Italy: what you need to know before your trip. To Italy on your own What you need to travel to Italy

Italy is one of the most visited countries in Europe with a great history and culture reflected in its many historical sites, ancient ruins and monuments. And cities such as Rome, Venice, Verona and Milan have long been considered individual open-air attractions.

An increasing number of tourists prefer an exciting journey in the form of independent trips to Italy, fortunately we live in the modern century, where any information about a completely alien country is available, you just have to extend your hand. Developed transport hubs make it possible to easily reach even the most remote point and move comfortably in any chosen region. In addition, Italy is civilized Europe, and not Asia, which is alien to us.

To Italy “on your own” - you won’t regret it!

All you need is good awareness of the peculiarities of organizing a trip to Italy by “savages”, which will be discussed in this article.

Advantages of traveling to Italy on your own

In fact, we can talk about the advantages of a holiday in Italy according to our own scenario for an infinitely long time, since there are a great many of them, and besides, each tourist has their own. However, it is worth noting the most striking moment. This is an opportunity to see Italy from a completely different, less touristy side, which is always inherent in package trips from a tour. agencies

This feeling can be compared to looking at a precious stone and discovering a completely new facet in it. It is this view that turns out to be more truthful and closer to the true essence, in this case - real life taking place in Italy. Below we will look at the main stages on the way to a wonderful holiday in Italy.

The first and also the last stage of “Visa”

What torments all independent tourist enthusiasts who are in the mood for a wave of holidays in a particular country? Of course, there is the issue of obtaining a visa. If there is no visa, there is no future vacation. About, , has already been told a little earlier. It is worth noting the fact that they usually think about getting it in the first place. But the submission of documents to the embassy is carried out after all the points of the subsequent stages have been completed.

Stage two: “Choosing a travel method”

By train

Undoubtedly, the most popular form of transport to Italy is by plane. But there are also those tourists who are terrified of traveling by air. For them, the ideal (but more expensive) way to get to Italy is by train. There is only 1 direct train connection with Italy on this route Moscow-Verona-Milan-Genoa-Nice. With transfers there are a lot of options. The website of international Russian Railways will help you choose a railway route.

The only train "Moscow-Nice"

Train timetable "Mosca-Nice"

By plane

Those who believe that this method of travel is beyond their means are completely mistaken. Today, flight tickets can be purchased at a very low cost - from 200-250 euros, including all necessary fees, in both directions. Moreover, these will not necessarily be charter flights. Many airlines offer sales and promotions. There are also a sufficient number of budget flights from low-cost airlines.

But before you start looking for air tickets, you should know that:

You can “catch” the best price by purchasing a ticket 3 months before the expected departure date;

It is more profitable to take round-trip tickets;

The cheapest tickets are for evening/night flights;

Connecting flights are always cheaper than direct flights.

Connecting flights

Let's take a closer look at direct and connecting flights. What to give preference to? If the main goal pursued is to save money, and there is no time limit, it is better to go with the second option. So, by looking at some of the routes offered on the Internet, you can spend only 150 euros.

The main thing you should pay attention to is the time difference between landings, which should not be too large (so as not to be tiresome) and not too small (so that in case of force majeure with the first flight you will not miss the plane directly to Italy). Among other things, connecting flights are chosen in cases where there are no direct flights from Russia to some Italian cities in which you plan to spend your vacation. For example, with Florence and Naples.

A huge advantage of purchasing connecting flights (not to be confused with individual flights) is that upon landing at a “transfer” point, there is no need to re-check in and claim baggage. All information is already in the new airline's database. By the way, if the time allotted at the connecting airport is 5 or more hours, why not use it to your advantage by making a short “thrown march” through the main attractions of this city. And it’s not boring, and the boundaries of travel expand significantly.

So, how to create this coveted route? They will help you with this specialized Internet services, which are very easy to use. You just need to fill out the “from” and “to” fields and check a few boxes to narrow your search criteria. One of the most detailed and reliable such resources is Routes.ru. The service provides information about the cheapest, fastest and most optimal routes in terms of price-quality ratio. Here you can not only choose the most suitable route, but also purchase tickets immediately.

