop, food stand and convenience store makes it to the map, many businesses in smaller communities do not. You need to explore! Getting lost in Italy is 100% in your future. Enjoy it – you’ll get there eventually.
Helpful Apps
Rome2Rio – a great app showing you options to get from anywhere, to anywhere via planes, trains, buses, ride-sharing, you name it. Pro tip: always check with the transportation provider directly
Moovit – A public transportation app that works all over the world.
Free Now (taxi app) – An alternative to Uber or Lyft, this app, which works in larger cities like Milan and Rome, hires a taxi and shows you who is coming to pick you up and when. The fare is metered so you get a range for the price and you pay via the app eliminating the need to carry or figure out currency. I prefer this to negotiating with taxi drivers as I have found it’s easy to be taken advantage of when you are at a language disadvantage.
BlaBlaCar – Offers ride-sharing with individuals who are driving their own vehicles between cities, which is much cheaper than renting a vehicle yourself.
FlixBus – A private bus company with competitive rates. Note their bus stops are different from government-run bus companies
Helpful websites
Trenitalia – The main train website for Italy. Note it will also link you to government-run buses like Ferrovie Sud Est (below) where train routes do not exist.
Trenord – for Lombardy regional train travel.
Italo – Private high speed train company.
Ferrovie Del Sud Est – Website for local intercity buses in Puglia, run by Trenitalia.
Accommodations
Hotels
There are a ton of options for independently-operated hotels in Italy. I typically rely upon sites like Booking.com or Hotels.com to search through listings, but you can also look on Google Maps, find a location and see if they have a direct booking option through their website. Or, you just be able to email and reserve a room (see my notes below on best practice for contacting accommodations operators).
Bed and Breakfasts
Airbnb is a huge source for short-term rentals in Italy. Unlike in other places, you will be greeted by your host or a property manager upon your arrival as Italian law requires accommodation operators to upload a photo of your passport within 24 hours of check-in. Typically, “breakfast” will include some packaged pastries, rusks (dry, hard biscuits or twice-baked bread) and jam, tea and coffee. If you require the use of a sofa bed or second bed, let them know in advance, in case they need to provide extra linens and note there may be a small additional cost (10 – 20 Euros).
Like with hotels, you will also find true “bed and breakfasts”, independently-operated businesses, which can sometimes be booked through a booking website like Booking.com or Hotels.com, but more frequently must be booked directly with the B and B operator. Simply email the place in which you are interested to inquire as to availability for your dates, costs and whether there are amenities you require (e.g. parking, accessible ramp, air conditioning, wifi). Also it’s a good idea to ask if they take credit card as some establishments are still only accepting cash as payment. You can always take cash out after arrival, but better to budget your cash accordingly. Many of these providers in popular tourist destinations will understand written English, but I prefer to translate the text first and write to them directly in Italian to avoid any confusion. Breakfast options can have much more variety if you’re in an area frequented by non-Italian tourists. For example, we have stayed in Bed and Breakfasts in Tropea (Calabria), Ischia (Amalfi Coast) and Monterosso al mare (Cinque Terre), all of which had full breakfast options including eggs, omelettes, breakfast meat, Italian pastries, fruit, yogurt, the whole shabang! Yum!
Regardless of whether you book through Airbnb, a booking site or directly with the B and B operator, it is common for them to reach out to you to request your arrival time. Good practice is to reach out a day or two before arrival (through the booking app, What’s App or email) and confirm the approximate time. For us, this early notification has garnered us some free lifts from the train station, free luggage storage and avoided us sitting in the baking sun trying to reach someone via phone to check us in. Not all operators will have a full time front desk staff like at a hotel just waiting for your impending arrival.
Tourist tax
In some cities, operators are required to charge an accommodation tax (usually 1-2 Euros per person per night) to remit to the government. It’s common for this to be requested in cash upon arrival, so be ready.
Eating and Drinking
Italian dining hours and food selection differs quite a bit from North American culture. For example, you won’t find bacon and eggs for breakfast except for tourist-heavy locations where they are catering to your likes. Italians prefer to eat sweet food in the morning (croissants filled with apricot jam, cakes, pastries) and coffee. Lunch is a much larger meal than you may be used to with a pasta course, in addition to an entree, dessert and coffee (of course) and wine is commonly served. In many places, the kitchens open for lunch at noon and close by 2:30pm, so you’ll need to be mindful of those hours. Dinner is typically served late – after 7:30pm and also is a several course affair.
