By bus to Italy

In addition to the car and the plane (and some other ways to travel to Italy) is another possibility that is often overlooked. By bus to Italy.

When we talk about 'by bus to Italy', the first thing that probably comes to mind is an organized bus trip. You can book bus trips to Italy with various companies, which offer ready-made package holidays. For example to Rome, to Tuscany and Umbria, to Verona and the Lake Garda or to South Tyrol and the Dolomites.

The big advantage compared to an organized trip by plane is the price. Bus trips to Italy are generally much cheaper, because bus companies can work very efficiently. The bus driver is also your tour guide.

In recent years, coach travel has suffered somewhat from cheap flights to popular destinations across Europe, but it is quite possible that the aftermath of the coronavirus and increasingly strict environmental measures will change this for good.

Advantages and disadvantages of a bus trip

Not everyone finds it ideal to book such an organized bus trip. Because you are bound to a fairly strict schedule, which you cannot deviate from individually. You do not have access to a car on site, but that also saves you money.

Another disadvantage of a bus trip is always that you have to take into account the boarding place and how to get there. It is of course easiest if someone can take you to the bus, but that option is not always available. In some cases you can park for a long time at the boarding point, so that you can easily come home after the bus trip.

Because everything is actually organized for you, you often see many elderly people who use a bus trip. But not just the elderly. Also couples and families sometimes book a bus trip. If you have a specific travel purpose and would like to see as much of it as possible accompanied by a Dutch-speaking guide, it is not so surprising at all.

A big advantage is that you can sit back the entire journey. You don't have to stress about the route, about parking or arranging entrance tickets.

You can find bus trips to actually all regions and areas in Italy, but because of the distances the focus is on the north to the center of Italy. You can book a bus trip to Italy from as little as 8 days.

Another advantage of traveling by bus that may become increasingly heavier is that you can travel without shame. Compared to the car and certainly compared to the plane, a trip by bus is a particularly environmentally friendly form of transport.

But the biggest advantage of a bus trip – besides the lower price – is perhaps the conviviality. You are in the same group for 1, 2 or maybe 3 weeks and you have a lot of fun with each other. There are plenty of stories from bus travelers who have made friends from their trips to Italy or other countries.

Destinations

Almost every bus company offers different trips to Italy. The following destinations are often on the program:

• Lake Maggiore/Lake Como
• Tuscany/Umbria/Florence/Pisa/Elba
• Dolomites/Verona/Venice/Lake Garda
• Rome/Lazio/Lake Bolsena
• Liguria/Riviera Flower/Cinque Terre
• Amalfi Coast/Naples/Sorrento
• Sardinia/Sicily

Inform yourself well in advance about the destinations you will visit. The complete program may already be available. This way you can be sure that the bus trip also contains everything that you find important.

What does a bus trip to Italy look like?

In general, you travel to your destination in Italy in 2 days with a bus trip. There is an overnight stay on the way there and back in a hotel in southern Germany.

Depending on the trip, there are also overnight stays in one or more hotels in Italy. The hotels are generally of excellent quality.

Also breakfast and dinner are usually included in the price. You sometimes have to take care of lunch yourself, but that is really only a plus in Italy.

Also included are a number of excursions (sometimes you can book extra excursions) and parking costs. In most cases you still have to pay entrance fees. Of course you also bring some pocket money for a landscape and an ice cream on the way.

Scheduled timetable

The bus is also a means of travel that is ideally suited if you want to travel on a low budget. German society FlixBus has built up an intricate European network of scheduled service destinations in a short period of time.

This way you can travel directly to Italy and then do what you want there. This service is mainly aimed at young people between the ages of 16 and 30, but of course anyone can take a FlixBus.

For example, you can travel from Amsterdam to Milan for a few bucks. By far the cheapest way to travel to Italy (except for elevators). Of course you have to be able to stand on the bus for about 20 hours non-stop. Well, then you are also in Italy!