Italy travel checklist: what to do before you go

The long-lead items are documents and seats, not hotels. Check your passport first: most non-EU visitors need validity of at least three months beyond the date they plan to leave the Schengen area, and some passports need longer. Confirm your own nationality's rule before anything else.

Then count days. Italy is inside Schengen, so most short-stay visitors are limited to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole area, not just Italy. If you are close to that limit, or plan to work remotely, read the visa and nomad pages before booking.

Book transport before hotels if your dates are fixed. High-speed trains between Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples and Milan sell cheap seats early and get expensive close in; the same applies to flights into Rome or Milan in summer. Once the trains are set, hotels follow.

Timed entries are the second bottleneck. Vatican Museums, the Uffizi and the Last Supper in Milan release slots that disappear weeks ahead in high season. Book those, then build each day around them. If you are driving, read up on ZTL zones now: camera-enforced limited-traffic areas cover the centre of nearly every old town, and fines arrive months later.

Download everything offline: train tickets with their QR codes, museum vouchers, boarding passes, insurance policy and a photo of your passport. Italian station gates read barcodes, and mobile signal in old stone centres is patchy.

Pack for the season you are actually getting. Summer in Rome and Florence means 35 °C afternoons and strict dress at churches; the Dolomites in the same month can be 10 °C at altitude. Shoulder months need a rain layer. Leave space for the adapter (types C, F and L) and for any prescription medicine in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription.

Carry the passport, the card you booked with and a small amount of euro cash in your hand luggage, not the hold. Keep the insurance number and the address of your first night written down in case a border officer or a taxi driver asks.

On arrival, buy or top up a SIM or eSIM if you need data, validate any paper train ticket before boarding, and check the departure board rather than trusting a printed platform. If you land late into a smaller airport, confirm the last transfer before you fly, not after.

For most visitors the document set is short: a passport valid at least three months beyond departure from Schengen, a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation for the first nights, and travel medical insurance. Border officers rarely ask for all of it, but having it on your phone costs nothing.

Rules differ by passport. US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish citizens travelling as tourists generally enter visa-free for short stays under the 90/180 rule; other nationalities may need a Schengen visa applied for in advance. Check your own case on the visa page and on your government's travel advice before booking anything non-refundable.

Italy runs on the euro and cards are accepted almost everywhere in cities, including contactless on buses and metros in the big centres. Small towns, markets and some trattorie still prefer cash, so keep €50–100 on you. Use bank ATMs rather than standalone exchange kiosks, and always choose to be charged in euro, not your home currency, when a terminal offers the choice.

Tipping is not expected. A coperto (cover charge) of roughly €1–3 a person often appears on the bill, and sometimes a service charge for larger groups. For good service, round up or leave €1–2 a person. Budget the trip itself from the cost pages rather than guessing.

There are no routine vaccinations required for Italy, but your standard course (measles, tetanus, and hepatitis A for some travellers) should be up to date. Summer heat is the real risk: plan museum and church visits for the morning, carry water, and watch for heat exhaustion in Rome, Florence and the south in July and August.

Bring enough of any prescription medicine for the whole trip in its original packaging, with a copy of the prescription. Pharmacies are common and staff are helpful for minor problems. Emergency numbers are 112 (EU-wide), 113 police, 115 fire and 118 ambulance. Check your own government's advice for anything specific to your health situation.

Pack for the region, not for the postcard. A July trip that includes the Dolomites needs a warm layer as much as shorts. Churches across Italy ask for covered shoulders and knees, so keep a light scarf or long shirt in your day bag. Comfortable shoes matter more than anything else: cobblestones and long museum days punish thin soles.

Bring a type C, F or L adapter (230 V, 50 Hz), a refillable bottle for the free public fountains in most cities, and a small day bag you can wear across your body in crowded squares and on buses. The full list is on the packing page.