Here are the 21 best travel apps for your Italy trip that will take your trip to the next level (with direct links to download them). Italy is one of the most best places to visit in the world. We recently traveled across Italy, and traveled for 24 hours in Venice, 3 days in Milan while visiting Milan’s top sights, before making our way to the places to visit in florence and 2 days in Cinque Terre exploring the five villages. These apps came in super handy for booking everything from trains, taxis, food, and more. All are tried and tested to help you experience Italy authentically, efficiently, and memorably. This is the app list that we wish we had before our first Italy trip!

We’re listing our favorite Italy travel apps that we actually used while traveling in Italy and highly recommend. You’ll find our favorite apps to use in Italy for:

• Restaurants & Food delivery
• Activity Booking from the best Italy tour companies
• Transportation: Getting around by foot, public transportation, bus, train, taxi apps, etc
• Weather
• Navigation
• Learning Italian phrases quickly
• Italian Translation
• Finding the best rates for airlines, hotels, and car rentals
• Toilet Finders
• Luggage storage in all Italian cities
• Exploring museums and cultural sites

All of these apps are available on both iOS and Android in the app stores. Please note that these apps are all free to download, but if they provide services (train tickets, food, etc.), you will be paying for that service.

Traveling to Italy? Be sure to check out our free Venice travel map, Florence 1 day itinerary, and 2 days in Cinque Terre travel guide.

Keep reading for the best Italy Travel Apps to download — Italy here we come!

Pro-tip: Make sure to download these best travel apps for your Italy trip BEFORE your trip to avoid any last-minute emergencies. Send this blog post to everyone in your travel party so that everyone has the same apps downloaded ahead of time. It’s super helpful when one person’s phone dies or simply to help take turns coordinating.

Our Top Italy Recommendations
Before we dive into this guide, here are few things you can’t miss on your trip to Italy!

Essential Italy Resources

Traveling to Italy soon? There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. After unforgettable trips to Italy, here are some of our favorite websites and resources for planning once-in-a-lifetime vacations.

🌅Book Tours & Attractions: GetYourGuide is the best site for comparing and booking experiences with the best Italy tour companies.

🗺️Hotels + Vacation Rentals: We always use this site for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform and great rewards. When we’re looking for a vacation rental, I compare Vrbo and Airbnb.

🚣‍♂️Most-dos in Italy: No Italy vacation is complete without a visit to the quintessential Venice and MILAN. Go to Venice to take a private romantic gondola ride, and enjoy the spectacular Milan Duomo cathedral terraces.

🚙Rental Cars: We use DiscoverCars, a highly-rated platform for booking rental cars around the world. It has a flexible free cancellation policy & often offers free additional drivers. 

✈️Find Flights: Use Trip is a highly rated platform to find the best deals on flights, and save big on your biggest expense of a trip. 

🚄 Book a Bus/Train/Transfer: We love using this site to book easy airport transfers, rides, and delivery in all countries. The drivers are pre-vetted and professional.  

🛡️Get Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is essential for any trip! I use VisitorsCoverage, which has affordable rates and coverage for many counties and adventure sports.

📶Best International Phone Plans: Use this company to get an eSIM for phone coverage while traveling—without getting a SIM card.

1. The Fork – Best Italy Restaurant Reservation App

First thing’s first, THE FOOD! The Fork is the best restaurant reservation app in Europe, and we’ve found it works superbly in Italy. It has a large number of restaurants available in every city, big and small. We usually use Yelp or OpenTable in the USA; however, neither of these are viable options in Europe.

Our favorite feature of The Fork is that for many restaurants, you can get 20–50% off discounts for your entire meal simply by booking a reservation on the app! We found a restaurant while visiting Venice in one day we loved, went back three times, and saved over 50 euros on our check each time!

You can search by Nearby Restaurants, Type of Cuisine, Best Offers, Michelin Guide, Best Rated, Good for Groups, and Insider. Click on any restaurant to read reviews, see what kind of discounts are available (if any), and take a look at the menu.

We found tons of amazing restaurants on the app, and it helped us save time and money. It’s especially useful if you only have a short time to explore; it helps you maximize your time. One of our pet peeves is when you’re stuck waiting for an hour for a table. Restaurants also usually give parties with reservations the best tables in the house. There are alternatives like Quandoo, but we loved the Fork the most. We had a mix of days where we’d book reservations in advance and some days where we simply followed our nose. We loved the flexibility of the app, and every restaurant honored our reservation and discount. If you end up needing to cancel or change your reservation, simply change it on the app.