Aperitivo
Can’t wait until 8:00pm to eat dinner? No problemo! Italy has an amazing tradition of aperitivo, a light meal to stimulate the appetite before dinner. If you want to partake, you can grab a cocktail or glass of wine and you’ll be presented with a selection of snacks – sometimes olives, potato chips, nuts and more hearty offerings like cheese, cured meats and small bites.
Passeggiata
If you are also trying to fill some time before dinner, you can partake in the evening’s passeggiata – a local tradition of walking slowly through the main streets, in the old part of town or along the sea. Join the fun or sit in a cafe for a coffee or glass of wine. It’s a great way to socialize and you’ll see many locals out on the town. If you want to blend in, lose your tourist clothes for nicer attire.
Museums and Attractions
Are museums your jam? If you are a self-proclaimed history or art enthusiast, you’ve come to the right country! Italy is rife with museums, art galleries and cultural artifacts are on every corner. In larger cities and popular tourist destinations, you are 100% going to need a reservation for the attraction of your choice. Avoid disappointment and go online to buy your tickets in advance to hot spots.
Full disclosure, though I’ve been to most of the hotspots below, I’m not a museum-lover and (gasp) get bored staring at painting after painting. That said, I do recommend trying to get to the key museums once, because we all need some culture, right?
For those Italy newbies, here are some of the top attractions and museums in Italy that you will likely want to see and for which you will require an advance ticket:
The Colosseum
The Colosseum, which you’ll know as one of the most iconic landmarks in Rome, attracts millions of visitors every year. To avoid long lines and ensure that you get to see this ancient wonder, you should purchase an advance ticket. If you are a first-timer to the Colosseum, I recommend paying the big bucks to get a private tour. Some tours include access to areas of the Colosseum that are not open to the general public. Last year, I toured the underground with my mom, and it was well worth it (also MUCH cooler than baking up on the upper decks). The entry ticket also gives you entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. PRO TIP: All of these sites are outdoors so, if at all possible, avoid booking your tour or ticket for high noon. It will be scorching and unless you are used to direct sun and high temperatures, you will likely pass out before you get to see everything. Boo. Look up the rules on the water bottles you are allowed to bring to the site and be prepared with lots of sunscreen, a hat, etc.
The Vatican Museums
The Vatican has over 70,000 works on display. Woah. You will absolutely need a timed entry ticket in advance. Don’t pay the Skip the Line people, they are just reselling you the same tickets you can purchase directly from the Vatican Museums online. The last Sunday of the month admission is free – do yourself a favour and DO NOT go on that day. It’s insanely crowded, as you can imagine. The full tour of the Vatican Museums is not for the faint at heart. If you are not an ancient art junkie or have a Catholic history obsession, you will be both bored and tired if you attempt to see everything. My advice, if you are hoping to move along at a faster clip, take the signs for the fast route to the Sistine Chapel.
The Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is one of the oldest and most important art museums in the world, says everyone. With works by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many others, it’s a must-see for art lovers. Like the Vatican Museums or the Louvre, if you are not an art fan, this one may be a bit long to get through. Still, even the uncultured masses love to look at some of the famous paintings. Another attraction for which you will need to purchase an advance timed entry ticket and feel like a boss.
The Accademia Gallery
The Accademia Gallery in Florence is home to Michelangelo’s famous sculpture, David. It’s a small museum, but it’s worth a visit to see, at a minimum, the towering David. Lineups in the summer move quickly if you have an advance timed ticket which you can easily pick up online.
The Doge’s Palace
The Doge’s Palace in Venice is a stunning example of Venetian Gothic architecture, and it’s full of history and art. Again, your best bet is to book a timed entry ticket in advance.
The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is one of the most famous paintings in the world, and it’s housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. You’ll need that timed ticket in advance which you can get online. The viewing window is 15 minutes in length so get there early so you don’t miss your shot.
Final DIY Italy Travel Tips
Bring a water bottle everywhere you go in Italy. It’s hot, you’ll need it. There are lots of free drinking water taps to refill your bottle and often water fill stations in popular locations (for 5 cents, you can get a litre of sparkling or still filtered water). So cool!
Carry cash money (Euros) as lots of places still take cash only and sometimes foreign bank cards fail at Italian machines.
This should go without saying if you are a savvy traveller, but in big cities, keep your wallet close to you, especially on public transit. There are tons of tourist-rich places in Italy full of pick-pocketers waiting for you.
Have fun, get lost in the winding streets and enjoy la dolce vita!