How to get to Italy?

How to get to Italy

Driving to Italy

There's a good reason why road trips to Italy are so popular when people want to go to Italy. Driving on holiday gives you the freedom to decide if you want to make a detour to other cities along the way, when it's time to stretch your legs, and you don't have to worry about coordinating with a car rental company. Many choose to stay overnight in Germany, but you can also do the trip in one go. It's approximately 1700-1800 kilometers to Italy, depending on where you start and where you want to end up. It takes about 16-20 hours to drive down in one stretch – depending on how experienced a driver you are.

How to get to Italy? Here are my recommendations

I don't recommend booking accommodation in advance, as it can be very difficult to estimate how long the route will take. There might be roadworks, heavy traffic, or other things that cause queues – or the road might be completely clear, allowing you to arrive faster. It's a matter of temperament, of course, but it's quite easy to find a hotel/motel along the motorway down through Germany. It's a shame to be forced to stop at 4 PM if you feel you could continue driving until 7 PM. Generally, we recommend doing the longest stretch on the first day if you want to stay overnight on the way.

If you have children in the car, prepare the trip well – read my article on road trips with children here.
When driving to Italy, it's important that your papers are in order. Should you be stopped by the Italian polizia and be unable to prove that you have permission to drive, you risk getting into trouble. Therefore, always remember to carry your driver's license, passport, and the car's registration certificate with you in the car.

As we know, all roads lead to Rome, but some are better than others. We recommend that you try to plan your route from home so that it best suits the holiday you desire. It's impossible to say whether road problems will arise or the weather won't cooperate along the way. Therefore, we recommend using helpful tools like Google Maps and GPS to put together your route in the most appropriate way. We also recommend keeping yourself informed through apps about current traffic reports. For example, you can use ViaMechelin GPS, Route Planner, which has many good features, including giving you reports on the current traffic on the roads around you.

Overnight stay in Southern Germany: Rothburg

How to get to Italy by car train?

Perhaps you think that a train journey to Italy is only for young backpackers. But with a car train, you take your car with you, and it's actually a really fun and relaxing way to travel. Afterwards, you'll definitely ask yourself why you haven't tried it before.

Yes, it takes longer than flying. But once you're in the train carriage, it's a very relaxing way to get around, and watching a changing landscape whiz by is a true pleasure. Traveling by car train is therefore ideal if you want to make the journey down to Italy an experience in itself. And don't worry, there are couchette cars or sleeping compartments on the trains, so you don't have to fear awkward sleeping positions and stiff necks. It's a very child-friendly way to travel, and you arrive well-rested, making it a great start to your holiday. There are car trains from Hamburg to Innsbruck. Board the ÖBB Nightjet in the evening completely stress-free and enjoy a good night's sleep. When you wake up the next morning, you'll be in Innsbruck.

There are car trains from Hamburg to Verona if you want to drive as little as possible.
You can also choose the Hamburg-Lörrach route. Lörrach is close to the border between Germany and Switzerland, and it's a popular starting point for the onward car journey towards Italy. You can enjoy the driving pleasure in the Swiss mountain landscape without first having to go through the 800 km on the German motorway, where there are often roadworks.

You can read about all the practicalities here.

Car train to Italy – quick and easy

How does public transport work in Italy?

When getting around Italy, it's easiest to drive, but there are also good opportunities to travel by public transport in Italy, especially between the larger cities. If you want to holiday without a car, we recommend a holiday home located in the city. Public transport in the countryside doesn't work as well as one might wish. Furthermore, many buses run with reduced frequency over the summer because they don't have to carry schoolchildren. Therefore, a holiday apartment is the best choice for you who are holidaying without a car.
See our large selection of holiday apartments in Lucca.

There are good opportunities to travel by public transport, especially between the larger cities

Is it easy to take the train in Italy?

It's generally cheap to travel by train in Italy, so trains on popular routes (especially regional trains) can be crowded, but there are definitely advantages to getting around Italy by train. It's an experience to try traveling by train in another country, and a train takes you from city center to city center of the major cities. Some cities you cannot reach by train, as they are located on mountain slopes that are not train-friendly. This applies, for example, to Perugia and Siena. Here you take the train to a nearby city, from where buses run the rest of the way.

There are several types of trains in Italy – check the type before buying a ticket, as it can often pay to wait for the next one:

LOCALE – very slow

DIRETTO – these are not direct at all, but quite slow

ESPRESSO – stops at larger stations

RAPIDO – stops only at major cities

SUPER RAPIDO – very fast, connects major cities and stops only a few times

As in Denmark, there can be differences in timetables on public holidays. Therefore, remember that feriale means weekdays, and festive means public holidays.
It's important that you validate your train ticket before boarding the train, otherwise you risk getting a fine.

See train times and ticket prices at www.trenitalia.it.

Intercity trains in Italy. Traveling by train in Italy is flexible, simple, and cheap

Bus in Italy

Can you travel by bus in Italy? The short answer is yes. There are many bus routes in Italy, and in the small villages, there will almost always be a bus that can take you to a larger city. However, you should be aware that bus schedules are designed to best fit the daily lives of citizens, which can be impractical for tourists. If you are on holiday in Italy, you usually have time off when Italians are at work, and you must be prepared for longer intervals between departures. Furthermore, buses do not run as often during the summer periods when schools are closed, because the buses do not have to carry students. But look on the bright side; the waiting time is an excellent opportunity to visit a cozy cafe or take a stroll through the atmospheric streets.

