Italy Best Travel Tips and Places

It's so hot! Hey, I'm Lexi Limitless. I'm an accredited travel agent and the youngest person to travel to every country. Our world is an amazing place just waiting for you to explore and I want to help. I'm here to teach you the major things you need to know before you go. In this series, we're covering every country in order from most visited to least visited. And because nobody likes taking notes, I even have a free tip sheet in the description ready to go for you. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please put your seat back and tray table in the upright and locked position because we're taking off for the best travel tips and places of every country. Let's jump into this Italy travel guide before I get too hungry for some homemade pastas, some fresh pastries, and of course, pizza. It's time to dive into one of the most sought-after European destinations for over 27 million international tourists per year. All right. I got to be honest and upfront here because I'm a little bit biased when it comes to Italy because this may or may not be my favorite country in the world. Absolutely everything that you want to experience while traveling, you're going to be able to find in Italy. I have traveled throughout the country on many different trips and I've also been just so impressed by the diversity of the landscapes from the Dolomites in the north to the Amalfi Coast in the south. I just can't choose a favorite place in this country and I had my first backpacking trips in Cinque Terre and Rome and I was also blown away by the beauty of Lake Como a few summers ago. You can also find more specific in-depth travel guides for Cinque Terre, Lake Como, and Amalfi Coast on my channel and I'll link them in the description below. Let's take it back to the basics. The land. Italy shares a border with a few neighbors. France, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, and the micronation of the Vatican City. It also borders many bodies of water such as the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Tyrannian Sea in the west, and the Mediterranean Sea in the southwest, and the Ionian Sea in the south. There are also several islands within Italy's borders which are definitely worth a trip. Italy is also known for having a quite rugged terrain. In the north, you can catch breathtaking glimpses of the Swiss and Italian Alps and even see Italy's largest mountain, Mont Blanc, on the French-Italian border. This region also consists of many of Italy's most famous lakes such as Lake Como. In the northeast, we can't forget the insta-worthy Dolomites. As you make your way towards the middle and southern parts of the country, you'll also be able to see the impressive Apennine Mountains. And of course, we cannot forget the famous Amalfi Coast in the south where we can find some of Europe's most sought-after coastal views. The most visited city in Italy is its capital, Rome. When you're planning your trip to Italy, the most popular airports to fly into are the Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport, the Milan Malpensa Airport, and the Vienco Marco Polo Airport, as well as the Naples Airport. Wherever you decide to explore in Italy, an airport won't be too far away. The people. You might be surprised to know that only about 30-35% of Italians speak English. Tourist areas are the most popular places to find English spoken, but don't expect to be able to find it everywhere you go, even in Italy's biggest cities. Overwhelmingly, Catholicism is the main religion in Italy, followed by Jehovah's Witnesses, Orthodox, Methodists, and Protestants. Outside of Christian religions, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism are practiced by a smaller percentage of the population. The weather. When you think of Italian weather, you're probably thinking of beautiful sun-soaked coastlines or the rugged, snowy mountain peaks. While you're not wrong, there's more to Italy's weather and climate than you might realize. Throughout the most visited regions in the middle of the country, summertime temperatures can be extremely muggy and reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter in this region typically never gets colder than freezing at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. As you might expect, the summer heat continues down to the coast where it finally cools off at night. If you aren't a fan of the humid Italian heat, I recommend that you skip visiting from July to August and wait until September to November for more comfortable temperatures and a chance to avoid the peak crowds. All right, now that you have an overview of what it's like in Italy, you are starting to be ready for your trip. But before you start planning, here's what you need to know before you go. As a traveler, you can never truly know everything before you arrive in a new place, and you'll always run into surprises. So it's important to do your own research. But I wanna at least get you up to speed on the most important things to know so that you have a solid foundation for your trip, starting with visas. For US citizens, you won't need a visa if your trip to Italy is 90 days or less. But if you plan to study or work in Italy, you will be required to get a student or long stay visa if you plan to work. If you have a passport from another country, please do your research and check your requirements before booking any travel. Cultural customs. Italy is filled with some of the oldest and most coveted history and culture in Europe. Here, people are very family-centric, while art, history, and food are all a major part of everyday life and make Italy the romantic country tourists dream of visiting. It's not just a rumor that the Italians take fashion very seriously. One of the country's largest cities, Milan, is one of the biggest fashion capitals of the world. Now, you might think