Italy is the country to which you want to return.

There are turquoise seas and snowy Alps, Michelin-starred restaurants and cafes with juicy pizza for a couple of euros, pompous boutique hotels and hostels with crazy parties.

Locals advise to go to Italy in spring and autumn. At this time, there are not as many tourists as in summer, and looking at ancient excavations at +35 °C is not as interesting as at +20 °C.

What will you learn

📌 Input

How long to fly: from Moscow on average 4 hours.
Difference with Moscow: -1 hour in summer and -2 in winter.
Average temperature per season: +24 °C in summer, +12 °C in winter.

✈️ How to get there

A one-way low-cost ticket costs from 4000 R. A regular flight with a transfer will cost from 6000 R. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper. At the beginning and end of the season, you can catch a charter for 4000 R, but this is a matter of luck.

💸 Money

In Italy, almost everywhere you can pay by card. You will need cash to buy tickets for buses, subway, pay for purchases in small shops and leave tips in cafes.

🏛️ Attractions in cities in Italy

Rome and the Vatican
📌 Popular attractions in Rome are the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and St. Peter's Basilica, one of the most famous Christian churches in the world.
📌 The Vatican Museums exhibit paintings, sculptures and rare exhibits like ancient Egyptian mummies. There is also the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, and the rooms that Raphael designed.
📌 The Pantheon is a pagan temple of all gods, which was consecrated as a Christian church in 609. The Pantheon is famous for its dome with a round hole through which you can see the sky.

Milan
📌 Milan Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, is a large Gothic church built of white marble. There are about 3400 statues inside.
📌 In the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie you can see the fresco "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Teatro alla Scala is a famous opera house. Fyodor Chaliapin sang in it and Rudolf Nureyev danced.
📌 The Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology exhibits steam locomotives, vintage cars and even a submarine.

Pisa
📌 On the Knights Square, tourists watch the Palace of the Knights with wall paintings and the Church of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen - trophies from battles with pirates are stored there.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the main attraction of the city. For 18 € (1337 R) you can climb to its top.
📌 On the Square of Miracles, there is the Pisa Cathedral, the baptistery - a building for baptism, the Campo Santo cemetery and the Museum of Sinopia - preparatory drawings for frescoes.

Florence
📌 Santa Maria del Fiore - Cathedral with a giant dome.
📌 In the Uffizi Gallery you can see paintings by Botticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
📌 Ponte Vecchio is an old covered bridge that sells gold jewelry.
📌 Piazzale Michelangelo offers a beautiful view of Florence.

Venice
📌 Saint Mark's Square is the main square in the city, on which the cathedral of the same name is located.
📌 Doge's Palace - the former building of the Venetian rulers and a monument of Gothic architecture.
The Rialto Bridge is the first bridge built on the Grand Canal.

Rimini
📌 Sun, sea, beach.

🍕 Food

Cafe for locals
📌 Located away from attractions on quiet streets.
📌 Simple interior, no signs. You can't find them on Tripadvisor - you'll have to look for them yourself.
📌 Prices are 30-70% lower than in cafes for tourists in the city center, and the food is much tastier.
📌 Lunch or dinner on average costs 20-30 € (1486 -2229 R).

Aperitifs
📌 An aperitif is wine, vermouth or other alcoholic drink that is drunk before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
📌 Some cafes and restaurants serve free snacks for aperitifs. The promotion is valid from approximately 18:00 to 20:00.
📌 Wine or a cocktail costs on average 8-10 € (594 -742.5 R). Appetizers include cheeses, cold cuts, mini burgers or olives.

The shops
📌 Supermarket chains - Carrefour, Konad and Kupa.
📌 Bread costs 1 € (74 R), cuts of meat - 2 € (148 R) per 100 g, cheese - 1-2 € (74-148 R) per 100 g.
📌 Wine costs 5-15 € (371 -1113 R), limoncello - 6 € (445 R), aperol - 11 € (817 R).

🚌 Transport

Trains
📌 There are many flights, stations are located in the city center.
📌 High-speed trains are usually faster and more expensive than regional ones.
📌 Tickets on average cost from 9.9 € (735 R) to 60 € (4458 R).
📌 You can buy train tickets on the Goeuro aggregator or on the websites of carriers: Trenitalia and Italo. Railway companies have discounts - it is better to subscribe to mailing lists in advance.

Metro
📌 Tickets are sold at the box office, vending machines and kiosks with newspapers and tobacco.
📌 The cost of a single ticket is 1.5 € (111 R). There are passes for a day, three and a week.