An example of a connecting route to Italy from Moscow:

There: via Frankfurt am Main

Moscow (Domodedovo) - Frankfurt am Main (Lufthansa) - 1 hour 30 minutes;

Free time at the airport - 50 minutes.

Frankfurt am Main - Rome (Fiumicino) (Lufthansa) - 1 hour 45 min.

Cash costs: 6,604 rub.

Return: via Munich

Rome (Fiumicino) - Munich (Lufthansa) - 1 hour 40 minutes.

Free time at the airport - 11 hours 35 minutes.

Munich - Moscow (Domodedovo) (Lufthansa) - 5 hours 5 minutes.

Cash costs: 6,604 rub.

Airlines operating connecting flights to Italy:

You can look for inexpensive offers from low-cost airlines Ryanair and EasyJet, which offer cheap flights to many European countries. Also, highly specialized sites that monitor the market offers of many airlines and travel agencies will help you find the cheapest air tickets. Be sure to check out Trip.ru, Momondo, Skyscanner and Aviasales

Charters

Charters in Italy are popular during the summer season. They are usually carried out 1-2 times a week from April to mid-October. Charters fly to Italian cities that are inaccessible during the rest of the year (for example, Naples).

Direct flights:

Direct flights to Italy are, of course, the most comfortable in all aspects, except for the money issue. You'll have to pay a little more for convenience and speed. But direct flights are also available if you search for them in advance.

Italian airline "ALitalia"

For example, regular flights fly to Bologna, which is still little known among Russian tourists. Meridiana fly» from Domodedovo, to Sicily (Palermo and Catania), Rimini, Pisa and Verona can be reached using the services "WindJet"

Inexpensive low-cost airline "Meridiana fly"

How to buy tickets?

Since the search for profitable air tickets was carried out via the Internet, you should buy a ticket for the selected flight through it. Once you have found what you think is the most suitable flight, you need to start booking it.

In the window that opens on the airline’s website, to which the search resource automatically redirects you, fill in all the empty lines indicating your personal data, e-mail address and credit/salary card information. The advantage of this form of payment is that the purchase of electronic tickets, as well as their payment, can be carried out for you by third parties. The main thing is to provide the correct details of the person for whom they are being registered.

Next, a confirmation of your air ticket reservation will be sent to the specified e-mail. Now this name will be listed in the database of tourists of a particular airline for a certain flight. All you need to do is come to the airport and present your passport. But since we are talking about Italy, in order to obtain a visa to this country, the embassy requires the provision of air ticket reservations. This electronic confirmation can act as it.

A simple and convenient service for booking hostels all over the world

The principle of booking rooms is identical to the rules for booking air tickets. According to the requirements of the Italian visa center, a room booked online must be paid for (at least for the first day).

Getting around Italy

Traveling in Italy with your own car is great. We will not consider this topic here, since it has been written about in detail. It is worth saying that in Italy there are no problems with any type of transport. You can travel by taxi, train, or ferry (between two resorts and to the islands).

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 attractions. Do you want to travel to Italy without using the services of travel agencies? Such a desire is quite feasible. From this 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 the trip yourself.
2. You can plan your day your way.
3. You have unlimited time for sightseeing.
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-tourist” life of Italian cities.
7. You can interact a lot with the local population of all the cities you visit.
8. You rarely encounter crowds of tourists.
9. You plan the entire travel budget yourself.
10. You will feel like a real adventurer.

This is just a small part of the benefits of independent travel. Each tourist has his own list of advantages that guide him when choosing a particular 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.

To obtain a tourist visa you will need the following documents:

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

When applying for a visa, you need to take into account some nuances. For example, if you do not earn enough money (the embassy may tell you 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 your passport, you will need a document confirming your relationship status and a certificate from your “sponsor’s” place of work.

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 without a formal income who are sponsored by their husband are required to provide a marriage certificate.