it's harsh, but Italians take into account what you're wearing when they're making their first impressions of you. It might not always be the most comfortable choice, but if you really wanna blend in as a local, the more trendy and stylish you can dress, the better. Now, you don't need to go buying any new clothes for your trip, but packing some well-fitted and smart, casual clothing will go a long way on your trip. And please, leave the Hawaiian shirts and sweatpants at home. For my coffee lovers, cappuccinos in the afternoon are a hard pass. Italians prefer to enjoy their coffee with milk during breakfast. Basically, just don't order coffee with pasta, no matter how tempting. If you're from a country where takeaway coffee is big, you'll have to try enjoying your Italian coffee in the restaurant as to-go coffee is not typical for Italians. No matter where or when you visit Italy, remember that you are in someone else's home. So, be respectful. Language. About 90% of Italians speak the country's official language of Italian. Due to the country's position in Western Europe, many Italians speak a multitude of languages and regional languages such as German, French, Greek, Albanian, Croatian, and many more. It's safe to say that you'll find quite a lot of languages coming together in Italy. Depending on where you visit in Italy, you'll hear a variety of dialects and even minority languages. This is a good reminder that even if you know Italian, you might not be able to communicate with all locals depending on where you're visiting. No matter where you travel throughout the country, it's always appreciated if you know some key Italian phrases. Before you go, I'd practice a few simple phrases such as, do you speak English? Parli inglese. Where is the bathroom? Dovi il bagno. Thank you. Grazie. And please. Por favore. Oh gosh, all of this practicing my Italian has got me famished. I think we should take a quick break and head into the kitchen. As you can tell, my Italian is a bit lacking to say the least, which is why I've been using Rosetta Stone, the sponsor of this episode of the Every Country series. And while I'm telling you about this amazing language learning tool, I'm going to be cooking up a classic pizza using some of the techniques that I saw on my last trip to Naples. But I gotta give me some slack because this is my first time ever trying this. So let's get started. Rosetta Stone is an immersive language learning app and it's perfect for your busy schedule. You can take it on the go and lessons are as short as 10 minutes. Instead of memorizing translations, you'll learn naturally through pictures, audio from native speakers and interactive activities. For me, what has always been the most important thing about learning a new language is being able to have conversations with locals in the places that I travel. Rosetta Stone can prepare you for real world situations like when you finally arrive in Italy and you're ready to order that first authentic pasta dish and you don't have to ask for an English menu. You can just order straight to the waiter and converse with them in their native language. So satisfying. Recently, I've been not only using Rosetta Stone to brush up on some helpful Italian, but I've also been learning French for years and it's been so great having the Rosetta Stone app on my phone so that I can practice throughout my day. During times when I could be mindlessly scrolling on social media, it's been so great to just pick up the Rosetta Stone app and use it. Instead, it feels so much more productive. From the very first lesson, Rosetta Stone teaches you practical Italian, like what you would actually talk about with locals and they have a pronunciation engine which helps you nail the accent every time. So if you want to learn Italian or any other language for that matter, whether it's French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and more, check out the link in my description for an unbelievable deal. For $179, you'll receive a lifetime membership to all 25 languages on their app. And this is amazing because learning languages takes time and with lifetime access, you don't have to pay reoccurring fees while you learn at your own pace. You get to learn new languages and it helps my channel out so much when you use my link to sign up. I gotta say, that looks a little bit better than I was expecting. But if you want to support this series as I bring you the best travel guides for every country in the world, don't forget to check out the link for yourself and share it with someone else who may be interested. This smells so good and I'm absolutely starving. So while I dig into this, let's get back to the video. Water. Throughout the country, water is safe to drink. I'd recommend that you bring a water bottle that you can fill up at public drinking fountains throughout Italy's largest cities. Especially if you're traveling during the summer heat, not having to shell out a few euros for every bottle of water will save you from the unforgiving humidity. And as an extra safety measure, it's always good to double check and ask a local before you drink. Cell phones and internet. When you're making plans for your cell phone service in Italy, I recommend you start by checking with your own phone carrier for an international travel package. Another reliable option is to purchase an Italian SIM card which would allow you to use local cellular data while on your trip. Before you visit, you can purchase a SIM card online from a large Italian cellular carrier like Telecom Italia, Vodafone, or Windtre. If you don't purchase a SIM card before your trip, you can find one at the airport, technology, or phone stores. As for coverage, you should be able to find 5G service in larger cities with a drop-off to about 4G once you leave the most populated areas. If you don't plan on making a lot of international calls, you