Set on the Mediterranean Sea lies one of the most beautiful countries in the whole of Europe, Italy. From its metropolitan north to the relaxed atmosphere of the south, Italy has something to offer for every type of tourist. Whether you are looking to visit the small villages and towns to experience the authentic Italian lifestyle, or perhaps you wish to visit one of its many cities. With the canals of Venice, the Colosseum of Rome or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, there are plenty of world renowned attractions in Italy. Our list of Italian travel trips for your next holiday will tell you everything you need to know for when you visit this beautiful country.
Essential Tips For Your Holiday In Italy
Try To Learn A Small Amount Of Italian
When you are traveling to a foreign country where the native language is not English, you are always looked upon more favorably if you can incorporate a small amount of the local language into your conversations. Do not worry, no one is expecting you to be fluent in Italian with a good accent, just try to learn a few phrases. For example, ‘thank you (‘grazie’), ‘hello’ (‘ciao’), ‘bye’ (‘addio’). Also, learning your numbers in Italian will be helpful to you when you are ordering drinks or food whilst you are on holiday.
Work Out Your Means Of Transportation
Whether you are sticking to a particular location in Italy, or traveling around the entire country, it is important to scope out the different transportation methods and make any pre-bookings you may need. If you are thinking of traveling around Italy on your holiday, then you should consider using Italy’s vast train service or their bus services. Transportation is not expensive across Italy, especially when you pre-book. Coach companies like Flix Bus offer various services across Italy with some seats as low as $13.99. Or, if you prefer a train service, Trenitalia is the provider of the national rail service.
If you would rather stick to a specific location, there are plenty of transportation offerings for you as well. The easiest way to navigate Italy’s major cities is by using the metro service, it is not only cheap but also the quickest way around. If metro’s are not right for you, then there will be bus services available or you could walk and take in more of the glorious sites that Italy has to offer. Whilst you could opt for a car hire service, please note that most cities and towns in Italy consist of narrow alleys and roads that can be difficult to navigate. Also, the Italians are known for their quick and enthusiastic driving styles.
Eating In Restaurants
Whilst you are in Italy, of course you will want to sample some lovely Italian dishes. Each region of Italy has its own speciality, and sometimes individual towns/cities are known for special dishes. For example, Bologna is known as the birthplace of spaghetti bolognese. There are, however, customs you must be aware of when you are dining out in Italy.
First, a service charge will be added automatically to your bill. It will usually be located near your bill total and may be titled under different terms, but there will be one. If, for any reason, you have received a service where you are left unsatisfied, you can request to have the charge taken off. Or if you simply would prefer to leave your own tip. Another custom to note would be if they offer you bread or water whilst you wait for your meal, they will charge you for them whether the server makes it sound like they are free or not.
If you are hoping for a quick meal in a restaurant, you will be disappointed. Europeans as a whole, but especially Italians, like to take leisurely meals and dislike to be rushed. You will often witness the locals sitting at their restaurant tables for several hours whilst they eat their dinner. This is a normal custom in Italy that the servers will abide by.
Finally, if you prefer to consume beer rather than wine or a soft drink whilst you are having your dinner, you may struggle to find it in the menu. Do not worry, they will be there, but Italians opt to drink a glass (or bottle) of wine with their dinner rather than beer. Because of this, a restaurant’s beer selection will be towards the very back of the menu. Please note that wine is very inexpensive in Italy so you can save money by choosing a glass or bottle with your meal instead.
Tips To Save Money
Across the major cities in Italy there will be many free water fountains with clean drinking water available. They are not standardized and can often look like ancient pieces of history that disperse water. You can often figure out whether a fountain is one of these due to tourists often using them to fill up their water bottles. There is even one inside the Roman Forum in Rome.And Case vacanze cilento have nice budget for visitor
Venice is expensive. It is one of the biggest tourist hotspots in Italy, however, there are ways to make the experience cheaper. The chances are, if you have traveled to Venice you will want to go on a gondola. For the standard 30-minute ride, it is very expensive, but the drivers of the gondolas are no stranger to haggling. If you are set on having a ride on a gondola than you have to try your luck. Another point of expense will be food and drink, especially gelato. However, the further you walk away from St Mark’s Square, the cheaper the restaurants and gelato sellers become. Also, Venice is home to a few free water fountains as well.
That wraps up our top travel tips for your next holiday in Italy. We hope you have an amazing time whilst you travel the beautiful country of Italy and soak up everything it has to offer.