Buses
📌 A ticket costs 1.5 € (111 R) in tobacco shops along the streets and 2 € (148 R) from the driver.
📌 There is practically no need for buses: everything is within walking distance.

Vaporetto
📌 Vaporetto are Venetian water trams that run along the Grand Canal, the largest in the city.
📌 You can take a vaporetto to the islands in the distance.
📌 A daily ticket costs 10 € (1486 R).

Gondolas
📌 Walk through small canals.
📌 The cost of the trip is 80 € (5944 R) for 30 minutes.
📌 The gondola fits 4-6 people. The cost can be shared with other tourists.

🏡 Housing

🤑 Shopping in Italy

In Italy you can buy a hat for 1€ and shoes for 4€. Things in local stores begin to sell out in January and July. Discounts reach 30-70%, and the farther from the start of sales, the cheaper. True, at the end of the season it can be difficult to find the right size.

Items with discounts are sold in stores in the city center and large shopping malls like Euroma 2 or Porta di Roma. Tourists love outlets, such as Fidenza Village near Milan or Castel Romano in Rome. To find the right thing, you will have to try: there are a lot of people who want to save money, and the stands are often a mess.

📱Internet

The three main operators - Vodafone, Tim and Wind - have approximately the same tariffs, and all sim cards cost 15-20 € (1114 -1485.33 R). In all cities catches 4G.

Majestic Rome, fashionable Milan, magnificent Florence, fabulous Mantua, inimitable Venice, legendary Pompeii… This list can be continued for a long time. Each Italian city has its own characteristics, unique location and magnificent sights. Do you want to travel to Italy without resorting to the services of travel companies? Such a desire is quite feasible. From the presented article you will learn how to organize an independent trip to Italy.

Advantages

An independent trip to Italy has a number of advantages:

1. You choose the date and duration of your trip.
2. You can plan your day in your own way.
3. You are unlimited in sightseeing time.
4. You can visit absolutely anywhere in the country and travel in any direction.
5. You can find the hotel or apartment that suits you.
6. You can learn about the "non-touristic" life of Italian cities.
7. You can communicate a lot with the local population of all the cities you visit.
8. You rarely meet crowds of tourists.
9. You independently plan the entire budget of the trip.
10. You will feel like a real adventurer.

This is only a small part of the advantages of independent travel. Each tourist has his own list of advantages that he is guided by when choosing one or another type of trip.

How to get a visa?

To visit the country you will need a Schengen visa. With it, you can travel not only to Italy, but also to other neighboring countries: France, Spain, Switzerland, etc. Visas are divided into 2 main types: short-term (business, tourist, guest) and long-term (national). You need a short-term tourist visa (type C) with which you are allowed to stay in the country for 30 days.

The following documents are required to apply for a tourist visa:

1. Questionnaire filled out according to all the rules.
2. Foreign passport and photocopies of all its pages. Remember that the validity of this document must include 3.5 months after arrival from Italy to Russia.
3. An annulled foreign passport holding a Schengen visa for a period of 3 years.
4. Russian passport with photocopies of all pages.
5. 2 color photographs.
6. Ticket and hotel/guest house/other accommodation booking documents.
7. Certificate from the place of work on the salary of the tourist and his position. This document must be signed by the director or chief accountant.
8. Plastic cards (not credit cards), bank statements, traveler's checks and other documents confirming the solvency of the tourist. In addition to the originals, photocopies of all the listed documents will be required.
9. The travel budget must not be less than 1,000 euros. The minimum amount for a stay in Italy for 1 day is 50 euros.
10. Insurance in the amount of 30,000 euros. It operates on the territory of all European countries.

When applying for a visa, you need to take into account some of the nuances. For example, if you don't earn enough Money(the embassy can tell you about this), then you will have to provide a photocopy of the Russian passport of your relative, who will act as a travel sponsor. In addition to the passport, you will need a document on the state of family relations and a certificate from the place of work of your "sponsor".

If you are a pensioner, then attach a pension certificate to the list of basic documents, students need to present a certificate from the dean's office and a student ID. Housewives with no official income who are sponsored by their husband are required to provide a marriage certificate.

To travel with minor children, you will need a birth certificate of the child, permission from the parents and a photocopy of the passport of the person allowing him to travel to Italy.

To obtain a visa, Russians submit the collected package of documents to the visa center assigned to their district.

