Italy tours

Italians are impulsive and passionate by nature, and so why not follow their example by just going to Italy when you want? It’s always got something special, it’s nearly always surprising and it’s always just uniquely Italian. However, if you want to visit a specific region, such as Puglia or Piedmont, Amalfi or the Dolomiti, it’s worth having some guidance on when to go. The best time to go to Italy is often when there are fewer tourists around, but then again many of our adventure holidays take you off the beaten path anyway. So you might not often think of Liguria in spring, Umbria in autumn or Puglia from Santa , but there are many reasons why you should. The good news is that if you are feeling impulsive, we will find you an Italian idyll any time of year. For more information, see our detailed blog, Best time to go to Italy. 

Italy has a diverse climate due to its size and geographical differences. We have holidays throughout the year in Italy. It goes without saying that it’s sizzling in Sardinia, Sicily and the southernmost coast in summer, with temperatures in the high 30s. However, if you head to the likes of Amalfi in March or November, you get high teen treats on the thermometer. The average highs in the Dolomites in summer are 28C, but there are also summer storms. We do have trips in June through to late September, when temperatures dip a few degrees. In addition, we have winter tours when things freeze over in the Dolomites, with more details in our winter tours section below. 

Italy’s wine routes are delicious in autumn when the harvest takes place and temperatures are cooler. Our summer Piedmont tours see maximum temperatures of around 24C too. Puglia has our longest season, with tours opening as early as February and closing as late as December. With an average annual temperature of 16C, the heel of Italy is perfectly poised for three-season adventures. In fact, there are 300 sunny days in Puglia. The average temperatures in April and May are 14C, going up to a comfortable 18C by the beginning of June. For more details, see our blog, Best time to go to Italy.

It’s a great destination for accessing by train internationally and domestically. Trenitalia is the national operator and main player, but the more recent privately-run company, Italo, now offers competitive prices on intercity routes. They both generally release their tickets four months in advance, sometimes six, and booking early is the best way to get cheap train tickets. Click on these cycling and hiking holiday links to see which ones are accessible by train and then scroll down to the ‘getting there’ section for more details. There are also some impressive sleeper train journeys to and within Italy, including one that gets shunted onto the ferry to Sicily. For more information on train travel, see our collection of ‘getting rail’ blogs. 

“Tell me. Do you spend time with your family?”, “Sure I do.”. “Good. Because a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” – The Godfather, 1972
This is Italy, where family travel is an utter joy, because children will always be welcomed with open arms. We have a few family-specific tours in Italy, which can be adapted according to children’s ages and abilities. In addition, it’s worth checking out our easy/moderate level walking or easy/moderate cycling holidays, to see if they appeal to all family members. If you have older teens, for example, who have walking experience, you may want to explore more moderate level hiking or cycling holidays. Our adventure specialists are here to cater for your needs, and we can often adapt a day’s itinerary if you think it’s going to be too hard or too easy.

Most definitely, and we welcome solo travellers on many of our tours, such as our most recent adventures in Umbria, many of our tours in Puglia, and all of our holidays along the Via Francigena. You can find all of our solo trips in Italy here, but please remember that a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. For more information, or to build up the courage to walk solo, see our blog, Overcoming your fear of solo travel. 

Yes it is and, actually, it’s rated fifth (not filth) highest in Europe in terms of good quality. However, there isn’t a tradition of drinking it in restaurants, and you may as well ask for pineapple on your pizza in terms of the scornful look you’ll get if you ask for tap water. According to a study by CSA Research, only 29.2% of Italians drink tap water every day and Italians are the biggest consumer of bottled water in Europe, in spite of the plastic waste crisis. So, be brave and try it out in a restaurant, asking for acqua dal rubinetto, per favore. If you are hiking in mountain areas, and want to drink from streams, where there can be a risk of harmful runoff, we recommend investing in a filtered water bottle to ensure water is free of any toxins. 

Italy has good healthcare with no major health risks and it’s rabies free. No vaccinations are required, but the WHO recommends routine vaccines such as tetanus for all travellers. It’s also worth noting that there have been a few, rare cases of dengue fever in Italy, which is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes, particularly during the day. Cases have been reported in Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Veneto regions and it has flu-like symptoms. Vaccinations aren’t recommended but do be wary of mosquito bites. Always make sure that you have suitable health insurance to suit your adventure travel and also note that the Italians have an excellent pharmacy system.