To travel with minor children, you will need the child's birth certificate, parental permission and a photocopy of the passport of the person authorizing his or her 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 types 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 flying to the country can be several times cheaper. Don't forget to browse information about low-cost airlines, connecting flights and charters. You can book tickets both online and at the airports themselves (if that’s more convenient for you).
2. Railway. For those tourists who are afraid of flying, there is the opportunity to travel to Italy by train. This option cannot be called budget, but for some travelers the train is the only way to get to their vacation destination. Russian Railways offers only 1 option for direct train travel to Italy: from Moscow to Nice. You can also look at information about traveling by train 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 going to Italy by bus. This travel option is considered one of the most budget-friendly. 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 your trip to Italy truly independent by using your own car. For a successful trip, you need to have a working car, knowledge of the traffic rules of the countries you will visit on the way to Italy, and all the necessary documents (both for passengers and for the car). You can come to the country along various routes, the most interesting and exciting trips will be:

• Through Belarus, Poland, the 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 that interests you and enjoy the wonderful views and hospitality of various European capitals and cities.

It’s very easy to organize an exciting trip to Italy on your own. Your desire, financial capabilities and the right attitude will help you make an interesting and educational trip that will be remembered forever.

Choosing housing

In Italy there are numerous hotels, country houses and guest houses, rental apartments, etc. On various sites for booking hotels and renting rental housing, you can choose an 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 coming to see the country, and not to sit in a rented apartment. The money you save on housing could be better spent on shopping, delicious local food, or entertainment.

How to travel around Italy?

If you are traveling to Italy in your own car, then there are no issues with moving around the country. If you do not have personal transport, we suggest you use:

• By train or train. Road connections between Italian cities are excellent, so you won’t have any problems visiting the cities on your list.
• By bus. With this transport you can travel both around the city and nearby settlements.
• Taxi. An absolutely universal transport that will take you to any destination.
• By ferry. Will take you to any island or other country bordering Italy.
• By plane. When planning to explore all of Italy in a short time, it is better to take advantage of local flights.
• Rented car. Suitable for traveling around the city and throughout the country.
• By bicycle. On a two-wheeled “comrade” it is convenient to explore the sights and interesting places of any Italian city.

When choosing transport, be guided by the prices and convenience of the chosen method of moving around Italy. For example, the constant transportation of things from and to 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 should I take to Italy?

The currency of Italy is the euro. Accordingly, to travel to the country you need euros. You don’t need to have only cash with you; put some of the funds on your card (either in rubles or euros). When paying with a ruble plastic card, rubles will be converted into euros, and your purchase or payment for services will proceed without any difficulties.

In Italy you can use MasterCard and Visa plastic cards.

How to save money in Italy?

1. Choose inexpensive accommodation that is 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 method of transportation, give preference to buses, trains, car rentals and the metro. Airplane flights and taxi services will cost more.
3. Buy a tourist card. With it you will save up to 70% on the cost of traveling on local transport, visiting exhibitions and attractions.
4. Some museums and exhibitions offer tourists 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 with a huge number of various attractions on its territory. We recommend visiting the following:

1. Pompeii. A unique place that has preserved a lot of interesting structures from the times 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. The Duomo, La Scala, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, numerous galleries, castles and museums of the city will enchant you 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, Basilica of Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchia, etc. are a must-see for every tourist.
7. Mantua. Palazzo Ducale, Basilica of St. Andrew, Palazzo Te, rotunda of St. Lavrentiya and others will immerse you in the atmosphere of an amazing medieval city.
8. Rimini. Here you can get acquainted with such masterpieces as the Tiberius Bridge, the Arch of Augustus, the Palace of the Medieval Assembly, the Malatesta Castle, etc.
9. Pisa. In this city, be sure to see the following attractions: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Duomo, Baptistery, Ospendale Nuovo di Santo Spirito, 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 entire list of interesting Italian cities and attractions. A properly planned trip will help you explore a large number of interesting places, become a participant in exciting adventures and stock up on vivid emotions until your next vacation.
Now you know how to travel to Italy on your own. Full preparation for the trip, the presence of all the necessary documents, a 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.

