Planning a Trip to Italy?

Italy is really several countries in one, and treating it as a single destination is the most common planning mistake. The Alps and northern lakes, the art cities of the centre, and the coast and islands of the south have different climates, different rhythms and different transport realities. Picking a region beats trying to cover the country.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons in most of Italy, with the art cities far more pleasant outside the summer heat. Mid-August is worth knowing about specifically: Ferragosto falls in the middle of the month and much of the country takes its holiday around it, so many businesses close while coastal resorts are at their fullest. Southern Italy and Sicily stay warm well into the autumn.

Italy is in the Schengen area, so for most non-European visitors the number of days you may spend across the whole zone in a rolling period matters more than any single border. Plan that budget across the whole trip if Italy is one stop among several.

Rail is fast and comfortable between the major northern and central cities, and noticeably slower the further south you go. In the south and on the islands a car opens up far more than it does in the north — but historic city centres are often restricted to residents, and driving into one can be expensive. Book the headline sights ahead as well — the major museums and monuments run on timed entry, and turning up on the day is increasingly not an option in the busy months.

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