How to get to Italy?

After the tedious collection of documents and obtaining a visa, travelers have another important question: “How to get to the country?”. You can travel to Italy on your own using the following modes of transport:

1. Flight. The plane is the most popular mode of transport that will quickly take you to Italy. Many airlines often hold various promotions and ticket sales, so a flight to the country can cost several times cheaper. Don't forget to check information about low-cost airlines, connecting flights and charters. You can book tickets both online and at the airports themselves (if you prefer).
2. Railway. For those tourists who are afraid to fly, there is an opportunity to go to Italy by train. This is not a budget option, but for some travelers, the train is the only way to get to their vacation destination. RZD offers only 1 option for direct train travel to Italy: from Moscow to Nice. You can also see information about a train trip with several transfers, here the number of options is much greater.
3. Bus. Those who are not afraid of pain from a stiff back and lower back can try to go to Italy by bus. This trip option is considered one of the most budgetary. If you are not afraid of difficulties, want to see different European cities and are in good health, then traveling by bus will be your first independent adventure. Departure to this country is carried out from Moscow.
4. Automobile. You can make a trip to Italy truly independent with the help of your own car. For a successful trip, you need to have a serviceable car, knowledge of the traffic rules of the countries that you will visit on the way to Italy, and that’s it. required documents(both for passengers and for the car). You can come to the country on various routes, the most interesting and exciting trips will be:

• Through Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic and Austria;
• Through Belarus, Poland and Germany;
• Through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia.

Of course, you can travel all over Europe, visit every country you are interested in and enjoy the wonderful views and hospitality of various European capitals and cities.

It is very easy to organize a fascinating trip to Italy on your own. Your desire, financial capabilities and the right attitude will help you make an interesting and informative trip that will be remembered forever.

Choice of housing

On the territory of Italy there are numerous hotels, country and guest houses, rented apartments, etc. On various sites for booking hotels and renting rental housing, you can choose the option that suits you in all respects. Keep in mind: renting apartments in big cities is more expensive than in small ones. Use only proven services. Reservations and rentals of accommodation must be made in advance.

Remember that you are going to see the country, and not sit out in rented apartments. The money saved on housing is better spent on shopping, delicious local food or entertainment.

How to travel in Italy?

If you are traveling to Italy in your car, then there are no issues with moving around the country. In the absence of personal transport, we suggest you use:

• By train or train. Road connections between Italian cities are excellent, so there will be no problems with visiting the cities included in your list.
• By bus. On this transport you can travel around the city and the nearest settlements.
• Taxi. Absolutely universal transport that will take you to any destination.
• By ferry. Will take you to any island or to another country bordering Italy.
• By plane. When planning to explore all of Italy in a short time, it is better to use local flights.
• Rented car. Suitable for traveling around the city and across the country.
• By bike. On a two-wheeled "comrade" it is convenient to see the sights and interesting places of any Italian city.

When choosing a transport, be guided by the prices and convenience of the chosen method of moving around Italy. For example, the constant transportation of things from the airport and the airport will cause a lot of inconvenience, so plan your trip carefully, if necessary, purchase plane, ferry and train tickets in advance.

What money to take to Italy?

The currency of Italy is the euro. Accordingly, you need euros to travel to the country. You do not need to carry only cash with you, put part of the funds on the card (even in rubles, even in euros). When paying with a ruble plastic card, rubles will be converted into euros, and your purchase or payment for services will be completed without difficulty.

In Italy, you can use MasterCard and Visa plastic cards.

How to save money in Italy?

1. Choose affordable accommodation not located in the center of an Italian city. For example, the most expensive accommodation option would be a hotel, the cheapest would be a hostel.
2. When choosing a mode of transportation, give preference to buses, trains, car rental and metro. Flights by plane, as well as taxi services will cost more.
3. Get a tourist card. With it, you will save up to 70% of the cost of traveling by local transport, visiting exhibitions and attractions.
4. Some museums and exhibitions provide tourists with the opportunity to visit attractions during free hours and days.
5. Take advantage of free walking tours.
6. Shop in non-tourist areas and cities.
7. The northern regions of Italy are more expensive than the southern ones. Keep this in mind.

What to visit in Italy?