Criteria for choosing a direction

We started planning our vacation long before the trip. The first plans appeared at the end of September, and already in October we bought tickets to Milan: a good promotion appeared that could not be missed.

Why Italy? Why in mid-March? It’s difficult to answer with absolute certainty now, but after the past we have formulated the following travel requirements:
— moving between cities should not take a lot of time and money;
— there should not be too many cities to have time to devote enough time to everyone;
— the cities visited should have comfortable weather for sightseeing.

After sorting through the options, our choice fell on Italy (although Spain also looked very attractive). We have listed the following advantages for ourselves:
— many interesting cities located close to each other;
- beautiful nature;
- excellent cuisine;
— promotions with inexpensive tickets often appear (including from Pobeda).

True, Italy is not a cheap country; it is hot during the season and there are a lot of tourists. Therefore, we decided to go in mid-March: at this time the temperature is usually quite comfortable, there are not many tourists yet and prices have not yet skyrocketed. At least that's how it should have been. In fact, there were not so few tourists (it’s scary to think what happens during the season), and in some cities it was relatively cold (according to locals, the weather this March is abnormal).

Detailed planning

Once the direction was decided, detailed planning began. We had a problem with how to visit all the interesting cities and at the same time build an optimal route in terms of time and costs. We found good tickets for the directions Moscow - Milan and Pisa - Moscow. Naples did not fit in very well in this case (we had to make unnecessarily long and expensive bus journeys). At the same time, I didn’t want to give up visiting the city and the point was not even in Naples itself, but in the fact that there are many interesting sights near it: Vesuvius, the excavations of Pompeii, the island of Capri, and so on. We solved this problem by purchasing cheap plane tickets (cheaper than some bus tickets) from Venice to Naples.

As a result, we compiled the following route: Moscow - Athens - Milan - Venice - Naples - Rome - Florence - Pisa - Moscow (in the future I will write a detailed article about each city).
Athens appeared on the route because the flight had a transfer in this city. Moreover, there were tickets with a long connection and with a short one. We decided that it would be interesting to see the city and took the first option. Now I think that this was not the right decision: we didn’t really have time to see anything and spent an additional 40 euros on transfer from/to the airport.

To create a detailed schedule, I used good old Excel, but I tried to format the document more accurately. It turned out something like this:

The diagram shows that the longest journey was from Milan to Venice and took less than 4 hours, while there is not a single night flight (not counting the Izhevsk - Moscow - Izhevsk trains). In addition, we tried to reduce the number of late check-ins (although we couldn’t avoid them completely and almost every one of them was not without problems).

In addition, I drew a route diagram for greater clarity:

Impression

Italy is a very beautiful country with so many interesting cities that it alone is enough to travel around. There is something to see in every city, and if you go to all the museums and exhibitions, even a few vacations will not be enough. And of course, we can’t help but say about the local cuisine - it’s wonderful!

Some things came as a real surprise to me, for example, dirty Naples, where there are no less homeless people than in . Which, by the way, not only sleep right on the streets, but have also set up almost open-air hotels for themselves near cathedrals and laundries from local fountains.
Some myths were debunked for me, for example, the canals in Venice don’t even stink at all, as many claim.

I was pleased with the trip. The format with one or two countries seemed interesting and convenient to me. For the future, I think we need to shorten the list of cities visited a little more, and dilute the route with more forays into nature. In addition, it’s time to start planning in advance the route for every day in cities, otherwise every morning there will be some kind of confusion and misunderstanding about what exactly we wanted to do today. According to my feelings, this trip turned out to be more comfortable than the previous one: there were no sleepless nights and very long journeys.

Of course, no trip is complete without all sorts of difficulties and problems:
— we were almost late for the plane twice (we were actually late for one of them, but we were lucky) and a couple of times for the buses;
— once we almost ended up spending the night on the street (and didn’t stay only due to a miraculous coincidence of circumstances);
— many times we found ourselves in funny situations.
But, in my opinion, it is precisely such moments that remain in the memory for a long time :) I will talk about all such non-trivial situations in the following articles.

