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Italy Travel Guide

Italy Travel Guide

Planning a trip to Italy and not sure where to start? Let us help you!

On this page, you can find an overview of destination guides, itineraries, and authentic and experience-based travel tips for visiting Italy. Whether you are looking for information about the most popular cities, lesser-known places, or stunning nature destinations, our articles will give you a better idea of what to expect and help you plan a truly unforgettable trip.

We also include lots of practical tips on where to book tickets to the most popular attractions and where to find some of the most exclusive tours that will show you the best of Italy without the crowds.

Italy is one of our all-time favorite destinations in the world, a place where we gladly return to again and again… It’s one of those countries that you can visit ten times and still feel that you only scratched the surface.

We have been to Italy more times than I can remember. After each trip, we share stories, experiences, and tips on this blog. This page is an ever-growing collection of travel guides to some of our favorite destinations from our recent trips all over Italy.

From the top landmarks of Venice to hidden gems of Rome, and from road trip itineraries in Tuscany to the most beautiful hikes in the Italian Dolomites – get inspired to visit Italy and plan your dream trip with our travel tips and advice.

In addition, you can also find all the info that you need for visiting San Marino, a tiny country completely surrounded by Italy. Take a look!

Italy Travel Guides – OVERVIEW:

PRO TIP: If you are planning a multi-city trip around Italy (or Europe in general), don’t miss the page listing our hand-picked recommendations for all the must-see attractions in major European cities. It will save you lots of time and research!

Manarola in Cinque Terre at sunset
Lake Garda in Italy
Trevi Fountain in Rome Italy

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Italy Travel Inspiration & General Guides

Itineraries

 

Tickets, Tours & Day Trips

Important to know: Many tourist attractions in Italy are so popular that it’s absolutely essential to book skip-the-line tickets in advance, or you risk not being able to visit at all. The most visited landmarks, like the Colosseum or the Vatican Museums, always sell out, but it’s also the case for many smaller museums and other tourist attractions.

We personally use and recommend the GetYourGuide website for all tickets, guided tours, and day trips for your trip to Europe (and beyond). It’s our favorite one-stop shop for all tickets and activities worldwide. They have the most complete inventory, amazing customer service, and the most flexible cancellation policy on the market.

In addition, Tiqets is a great website for some of the best digital city cards and bundle deals. For example, their Rome Tourist Digital Pass makes it easy to secure tickets and book time slots for all the top sights in Rome in one spot. You can also click on the pictures below to check their city cards for the most popular destinations in Italy.

INSIDER TIP: If you are looking for unique local experiences or exclusive-access tours that bring you to the most special places before or after they are open to the general public, check out the Take Walks website. They have lots of incredible tours all over Europe and Italy in particular. We have done dozens of tours with them over the years and they never disappoint.

READ ALSO: Europe Attractions You Must Book in Advance

Florence Digital Pass
Rome Tourist Digital Pass
Venice digital pass

Getting Around

If you are visiting Italian cities, do yourself a favor and do not rent a car. You can easily visit all the main towns by train. It’s fast and easy. In addition, there are many amazing guided tours that can bring you to places that aren’t simple to visit by public transport. See our Italy itinerary for inspiration on how to plan a trip without a car.

However, if you are traveling in smaller towns and villages, often, having a car is so much easier. So it’s important to plan well and know what kind of trip you want to make. You can also travel by train for most of the trip and only rent a car for a few days when you really need it.

In general, driving in Italy is comparable to driving in other European countries: traffic jams and tolls on the highways, crazy busy traffic in towns, and shortage of car parking spaces… This never stopped us from exploring Italy by car, however. There are so many amazing regions and smaller towns in Italy that would be very difficult to see otherwise.

If you need a car for (part of) your trip, check out Booking.com for the best deals for car rental. We always book our rental cars through this website. I highly recommend their full insurance option as well – it’s a must in Italy and is incomparably cheaper than directly at the counter.

Where to Stay

The best places to stay in Italy will depend highly on your destination and how you travel around. In general, in the main cities, it’s best to stay in the heart of the city center. Most cities are very walkable so staying centrally often means that you don’t need to worry about transportation.

If you are making a road trip and have a car, avoid having to drive/ park in the biggest cities. Also, be sure to book accommodations with parking!

Below, you can find our lodging guides for some popular destinations:

Good to know: If you are visiting Italy in the high season (from Easter to October), be sure to book your accommodation well in advance. Best price/quality accommodations are always gone first. But even in the low season, the biggest cities are always busy nowadays.

Good to know: Booking.com is the best website for accommodation in Italy. It has the best selection of hotels, B&Bs, and privately owned accommodations AND the most transparent booking system with the biggest flexibility in terms of cancellations. We book all our holiday accommodations through this website.

TIP: You can also use the map below to find the best accommodations for your trip to Italy. Simply insert your destination and travel dates and you will see the best deals from various hotel booking websites in one place (it might take a while to load all the options though).

 

Best Time to Visit

There is no bad time to visit Italy and all seasons have something special and unique. In general, the best time to visit Italy is from April to October. That’s when the weather is at its best and everything is open everywhere.

However, it can get really hot in the summer months. So if you are visiting in June, July, and August, try to avoid big cities and visit smaller places at the coast or in the mountains.

My personal favorite time to be in Italy is spring and autumn. The weather is perfect for sightseeing and there are fewer people. This is one of the best times to travel in Europe!

We also love visiting Italy in the lower season. That’s when you can experience a truly authentic side of this beautiful country.

Here you can find some inspiration and information on what it’s really like to visit Italy in November and here for November in Rome. I recently visited Venice in December and fell in love with the city – it’s absolutely magical without the crowds!

Destination Guides Per Region

Below, you can find an overview of all our Italy articles per region, sorted alphabetically.

Campania (Naples/ Amalfi Coast/ Capri)

Naples:

Amalfi Coast:

Capri Island:

Emilia Romagna

Lazio (Rome)

Rome – best places & experiences:

Rome itineraries:

Practical information for visiting Rome:

Liguria (Italian Riviera)

Cinque Terre:

Italian Riviera:

Lombardy (Milan and the Lakes)

Milan:

Lake Como:

Lake Garda:

Trentino-South Tyrol (Italian Mountains)

Dolomites:

Hiking in the Dolomites:

Trentino:

Tuscany (Florence & beyond)

Florence:

Siena:

More of Tuscany:

Veneto (Venice, Verona & beyond)

Venice:

Verona:

San Marino

While the Republic of San Marino is an independent country, this tiny gem is completely surrounded by Italy. I, therefore, included all our guides to San Marino in this Italian travel guide.

READ ALSO: How to Plan a Trip to Europe

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Italy travel guide
 
 

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