Sadly, there are some troublesome areas in Italy when it comes to pickpocketing, like so many countries of course. So when travelling to major cities such as Rome, Naples or Milan, please beware of pickpocketers. Make sure you are aware of your surroundings and that you have your personal belongings well concealed. As with all international travels, it’s always worth getting up to date information at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for UK travellers or similar foreign office advice in your home country.

Of course, this depends on the region that you are visiting but as with most of our adventures, you may be exploring remote terrain where weather conditions may be unpredictable. For that reason, we have some detailed blogs on packing, which may be of help: What to pack for a cycling trip and What to pack for a hiking trip. As well as that, don’t forget to pack your sense of adventure, plenty of sunscreen and a phrase book. Italians love it if you try to say a few words in italiano.

Overtourism is an issue in many parts of the world, and although we are all for people having adventures, we’re aware that some places just need to put the brakes on. Which is why we aim to take you off the beaten path, and also encourage travel outside of the peak seasons. Venice is one of the most notorious, of course, and we aren’t turning a blind eye to the issues there at all. We have a number of natural adventures that start, finish or pop into Venice, such as cycling from the Dolomites to Venice, although your time in the city is spent on mainland Maestre, so away from the crowds. On our cycling holiday between Lake Bled in Slovenia and Venice, the former also a busy tourist spot, you can book it between March and as late as October, so you have some quite Venetian times too. 

We have two great options for winter sports adventures in Italy. The first is a cross-country skiing holiday in the Dolomites, which follows luscious loipes through valleys that cut through some of Europe’s most famous peaks, the Drei Zinnen or Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The other winter treat of a holiday also delves into Italy’s Dolomites but, in addition, continues along a borderland trail into Austrian Tyrol, with three days and nights spent in each country. We also have plenty of Italian hiking and cycling holidays throughout the winter months to give you a seasonal lift. 

We always endeavour to ensure that your accommodations are aware of any dietary needs when we book your trip. However, Italy is a foodie nation with strong traditions, so although your needs will be catered for in bigger towns and cities, it’s not always the case in more remote areas. But being gluten (senza glutine) or dairy free (senza lattosio) is certainly not unheard of in Italy and you won’t be looked at strangely for requesting even something different off the menu. Even in a land of pasta and pizza. Check out this excellent gluten-free guide to Italy and we also like this video of how to order a non-dairy latte in Italian too.

It’s the euro, or €, the same currency that’s used across most countries in the European Union. 

This is Italy so you can buy some fine wines, feast on great cuisine or go crazy for couture. However, most adventurers in rural areas just want a good three course meal at the end of the day, and some great picnic food for their backpack. Prices do vary a little depending on the demographic of your region, so expect a pricier panini in Tuscany or Amalfi than up in Piedmont, for example. 

For trekking picnics, a traditional salumeria or alimentari food shop sells bread rolls, cheese and cold meats, which you can put together yourself into a sandwich, or they often do their own traditional paninis too. You’re looking at between €4-8 for one of those. 
A meal at an inexpensive trattoria outside of the main tourist cities costs (and even in some of the greats if you look carefully) is around €10 with a glass of wine around €4. You won’t ever be given a small portion though, this is Italy. If you’re going for a mid-range restaurant, budget for €35 to €50 for two people, excluding drinks. An Italian food market (mercato) is also a feast for hungry eyes, with snacks such as pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) or arancini (rice balls) ranging from €3 to €7. Coffee is great value of course, between €1.50 to €3, although you can go up to €6 if you’re after a piazza-style-chinno in Rome, Venice or Florence. 

It’s also worth noting that there’s a cover charge in restaurants in Italy (pane e coperto), which is a fixed cost per head of €1.50-2 per person and traditionally covers the bread and table cloth (even if there isn’t one!).

While a service charge is sometimes included in the bill (look for the words servizio incluso), if it isn’t, leaving an extra tip of between 5-10% is normal in restaurants. This is usually left in cash for your waiting staff member. It isn’t expected in bars, but having some coins to round up the bill is very much part of the culture. 

There’s still quite a digital divide in Italy between urban and rural areas, but the gap is closing. The urban hubs have access to fibre optic and high-speed broadband services, as well as 4G/5G coverage. However, the mountainous and more remote areas are trickier to connect with fibre optic cables, and some still rely on satellite connections. Italy isn’t exactly famous for overcoming bureaucratic hurdles either, so don’t hold your breath. At present, average download speeds are 85.44mbps, compared with 58.22mbps five years ago. So it’s moving in the right direction. But don’t be dependent on downloading The Godfather if you’re hiking in the Italian Alps or Dolomites.