Italy: Traveling

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation

The metro is not extensive, even in large cities. Taxis are expensive but there are a lot of them on the streets. If the light is green, they are free; if it is red, they are taken. Not all drivers speak English; have the address you are going to written down in Italian on a piece of paper.

Maps of Urban Networks

Rome metro map
Bus and metro lines in Rome

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Roma - Ciampino (CIA)	15 km / 10 miles	EUR 40 / 25-40 min	EUR 8 / 40 min	EUR 1	Available
Roma - Urbe (LIRU)	6 km / 4 miles	Available	-	EUR 4.65, EUR 8.8 + RER ticket / 40 min	-
Milano - Malpensa (MXP)	43 km / 27 miles	EUR 70-90 / 45-60 min	EUR 5 / 50 min	EUR 11 / 30-40 min.	Available
Napoli - Capodichino (NAP)	6 km / 4 miles	EUR 20 / 20-35 min	EUR 18 / 20-25 min	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation

The train remains the easiest means of transport for travelling around the country. The tariffs per kilometer are more reasonably priced than in most European countries. The large cities are linked with each other: Turin-Milan-Venice, Milan-Bologna-Bari, Rome-Genoa-Turin, and Rome-Naples-Palermo. Apart from the "Pendolini' and "Eurostar", trains do not always keep to the timetable.

Rail Companies

Italian railway company

Airlines

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling By Yourself

Recommendation

Most of the road network is good. However, the lanes are very narrow and the curves very sharp on some motorways (Salerno-Reggio di Calabria for example) and this can make them dangerous when driving at excessive speed.

Road Maps

Maps of Italian motorways

Find an Itinerary

ViaMichelin.
Mappy

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical

Italy is famous worldwide for its many tourist sites.
A great number of the most well-known and visited historical monuments are in Rome, among them: the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Vatican.
Other cities have many visitors, such as, for example, Venice and its famous canals, Florence and its Uffizi gallery, Pisa and its Tower.

Cultural

In Italy, you can walk around very typical historical centers such as those of Rome, Naples or Florence and you can also visit the towns of Tuscany and Umbria. The Reggia de Caserta (Palace of Caserta), the Villa d'Este, Villa Adriana, the Necropolises of the Etruscans are also very well know.
Night life in Italy caters for all tastes: Opera and theater, as well as many bars, discotheques and night clubs.

Nature

The places of natural beauty popular with tourists include the Aeolian islands, the island of Asinara, the Maddalena archipelago and the Strait of Bonifacio, the Cascades of the Marmore, the vineyards of Langhe, Monferrato and Valtellina. Mount Etna in Sicily is one of the biggest volcanos in the world.

Religious

The heart of Italian religion is the Vatican and Rome with its churches and basilicas.

Thermal

Italy has numerous spas, some of which were already famous in Antiquity. The biggest and best equipped spa and therapeutic resorts in Italy are Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme (Veneto), Acqui Terme (Piedmont), Chianciano and Montecatini Terme (Tuscany), Fiuggi (Lazio), Porretta Terme and Salsomaggiore Terme (Emilia-Romagna), Sciacca (Sicily) and Sirmione (Lombardy).

Beach

Italy has countless beautiful beaches: in all the islands, Liguria, Tuscany, Puglia and Sicily.

Winter Sports

The Alps make up Italy's northern border and the Apennine chain runs the whole length of the country: that is enough to highlight its vocation as a mountain holiday destination, ideal in winter for those who love snow and winter sports. For further information, consult the Skiinfo website.

Outdoor Activities

In Italy golf is played quite a lot. Other available outdoor activities are climbing, sailing and trekking.

Shopping

Many Italian products are recognized all over the world for their class and high quality; some are made by craftsmen, at attractive prices. Florence, Milan and Rome are the fashion centers. Some places are known for their products: Como (Lombardy) for silk, Prato (Tuscany) for textiles, Empoli (Tuscany) for the production of bottles and glasses in green glass, Deruta (Umbria) and Faenza (Emilia-Romagna) for pottery, Carrara (Tuscany) for marble, Torre Annunziata (Campania) and Alghero (Sardinia) for coral crafts, Cremona (Lombardy) for violins, Castelfidardo (Marche) for accordeons, guitars and organs, Valenza (Piedmont) for goldsmiths, Vietri sul Mare (Campania) for ceramic tiles and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) for mosaics.

Tourism Organizations

ENIT, National Tourist Office

Health and Safety

Health Precautions

There is no compulsory vaccination.

International Hospitals

International Hospital Salvator Mundi
The Milan Clinic

For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions

The World Health Organization webpages devoted to Italy.
Visit the Ministry of Health website.

For Further Information on Safety Conditions

The advice of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Current Travel Warnings of the US State Department

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference

It is %T:%M %A In Rome, Milan (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer)

Summer Time Period

Summer time from March to October.