Tips for Traveling Solo in Italy

Traveling solo has its perks. If you know, you know! I love waking up and not having to consider anyone else’s preferences in my plans for the day. If I want to stay in bed until mid-morning and do nothing, great. If I want to get up early and wander around Venice, stopping at every pasticceria between my Airbnb and Piazza San Marco, I don’t have to worry about whether someone else is having fun (or judging me. How many pastries does one woman need?!?).

I do think the pros of solo travel outweigh the cons, but we do have to be thoughtful about things that we don’t have to consider when traveling with others. There is no extra set of hands to help carry stuff. There’s no built-in dinner buddy. You will have only a few photos of yourself since you need to ask strangers to snap a pic (and they won’t understand your good angles, so good luck!).

No, no, I don’t need an extra set of hands!

Don’t Try to Do It All.

Rushing is the antithesis of life in Italy. I have learned the hard way that trying to see or do too many things in one day defeats the purpose of traveling to a place where life moves piano, piano. I think it’s important to be realistic and prioritize. I advise against jumping from city to city if you only have a week or two. You could spend two weeks in Rome alone and still feel like you have a whole list of things to do.

If you only have a week or so, plant yourself and take day trips. Especially with the fast trains, you could stay in or near a major city and then take day trips from there. Or, choose two cities/regions and split your time evenly among them.
Plan one maybe two activities for the day. I like to have a plan for the morning and a plan for the afternoon or sometimes leave one half of the day completely free for walking around. Assume that everything will take longer than you think—transportation, walking, meals. Don’t overbook yourself!
Leave time for lingering. Walk around. Sit in a park or in a piazza and take life in.

Pack Wisely.

This is the tale of two packing situations. On my first trip to Italy, for six weeks, I had a 26” checked roller bag and a backpack for my laptop and toiletries. When my friend came to visit me from the States for a long weekend, I sent her back with half of my clothes and a pair of shoes. I was a few weeks into my trip and having a heavy suitcase was a stressor. I had been up and down stairs in the train stations and pulled that bag up hills to walk to my accommodations too many times. Not having the clothes I sent back meant that I had plenty of room to take home Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and other goodies, so traveling with a lightweight suitcase was short-lived. 🤦‍♀️

On trip #2, five weeks this time, I did things differently. I was determined to get my clothes and shoes in a carry-on and to use a backpack for my laptop and toiletries. I packed a foldable tote bag since I knew I would bring some goodies back and didn’t want to buy another suitcase once I was in Italy. I have no regrets! A few days into my trip, I had to walk 35 minutes from my Airbnb to the Torino train station in pouring rain because I could not get a taxi. I was wiped out by the time I got on the train, so I can only imagine how that would have been if I had more stuff.

**Tip: Use luggage storage facilities for short trips. Pack as light as you can for your getaway and, when possible, use luggage storage options at major train stations if you are going to escape to an island or smaller town for a couple of days. It’s worth $5-$10 per day to store your luggage and only take a carry-on or tote bag with you. I did this the first time I went to Venice. I was leaving Bologna and stored my 26” suitcase near the train station and took my tote with only the clothes and toiletries I would need for three days. That was one of my smartest moves of the six-week trip.

Learn a Bit of Italian.

I can’t tell you how far a little bit goes. Even though Italians are friendly, don’t assume that English is widely understood. In larger cities that’s the case, but not always. Sometimes I had cab drivers and waiters who only spoke Italian. Regardless, I don’t think it’s fair to expect Italians to speak to me in English. I am visiting their country after all.

Learn some basics, like:

Good morning/hello: Buongiorno/ salve
Good evening: Buonasera
Goodbye: Arrivederci
Please: Per favore
Thank you: Grazie
Excuse me: Scusa
Where is…: Dov'e'…?
I don’t speak Italian well. Do you speak English? Non parlo bene l’italiano. Parla inglese?
I would like to make a reservation.: Vorrei fare una prenotazione.

I started learning Italian with Duolingo and then switched to Pimsleur. Nothing is as helpful as being there and trying to speak it though! I truly believe that I have gotten a table at restaurants as a solo traveler and even had a more pleasant rental car experience because I could carry on a basic conversation in Italian.

🎵All by myseeeelf, don’t wanna eat all by myseeeeelf anymore🎵

Make Reservations.

If you know you want to have dinner at a set timeframe in a specific neighborhood and especially if you want a specific restaurant, don’t assume you can walk up and get a table or put your name down to wait in the moment. Make a reservation! I can’t stress this enough. I should have learned this after my first solo trip to Italy, but I’m stubborn.

I find dinnertime the most lonely and something frustrating part of the day. Nothing good happens when I’m hangry, so after a long day on my feet, wandering around trying to find a place with availability for one person, getting rejected, and then being faced with the prospect of fast-casual or not eating until very late, I sometimes reach my breaking point.

On my second trip to Italy, I reached out to Sophie Minchilli for a personalized Rome “food itinerary.” I did not have the time to research dining options ahead of my time there, so having a list of 10+ places to try was a godsend. When I raised my concerns about making a reservation for one person, she advised me to be willing to eat early—around 12:30 PM for lunch and 7:30 PM for dinner—and that worked out well. I bring my journal to dinner with me so that I have something to do instead of looking at my phone if I start to feel a bit anxious.

Another great way to dine as a solo traveler is to book a food tour, cooking class, or other group dining experience, like these. You’ll learn something new and meet some fun people while you’re at it!

Bring an International Driver’s Permit.

Even if you don’t plan to drive while you’re in Italy, you never know if you will change your mind or if you will find yourself in a position to have to. It’s a simple process through AAA. You can go to a local AAA office or mail in your application along with two passport photos and copies of your driver’s license. For a $20 fee, you’ll receive a permit that allows you to rent a car in Italy, and it’s valid for one year from the start date of your trip. Make sure you have your regular driver’s license with you as well to rent a car. I’ve seen renters get to the desk only to find out then that they needed both. The International Driver’s Permit is not enough.

Don’t Do Everything Solo.

Being alone doesn’t mean that you have to be lonely. But you have to be intentional if you crave human interaction beyond a basic conversation in limited Italian.

Booking a tour is a great way to meet other travelers. I have met lovely people during cooking classes, bike tours, and walking tours. And, bonus, you get to interact with a local who will have great tips for you as well!

On my last trip to Italy, I signed up for NomadHer to meet other women travelers who had overlapping time in Rome. I connected with a fellow traveler and we ended up hanging out twice—we had dinner together and a few days later went on a kayaking trip outside of Rome.

Book a guided tour or hire a private guide for the places you really want to experience fully. I can’t imagine a better tour of the Colosseum than the one I took on my first trip to Italy. I don’t have a point of comparison, but that tour made me realize the value of an incredible guide—the way David made history come alive and kept my attention for hours on end is hard to describe.

On my second visit to Rome, I knew I wanted a better understanding of the Roman Forum to make sense of the beautiful ruins which, quite frankly, are hard to appreciate without context. I also wanted to visit San Clemente’s church with a guide, so I reached out to Andrada, who was the guide on a nighttime walking tour I took on my first-ever night in Rome. In three hours, we were able to visit Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum (from outside/above), and San Clemente. It was money and time well spent!

No matter how well you plan, things will go wrong. There will be ups and downs on any trip. But with realistic expectations and a healthy dose of flexibility, I think you can have a rewarding experience traveling through Italy solo.