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Travel guide · Coastline, art and pasta at sunset

Travelling to Italy

Art on every corner, postcard coastline and a cuisine that takes itself very seriously. We tell you when to go, what not to miss, what to order and what’s worth knowing.

Updated 19 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from March to June and from September to November
  • Where to eat: a trattoria
Photo: Unsplash

Italy in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Italy are from March to June and from September to November.
  • Validate your train ticket before boarding (or use the Trenitalia/Italo app).
  • To eat like a local: a trattoria. Don’t leave without trying: Cacio e pepe and carbonara, Bistecca alla fiorentina, Neapolitan pizza.

Italy in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Italy. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Italy

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Italy are from March to June and from September to November.

  1. Jan with warnings
  2. Feb with warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec with warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in March · where to travel in April · where to travel in May · where to travel in June

  • from December to February

    Winter

    Cold and fog in the north (Milan, Verona, Bologna) and the coast in low season, with many hotels and boats out of service.

    What to do: A good time for museums and cities with fewer people; for the coast and the islands, May to October is better.

  • July, August

    Heat and high season

    In July and August it’s very hot in Rome, Florence and the south, and the art cities and the coast get packed.

    What to do: Start your visits early, book tickets and keep the middle of the day for resting.

Festivals and special moments

  • February, March

    Venice Carnival

    Masks and parades. Hotels are expensive: check the exact dates for the year.

  • January

    Epiphany parades

    Parades and a family atmosphere in many European cities.

What to see in Italy

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Rome
    Rome and Lazio

    Rome

    Two thousand years of history in the open air: from the Colosseum to Trastevere, with the Vatican inside the city.

    • Colosseum
    • Vatican · St Peter’s Basilica
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Pantheon
    Rome guide
  • Florence
    Tuscany

    Florence

    The cradle of the Renaissance fits into one walk: the Duomo, the Uffizi and sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo.

    • Duomo · Brunelleschi
    • Uffizi Gallery
    • Ponte Vecchio
    • David · Accademia
    Florence guide
  • Amalfi
    Amalfi Coast

    Amalfi

    Villages clinging to the sea, lemon groves and viewpoints: the base for Positano, Ravello and Capri.

    • Amalfi Cathedral
    • Positano
    • Ravello · Villa Rufolo
    • Path of the Lemons (Sentiero dei Limoni)
    Amalfi guide
  • Venice
    Venice

    Venice

    A city on the water without cars: canals, islands like Murano and Burano, and corners far from St Mark’s.

    • St Mark’s Square
    • Rialto
    • Dorsoduro · Accademia
    • Burano Island
    Venice guide
  • Milan

    Milan

    The capital of fashion and design: the Duomo, Leonardo’s Last Supper, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Navigli canals.

    • Milan Cathedral (Duomo)
    • The Last Supper
    • Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
    • Teatro alla Scala
    Milan guide
  • Naples

    Naples

    Chaotic, authentic and with the best pizza in the world, at the foot of Vesuvius and a short trip from Pompeii.

    • Spaccanapoli
    • Sansevero Chapel
    • National Archaeological Museum
    • Underground Naples
    Naples guide
  • Cinque Terre

    Cinque Terre

    Five colourful villages clinging above the Ligurian Sea, linked by train and by paths through terraced vineyards.

    • Monterosso al Mare
    • Vernazza
    • Corniglia
    • Manarola
    Cinque Terre guide
  • Pisa

    Pisa

    Much more than the leaning tower: the Square of Miracles, a lively university town and the river Arno.

    • Leaning Tower
    • Pisa Cathedral
    • Baptistery
    • Camposanto Monumentale
    Pisa guide
  • Verona

    Verona

    The city of Romeo and Juliet, with a Roman arena where opera is still sung every summer.

    • Verona Arena
    • Juliet’s House
    • Piazza delle Erbe
    • Ponte Pietra
    Verona guide
  • Bologna

    Bologna

    The oldest university in the Western world, miles of porticoes and the birthplace of mortadella, tortellini and ragù.

    • Piazza Maggiore
    • The Two Towers
    • The porticoes
    • Archiginnasio
    Bologna guide
  • Pompeii

    Pompeii

    The Roman city buried by Vesuvius in AD 79, with streets, houses and frescoes just as they were left.

    • Forum
    • Villa of the Mysteries
    • Great Theatre
    • Casts of the victims
    Pompeii guide
  • Dolomites

    Dolomites

    Pale rock peaks that glow at sunset, postcard lakes and Tyrolean mountain villages: the most photogenic Alps.

    • Tre Cime di Lavaredo
    • Lago di Braies
    • Seceda
    • Cortina d’Ampezzo
    Dolomites guide
  • Sardinia

    Sardinia

    An island of Caribbean-style water, coves between cliffs, prehistoric nuraghi and inland villages steeped in tradition.

    • Costa Smeralda
    • Cala Goloritzè
    • Cagliari
    • Nuraghe Su Nuraxi
    Sardinia guide
  • Palermo

    Palermo

    Sicily’s capital, a mix of Arab, Norman and Baroque, with noisy markets and the best street food in Italy.

