The Best Time to Travel to Italy to Take in the Sights Without the Crowds (2024)

There's no wrong time to see Italian sights and cities, but if you know the best time to travel to Italy, you can vacation with fewer tourists

Italy is one of those places people dream of visiting, even if they’ve already been there. With its historic cities, iconic ruins, gorgeous hill towns, beaches, islands, lakes and mountains, it’s one of the best places to travel for virtually every type of vacationer. And lately, it seems like everyone is interested in the best time to travel to Italy—the Washington Post says it’s the most popular travel destination of 2023. So does that mean you should abandon all hope of seeing Italy without the crowds?

Not so fast (or non così in fretta, to use the Italian phrase). While you’re not likely to have the Colosseum to yourself, and you’ll never find a deserted beach in the height of the Italian summer, there are periods when areas of the country are less crowded. (I should know, I live in the town of Allerona, in Umbria.) And if you time it right, you may even save money on travel with off-season prices. Here’s a look at the best time to travel to Italy based on where you want to go and what you want to see.

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What is the most popular month to go to Italy?

Peak season in Italy seems to be getting a little longer every year. But it’s generally from May to early September, when the weather is almost guaranteed to be warm, if not hot. Families with school-age children typically choose to visit in the summer months, and Italian cities like Florence and Rome also swell with college students doing summer-abroad programs. Online travel agency Kayak says that June and July are the most in-demand months for airfare to Italy.

The result is that the summer months are the busiest and most expensive in Italy. Hotel and airfare prices are at their highest, attractions are crowded, and congested areas, like the narrow streets of Venice or the corridors of the Vatican Museums, positively brim with people.

When is the best time to visit Italy?

The best time to travel to Italy depends on how you prioritize crowds, your budget, attractions and weather conditions. The months of May and June, as well as September and October, generally boast beautiful weather—not too hot and not too cold—but they’re also among the most popular times to visit.

If your focus is on sightseeing, including in the Italian countryside (wineries in Tuscany, anyone?), January is perhaps the least crowded month to visit. In Rome and cities to the south, you may have crisp, sunny days and, thanks to the lack of crowds, more time to linger at attractions or discover some hidden gems. The farther north you go, the chillier it gets, and northern cities like Venice and Milan may be downright cold and foggy. But if you’re willing to bundle up and bring an umbrella, you’ll find lower prices and far fewer crowds.

November is considered a shoulder season in Italy, making it the best time of year to visit Italy on a budget. You’ll find travel bargains and fewer tourists. But it’s also a rainy period in most of Italy, so be sure to pack appropriately. Another good time to visit: early December, as long as you travel before the Christmas rush. February, too, is a good month to visit, especially if you want to partake in Carnival festivals in Venice, but it’s also a crowded time in the city.

On Italy’s mountain ski slopes, Christmas to mid-March is high season. If you get lucky (or can enjoy a mountain vacation without guaranteed snow), November, early December and late March into April are good months to score hotel deals at Italy’s mountain resorts.

When is the best time to visit the Italian coast?

The Best Time to Travel to Italy to Take in the Sights Without the Crowds (1)Giacomo Augugliaro/Getty Images

If you’re coming to Italy for beaches, boating and a dose of la dolce vita by the sea, you’ll find very high prices and dense crowds in July and August. The summer holiday season in Italy peaks in the two weeks surrounding Aug. 15—ferragosto in Italian—when seemingly everyone in Italy heads to the seaside. (The result is that cities empty out—a boon for travelers with their eyes on a stay in the city. You may find hotel bargains in places like Rome and Florence, but lots of shops and restaurants are closed for their annual vacations.)

Our solution? Visit the Italian coast in the first two weeks of September. Most Italians and Europeans have wrapped up their family vacations by then, prices at seaside hotels drop dramatically around Sept. 1, and the sea is still warm enough for swimming.

When is the best time to visit Sicily?

Sicily is hands-down one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, and thanks to the smashing success of The White Lotus, it’s more popular than ever. Just as they do in the rest of Italy’s coastal areas, crowds peak here in the summertime. But with Sicily’s southerly location, you can stretch your beach days even longer into autumn, making September and early October the best time to travel to Italy for a Sicilian vacation with fewer crowds and lower prices yet plenty of sunshine and beach time.

When is the cheapest time to go to Italy?

We asked mobile travel app Hopper, which offers forecasts for future flight prices, for its predictions for a round-trip ticket from New York to Rome. Not surprising, the most expensive flights are for the most popular times in Italy—May through August and into the first weeks of September.

The app shows cheaper airfare prices from November through April, except for the periods around Christmas and Easter. Overall, higher demand and soaring jet fuel prices mean plane tickets, even in low season, cost more now than they have in the past decade.

We’ve also found that hotel rates—again using Rome for our sampling—are higher than in years past, as the post-COVID-19 demand for travel to Italy continues to surge. Still, last-minute hotel deals exist, and it pays to shop around if you’re traveling on a budget.

How many days are enough to visit Italy?

As with travel to locations like Hawaii and Alaska, the number of days you should spend in Italy depends on which parts and how much of Italy you want to see. Do you want to stick to a few big cities, or do you prefer touring both cities and smaller towns? Are you heading to the countryside or an island or two?

Most trips begin and end in Rome, where three days is the absolute minimum you need to experience the city. Hot spots like Florence and Venice require at least two full days. You also need to budget for travel time between destinations, either by train or rental car.

