Whether you’re going to Italy for your first time or your 20th these Italy travel tips from Italians are the inside scoop on just a few things to keep in mind when traveling to the Bella Italia. Italy travel tips make all the difference when traveling to Italy. Please feel free to ask questions in our comments section.
1. Closed Mondays: It is important to know that many Italians stores restaurants and even landmarks are closed on Mondays. If you look closely most of them are open Saturday and Sunday. But even as I told a close friend of mine who is going to Italy for the first time the Tower of Pisa is even closed on Monday. Plan your trips accordingly. If you are going to visit a local attraction, Double check that it is open on Monday. Usually, you need to double-check on the locations website. It is not enough to read up on travel bloggers as this information off and goes on updated and might miss direct you not only on hours of operation but also pricing.
2. Cover up for Church Visits: When visiting churches remember you must have your shoulders, chest, and legs to your knees covered. I have seen people battle their way to the front of the line at St Peter’s in Rome only to be turned away because they are insufficiently covered. You might get away with walking into smaller churches with less clothing on… But it is definitely a sign that you don’t know what you’re doing and disrespectful.
3. Get a local SIM card: A local Sim card can cost as little as €10 a person for a month. You will quickly discover that the Internet in Italy is not always free and that phone calls and the Internet from your back -home provider will most often cost much more than €10 a month. be sure to bring your passport when signing up. The airport is a great place to do this as local stores are often full of locals and lines can get long. Plus, they generally speak English at the airport. No such guarantee around town.
4. Remember your manners: in Italy, it is considered extremely rude to enter someone’s store or restaurant or facility without saying, Good Day. Failing to do so will mark you as someone less likely to be helped. Remembering to say good day no matter how terrible your accent will make a great first impression. And you will most likely be treated much better. from first thing in the morning until about 6 o’clock in the evening you can simply say Buongiorno. After six in the evening, it’s appropriate to say Buona Sera.
5.Toll Roads: You may or may not be familiar with toll roads. Toll roads are like interstates that you have to pay to use. In Italy, they accept cards and cash. Be prepared to pay for these roads if you are driving a car. They are the only way to go. Literally there are no free interstates.
6. Speeding Tickets delivered Home: In the case, you do have to rent a car, there is no policeman on the interstate in Italy. But there are small stationary boxes strategically located. These boxes have cameras in them. If you are speeding when you pass by one of these boxes a speeding ticket will be mailed to you at your residence. Most likely a rental car company will also charge you anywhere between €30-€60 to inform you that you have a speeding ticket on top of the ticket.
7.Safest Place on Train: near the conductor. Traveling by train in Italy is the best! If you do opt to take a train and are not familiar with public transportation we recommend you choose cars closest to the conductor. These are considered the safest cars on the train. We’ve never had any issues or problems on the train or felt the need but this is common knowledge in Italy.
8.Sleeper Trains in Italy: if you’re going on a multi-city Italian excursion, we recommend sleeper trains. For example, if you choose to take a train from Venice to Rome they have one that will take only five hours. But even more convenient is the sleeper train on which you travel 7 to 8 hours and have a room of your own to sleep in. You arrive in the morning ready to explore. This saves you from booking a hotel room that night and extend the amount of time you could explore since you’re traveling Italy while you sleep.