    • Palermo Cathedral
    • Palatine Chapel
    • Ballarò Market
    • Quattro Canti
    Palermo guide
  • Taormina

    Taormina

    A village perched above the Ionian Sea with a Greek theatre facing Etna, Sicily’s postcard.

    • Greek Theatre
    • Corso Umberto
    • Isola Bella
    • Castelmola
    Taormina guide
  • Turin

    Turin

    Piedmont’s elegant capital: porticoes, historic cafés, the Egyptian Museum and the Shroud.

    • Egyptian Museum
    • Mole Antonelliana
    • Piazza Castello
    • Cathedral
    Turin guide
  • Matera

    Matera

    A city carved into the rock, the Sassi, inhabited since prehistoric times and a World Heritage Site.

    • Sasso Caveoso
    • Sasso Barisano
    • Rock churches
    • Casa Grotta
    Matera guide
  • Lake Como

    Lake Como

    A lake among mountains with villas and gardens, colourful villages and boats linking them.

    • Bellagio
    • Villa del Balbianello
    • Varenna
    • Villa Carlotta
    Lake Como guide
  • Siena

    Siena

    Florence’s medieval rival: the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the Palio and a striped marble cathedral.

    • Piazza del Campo
    • Siena Cathedral
    • Torre del Mangia
    • Palazzo Pubblico
    Siena guide
  • Alberobello

    Alberobello

    The village of the trulli, white stone houses with conical roofs, in the heart of Apulia.

    • Rione Monti
    • Trullo Sovrano
    • Church of St Anthony (trullo)
    • Santa Lucia viewpoint
    Alberobello guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Rome

From Florence

From Amalfi

From Venice

From Milan

From Naples

From the Cinque Terre

From Pisa

From Verona

From Bologna

From Pompeii

From the Dolomites

From Sardinia

From Palermo

From Taormina

From Turin

From Matera

From Lake Como

From Siena

From Alberobello

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What to eat in Italy

To eat like a local: a trattoria, and order the day’s fresh pasta or the house antipasti. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Cacio e pepe and carbonara

    Rome’s classics: few ingredients and a lot of technique.

  • Bistecca alla fiorentina

    Florence’s T-bone, chargrilled and rare; ordered by weight to share.

  • Neapolitan pizza

    Soft dough and a puffy crust; on the Amalfi Coast you’re a short trip from Naples.

  • Sfogliatella and limoncello

    The pastry and the liqueur of the Amalfi Coast, the land of lemons.

  • Cicchetti and spritz

    Venice’s bar snacks, from bacaro to bacaro, with a spritz at sunset.

  • Artisan gelato

    Look for natural colours and covered tubs: towering mounds in bright colours usually give away the industrial stuff.

The typical dish of Italy, at home

Tiramisu
Photo: procristination · CC BY 2.0

Tiramisu

The most famous Italian dessert in the world: sponge fingers soaked in coffee and a mascarpone cream, with cocoa on top. It was born in the Veneto, in Treviso, and its name means “pick me up”.

  • Serves 6
  • 30 min

Ingredients

  • 250 g mascarpone
  • 3 very fresh eggs
  • 80 g sugar
  • 200 g sponge fingers (savoiardi)
  • 300 ml cold espresso
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder

How to make it at home

  1. Separate the yolks from the whites. Whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale and add the mascarpone until you have a smooth cream.
  2. Whisk the whites to stiff peaks and fold them gently into the cream.
  3. Dip the sponge fingers in the coffee, one by one and very quickly, and make a layer in a dish.
  4. Cover with half the cream, make another layer of sponge fingers and finish with the rest of the cream.
  5. Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours and dust with cocoa just before serving.

The trick: The sponge fingers only need a second’s dip: if they get too soaked, the tiramisu turns watery.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Italy

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • In Rome, the little street fountains (nasoni) give cool drinking water: refill your bottle.
  • Cappuccino is for breakfast: from mid-morning, Italians order espresso.
  • Drinking your coffee standing at the bar costs less than sitting at a table.
  • The coins thrown into the Trevi Fountain are collected and given to charity.
  • There are no cars in Venice: everything moves by water, ambulances and rubbish collection included.
  • The “coperto” on the bill is the cover charge: it’s legal and it isn’t a tip.

Traditions of Italy

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • As evening falls Aperitivo

    A spritz or a glass of wine with something to nibble before dinner; in the north, many bars serve it with food.

  • Every evening Passeggiata

    The unhurried stroll along the main street or square, to see and be seen.

  • 15 August Ferragosto

    Half the country goes on holiday: in cities many shops and family restaurants close.

  • February Venice Carnival

    Masks and period costumes all over the city in the weeks before Lent.

What not to do in Italy

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t board a regional train without validating your paper ticket at the platform machine: the fine is on the spot.
  • Don’t sit on the Spanish Steps in Rome: it’s forbidden and you can be fined.
  • Don’t go into churches with bare shoulders or knees: they won’t let you into St Peter’s.
  • Don’t go to the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums or the Uffizi without a booked ticket in high season.
  • Don’t put your feet in or bathe in the monumental fountains: it’s forbidden and fined.
  • In Venice, don’t sit down to eat on bridges and steps in the monumental areas: there are fines.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

  • Entering the country

    Visas, electronic authorisations and health requirements for Italy depend on your nationality. Check your government’s official travel advice and the embassy before you book.

