Essential Resources for Italy Travel
Planning a trip to Italy? These are the sites and tools I actually use — not because someone paid me to mention them, but because they’ve made my travels across all 20 regions easier, smoother, or cheaper. Whether you’re booking trains, hotels, or tours, you’ll find what works (and what doesn’t) right here.
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. I will only recommend products and services that I would [or currently use] myself.
🧭 Tours & Experiences
If you’re planning a trip to Italy, this is one area where I’d say: don’t wing it. The best experiences, like cooking in someone’s home, taking a small-group boat trip, or getting into places like the Colosseum, can sell out fast. Spring and summer especially. It’s worth planning ahead. Below are the platforms and services I actually use, depending on what kind of experience I’m looking for.
🍝 Cesarine – Cook in an Italian Home →
If you’re looking for something that actually connects you with the place, not just a demo in a tourist kitchen, this is it. Cesarine is a network of home cooks across Italy who invite you into their kitchens, shop with you at the market, and cook traditional meals with you step by step.
I did a market tour and cooking class with Chef Antonio in Palermo, and it felt like spending the afternoon with an old friend. We made cavatelli by hand, sliced fennel and blood orange salad, and shared stories over lunch with a view of the port. No gimmicks. Just real food and real hospitality.
🟢 Offered in dozens of cities and towns
🟢 Completely local, regional recipes
🟢 One of the most meaningful things I’ve done in Italy
🎟️ GetYourGuide →
This is my go-to for structured activities like skip-the-line tickets, guided tours, day trips, or niche stuff like e-bike rentals and Vespa rides. I’ve used it all over Italy, including for a snorkeling trip near Catania that was relaxed, local, and way better than expected.
🟢 Easy cancellation
🟢 English-friendly options clearly marked
🟢 Ideal for popular spots like the Colosseum or Vatican
🍷 TripAdvisor Experiences →
TripAdvisor isn’t just for reviews. They list a lot of small, locally-run experiences that sometimes don’t show up on other platforms. I found a wine tour in Tuscany through here that made it so easy to get out of Florence and into the countryside – transport included.
🟢 Great for comparing reviews
🟢 Good mix of food, wine, and walking tours
🟢 Some unique listings not found elsewhere
🗺️ Viator →
Owned by TripAdvisor, but with its own listings. I still check it, especially for private tours or custom transfers. Good option for last-minute bookings too.
🟢 Private and small group tours available
🟢 Custom day trips and transfers
🟢 Good backup when other sites are booked
💡 Tip: If you’re a solo traveler, these tours can be a great way to meet people. I’ve made more connections over shared pasta and wine than anywhere else. And if you’re introverted or just want to skip the planning, this is your shortcut.
🛏️ Booking Hotels and Hostels
Where you stay in Italy affects everything — how you move around, how early you can beat the crowds, even how easy it is to find good food. But it also shapes who you meet. I’ve stayed in everything from budget hostels to historic city-center apartments, and some of the most memorable people I’ve met on the road were folks I shared a kitchen, bunk room, or breakfast table with. These are the two sites I consistently use to book my stays.
🏨 Booking.com →
This is the first place I check when I need a place to stay in Italy. Whether it’s a hotel in Florence, a private room in Palermo, or an agriturismo in Tuscany, Booking usually has it — with filters that actually make sense. It also lists a lot of the same properties you’d find on Airbnb, often at lower prices and with better cancellation policies.
The more you use it, the more you save. Their Genius program gives you automatic discounts and perks once you’ve booked a few places (I regularly get 25% discounts). That adds up fast if you’re bouncing around cities.
🟢 Huge range of options, from budget to luxury
🟢 Most properties offer free cancellation
🟢 My preferred platform for Italy stays
🧳 Hostelworld →
If I’m booking a hostel, I use Hostelworld. The layout is clean, the reviews are honest, and it helps filter out the party hostels if you’re not in the mood for that. But more than that, hostels have been the backdrop for some of the best travel moments I’ve had.
Most places offer both dorms and private rooms, so it’s not just for students on a shoestring. What you’re really getting is access to the social layer of travel. I’ve shared meals and stories with 18-year-olds looking for yacht jobs, 40-something professionals between chapters, and 60-year-old retirees journaling their way across Europe. Hostels are where day trips with strangers turn into late-night conversations and where people you just met become travel companions you cross paths with again months later.