Expected and actual costs and prices

Estimating the approximate budget of the trip at the very beginning, we received an amount of about 120 thousand rubles. In the end, as usually happens, it turned out much more.
In short, the total budget for the trip (for two people): ~157600 rubles. Next, I described in detail the prices for tickets/visas/rooms and how much was ultimately spent during the trip.

Directions:

We had two vouchers for FlixBus: for 57.8 euros (received from them after the story in) and for 10%, which they gave us just like that. Therefore, in the end, the costs for buses turned out to be: 92.2 - 57.8 - 2.8 (10% discount on 1 ticket) = 31.6 euros = ~2200

Total: 27811

Visas

Accommodation:

Spent before trip: 80135

Initially it was planned that the budget for the day would be 70 euros (as on the last trip). But after calculating all the expenses, it turned out that we spent about 77.8 euros per day. What, translated into rubles at the current exchange rate for the duration of the trip (about 71 rubles), it turns out ~ 77 500.

Some analytics

This time I recorded all expenses in detail, so that later I could classify them and understand what and how much money was spent on. Below are some diagrams.

In general, there is nothing particularly surprising in the diagram: almost half of all expenses were on food. About a quarter to pay for all kinds of transport: transfers from/to airports, travel and one-time tickets in cities, and so on.

Distribution of expenses made during the trip by city:

The diagram shows that the most expensive city was Venice (where we spent 3 days). Moreover, in 2 days in Rome we spent a little more than in 1 day in Milan. I think this is due to the fact that in Rome we almost didn’t go to museums and excursions (due to huge queues) and spent little on transport (there was no transfer from/to the airport, 2-day passes are not very expensive).

Summary chart for all expenses:


Expectedly, travel costs come first. Interestingly, the second largest expense item is food. Next comes accommodation.

Visas are so expensive for the reason that there is no visa center in Izhevsk. The nearest visa centers are in Kazan and Perm. Well, or you can go to the Italian consulate in Moscow. But, since we already had one, we did not need to take biometrics and had the opportunity to use a visa agency, which prepared all the documents, sent them to the visa center in Kazan, and then delivered the passports back to Izhevsk. We calculated that the cost of travel to Kazan, plus lost wages for days of forced leave, turns out to be more expensive than the services of a visa agency. Well, less nerves. Unfortunately, in the end we received a visa only for a month, although there were reasons to expect at least six months.

Another interesting observation: about 110 euros were spent on transfers to/from airports, while the plane tickets themselves were about 220 euros. Those. transfer costs reach half of flight costs. This, of course, was greatly influenced by the fact that we had many relatively inexpensive flights. But still this point should be taken into account when planning.

Experiences of other travelers

In the same month, several of my friends (also from Izhevsk) traveled to Italy and I did not fail to inquire about their routes and travel expenses. If you look at their answers and at the entire article, you can understand how many different options there are to see the same country. The names are clickable, if you suddenly have questions, you can ask them directly. Thanks guys for the interesting information!

Anastasia Arsenyeva

Route:
Milan - 1 night;
Rome - 2 nights;
Venice - 1 night;
Riva del Garda - 1 night (on the day of arrival - by car around Lake Garda to all resort towns);
Lake Braies and night in the city of Lana (South Tyrol);
and again to Milan for 1 night.

Where did you book your accommodation:
Milan, Rome, Venice - booking;
Riva del Garda - airnbnb;
Lana - we lived in a friend’s apartment (we stayed because it was more convenient to travel with Bryes, and we stayed there for free).

What did you use to travel between cities?
Mostly by train: Milan-Rome-Venice on italo treno, Venice-Rovereto (with a change in Verona) on trenitalia trains. A friend met us in Rovereto and drove us around in a car. He also took him to Milan from Lana.

