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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Assisi
Give Assisi one full day and one night: the basilica at opening (07:00–08:00), the hill on foot, then leave before the midday coach groups.
Assisi is a hill town of about 28,000 people in Umbria, built around the Basilica of St Francis and its Giotto-school frescoes. The historic centre is small enough to walk end to end in a morning, but it is steep: start at the top (Rocca Maggiore) and work downhill. Most travellers see it as a day trip from Perugia or a single overnight; two nights only if you add San Damiano, the Eremo delle Carceri and a winery.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and crowds), Easter week, 4 Oct (St Francis feast)
- Stay
- 1 night
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 €45–75 excl. bed · Mid €75–130 excl. bed · High €130+ 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
- Europe-wide emergency 112 · Police 113 · 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 the bar | €1.20–1.80 |
| Plate of pasta or a pizza | €9–14 |
| Lunch menu (primo, secondo, water) | €15–25 |
| Glass of local wine | €4–7 |
| Taxi, station to centre | €15–20 |
| Bus line C, single ride | €1.50–2 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PEG · Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi
- About 20 km from Assisi; bus or taxi to Santa Maria degli Angeli and the centre.About 12 mi from Assisi; bus or taxi to Santa Maria degli Angeli and the centre.
- FCO · Rome Fiumicino
- Train to Rome Termini, then rail to Foligno or Assisi; about 3 h total.
- FLR · Florence Peretola
- Rail via Terontola or Foligno; about 2.5–3 h.
Typical fares
- Train station → centre, bus line C
- about €1.50–2, 15–20 min (check)
- Taxi station → centre
- €15–20 (check)
- Train Assisi → Perugia
- about €3–4, 20–30 min (check)
Get around
On foot inside the walls: the centre is small but hilly, so walk downhill from the Rocca. Bus line C links the train station (Santa Maria degli Angeli) with the centre; local buses also run from Piazza Matteotti. Cars stay outside the walls in the public lots (Matteotti and others); the old town is a restricted zone.
See and do
Known for
- Basilica of St Francis and its frescoes
- Basilica of Santa Chiara
- San Rufino Cathedral
- Rocca Maggiore
- Umbrian food and wine
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Perugia | Bus from Piazza Matteotti or train from Assisi station via a change | About 1 h |
| Spello | Train from Assisi station, about 15 min | About 45 min |
| Orvieto | Train via Foligno and Terontola, or drive the A1 | 2–2.5 h |
| Gubbio | Drive or bus via Perugia | About 1.5 h |
| Eremo delle Carceri | Taxi, drive or a steep 4 km walk from Porta CappucciniTaxi, drive or a steep 2.5 mi walk from Porta Cappuccini | 20 min by car |
Sleep
- Historic centre (Piazza del Comune and Via San Francesco)
- Walk to everything; book early, rooms are few and stairs are common.
- Lower town near Porta Nuova and Santa Chiara
- Flatter approach, closer to San Damiano and the bus stop.
- Santa Maria degli Angeli
- At the train station and the Porziuncola basilica; cheaper, but 3 km from the old town.At the train station and the Porziuncola basilica; cheaper, but 1.9 mi from the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Buongiornobwon-JOR-no |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fa-VOH-reh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pa-GAH-reh kon la KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
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
- Steep cobbles and few benches: wear shoes with grip and carry water in summer.
- The basilica is a working place of prayer: cover shoulders and knees, keep quiet, no flash.
- Coach groups arrive mid-morning; see the basilica at opening or after 17:00.
- Restaurants on the main basilica street charge more than places one street back.
- Sunday and feast-day services can close parts of churches to visitors.
Assisi is a safe, small town; the real risks are steep uneven streets, summer heat and pickpockets in the basilica crowds. Keep bags zipped in the lower basilica and at the bus stops.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Assisi yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Basilica of St Francis and its frescoes
- Basilica of Santa Chiara
- San Rufino Cathedral
- Rocca Maggiore
- Umbrian food and wine
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Umbria regional tourism: www.umbriatourism.it/en/
- Wikivoyage: Assisi, revision 5237018 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237018
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Assisi
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Assisi; the US, UK, Canadian and Australian embassies are in Rome, with consulates in Florence and Milan (check).
112 works from any phone, including mobiles with no Italian SIM.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/assisi). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.