Bottom line? In 10 days, you can get a good taste of a few cities and one or two smaller locations. In two weeks, you have more time to combine city sightseeing and visits to the countryside, or a trip to the city and sunbathing at the seaside.

No matter when you visit or how long you stay, don’t try to see it all in one trip. You’ll just run yourself ragged. Allow yourself time to get lost in a museum or a charming maze of streets, linger over lunch or sip a glass of wine in a piazza. Much of what we know as Italy has been around for thousands of years, and it’ll still be here the next time you visit.

Sources:

  • Washington Post: “The Top Travel Destinations for 2023, According to Experts”
  • Kayak: “Find Cheap Flights to Italy”
  • Hopper: “Consumer Travel Index – Q1 2023”
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The Best Time to Travel to Italy to Take in the Sights Without the Crowds (2024)

FAQs

The Best Time to Travel to Italy to Take in the Sights Without the Crowds? ›

Overall, spring can be a great time to visit Italy if you want to avoid the crowds, compared to the peak tourist season which runs from July to October. Even at the most popular tourist destinations, you'll generally enjoy a more peaceful and less crowded experience. Planning to visit Italy in Spring?

When should you avoid crowds in Italy? ›

The best time to visit Italy is during the spring (April-May) or early fall (September-October) when the weather is pleasant, the prices are low and the crowds are thin.

What month has the least tourists in Italy? ›

Italy's low tourist season starts in mid-November and continues close to February; it's basically the winter season, except in the mountains for winter sports, which is the peak season. Winter is very mild in Italy, except on the north side. People in the north experience cold winters with snow and rain on occasion.

What's the best time to go to Italy? ›

Best Times to Visit Italy for Good Weather

For sunny skies and balmy beaches without sky-high heat indices, the best times to visit Italy are the late spring and early fall.

What month is Rome least crowded? ›

If you want to avoid the crowds, the winter months of January and February are the best time to visit Rome. Travel during the winter months to get the best rates, or stay during the middle of the week to get the best deals. Anytime between May and September is the best time to go swimming at the beach in Rome.

What is the cheapest month to go to Italy? ›

The best time to visit Italy for those traveling on a budget is the tourist off-season from November 1st to December 14th, and from December 24th to March 31st.

How not to stand out as a tourist in Italy? ›

Avoid bright colors and opt for more neutral or muted tones. Italians generally dress up a bit more than casual tourists, so bring some stylish outfits. Comfortable shoes are a must for exploring, but leave the flip-flops for the beach.

What is the prettiest month in Italy? ›

April to May, and September to late October are your best bets. Early May is our favorite time to visit, as the winter cold is replaced with pleasant warmth, sunny skies, and fewer tourists than peak season.

What is the best city to visit in Italy for the first time? ›

1. Rome: Italy's best place to visit for history-loving first timers. Thousands of years after Rome's mythical founding by the brothers Romulus and Remus, it's nearly impossible to navigate the city's venerable streets without reminders of the city's deep history.

What month is the rainy season in Italy? ›

When Is Rainy Season? Italy's rainiest season is from late October to January, with spring showers possible again in April. Precipitation falls as snow on higher ground in winter, in the Alps, along the highest peaks of the Apeninne chain that forms the spine of Italy, and on Etna in Sicily.

How far in advance should you plan an Italy trip? ›

Book accommodation as soon as possible, and at least 6-12 months in advance especially for peak times in July and August. We prefer to pay the higher rate for flexible bookings on both Booking.com and Plum Guide. Day tour and attractions also sell out months in advance at peak times.

How many days do you need in Italy? ›

To enjoy the best of Italy, especially if it is your first trip there, seven to ten days are enough to see phenomenal places and the most famous sights, squeeze in a day trip, engage in outdoor adventures, and do once-in-a-lifetime activities.

What month does everything close in Italy? ›

Anyone who has been to, dreamed of going to, or is planning a trip to Italy has most likely read or heard that they should not go in August because the entire country literally shuts down for the month. No one wants to visit a country if all of the sites they want to see are closed.

When not to visit Rome? ›

There's no bad time to visit Rome, per se, but the city is notoriously crowded in the summer and, if you visit during those sultry months of June to September, your experience will inevitably be colored by it.

What is the best time to go to the Amalfi Coast? ›

The two shoulder seasons on the Amalfi Coast are September to October and April to May. They also happen to be two of the best times to visit, since the days tend to be sunny and warm. With fewer crowds and minimal rain, both are ideal times to enjoy the scenery.

What is the best time of year to visit Florence, Italy? ›

The best time to visit Florence is from April to June and September to October. April to June sees spring, with mellow weather and the landscapes awash with peculiar flowers all along the Tuscan countryside.

What time do people go out to eat in Italy? ›

Mealtimes can vary slightly, but Italians typically eat lunch between 1 and 2:30 p.m. and dinner between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Many restaurants will open for lunch around 12:30 or 1 p.m. and close the kitchen from 2:30 or 3 p.m. until 7 or 7:30 p.m. Restaurants that serve dinner before 7 p.m. are catering to tourists.

How far in advance should I book a trip to Italy? ›

Book your trip a minimum of six months in advance.

Six months ahead of time is the minimum length of time you should give yourself to secure your spot on a group trip. For example, a May 2024 trip should be secured at the latest by the end of December 2023. (This would make a great gift for the holidays!)

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