Everything you need to Know Before Traveling to Italy
Italy is an excellent destination for profound art, superb cuisine, and opulent architecture. Whether visiting the ancient city of Rome, the aesthetic city of Florence, or the aqueous city of Venice, you’re bound to have an amazing trip. But there’s plenty of things I wish I knew before traveling across the Italian countryside. Here’s the 10 most useful tips to make your next trip to Italy a smooth journey.
1. Passport/Visa
If this is your first ever trip out of the country then definitely start with getting a passport. Majority of the countries, including the USA, don’t require a visa unless the intended stay is longer than 90 days. Check to see if you need a visa before traveling to Italy here.
2. Power outlets in Italy
Unless you’re already from Europe, you’ll most likely need an adapter to charge your electronic devices. The standard voltage in Italy is 230V with a frequency pf 50Hz. Check out some cheap power converters here.
3. Seasons of Italy
Choosing the right time of year will totally change the vibe of your trip. Summer is the height of tourist season so expect tons of crowds. The days are usually sunny, but the heat gets pretty intense if you’re walking around cities. The abundant lack of air conditioning in most restaurants and shops is sometimes discouraging. Spring has good weather and less crowds. Autumn offers cool weather and a lower amount of tourists. Winter offers some cold weather with the option for skiing. Many places tend to close during this time so check what’s open beforehand.
Roma
4. Money
The national currency is the Euro, so you won’t be able to use the US dollar or anything else for purchases. Most places take credit cards, excluding marketplace vendors. You can either order some Euros from your bank at home, trade in your money at a currency exchange, or just pull out money from the ATMs when you get there, which may save you some money.
5. Useful Apps
Make sure to download some of these apps to save yourself some hassle in getting around!
- Google maps – For getting around a city. Download your maps to use them offline too.
- FreeNow – This the official city taxi app mainly used in big cities like Rome or Naples. There aren’t many Ubers, so this was a life saver for avoiding late night walks.
- Citymapper – Is useful for getting around via the local transit systems in Rome.
- Google translate – If you ever need to use some Italian in a pinch or impress your new friends.
- I Nasoni di Roma – Helps you locate drinking water fountains in Rome.
- Trenitalia – Useful if you are traveling between various big cities using high-speed trains. This also helps you to get onto that free sweet WiFi.
6. Bathrooms in Italy
From my travels I can say there aren’t too many public toilets around every corner. When we did find one, we had to pay $1 euro to use it unless we bought something from a restaurant. It always helps to keep some spare change around.
7. Restaurants
Italy is a delicious gourmet food paradise. The service at the restaurants however is another story. The hours for many of them are a bit of an enigma, with most opening past 11am to 4pm, and re-opening around 7pm till around 11pm. There’s no need to leave a tip as usually it’s included in the bill as a service fee, which would explain the sub-par service at a majority of restaurants. Some places charge a cover or seating fee, so try to avoid them if you can. Most restaurants are accommodating to many of the food allergies like gluten or dairy, so be sure to ask beforehand.
Spaghetti with truffles 
PIZZAAA
8. Public transport
The transportation available depends highly on which city you’re in. Venice has no roads for any type of vehicles so gondolas, water taxis, or walking will do. Florence is small enough to walk between major attractions in no time at all. In Rome you may find yourself walking a ton but an array of buses and trains are also available. Buy a ticket for these at a local convenience store or in subways. Each ticket is activated for a certain time limit with the lowest being for 100 minutes and an unlimited ticket for a maximum of seven days. Make sure to validate your ticket! If you want to rent a car, check out the International Driver’s Permit requirements.
9. Fountains
Scattered throughout each city lies magnificently pure spring water from ancient Roman aqueduct systems. These “nasonis” have a continuous stream of water flowing out from many tubes across the city into public fountains. This fresh and cold water is drinkable and will save you tons of money while exploring the city. Bring your water bottle and load up on some of the freshest water in the world!
Nasoni
10. Italian Phrases
Majority of Italians in the big cities speak very good English. There were few times where the language barrier was apparent or smaller shops didn’t understand too much. In any case, its always good to immerse yourself in any culture via its language, so here’s some of the most useful phrases I learned while traveling around Italy:
- Ciao (chow) – used for hello or good bye
- Buongiorno (bon jornoh) – good morning
- Buonasera (Buena serah) – good evening
- Buonanotte (Buena notteh) – good night, like farewell or to sleep
- Grazie (gratzi eh) – thank you
- Prego (prehgo) – you’re welcome, please
- Scusi (scoosy) – pardon me, I’m sorry
- Senza glutine (senzah glutineh) – gluten free
- Lei parle inglese (lay parley inglayze) – do you speak English
- Non capisco l’italiano (no capisko Italiano) – I don’t understand Italian
- Posso avere il conto (posso ver ill contoh) – can I have the bill
- Buona giornata (Buena gornatah) – have a good day
Saw these everywhere
Hopefully these tips leave you more prepared for Italy than I was. Hope you have a carefree journey through the land of delicious food and history. Stay tuned for travels to cities like Rome, Florence, Naples, Pisa, and Venice. Ciao until then and keep leveling up!
Here’s my Travel Vlog for some of the best money saving tips in Rome!