Travel by bus in Italy, but be aware of changed timetables during the summer period

Ferry to Sicily

If you are holidaying in Sicily and wish to visit the mainland (or vice versa) for a day or two, or as a conclusion to your holiday in Italy, you can take a ferry from Palermo, the largest city in Sicily. There are routes to, among others, Naples (approx. ten hours) and Genoa (approx. 20 hours), and on the ferry, there is a restaurant and the possibility to sleep in a private cabin. Read more about prices, sailing schedules, and buying tickets for the ferry to Sicily here.
Remember to be aware that there are more train and ferry departures during the high season, so it is extra important to check departures if you are traveling outside the season – where there are, however, more bus departures.
On Sundays, public transport is always scaled down, as Italians view the day as "sacred" and dedicated to quality time with the family.

Ferry from Naples to Sicily

How to get to Italy by plane?
Read here where to fly to in Italy?

The fastest way to get to Italy is, of course, to fly. If the journey itself for you is a matter of getting from A to B, a flight will probably suit you best.
Traveling to Italy by plane is easy and convenient: all that's required is that you show up at the airport on time, and there are routes to the major airports in Italy from both Jutland and Zealand. Many different airlines offer trips to Italy and compete on price, and if you don't mind a layover on the trip, the flight to Italy can be done very cheaply.

Depending on where you're going in Italy, you'll need to land in one of the following cities:

To get to Northern Italy, you fly to Milan, Bergamo or Turin.
If your trip is to Central Italy, i.e., Tuscany or Umbria, it's easiest to fly to either Pisa, Florence or Bologna.
And if you're going to Sicily, you'll land in either Catania or Palermo.

We have created an overview that makes it easy to see which flight you should choose to reach your destination:

The fastest way to get to Italy is, of course, to fly

Flights to Northern Italy

Flights to Bergamo:

Airport: Orio al Serio International Airport
Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup to Bergamo:

• Ryanair
• Lufthansa
• Norwegian
• LOT
• KLM
• Danish Air Transport
• SAS
• Pegasus Airlines
• Laudamotion
• Wideroe
• Ukraine International Air

Can you fly directly from Denmark to Bergamo? Yes, from both Kastrup and Billund
Flight time: approx. 2h

Flights to Milan:

Airports: Malpensa Airport and Linate Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup to Milan:

• Ryanair
• Air France
• airBaltic
• KLM
• SAS
• Turkish Airlines
• Brussels Airlines
• British Airways
• Vueling
• Laudamotion
• Air Europa
• easyJet
• Norwegian
• Czech Airlines
• British Airlines

Can you fly directly from Denmark to Milan? Yes

Flights to Turin:

Airport: Torino Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup to Turin:

• Laudamotion
• KLM
• SAS
• Ryanair
• Norwegian
• Iberia
• Eurowings
• airBaltic
• easyJet
• Air France
• Lufthansa
• Brussels Airlines
• LOT

Can you fly directly from Denmark? No

You might also consider flying to/from Rome if you're going to southern Tuscany or Umbria and want to experience Italy's capital.
If tickets to Milan are very cheap (you might be lucky to find some for under 100 DKK), you could consider landing there, renting a car, and driving the approximately three hours to Tuscany.

Flights to Central Italy

Flights to Pisa:

Airport: Galileo Galilei International Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup to Pisa:

• Ryanair
• Wizz Air
• Norwegian
• SAS
• Brussels Airlines
• airBaltic
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• British Airways
• LOT
• Finnair
• Air France
• Icelandair
• Laudamotion
• Czech Airlines
• Iberia
• Eurowings
• Air Europa
• easyJet
• Alitalia
• Austrian Airlines
• SWISS Air

Can you fly directly from Denmark to Pisa? Yes
Flight time: approx. 2h 20m

Flights to Florence:

Airport: Amerigo Vespucci International Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup:

• Vueling

• Iberia

• SWISS

• SAS

• Lufthansa

• Austrian Airlines

• Brussels Airlines

• Norwegian

• Air France

• KLM

• Ryanair

• Czech Airlines

• Luxair

• Eurowings

• easyJet

• Alitalia

• airBaltic

• British Airways

• LOT

• Finnair

Can you fly directly from Denmark? Yes

Flight time: approx. 2h 25m

Flights to Bologna:

Airport: Guglielmo Marconi Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup:

• Ryanair
• SAS
• Air France
• KLM
• Brussels Airlines
• Wizz Air
• airBaltic
• Lufthansa
• British Airways
• LOT
• Alitalia
• Finnair
• Icelandair
• Aeroflot
• Laudamotion
• Austrian Airlines
• Norwegian
• Czech Airlines
• SmartWings
• Luxair
• Air Europa
• Iberia
• SWISS
• Tap Air Portugal
• Vueling

Can you fly directly from Denmark? Yes
Flight time: approx. 2h 5m

Flights to Sicily

Flights to Catania:

Airport: Catania-Fontanarossa Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup:

• SAS
• Ryanair
• Turkish Airlines
• Norwegian
• Wizz Air
• airBaltic
• Air France
• Brussels Airlines
• KLM
• LOT
• Lufthansa
• British Airways

Can you fly directly from Denmark to Catania? Yes
Flight time: approx. 3h 10m

Flights to Palermo:

Airport: Falcone-Borsellino Airport

Airlines flying from Billund / Kastrup to Palermo:

• Ryanair
• SAS
• Laudamotion
• Norwegian
• easyJet
• Eurowings
• Czech Airlines
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• airBaltic
• Air Europa
• Aegean Airlines
• British Airways
• Air France
• SWISS
• Aeroflot
• Alitalia
• Austrian Airlines
• Wizz Air
• LOT
• Finnair

Can you fly directly from Denmark? Yes
Flight time: approx. 2h 55m

If you need to fly from Billund to Sicily and currently can't fly directly, don't despair; there's always the option to choose a route with just one layover.
If you think it would be nice to make a quick trip to Germany before your trip to Italy, you can possibly fly to Italy from Hamburg.

You can find flight departures and flight tickets to the various Italian airports here.