Globe / Cities

🇮🇹 Italy

Layers of history in every piazza, Renaissance masterpieces, coastlines and hill towns, and a regional food culture worth travelling for.

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Continent: Europe
Capital: Rome
Best time to go: April to June and September to October
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Languages: Italian

Quick guide: Italy essentials

🛂 Visa & entry

Part of the Schengen Area. Many passport holders (including Canada, the US, the UK and Australia) can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across all Schengen countries. The EU Entry/Exit System (biometric registration at the border) is rolling out, and the ETIAS online travel authorisation is due to become mandatory; check whether it applies before you book.

💉 Vaccines & health risks

Routine vaccines. Hepatitis A and B may be considered for some travellers.

🚗 Driving

Drive on the right. Non-EU licence holders need an International Driving Permit with their licence. Historic centres have ZTL limited-traffic zones enforced by camera; driving in without a permit brings fines by mail. Blood alcohol limit 0.05% (zero for drivers licensed under 3 years).

🏥 Healthcare & emergencies

Good public healthcare; EU visitors can use their EHIC, everyone else needs travel insurance. Emergencies: 112.

⚖️ Drug laws

Possessing small amounts for personal use is an administrative offence (fines, licence or passport suspension) rather than a crime; selling is a crime. Sales of low-THC 'cannabis light' flowers were restricted in 2025.

🎉 Nightlife & party scene

Evenings start with aperitivo (around 6 to 9 pm) and dinner runs late; clubs fill after midnight. Milan has the biggest club scene; Rome's Trastevere and Pigneto, Florence's Santo Spirito and the summer beach clubs of Rimini and Sardinia are popular. Drinking age 18.

Last reviewed 2026-10-17. Entry, health and legal rules change and can depend on your passport; always confirm with official sources before you travel.

City guides

Rome

Three thousand years of history stacked on top of each other, best explored on foot with a gelato in hand.

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Florence

The cradle of the Renaissance, compact enough to walk and surrounded by Tuscan hills.

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All cities in Italy (9,904)

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