Welcome to Italy
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS
Closest airports to CastelBrando:
i) Venice Marco Polo Airport
ii) Treviso Airport
All major airline companies fly to Venice Marco Polo with some smaller European carriers flying to Treviso. Flights are subject to availability and we recommend booking sooner rather than later.
If you are holidaying in Italy pre-wedding, other major international airports include Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino Airport (Rome) and Malpensa Airport (Milan). Italy has an extensive network of internal flights to other domestic airports, so please plan your route to us accordingly.
The national airline is Alitalia and is the main domestic carrier:
Numerous low-cost airlines also operate across the country:
Useful search engines for comparing fares include:
CAR HIRE
If the thrill of Italian driving does not scare you, why not enter your own Grand Prix and rent a car.
These can be hired online or by phone through rental companies (e.g. Avis, Hertz, Budget). Competitive prices for the same dealers can be found using the search engine:
For less competitive prices, why not go directly through Ferrari and Lamborghini at:
https://www.primerentcar.com/en/luxury-rental/rent-luxury-car-in-venice
TRAIN
If you are less keen on driving, the train system is another great option.
Visit:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html (National train system)
https://www.italotreno.it/en (Private company)
to book your tickets. If you are feeling adventurous, why not try to book in Italian?
Italy operates several types of trains:
- Regionale/interregionale: Slow and often cheaper, stopping at all or most stations.
- InterCity (IC): Faster services operating between major cities.
- Alta Velocità (AV): State-of-the-art, high-velocity trains, including Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca and Italo trains, with speeds of up to 300km/h and connections to the major cities. Marginally more expensive than some InterCity express trains, but journey times are cut by almost half.
Reservations:
- Reservations are obligatory on AV trains. On other services they are not, but are recommended for peak holiday periods.
- Reservations can be made on the Trenitalia and Italo websites (above), at railway station counters and self-service ticketing machines, or through travel agents.
- Both Trenitalia and Italo offer a variety of advance purchase discounts. The earlier you book, the greater the saving. Discounted tickets are limited, and refunds and changes are highly restricted. For all ticket options and prices, see the Trenitalia and Italo websites.
- For those who just love making a scene on public transport, why not forget to stamp your ticket in the green machines just before boarding (usually found at the head of rail platforms). This results in a transport fine that will start your holiday off with a bang.
BUS
Probably the less convenient way to travel between cities but useful for meandering local routes. Timetables and tickets are available on bus-company websites and from local tourist offices. Tickets are generally competitively priced with the train and are often the only way to get to smaller towns. In larger cities most of the intercity bus companies have ticket offices or sell tickets through agencies. In villages and even larger towns, tickets are sold in bars or on the bus.
Advance booking advisable for overnight or long-haul trips in high season.
TAXI
An expensive form of transport in Italy and tariffs vary from region to region. You can catch a taxi from official ranks outside most train and bus stations, or telephone a radio taxi for pickup.
Most drivers behave in an exemplary way, however, as anywhere else, you can encounter the occasional "mascalzone" (scoundrel). To avoid any unpleasant scenarios, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Check that the taxi is registered.
- Ensure there is a meter reader and that it is on. Do not accept "it's broken". Be aware that if you call a taxi, the meter reading starts from the time of call. This is NOT the driver cheating you, it is standard practice.
- Have small change on you to avoid the "I don't have any change" situation.
- Negotiating a flat rate is typically warning bells for an elevated rate.
- Know your destination address and be specific. This is more for the larger cities like Rome where the Vatican may not be interpreted as the Vatican Cathedral or Museums, but simply anywhere in the small country.
- Feeling you are taking the scenic route? Don't panic just yet. Most cities have numerous one-way systems making it harder to feel like the route is direct.
UBER
UBER is only legally operational in Rome and Milan. The services on offer, unlike other countries, is UBER Black and UBER Vans. Both tend to be more expensive than a standard Taxi.