2. Get Your Guide – Most Reliable Italy Travel Activity Booking App

Leave no place undiscovered with the GetYourGuide app to find the best Italy tour companies. This is one of our favorite apps of all time. You can book a SIM card for pickup at the airport and choose from the top Italy tour companies. It helps us find local businesses that are top-rated, reviewed, and vetted. Aside from activities, we also pre-booked private car shuttles from our airport to our hotels. (and vice versa)

Before you visit the Duomo di Milano and Milan’s top sights, learn about the Milan Cathedral dress code and what to wear when you vist.

Simply input wherever you’re headed in italy (Venice, Milan, etc.), and the app will show you the best guided tours, skip-the-line tickets (time saver!), and must-see attractions your Italian destination has to offer. It offers stress-free planning; you receive mobile tickets instantly, directions to your activity, and flexibility with easy cancellations. We loved that it had an abundance of activities to pick from in Italy so it’s no surprise this made it to the top of our best travel apps for Italy trip planning.

3. Trenitalia – Best Italy Train App to book Train Tickets

Ready to explore Italy? Trains are the easiest and fastest way to travel from city to city across Italy. To be honest, booking Italy train tickets seemed like the most daunting thing for us in the beginning. Not with Trenitalia! Deeshen booked ALL our Italy train tickets across 10 cities in less than two hours using this app. (I must admit, I was impressed at the app and my husband!)

This Italian app provides information and tickets for Italian train routes and schedules. Trenitalia is useful for getting around the city and sightseeing in the countryside. The extensive public transportation system in Italy is great for seeing as much of the country as possible; however, the system can feel disorganized at times, especially in bigger urban cities or small communities with limited service. But Trenitalia makes navigating public transportation in Italy much easier!

Plan your route, buy tickets online, and view departure times using TreniItalia. You also have access to the VIP lounge in the station, if there is one. There are similar apps that are city-specific, but if you’re traveling across multiple cities or regions, this is the BEST travel app to cover all of Italy. 

4. Trainline EU – Europe and Italy Train app to book Cross Country Trains & Coach Buses in Italy

If you’re booking a multi-country trip across Europe, Trainline works for all of Europe. It is a hub for all the train and coach bus companies, schedules, and options. You can easily search, sort, and find the route and times you want and purchase tickets right on the app without incurring additional booking fees. It’s super easy to use, and we love that you can centralize all the bookings in one place. If you’re only booking trains for Italy, though, we still recommend the Trenitalia app above.

5. Google Maps – The Locator App to Navigate in Italy

When you see people walking down the street lifting their phones to the sky like their baby Simba, they’re likely using Google Maps. We use Google Maps ALL THE TIME everywhere we travel. Google Maps provides directions via public transportation, by car, by foot, and by bike.

Before every trip, Deeshen creates a custom map that we make in Google Maps (usually on our laptop) and adds specific locations, restaurants, cafes, and shops that we want to visit on our trip. We can access them later from the app on our phone, both offline and online.

Pro-tip: Did you know you can use Google Maps even when you’re not connected to wifi or in airplane mode?  Yes! You can download offline maps before your trip, so you can use them to navigate or plan even when you’re not connected to the internet. This is convenient, especially since wifi is sometimes spotty when you travel

6. Free Now – Italy Taxi App that’s Safe and Fast!

We quickly found that our go-to Uber app is not available in every major city in Italy; in fact, there’s only 2 cities that allow Uber Black in Italy (Milan and Rome).

The Free Now app was a lifesaver and the best Italy taxi app! We mostly walked in Italy to get around the cities, but sometimes you just need a taxi to save your feet! Since you have to go to a taxi stand to find one in Italy (don’t try to flag one down on the road; they’ll just speed by you), this app is very handy because you can put in the address you’d like to go to and someone will come pick you up based on either an address or a GPS signal of where you are.

7. Croissant – Digital Nomad Easily by Finding Co-working Spaces in Italy

This is such a convenient app if you’re a digital nomad or simply a traveler who works for a few days during your vacation. Instead of a coffee shop or hiding out at hotels, you can access beautiful workspaces around the world with just one membership. Just show up, check in, and get work done anywhere. You also get to meet people from all over the world who are co-working in that city. The app is free to download, but the co-working spaces are services you’d have to pay for.

