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Italy travel advice and trip tips

Travel tips for Italy:

  • The aperitif: in almost the whole of Italy an "aperitif" is taken around 7 o´clock in the evening. This consists of asking for a glass of wine and by paying a little over normal price you have access to a free buffet of Italian tapas. In our Smart Route we will tell you where the best places to have an aperitif are in each city.
  • Lose yourselves on the streets of Venice: one of the big drawbacks of this city is the huge number of tourists that go there. There are so many of them that often people return home feeling disappointed and fed up with the crowds. Our advice is to keep away from the touristic areas and wander down the lesser known streets. If you do this, you´ll come back thinking that it is the most beautiful city in the world.
  • The tomatoes: that Italian cuisine is wonderful is no secret but perhaps not everyone knows that the tomatoes are absolutely spectacular. Specially if travelling during spring or summer, order caprese salad every time you can: it is an authentic treat!
  • Our suggested itinerary around Italy is the 15 days route.

Tipping in Italy:

Service is usually included in what is called "coperto" in restaurants. However, you can leave an extra 1-3€ on the table if the service has been good. In bars a tip is not expected except when you are served at your table. It is not usual to tip taxi drivers either. 

Language in Italy:

The official language is Italian but in general, you can get by in English in most places and also in other Latin languages like Spanish. 

Here you have the most common words to use:

  • Yes = Sì
  • No = No
  • Hello = Ciao
  • Good morning = Buon giorno
  • Good afternoon = Buona sera
  • Good night = Buona notte (to sleep)
  • Thank you = Grazie
  • You're welcome = Prego
  • Please = Per favore
  • Beer = Birra
  • Price = Prezzo
  • The bill = Il conto


If you are a curious person and you like to learn a little bit about every language whereever you go; we recomend that you to take a diccionary with you. Buy an Italian dictionary: Italian-English / English-Italian for £4.89 (by Oxford Dictionaries).