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A good trip to Italy is decided as much by the logistics as by the hotels: how you get from the airport, whether you need a car, how you stay online and which tickets to book before you arrive. This page collects the services we recommend, with the practical rules worth knowing before you go.
Italy Travel Essentials at a Glance
| What you need | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Airport transfer | Welcome Pickups or Kiwitaxi | Fixed price, driver waiting at arrivals, no taxi queue |
| Car hire | Localrent or GetRentacar | Compare local rental companies, useful in Sicily and rural Tuscany |
| Mobile data | Airalo, Yesim or Saily | eSIM set up before you fly, no roaming charges |
| Museum and attraction tickets | Tiqets | Timed entry tickets for the Duomo, the Leaning Tower and more |
| Tours and day trips | Klook or Tiqets | Boat tours, Etna excursions and day trips with free cancellation on many tours |
| Flight delayed or cancelled | AirHelp | Checks and files EU compensation claims for you |
| Luggage storage | Radical Storage | Leave bags in town on check-out day |
Getting from the Airport
After a long flight, a pre-booked transfer is the calmest start to a trip: a driver meets you at arrivals, the price is fixed in advance and you go straight to your hotel. It is especially worth it where public transport to your hotel is awkward, such as Ortigia, the villages of Lake Como or a wine estate in the hills.
- Sicily, east coast: private transfer from Catania Airport for Taormina, Syracuse and Ortigia.
- Florence and Tuscany: private transfer from Florence Airport.
- Lake Como: private transfer from Milan Malpensa.
- Bologna, Modena and the Motor Valley: private transfer from Bologna Airport.
- Elsewhere: Kiwitaxi covers transfers across Italy, including smaller airports.
Driving in Italy: When a Car Makes Sense
You do not need a car for Florence, Milan, Bologna or Lake Como; trains, ferries and transfers are easier. A car is worth it for Sicily beyond the big cities, for the Val d’Orcia and Chianti, and for the wine villages around Etna. Localrent compares local and international rental companies, and GetRentacar is a good second comparison.
Three rules to know before you drive:
- ZTL zones: most historic centres are limited traffic zones (zona a traffico limitato) monitored by cameras. Driving in without a permit brings a fine, often weeks later through your rental company. Park outside and walk in, or ask your hotel whether it can register your plate.
- Driving licence: drivers with a licence from outside the EU generally need an International Driving Permit alongside their national licence. Check the current rules for your country before you travel.
- Tolls: most motorways (autostrade) charge tolls. Take a ticket on entry and pay on exit; the lanes for cash and cards are clearly marked.
Staying Connected
An eSIM is the simplest way to have mobile data from the moment you land: you buy it online, install it before you fly and switch it on when you arrive. Airalo, Yesim and Saily all offer Italy and Europe plans. Our guide to the best eSIM providers compares them in detail.
Tickets to Book Before You Go
Italy’s most famous sights sell out in high season, and many have moved to timed entry. Book ahead for the Florence Duomo and Brunelleschi Dome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Museo Enzo Ferrari, and book boat tours on Lake Como and in Ortigia a day or two ahead in July and August.
If Your Flight Is Delayed or Cancelled
Under EU rules (Regulation 261/2004), passengers on flights from an EU airport, or to the EU on an EU airline, can be entitled to compensation of €250, €400 or €600 depending on the distance, if the flight arrives more than three hours late, is cancelled at short notice or is overbooked. There is no compensation for extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather. AirHelp checks whether your flight qualifies and handles the claim for you in exchange for a share of the compensation if the claim succeeds.
Luggage on Check-Out Day
Late flight, early check-out? Radical Storage lets you leave bags at partner shops and hotels in most Italian cities, so you can spend the last afternoon in town rather than in a station waiting room.
Travel Insurance
Italy has excellent public hospitals, and visitors from the EU can use their European Health Insurance Card for urgent care. That card does not cover repatriation, private clinics, cancelled trips, lost luggage or the cost of a missed connection, and travellers from outside the EU have no automatic cover at all. For a trip involving prepaid hotels, private tours or a yacht charter, a travel policy is worth having.
EKTA sells travel insurance online for most nationalities, with policies issued by email within minutes and optional cover for sports such as diving, skiing or sailing. Read what each policy includes before you buy, especially the limits for medical costs and cancellation, and compare it with any cover that comes with your credit card.
Where to Go Next
Ready to plan the trip itself? Start with our guides to Sicily, Florence, Lake Como and Emilia-Romagna, or browse our guide to Italian wine regions for a trip built around wine.
Heading south? Our guide to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius tickets explains the new booking rules and how to see all three.
Related guides: read our articles on getting from Catania Airport to Taormina and Syracuse, a Lake Como day trip from Milan, Vatican Museums tickets, Venice tickets, Leaning Tower of Pisa tickets and Florence museum tickets.
Travelling south? See our guide to Naples: the Veiled Christ, the underground and the archaeological museum.
Planning your trip? See our guide to Puglia day trips from Bari.
More in Rome: Rome beyond the Vatican: the Pantheon, Castel Sant’Angelo and the princely galleries.
Planning ancient Rome? Read our guide to Colosseum tickets.
For the basilica itself, see our guide to St Peter’s Basilica and the dome climb.
For galleries, opera and the Venetian masters, see our guide to Venice for art lovers.
To escape the city for a day, see our guide to the best day trips from Rome.
For western Sicily and its wines, see our guide to Marsala, Mozia and the salt road.
Heading further south? See our guide to the Salento: Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli.
To see Venice from the water, read our guide to Venice by boat: gondolas and the lagoon islands.
For ancient Rome beyond the centre, see our guide to the Appian Way and Rome’s catacombs.
For food, chocolate and wine, see our guide to Turin for food lovers.
Hungry in Naples? See our guide to Naples for food lovers.