Amount of days: 7 full days
Where did you get your visa?: Italian Consulate in Moscow
Budget (per person): 45000

Ivan Tarasov

Route: Izhevsk - Naberezhnye Chelny - Moscow - Rome - Naples - Venice - Verona - Florence - Pisa - Rimini - Kaunas - Vilnius - Moscow - Naberezhnye Chelny - Izhevsk

Where did you book your accommodation: Airbnb

How did you travel between cities?
Izhevsk - Naberezhnye Chelny - Izhevsk - car
Naberezhnye Chelny - Moscow - Naberezhnye Chelny - plane (Pobeda)
Moscow - Rome - plane
Rome - Naples - train (.Italo)
Naples - Venice - plane (Ryanair)
Venice - Verona - train
Verona - Florence - bus (FlixBus)
Florence - Pisa - car (Blablacar)
Pisa - Rimini - trains
Rimini - Kaunas - plane
Kaunas - Vilnius - train
Vilnius - Moscow - train (Nesterovsky train)

Amount of days: from 21 to 29 March
Where did you get visas? visa center in Kazan
Budget (for two): 66,000 (excluding costs for the road Izhevsk - Naberezhnye Chelny - Izhevsk)

Do you want to get 2100 rubles for booking accommodation? Register on Airbnb using this link!
Are you ready to spend a little more time and get 2600 rubles? Read my article about.
How to start flying for free? The ALL AIRLINES credit card, which you can order, will help you with this. When registering using the link, miles as a gift!
If you have any questions, I will be glad to answer them. I'm on social networks.

Instructions

A visa is the first concern for Russians who want to travel to Italy. Even if you are traveling on a tour package, you still need a visa. In order to get to Italy, you need a Schengen visa, and if you already have a sticker from any country from this agreement, then you will not have to get a new one. If you do not have a visa, it is recommended to obtain one at the consulate or visa center of Italy. Collect the entire package of documents, a complete list of which can be found on the website of the country's visa center. If you prepare everything well (and this is not at all difficult), then you can safely count on a visa - Italy practically does not refuse tourists from Russia.

Booking or is the next concern. If you want to stay in a hotel where staff will clean your room every day, but perhaps you won't have a kitchen, then look for options on sites like Booking.com. For those who value independence and comfort, renting an apartment is suitable. Here everything is a little more complicated, since there are a huge variety of resources offering apartments. Apartments are good because you will have an entire apartment with a kitchen at your disposal, and they are also usually much cheaper than hotels of the same class. But if you need to book accommodation for a visa, then getting confirmation that you are renting an apartment can be more difficult.

Air tickets to Italy are another concern for the independent traveler. If you are planning a vacation ahead of time, it is recommended to subscribe to Alitalia’s newsletter, as they often have various promotions and sales, including in the Russian direction. Subscribers to the newsletter can count on special coupons that will give them a significant discount of one or two thousand rubles. In general, the destination is quite “hot”, and you can usually fly to Italy, even buying tickets at the last minute during the high season. Air tickets are also useful for a visa if you are applying for one.

Be sure to check the weather forecast and general climate conditions for the month you are traveling. It happens that tourists from Russia do not take warm clothes with them, because they think that it is always summer in the south of Europe, but it also happens, on the contrary, that the luggage of vacationers is full of sweaters and jackets, which they never had the opportunity to wear during their entire vacation.

Public transport in Italy is quite well developed. You can travel around the country by trains and buses. Train stations are usually located in city centers. Trains are usually 2-3 times more expensive than buses, but bus stations are often difficult to find, so it is recommended to arrive at bus stations a little in advance. Also, in some places, sea transport is developed; it may turn out to be cheaper than land transport. If you decide to travel around the country by car, do not forget that all highways in Italy are toll roads. When traveling alone or as a couple, even trains are often cheaper.

Italian cuisine is one of the most famous in the world. Be sure to try delicious pasta and pizza; these dishes in Italy are truly much tastier than anywhere else in the world. The famous espresso in this country is also prepared better than in the rest of Europe. Homemade cheese, delicious Italian wines, fresh fruit: you can seriously fear one thing - that you will have problems with the difficult choice of dishes! Be sure to stop by the pasticheria to taste delicious tiny cakes and other Italian desserts.