Did you know that taxis and cars are not allowed on Cinque Terre streets? Grab our Cinque Terre Itinerary to find the best spots to visit in Cinque Terre, instagrammable photo spots, and how to navigate from town to town.

8. TooGoodToGo – Try New Pastries and Cafes at Half the Price in Italy

Too Good to Go is an app with a great mission to fight food waste. It saves delicious food from being wasted by allowing restaurants to sell their fresh end-of-day food to you at a low rate. We got a box in Venice from a local cafe (that we could pickup anytime between 6-7pm), and it included 5 fresh pastries and sandwiches for only 6 euros. With this app, you can protect the environment and discover new restaurants at the same time. Keep in mind that if you have food preferences (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.), they do not have these filters yet.

9. Happy Cow – A Vegan & Vegetarian’s Food Guide in Italy

Happy Cow is the best travel app for discovering vegan and vegetarian food around Italy. The app is also used all across the world in 180+ different countries. You can filter by vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, Food delivery, takeout, cuisine type, and more. It works great in Italy and is a good app for finding vegetarian options other than pasta and pizza every day.

10. WeTap – Stay hydrated with free water in Italy

Water is NOT free in restaurants in Italy. It usually costs 3–7 euros (more than coffee, surprisingly), so it really adds up. We tried to carry refillable bottles everywhere, as we care about sustainability. WeTap helps you locate water fountains, so you can save the earth and money at the same time.

WeTap is especially useful in Italy. Italy is home to thousands of safe-to-use public water fountains; there’s no need to buy single-use plastic water bottles. The water is fresh and cold, and all you need is a bottle to fill up. This is especially helpful if you plan on visiting Italy in the summer, when staying hydrated and cool is a major undertaking.

11. Deliveroo – Food Delivery in Italy

Deliveroo is the most downloaded food delivery app in Italy, where you can try new restaurants and takeaways, delivered right to your door. We love eating out when exploring new cities, but sometimes you just need to have a night in to decompress with delicious takeout! Another great alternative app is Zomato. As we mentioned earlier, Uber is nonexistent in Italy, except for Milan and Rome, and that means UberEats doesn’t have a presence either.

12. Airbnb Experiences – Unique Experiences hosted by Italian Locals

Honestly, we’re huge fans of Airbnb Experiences, and we always try to do an Airbnb experience in every city we visit. Airbnb connects local entrepreneurs with people traveling to their city. We love using this app to connect with locals and try unique experiences from local tours, classic car rides, cooking classes, photoshoots, adventure activities, Tuscany country experiences, and so much more to discover. Read about one of our favorite spots in Venice, Cinque Terre, and free itinerary guide for Florence. And guess where we found this hidden gem? Airbnb Experiences!

13. WhatsApp – Best Way to Communicate with Italian Businesses

WhatsApp, the best way to speak with your family and friends back home for free, is also the best way to make calls in Italy. Many restaurants and businesses also use WhatsApp for reservations. All you need is wifi to run WhatsApp; this is one of the reasons why it is used in 180 countries. Needless to say, this is hands-down the best app to have when it comes to communication in Italy (and Europe).

14. Duolingo – Best app to Learn Italian for travel

Before you go to Italy, brush up on your buongiornos (good day) and other basic Italian phrases. Italians will appreciate it. Read more about Italian customs you should know before your visit in our next blog post.

Duolingo is the best app to learn Italian for traveling to Italy, and is by far, the most popular language learning platform. Learn by reading, writing, and speaking. Set goals and get daily emails to keep you on track—a perfect way to motivate your burgeoning multilingual talents.

15. WayAway – Find the Best Rates for Airlines

WayAway is a flight aggregator that provides travelers with the best rates on airline tickets and a WayAway Plus membership plan that provides users with cashback on many travel services. WayAway’s innovative flight search finds the best option for specific travel dates while also offering alternative dates with lower prices. It compares airfares offered by all major US and global airlines and agencies. We love using this app to scout the best airfares! (It catches some deals that even Google Flights misses.) We love the simple interface and that you can get up to 5% cashback on airline tickets with WayAway Plus.