🟢 Best interface for comparing hostels
🟢 Real community — not just a place to sleep
🟢 Great for solo travelers of all ages
🚆 Train Tickets
Italy’s train system is fast, affordable, and often the easiest way to move between cities. I’ve taken trains all over the country — from high-speed rides between Rome and Florence to slow, scenic regional lines along the coast.
If you’re booking point-to-point train tickets, this is what I recommend.
🎫 Trainline →
This is the site I use most often for booking train travel in Italy. It’s in English, it shows both Trenitalia and Italo options side by side, and the layout actually makes sense. One of the most helpful features? It translates Italian station names into English — something the official Trenitalia and Italo apps don’t do. That means no guessing whether “Roma Tiburtina” or “Roma Termini” is the one you need.
You can still choose to book directly with Trenitalia or Italo, and in some cases that’s fine. But Trainline shines when you need to link multiple legs together in one itinerary across multiple train companies. It’ll connect the dots for you in a way the official sites often won’t.
🟢 High-speed and regional trains in one place
🟢 English-friendly interface and station names
🟢 Easily connects multiple train legs
🟢 Tickets stored in app with real-time alerts
🚍 Buses, Metro, and Local Transport
Once you’re off the train and in the city, getting around can be a bit of a puzzle. Each place has its own way of doing things — different apps, different rules, and different levels of tech adoption. Some cities let you tap your credit card on the metro turnstile. Others still expect you to track down a paper ticket at a tobacco shop. I’ve used all kinds of options, from local buses and trams to Flixbus and app-based taxis. Here’s what actually works — and what I use regularly.
🚍 Flixbus →
Flixbus is mainly what I use when I want to travel longer distances within Italy on the cheap. It’s not as fast or scenic as the train, but the prices are hard to beat — and it’s been surprisingly reliable. It’s also my go-to backup during train strikes, which happen more often than you’d think.
🟢 Cheap travel between cities
🟢 Often a lifesaver during train strikes
🟢 Usually includes Wi-Fi and reserved seating
🟢 MooneyGo App →
Italy is becoming more credit-card friendly when it comes to local transport. In some cities — like Milan and Rome — you can just tap your credit card at the metro gate or on the bus. But it’s not universal yet. When tap-to-pay isn’t available, MooneyGo is the first place I look.
It covers many of Italy’s major local transport systems and lets you buy digital tickets for buses, metro lines, and trams directly from your phone. It saves you from scrambling to find a ticket machine or a tabaccheria that still sells bus passes.
🟢 Covers dozens of cities and regional networks
🟢 Buy and store local transport tickets digitally
🟢 Solid backup if tap-to-pay isn’t available
🚖 IT Taxi App →
Italy technically has Uber, but here’s the catch: there are no actual Uber drivers. The app just hails a regular taxi. If you need a ride in Italy, especially in a pinch, IT Taxi is the more commonly used option.
It works like Uber but connects you directly with Italy’s official taxi networks. I’ve used it in multiple cities and it’s saved me more than once — especially when public transport was done for the night or I had an early train. You can book through the app, track your driver, and pay by card — which is a big deal in a country where cash is still very much the norm.
🟢 Works in most major Italian cities
🟢 Connects with licensed local taxis
🟢 Lets you pay by card (not always guaranteed in street taxis)
⛴️ Ferries in Italy
If you’re heading to places like Capri, Ischia, Sardinia, Sicily, or even hopping over to Croatia, there’s a good chance you’ll need a ferry. I’ve used them for everything from Amalfi Coast day trips to overnight crossings from Naples to Palermo.
🌊 Direct Ferries →
This is the site I use to check ferry routes, schedules, and prices across Italy. It pulls in results from multiple ferry companies — which is helpful, since each region tends to have its own operator. Instead of hopping from site to site, I just search here.
It’s especially useful for routes like:
- Amalfi to Capri or Positano
- Naples to Palermo
- Civitavecchia to Sardinia
- Bari to Dubrovnik
🟢 Compare routes and prices easily
🟢 Covers all major ports and islands
🟢 Book in advance for summer and weekends
📝 Don’t Miss a Thing
Planning a trip to Italy? Grab my free Italy trip checklist — it covers everything you’ll want to prep before you go, from what to book in advance to what to pack (and what to skip). I use this exact list myself to avoid surprises.