How to get to Italy: airports, flights and border crossings

Italy has more useful arrival airports than most countries, and the right one is decided by your first three nights, not by the cheapest fare. If your trip starts in Rome, fly to Rome. If it starts in Venice, fly to Venice. A €40 saving on a flight into Milan that then costs you a €90 train and half a day to reach Rome is not a saving.

Rome Fiumicino (FCO) is the main long-haul gateway and the default for a first trip. It sits 32 km southwest of the centre and connects by the Leonardo Express to Termini in about 32 minutes, or by regional train and bus for less. Rome Ciampino (CIA) handles mostly low-cost European flights and is closer to the city but has fewer connections.

Milan Malpensa (MXP) is the second long-haul hub and the better choice for the Lakes, the Dolomites, Turin and the northwest. The Malpensa Express runs to Milano Centrale in about 50 minutes. Milan Linate (LIN) is the city airport, 7 km out, useful only for European flights. Bergamo (BGY) is a low-cost base 45 km northeast of Milan and a long way from the centre.

Venice Marco Polo (VCE) is 13 km from the city; buses reach Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes and water taxis go straight to your hotel door. Treviso (TSF) is a low-cost airport 30 km inland and needs a bus. Naples (NAP) is 7 km from the centre and the right arrival for Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. Catania and Palermo cover Sicily; Bari and Brindisi cover Puglia; Pisa and Florence cover Tuscany; Bologna is a good rail hub for the centre-north.

Nonstop transatlantic service into Rome and Milan is common from New York, Newark, Boston, Chicago, Washington and Miami, and seasonal from more US cities. From the US East Coast, plan about 9 hours to Rome; from the West Coast, about 12–13 hours with one stop, usually via a US hub or a European city. Fares swing widely by season: July and August and the Christmas weeks are the most expensive, and late January to March is cheapest outside ski weeks.

From the UK and Ireland, Italy is a short-haul destination with dozens of daily flights. London to Rome or Milan is about 2.5 hours; Dublin to Rome is about 3 hours. Low-cost carriers fly to secondary airports such as Bergamo, Treviso, Ciampino and Pisa, which are cheaper but add a bus or train leg.

From Canada, Toronto and Montreal have nonstops to Rome and sometimes Milan in summer, about 9 hours; Vancouver and Calgary usually connect through a Canadian or European hub. From Australia and New Zealand there are no nonstops to Italy: expect 20–30 hours with one or two stops via the Gulf, Singapore, Bangkok or Istanbul. Add a night in the stopover city if you can; arriving in Rome after 24 hours of travel is a wasted first day.

Italy is inside the Schengen area and shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. There are no routine passport checks at these crossings, but you must still carry your passport or national ID, and police can ask for it on trains and at stations. Long-distance trains from Paris, Munich, Zurich, Geneva and Vienna run into Milan, Turin, Verona and Venice; some are high-speed and some are overnight.

By road, motorways cross the Alps at Mont Blanc, Fréjus, Brenner, Tarvisio and the Simplon and Gotthard tunnels. Tolls apply on Italian autostrade, and vignettes are required in Switzerland and Austria. If you are driving a rental car across a border, tell the company in advance; not all rentals allow it.

By sea, ferries connect Italy with Greece (Patras, Igoumenitsa, Corfu), Croatia (Split, Dubrovnik), Albania (Durrës, Vlorë), Tunisia (Tunis) and Spain (Barcelona), plus domestic routes to Sicily and Sardinia. Main ports are Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Naples, Palermo and Trieste. Overnight crossings are the practical choice and book up in summer.

US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish passport holders can enter Italy and the rest of the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from Schengen and issued within the last 10 years. Border officers can ask for proof of onward travel, accommodation and funds.

The EU's ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is expected to start for visa-exempt travellers from late 2026, with a transition period. It is a short online application, not a visa, and it will be checked against your passport at check-in. Confirm the current start date and fee before you book, because it has been delayed more than once.

If you hold a passport from outside the visa-exempt list, apply for a Schengen visa at the Italian embassy or consulate for your main destination. Rules and fees change; check the official source before applying.

Book airport transfers before you land if you arrive late or in August, when taxi queues at Fiumicino and Malpensa can run long. Official white taxis and NCC cars have fixed or metered fares; unlicensed drivers approach arrivals halls and should be ignored. Trains from the airports are usually the fastest option into the city and run until around midnight, with buses covering the small hours.

Buy a SIM or eSIM before or on arrival if you want data from the first hour; EU roaming rules mean a European SIM works across borders, but a local Italian plan is cheaper for a long stay. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but keep some cash for small bars, markets and rural buses.

Travel insurance is worth arranging before you fly, particularly for medical cover and trip interruption on long-haul routings. If you are connecting through a non-Schengen hub, check whether you need a transit visa for that country as well.