So you’ve booked your trip to Italy (flights, itinerary, hotels and all the rest). Fantastic choice. The pasta, the wine and all the beautiful cities are waiting for you. But before you go, take a few minutes to prep your phone: a handful of apps can make your entire trip easier, smoother, and a lot less stressful.
And no, we're not talking about Google Maps or WhatsApp. You already know, and probably have, those. What you need are apps that help with the everyday details: trains, parking, restaurant bookings, public restrooms, and how to actually get around once you're off the plane!
If you're going to Italy and not taking the train, you're doing it wrong. Italy’s rail system is fast, fairly affordable, and connects almost every major (and minor) city you’ll want to visit. But Italian train websites? Unfortunately, they’re not exactly user-friendly.
Trainline fixes exactly that. It helps you search routes across Trenitalia, Italo, and regional services, compare prices, and book everything in English. And it accepts foreign cards and sends tickets straight to your phone!
One more bonus? You get platform info and real-time updates, a big help when you’re standing in a busy station trying to figure out which binario to go to.
This one’s underrated: not even all Italian people know about it. But once you have it, you’ll use it all the time. And you’ll save the tons of money you’d use to buy water bottles every two steps (especially when the summer heat hits)!
The app is super simple and does only one thing, but it does it really well: show you exactly where to find the closest fontanella, the public drinking fountains you see on most sidewalks and squares. And once you get there you can finally pump out fresh, cold, drinkable water for free.
So if you don’t want to spend €2 on a new bottle every time you’re thirsty, try and download it. You’ll save money, skip the plastic, and feel way more local!
If you choose not to move around Italy by train, renting a car instead, you’ll have to deal with parking. And just like every country of the world, it’s never fun.
EasyPark, however, will help you with the chaos. How? By helping you find and pay for parking spots straight from your phone (no more coins or parking meters). And you can even extend your parking time remotely if your lunch goes long or if you get lost in the streets trying to get back to your car!
It’s accepted in most cities, especially in the north. Just double-check if it works in your destination before you rely on it. Some smaller towns still live in the analog age.
This one might not be glamorous, but you’ll thank yourself later.
Flush Toilet Finder is exactly what it sounds like. It tells you where the nearest public bathroom is, and whether it’s free, paid, open, wheelchair accessible, or… just a locked door. The app works offline too, which is a lifesaver when you’ve got no data and an urgent situation.
Yes, it’s basic. But when you need it, nothing else matters. Especially in a country where public toilets aren’t easy to find and cafés require you to buy something before they let you use theirs.
Taxis in Italy aren’t quite like the ones back home. You usually can’t hail one on the street, and, depending on where you are, calling one might require speaking Italian or finding a taxi stand.
The Freenow app, on the other hand, is a much easier way to get a cab. Think of it like Uber, but for actual licensed taxis. You book through the app, track your driver, and pay without needing cash. And it works in most major cities: Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, and a few others.
It really is reliable, especially if you're out late, carrying bags, or just don't feel like figuring out how to explain your address over the phone in Italian!
Here’s a hard truth for you: not every restaurant in Italy is amazing. And especially in tourist-heavy areas, you’ll run into places that look charming but serve microwaved pasta and charge €6 for bread.
TheFork helps you avoid that. It’s used across Italy by locals and travelers alike, and it lets you browse real restaurant options, see reviews, and book a table right from your phone. You can search by location, price, or cuisine. And some places offer discounts if you book through the app, which means more money for gelato later.
It’s especially useful in big cities where there are a lot of average tourist-focused places. Use this to find the ones locals actually go to!
Skip-the-line tickets, private food tours, pasta-making classes, museum passes: GetYourGuide has it all, and it’s not full of junky tourist trap options like some other booking apps.
What’s more, the interface is clean, the filters are useful, and the prices are usually competitive with what you’d pay locally. You just have to browse by interest or city, and everything lives on your phone (no printed vouchers needed).
So, if you want to go beyond just walking around and actually experience things, this is one of the best apps for traveling to Italy. Especially if you’re not a fan of waiting in line for two or more hours!
Italy’s public transport can be either fantastic or completely confusing. Between city buses, metro lines, trams, and regional routes, figuring out how to get from point A to point B isn’t always straightforward. You might just end up going the wrong way or waiting for a bus that stopped running two hours ago!
Moovit helps with that. You input your destination and it gives you real-time directions for how to get there using local transport. It tells you which bus or metro to take, how long it’ll take, and when the next one is coming.
The app is way more reliable than most local transit websites and Google Maps and it’s super handy in cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, and Florence. Honestly, even locals use it.
Yes, Italy has stunning cities and world-class museums. But don’t forget it’s also home to beautiful mountains, cliffs, beaches, and volcanoes. And if you’re the kind of traveler who likes to walk, hike, or just escape the city for a few hours, AllTrails is essential.
The app shows nearby trails with reviews, difficulty ratings, photos, and offline maps. So, whether you’re hiking in the Dolomites or just want a simple coastal walk in Cinque Terre, it’ll help you find something that matches your energy level and time.
This is hands-down one of the best apps for traveling to Italy, especially if you want to do something different than just walking through the streets!
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