The best time to visit Italy!
Although we think Italy is great any time of year, we recognise some parts of the year are more appealing. For most tourists, Spring, Summer and Fall are the best times to visit Italy. Visiting Italy in the winter, around Christmas time is also quite mild and obviously a hell of a lot quieter than in summer.
Below you will find information about the best time to visit on a month by month basis.
Here are the best times to travel to Italy!
April to May
April and May are certainly the best time to go to Italy if you’re looking for ideal temperatures for hillside hiking and steep cycling, although there’s still every chance of rain, especially in the north.
Temperatures are usually comfortable, rural colors are rich, and the crowds aren’t too intense (except around Easter)
June to August
June, July and August are heating up no matter where you are in Italy and it’s probably too hot for cyclists and hikers hoping for lengthy treks! It will also be too crowded for couples looking for secluded romance, but don’t let that stop you from visiting this marvellous country.
June usually see the highest hotel prices in Rome and Florence.
August is the worst month in many places: Not only does it get uncomfortably hot and muggy, but seemingly the entire country goes on vacation for at least two weeks (many Italians take off the entire month). Plenty of family-run hotels, restaurants, and shops are closed, except at the spas, beaches, and islands, where most Italians head. You will have many urban places almost to yourself if you visit in August with Turin and Milan in particular can seem virtual ghost towns, and even excellent hotels there are heavily discounted. Just be aware that many fashionable restaurants and nightspots are closed for the whole month.
September to October
September and October are also considered the best time to go to Italy as the harvest brings the freshest market produce imaginable as well as a flourish of colour from the forests and characterful images of farmers and pickers working the undulating agricultural landscapes.
We travelled to Italy in October and found it to be a perfect month to visit!
November to March
November can be bleak and regions such as Tuscany take on a much more sombre mood ahead of the religious festivities and brazier warmed Christmas markets.
Many attractions operate on shorter winter hours, and some hotels are closed for renovation or redecoration, although inconvenience is much less likely if you are visiting a city. Many family-run restaurants take a week or two off sometime between November and February; spa and beach destinations become padlocked ghost towns.
The further south you go and the warmer you’ll find it with several sites in Sicily and Sardinia certainly worth visiting in the ‘off peak’ months of February and March.
Public Holidays
Offices, government buildings (though not usually tourist offices), and shops in Italy are generally closed on: January 1 (Capodanno, or New Year), January 6 (La Befana, or Epiphany), Easter Sunday (Pasqua), Easter Monday (Pasquetta), April 25 (Liberation Day), May 1 (Festa del Lavoro, or Labor Day), June 2 (Festa della Repubblica, or Republic Day), August 15 (Ferragosto, or the Assumption of the Virgin), November 1 (All Saints’ Day), December 8 (L’Immacolata, or the Immaculate Conception), December 25 (Natale, Christmas Day), and December 26 (Santo Stefano, or St. Stephen’s Day).
Additionally, you’ll often find businesses closed for the annual day-long celebration dedicated to the local saint (for example, on January 31 in San Gimignano, Tuscany).
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Have you been to Italy before? If so, we would love to hear in the comments below!
Other Italy Related Guides
Be sure to check out our other exciting guides related to Italy:
Top 10 places to visit in Italy
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