Italy is an interesting multifaceted country, on the territory of which there is a huge number of various attractions. We recommend visiting the following:

1. Pompeii. A unique place that has preserved a lot of interesting buildings from the time of the ancient Pompians.
2. Rome. The Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, numerous castles, cathedrals, palaces, etc. will not leave anyone indifferent.
3. Verona. Arena di Verona, Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore, Juliet's tomb, Castelvecchio castle, etc. should be visited by every self-respecting tourist.
4. Milan. Duomo, La Scala, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, numerous galleries, castles and museums of the city will enchant with their beauty and interesting history.
5. Venice. The Grand Canal, the Doge's Palace, the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute, the Venetian Arsenal, museums, galleries, palaces and other attractions of this city will be remembered for a long time.
6. Florence. Palazzo Pitti, Giotto's bell tower, the Basilica of Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchia, etc. must be visited by every tourist.
7. Mantova. Palazzo Ducale, Basilica of St. Andrew, Palazzo Te, rotunda of St. Lawrence and others will plunge you into the atmosphere of an amazing medieval city.
8. Rimini. Here you can see such masterpieces as the bridge of Tiberius, the arch of Augustus, the palace of the Medieval Assembly, the castle of Malatesta, etc.
9. Pisa. In this city, be sure to see the following attractions: the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Duomo, the baptistery, Ospendale Nuovo di Santo Spirito, the Field of Miracles, etc.
10. Beach resorts in Italy. You can enjoy the warm sea, ride a yacht and get a great tan in Costa Smeralda, Lignano, Rimini, Riviera di Lazio, Sicily, etc.

Of course, this is not the whole list of interesting Italian cities and attractions. A well-planned trip will help you see a large number of interesting places, become a participant in exciting adventures and stock up on bright emotions until the next vacation.
Now you know how to travel to Italy on your own. Full preparation for the trip, the availability of all required documents, good mood and a desire to explore new places will help you have a good rest and return home with a full set of interesting stories and unforgettable impressions.

Italy from its northernmost to its southernmost point is beautiful to the point of madness! Whether it's a big temperamental city or a small hearty village. Every corner of this beautiful country attracts with its exclusivity and unique charm. Traveling in Italy, I want to study it up and down, discovering unsurpassed beauty and filling my heart with new impressions.

Fans of such trips know that the bulk of the travel budget is spent on paying for hotels and buying tickets. Our invariable assistant in finding a hotel remains booking, because he often likes to surprise with prices:

We decided to devote this article to the second most expensive part of the budget of any trip, namely, the purchase of travel tickets for traveling around Italy.

Few people know, but you can travel all over Italy by spending only 10 euros!

It's not real, you say, but you'd be wrong. After all, we know exactly what we are talking about! And we have no right to advise our reader badly! Let's take a look at how a self-guided holiday in Italy can be extra cheap. For clarity, below we present several possible options for a trip to Italy.

So, imagine the following situation: from Milan we need to get to Rome. There are a lot of options for how to do this:

• air travel - saves time, but not money; Current ticket prices can be checked
• bus - the duration of the journey is from 5 to 10 hours (the best low-cost airline in Italy and Europe FlixBus);
• The train is the most common form of land transport among travelers.

We will focus on the last option. Buy a train ticket in Italy can be found on the official website of the national railway. We wrote in detail about TRENITALIA tariffs, therefore, in this article we will not delve into the varieties of existing tickets for trains in Italy.

Let's go to the site trenitalia.com and see how much a standard travel document costs for the direction we are interested in. To do this, first of all, you need to enter a request on the main page:

• points of departure and destination,
• estimated travel date,
• and check the boxes: tutti treni(all trains) and solo data(one way only).

After that, you must press the big red button CERCA (Search).

Train tickets Rome - Naples

Great deal from Rome to Salerno

Multi-stop flights, hitchhiking, couchsurfing, housesitting, and grocery shopping are all cheap, but exhausting as hell. Most people just want to take a break from everyday affairs, and not tear themselves for every penny. These tips will help you save on travel, but at the same time have a great rest and get a lot of new experiences.

Transport

Railway

This is the most convenient, safe and economical way to travel around the country. Italy does not have a monopoly on rail passenger transport, so it is possible to compare prices and conditions from different providers, for example on the Trenitalia and Italo websites.

On the Trenitalia website you can find discounts on hotels and attractions, special offers for families with children and couples. Both companies have sales and offer discounts on tickets. From Italo you can buy a train ticket Rome - Venice or Venice - Milan for only 9.90 euros. No catch: in time, these trains run the same way as regular ones. You just have to adjust to the schedule - trains depart on certain days and hours.

