When you are in the planning stage of going on vacation, you generally want to look into the best hotels in Europe, or where to eat in Rome. However, when you are thinking of going away you should also consider when the best time of year to go is. If you are planning to go to Italy then this is very important.
The problem is that there is no particular time that is best overall. It all depends on what you want to do there. Italy is a long country that has a varied landscape and the sightseeing to do depends on when you are there.
In this article, we will go over what the best time of year to travel to Italy is based on what type of vacation you want to do.
The Big Three
Rome. Florence.Venice. Those are the Big Three when it comes to cities that get the most travelers. This means that they are extremely crowded during certain times of the year. If you don’t fancy standing in line for hours to get into things like the Colosseum or St Mark’s Basilica then it is best to go in the off-season.
The weather is fantastic in most of the country starting in April so a springtime visit will see far fewer tourists and wait times will be reduced. Right around June, the crowds begin pouring in so you have a two-month window in the spring if you want nice weather.
In the fall, the weather stays summer-like through September and then cools down in October but it’s still nice. This is also a good time to come and find fewer tourists.
Even the winter is nice if you don’t mind the cold weather. It doesn’t get extremely cold, but it isn’t t-shirt weather, either.
The South
The further south you go in Italy, the fewer tourists you’ll find so you have more leeway to go when you like. In the winter, there is not much to do however as many sites are closed, and finding hotels open is difficult as well.
The summer is the best time to go since the beaches there are fantastic. There is also plenty to see and do if you are looking for adventure. The mountains are spectacular and in Sicily, Mount Etna is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to climb an active volcano. There are loads of Roman ruins and historical sites of interest and rarely see many tourists.
The North
The north of Italy is ringed by the Alps which are fantastic at any time of year. The area is massive so you can find a little corner where there are few crowds very easily. The region of Friuli Venezia Giulia has the Dolomites and is not on the radar of most tourists.
There is world-class skiing in the winter and breathtaking hiking in the summer so there is no time of year that you wouldn’t want to be there.