    UK: foreign travel advice (GOV.UK) US: travel advisories (travel.state.gov)
  • Traveller tips

    Validate your train ticket before boarding (or use the Trenitalia/Italo app).

    Fountain water (nasoni) is drinkable in Rome.

    Book the Colosseum and the Vatican in advance.

Tickets worth booking ahead

  • Sells out · 60 days ahead Vatican · St Peter’s Basilica · Rome

    The calendar opens 60 days ahead and the first slots go straight away. This is the link to the official website.

    Official ticket office
  • Sells out · 30 days ahead Colosseum · Rome

    Sales open exactly 30 days ahead with a timed slot. It doesn’t mean you have a month: you have to buy on the day they’re released.

    Official ticket office
  • Sells out · 60 days ahead Villa Borghese · Rome

    The park is free, but the Galleria Borghese inside is by booking and timed entry only, and the morning slots disappear within hours.

    Official ticket office
  • Sells out · 30 days ahead Uffizi Gallery · Florence

    With a month to spare you can choose your time; with less, you take whatever’s left.

    Official ticket office
  • Sells out · 60 days ahead David · Accademia · Florence

    To see the David without a two-hour queue you need two months. B-Ticket is the only authorised channel.

    Official ticket office
  • Sells out · 30 days ahead Duomo · Brunelleschi · Florence

    You can only climb the dome with a timed booking, and the good slots go weeks ahead.

    Official ticket office

Closing days

  • Vatican · St Peter’s Basilica · Rome

    It’s closed on SUNDAYS, not Mondays. On the last Sunday of the month it opens from 9 am to 2 pm and is free.

  • Villa Borghese · Rome

    Closed on Mondays. Booking compulsory, in one-hour slots.

  • Colosseum · Rome

    Open every day; free on the first Sunday of the month.

  • Uffizi Gallery · Florence

    Closed on Mondays.

  • David · Accademia · Florence

    Closed on Mondays.

Frequently asked questions about Italy

What people search for most before travelling to Italy.

What’s the best time to travel to Italy?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Italy are from March to June and from September to November.

What to see in Italy in a week?

The essentials of Italy: Rome, Florence, Amalfi, Venice and Milan. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Italy?

Cacio e pepe and carbonara, Bistecca alla fiorentina, Neapolitan pizza, Sfogliatella and limoncello, Cicchetti and spritz, Artisan gelato. To eat like a local: a trattoria.

What is the typical dish of Italy?

Tiramisu. The most famous Italian dessert in the world: sponge fingers soaked in coffee and a mascarpone cream, with cocoa on top. It was born in the Veneto, in Treviso, and its name means “pick me up”.

What should you not do in Italy?

Don’t board a regional train without validating your paper ticket at the platform machine: the fine is on the spot. Don’t sit on the Spanish Steps in Rome: it’s forbidden and you can be fined. Don’t go into churches with bare shoulders or knees: they won’t let you into St Peter’s.

Where to go in Italy in December?

Rome, Florence and Milan are enjoyable with fewer people and Christmas lights; in the north there are Christmas markets (Bolzano, Merano, Trento) and the ski season starts in the Dolomites. The Amalfi Coast and the islands are in low season and many things close.

What’s the weather like in Italy in December?

Cold in the north, with fog on the Po plain and snow in the Alps; milder in Rome and the south, though it rains more than in summer. Bring a coat and an umbrella.

Driving in Italy: what should you know?

Watch out for ZTLs: limited traffic zones in the centre of almost every Italian city, monitored by cameras; if you drive in without a permit, the fine is sent to your home.

Is it worth travelling to Italy in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Italy. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

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Guide reviewed 19 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Unsplash. Rome, FeaturedPics (CC BY-SA 4.0). Florence, Giorgio Galeotti (CC BY 4.0). Amalfi, No machine-readable author provided. Sudodana2048 assumed (based on copyright cl (CC BY-SA 3.0). Venice, kallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0). Milan, Steffen Schmitz (CC BY-SA 4.0). Naples, This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please (CC BY-SA 3.0). Cinque Terre, This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but pl (CC BY-SA 4.0). Pisa, PaestumPaestum (CC BY 4.0). Verona, Guglielmo Giambartolomei (CC BY-SA 4.0). Bologna, Steffen Brinkmann, claimed to be Szs here Hue and distortion fixed by Wikipeder. (CC BY-SA 3.0). Pompeii, Commonists (CC BY-SA 4.0). Dolomites, This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please (CC BY-SA 3.0). Sardinia, Sara Pizzagalli (CC BY-SA 2.0). Palermo, Berthold Werner (CC BY-SA 4.0). Taormina, Grey48 (CC0). Turin, Abbrey82 (CC BY-SA 4.0). Matera, Jules Verne Times Two (CC BY-SA 4.0). Lake Como, Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan (CC BY-SA 2.0). Siena, Perituss (CC0). Alberobello, MPhernambucq (CC BY-SA 4.0).