can get by in Italy with just Wi-Fi from local cafes, hotels, and libraries. Transportation. If your trip to Italy will include traveling between some of its main cities, getting around via train is your best bet. For an epic adventure, you can even take the trains down the entire country. I personally love the train system here, but you can anticipate that there could be a few strikes during your train journey which may delay your connections or arrival times. Trust me, this has happened to me multiple times. It's definitely very inconvenient, but the trains always eventually get the rack together and show up and you make it to where you're trying to go. But I also think that it's great to have a rental car if you want to avoid, you know, dragging your bags off and on big trains depending on how much luggage you have. And again, it's also more convenient if you want to access some of the less populated areas. Renting a car can be a great option if you have an international driver's license and you can handle the stress of keeping up with the fast-paced Italian drivers and probably most importantly, know how to drive a manual transmission. Manual transmission rental cars are substantially cheaper than automatic, so keep that in mind as well. Also, car rentals can be quite expensive depending on the season, but it can definitely be worth it in certain rural areas like the Dolomites. Highly don't recommend traveling to the Dolomites unless you got a car. Buses are also a good option whether you want to explore large cities or smaller towns. But again, I will warn you that it can be difficult to determine the bus schedules and if they're going to be on time. So make sure you evaluate all your transportation options when you are traveling throughout the country. Since Italy's islands are quite popular, there are ferries which can allow you to explore some of the country's most beautiful coastlines. Outlets and converters. In Italy, you'll use type F and L plugs. It's important to know that type C plugs will fit into Italy's plugs. Also, type E will fit into the F socket. The average voltage is 230 volts, so if you're from the US, you'll need a voltage converter to keep your device's battery life healthy while you're visiting. I also recommend traveling with a universal adapter which adjusts to the prongs of the plug wherever you are traveling. Safety. No matter where in Italy you're traveling, make sure to use common sense. As usual, if you're traveling alone, make sure to share your itinerary with a loved one and know where you can find your embassy. For US citizens, you can find the embassy in Rome. Overall, Italy is a very safe country to visit. Due to an increase in tourists, pickpocketing, scams, and theft are very common. Whether you're walking in public or on public transportation, make sure to always keep a hand on your belongings. For solo female travelers, Italy is safe to visit. You might be the subject of catcalling, but overall, you can have a safe and enjoyable experience traveling this country alone. As always, stick to my golden rules of solo travel. One, don't explore at night. Keep your exploring during the daytime and avoid getting intoxicated. Accommodation. Italy has a wide variety of accommodation options. From hostels to hotels to Airbnbs, there's something for everyone. Unsurprisingly, staying in major cities is much more expensive than staying in remote and local areas. For hotels, the average price of a luxury hotel is $150 to $270 per night USD, and the sky is the limits in terms of the price gap, especially in the biggest tourist areas. For a more modest hotel, you can expect to pay just over $100 to even $300 per night, especially depending on the season that you're traveling. I'm looking at you, peak season of Alfie Coast. Oh my gosh, talk about some expensive hotels. But for those of you looking for a hotel experience at a heavily discounted rate and high quality, the budget hotel prices average between $50 and $70 a night if you go during the off season and you stay, you know, a little bit farther out of town. Because keep in mind, accommodation prices can vary a lot based on the time of year and location. For example, a hotel on the Amalfi Coast will be much higher than in the middle of the country, and that same hotel will be twice to triple the cost during the high season as it would be if you went during the shoulder seasons. Hostels are much more common in larger cities and have an average nightly price of $19 to $40. Before booking anything, I always recommend reading the reviews on TripAdvisor. Then you can plan this portion of your trip on Booking.com, Hostelworld, Hotels.com, and Expedia. Money and budget. Here are several budgets with how much you can expect to pay per day in Italy. These prices vary a lot, especially in big cities and top tourist destinations. In this guide, these numbers include accommodation, food, transportation, and activities for one person. If you plan on backpacking Italy, you can expect to pay a budget of $35 to $60 per day. If you're a traveler who is willing to spend a little bit more money to have a more comfortable experience, then you can expect to pay between $70 and $140 per day. And for those of you on the hunt for an unforgettable Italy experience, your average cost a day will be between $140 to $300 for a luxury trip. Also keep in mind, especially when you're booking a lot of different hotels, that it can be very important, especially in places like Lake Como or Cinque Terre. If you want to be there any time where it's a popular season, we're talking anywhere from May to the end of August, you're going to need to book those accommodations months in advance. I'm really not exaggerating here. You can get lucky and find some Airbnbs, especially if there's cancellations. But if you want to lock in a slightly lower price and make sure to get, you know, amazing