The price of a ticket for the same route may differ by 2-3 times. It depends primarily on the class of the train. Passenger (Regionale), fast passenger (Regionale veloce) and intercity (Intercity) trains are usually cheaper than branded high-speed ones (Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, Frecciaargento), but they are also slower. If an extra hour on the road is not essential for you, but saving 15-20 euros - yes, feel free to choose a more attractive option.

The date of purchase also affects the ticket price. The earlier you buy it, the cheaper it will be.

If you bought a ticket at the station in a self-service terminal or at the box office, do not forget to validate it in special machines Green colour located at the station or in the passage to the platforms. Remember that traveling with an uncomposted ticket can result in a fine.

Buying a ticket online, you save time and money, as you have the opportunity to choose the cheapest fare in advance. In addition, such a ticket does not need to be validated.

Taxis and scooters

Do not try to hail a taxi in Italy by waving or thumbs up. The maximum that awaits you is an ironic smile. In taxis (which, by the way, white color) you can sit at specially designated parking lots in the squares, at popular attractions and shopping centers.

Thanks to a powerful taxi driver union, the cost of a trip via Uber will be much more expensive than on an official taxi. However, in Italy there is the MyTaxi application, through which you can call a car at the usual rates.

Then there's Scooterino, an Italian startup founded by a 24-year-old native of Rome. The application, which works in Rome, Milan, Genoa and Florence, will help you get from point A to point B on a scooter. Scooterino functions similarly to BlaBlaCar, that is, it is more of a way to split the cost of the trip between the driver and the passenger, so the price will pleasantly surprise you. Maneuvering through traffic jams on a cute motor scooter, you will surely feel like the hero of the movie "Roman Holiday".

Bus, metro, tram

The cost of a standard ticket in Italy for one trip (Biglietto semplice) is from 1.2 to 2 euros. And it doesn't matter if you are going to drive one stop or go to the other end of the city. Within 90–100 minutes, you can transfer from the bus to the tram or metro using the same ticket. That is why composting is essential.

There are also 24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets and a week pass. If you plan to travel a lot by bus, metro or tram, it will be more profitable to purchase a travel pass. And thanks to Moovit, you can build travel routes based on public transport schedules. The app works in Milan, Rome and Naples.

Don't ride as a rabbit. Conductors, of course, are not found on every route, but if it turns out that you are traveling without a ticket, you will have to pay a fine of 50 euros. If all the ticket composting machines are suddenly out of order, you must write the date and time on the ticket with a pen.

Automobile

Compare prices on different car rental aggregators, such as Auto Europe , Economy Car Rentals , Rentalcars . It often happens that the same car is cheaper to rent from local Italian companies (Sicily by Car, Maggiore, Noleggiare) than from international ones (Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, Dollar, Europcar). However, you need to carefully read the terms of the lease and reviews.

Hotels

Large chain hotels are quite expensive. A significant part of the price is the overpayment for the brand. Fortunately, Italy has a large selection of family-run guesthouses, boutique hotels, B&Bs and apartment hotels at relatively affordable prices and with friendly hosts.

A word of advice: first check the price of the hotel on Booking or another popular booking site, and then try to find the hotel's official website and compare prices. It often happens that they are lower on the hotel website. If you write directly to the hotel representatives by e-mail and ask for a discount, then there is a great chance to get it.

Many people recommend booking apartments and apartments, but this option has disadvantages, so you need to weigh the pros and cons. Look out for additional cleaning fees or a property deposit (this amount may be frozen on your credit card).

But for a long term (from four days) an apartment with a kitchen and washing machine - the best option. The Italians themselves book apartments and apartments through. For longer rental periods (from 1 month) there are local Italian sites.

Excursions

Those who recommend saving on excursions and studying everything on their own do not value their own time. Yes, you can and should walk, explore different historical areas, read guidebooks and articles to broaden your horizons. But even if you read dozens of articles before the trip, without the help of those who live in Italy, you will not be able to 100% know and feel the country.

Modern excursions have gone far from the standards of the last century, when guides loaded tourists with memorized history, a bunch of dates and names that didn’t say anything. For generations Y and Z, a completely different approach is needed - live communication, emotions, an element of interactivity and games. It is important for them to get impressions, not just information.

It is more interesting to communicate with the guide as with a friend who will share life hacks, show you secret sights and romantic places for a selfie-kiss, tell you where pizza is tastier and shopping is better. As a result, by going on at least one excursion in a modern format, you will save time and see much more than if you walked on your own.