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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Aquileia
Half a day is enough for the basilica mosaic and the Roman port; add a second hour for the archaeological museum. Skip if you have only one day in Friuli.
Aquileia was a Roman powerhouse of 100,000 people; today it is a quiet village of 3,300. The UNESCO site is the 4th-century mosaic floor in the basilica (760 m²) and the excavated Roman river port. Most visitors come from Trieste or Udine for a morning or afternoon.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds on the coast)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €30–50 excl. bed · Mid €50–80 excl. bed · High €80+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a bar | €1.20–1.50 |
| Gelato | €2.50–4 |
| Pizza margherita | €6–10 |
| Glass of house wine | €3–5 |
| Bus Aquileia–Grado | €3 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TRS · Trieste – Friuli Venezia Giulia
- About 40 min by car or bus + train via Cervignano
- VCE · Venice Marco Polo
- About 1.5 h by car or train via Venezia Mestre
Typical fares
- Bus Grado–Aquileia
- about €3, 20 min (check)
- Taxi Cervignano station → Aquileia
- €15–20
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is walkable: basilica, forum, port and museum are within 15 min of each other. A bike is useful for the necropolis (1 km (0.6 mi) north).The town is walkable: basilica, forum, port and museum are within 15 min of each other. A bike is useful for the necropolis (0.6 mi (1 km) north).
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO-listed Patriarchal Basilica with 760 m² mosaic floor
- Roman river port and forum ruins
- National Archaeological Museum
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Grado | Bus or bike (10 km (6.2 mi))Bus or bike (6.2 mi (10 km)) | 20 min by car |
| Trieste | Train from Cervignano (10 min taxi/bus to station) + regional train | About 1 h |
| Udine | Bus or taxi to Cervignano, then train | About 1 h |
| Lignano Sabbiadoro | Bus or car (30 km (19 mi))Bus or car (19 mi (30 km)) | 30 min |
Sleep
- Aquileia centre
- A few B&Bs and agriturismi; quiet, walk to sights.
- Grado
- 10 km (6.2 mi) away, seaside resort with more hotels and restaurants.6.2 mi (10 km) away, seaside resort with more hotels and restaurants.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | Mi scusimee SKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAHT-see-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOH-stah |
| Where is the basilica? | Dov'è la basilica?doh-VEH lah bah-ZEE-lee-kah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con carta?POH-soh pah-GAH-reh kon KAR-tah |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- The basilica closes for lunch (check hours).
- Museum closed on Mondays.
- No ATM in the village centre; bring cash.
Very safe. Watch for uneven Roman stones in the archaeological area. Summer heat can be intense; carry water.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Aquileia yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO-listed Patriarchal Basilica with 760 m² mosaic floor
- Roman river port and forum ruins
- National Archaeological Museum
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Basilica di Aquileia: www.basilicadiaquileia.it/it/basilica
- Wikivoyage: Aquileia, revision 5087665 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5087665
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/aquileia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.