rooms with great views in Italy, you want to do that a couple of months in advance. For currency, Italy uses the euro. If you travel with a major credit card, you'll be able to use it throughout the country and especially in big cities. It's important to take plenty of cash with you on your trip as many restaurants and stores still prefer cash payments. I'd recommend bringing between 100 and 200 euros with you in cash, just on you at all times for your trip. Make sure that you keep your money in different locations just in case something is stolen or lost. And in case you might need the extra cash after your arrival, traveling with a debit card is always a good idea. Since Italy uses the euro, most banks will have them available for you before your trip. You can also grab them at ATMs, banks, or at the airport after you land. Before you go, make sure to download a currency converter app to use offline and check current conversion rates. That way you'll know exactly how much you're spending on your homemade pasta. I've curated some of the best information about this country from not only my own personal experiences, but also from those of locals and other travel experts to bring you the experiences that, in my opinion, you won't want to miss. Now, if you're from here or you've been here and you feel like there's something that I've missed or something that I've overhyped, then please feel free to share in the comments. I want everyone in the Limitless Army to learn from each other's experiences, so I look forward to reading what you have to say in the comments. But for right now, I'll get us started with taking yourself on an epic food tour of Italy. If you love homemade dishes, the smell of freshly baked goods, and choosing to spend all of your money on dining, then going on a food tour in Italy might be one of the best ways for you to soak up the culture. Food tours throughout the country or even in major cities throughout Italy can range from $2,000 to $5,000. Now, if you're looking for a way to experience some of Italy's best dishes without the price tag, then I recommend creating your own food tour. To start, you can research a few restaurants and bakeries with great reviews in the areas you'll be staying. I'd also recommend doing some digging to find a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants that aren't overrun with tourists for a more memorable experience. Also, if you want to add a hands-on element, find a local cooking class. These are so much fun and you end up meeting some really great people, especially people who obviously live in the area and can also recommend even more great restaurants for you to try while you're traveling. Also, if you're looking for some inspiration, check out my YouTube video where I discovered the best pizza on planet Earth and you can find it right in Naples. Visit the Lake District. To get out of the Italian city experience, you can't go wrong by visiting the Northern Lake District. Not only are the lake's waters clear, but they have vast mountain views. For those picturesque, rugged mountain vistas, you can't go wrong by visiting Lake Como. Alternatively, if you want to take advantage of outdoor activities, Lake Garda is a great place to hike, bike, and of course, enjoy some wine. No matter what lake you choose to visit, the Northern Lake region is filled with villages, restaurants, and of course, water activities such as boat rides and tours. Even if you decide to visit just for a day or a whole weekend, it's hard not to be in awe of the natural beauty. Be mindful that there are certain areas around the most popular lakes that can be very touristy. So to escape the crowds, I suggest waking up early for a lakeside breakfast. Imagine sitting here on a blanket overlooking a lake with mountain views, holding a pastry with a plate of meat and cheeses. I'm pretty sure this experience is the closest you can get to feeling like you were in a romance movie. Explore the Dolomites. You've probably seen this mountain range all over your Instagram feed and for good reason. In Northeastern Italy, you'll find a World Heritage Site that is filled with breathtaking views, castles, small villages, and plenty of outdoor activities. If I was going to be planning another trip to the Dolomites, I would stay for a minimum of four days and jam pack my schedule with hiking. One of the best parts is that you don't have to hike for hours on end to get unbelievable views. For example, the Tofana di Mezzo trail takes about 30 minutes to complete and will leave you in awe. But even if you're not a seasoned backpacker or if you're just on the hunt for a real adventure, the Dolomites are a great place to get your feet wet in the hiking world. You might even be inspired to tackle the Puez Old, probably not pronouncing that right, trail which snakes through the changing landscapes of the mountains during hours of hiking. No matter how much hiking you're planning on doing, I recommend having a rental car here. As I said before, many of the villages around the mountains are very small and it's likely that public transportation won't get you super close or exactly to your destination. Although there are some buses to the popular hiking areas, having the freedom of your own transportation means that you can explore anywhere, anytime. Now that you have everything that you need to experience Italy for yourself, let me know what you're most excited about. If you would like more weekly content as well as a PDF printout with all of this information for your travels, sign up for my newsletter in the description or go to lexylimitless.com slash newsletter. Also, if you are a local from here, leave a comment letting me know if I missed anything or if there's anything else you would want the Limitless Army to know about your home country. Thank you so much for watching and until next time, let's push our limits.