16. Discover Cars – Find the Best Rates for Car Rentals

Discover Cars is one of the most reliable online car rental reservation websites and worked fantastically in Italy. It compares car rental deals across different companies so that you can choose which is best for your trip. Discover Cars includes all mandatory fees, taxes, and extras in the quoted price, so there won’t be any surprises when you arrive at the rental desk. We love that the app offers free cancellation for flexibility, and there’s no hidden fee (the price is the price!). Many other websites hide fees and extra costs from you, and it’s one of the worst feelings to get scammed when you pick up your car. (It happened to us once in Cancun; never again!) There’s also 24/7 multilingual customer service.

The easiest way to get from city to city in Italy is still by train. However, if you want to go to cities like the Dolomites or Tuscany, you’ll need a car to get around, as it’s nearly impossible to get around without one. Read our article on whether you should travel by train or by car for your trip.

17. Google Translate or Apple Translate | Best Italian language app to translate for travel

Google Translate or Apple Translate are definitely a lifesaver when navigating train signs, directions, menus, or simply needing help! You can also use the Google Translate app to take a photo and translate the text directly on the photo or camera screen. We found it to be accurate 90% of the time. Make sure to use simple words instead of jargon or phrases when trying to communicate with someone in Italy.

18. Flush – Toilet Finder + Map (for emergencies)

This is a great, simple app that does exactly what it’s supposed to do – show you a map with toilets, whether or not they’re easily ADA accessible, and allow ratings.

This app is so helpful and will be a lifesaver when you are in an unfamiliar city and need to go potty! Many public restrooms in Italy can be found, but you will need coins to pay—often needing exact change—so plan ahead and save your small coins.

19. Radical Storage – Luggage Storage Finder in Italy

If you’re using the train to travel from city to city in Italy, you need a safe place to store your luggage. We recommend the Radical Storage app as one of the best luggage storage finders. We found it had lots of storage options in Italy and was easy to book storage locations nearby. The prices are super reasonable, usually somewhere around €5 per day. Trust us, you do not want to be lugging your luggage everywhere. This app comes in handy when you want to enjoy your hands-free journey.

20. AccuWeather – Live Local Weather Forecast

AccuWeather is the ultimate travel companion for exploring Italy. With its precise weather forecasts and localized information, you can plan your Italian adventure with confidence. Whether you’re strolling through the historic streets of Rome, sipping wine in the picturesque vineyards of Tuscany, or sunbathing on the stunning Amalfi Coast, AccuWeather ensures you’re prepared for any weather condition. From daily temperature trends to hour-by-hour rain predictions, this app equips you with the knowledge needed to optimize your travel experiences, ensuring you make the most of your time in Italy. Say bye bye to unexpected weather surprises and hello to a seamless Italian escape with AccuWeather as your weather sidekick.

21. Rick Steves Italy Audio Tours

If you’re a museum and history enthusiast, download the Rick Steves Italy audio tours. You can listen to it online or while you’re walking down Vatican museums, Trastevere, or the renaissance walk!

Apps to Avoid on Your Italy Vacation

Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder Apps – While opinions may vary, I personally prefer utilizing Wi-Fi provided by my hotel rather than connecting to random public networks. If you seek internet access while exploring Italy, consider adding data to your phone plan either from your home provider or an Italian one.

Sketchy Currency Exchange Apps – Be wary of currency exchange apps with poor reviews or questionable practices. It’s advisable to exchange currency through reputable banks or exchange offices to avoid potential scams or unfavorable rates.

Unverified Tourist Guide Apps – Exercise caution when using tourist guide apps with limited reviews or unverified information. Relying on reputable travel guides or local recommendations ensures accurate and reliable information for a more enjoyable travel experience in Italy.

Limit Social Media Usage – It’s advisable to refrain from posting on social media during your travels for several reasons. Firstly, advertising your absence from home without a housesitter can attract unwanted attention. Secondly, disclosing your precise location, such as tagging a pool photo with the name of your accommodation, may compromise your privacy and security.

Exercise Caution with Free VPN Apps – Evaluate the risks associated with granting access to your personal information before using free VPN services. Instead, consider reputable subscription-based VPNs if you need to access websites from your home country securely.

Tips to Using Italy Travels Apps on Your Italy Vacation

Prepare ahead of time by downloading the apps you anticipate needing before your arrival in Italy, utilizing Wi-Fi from home or data from your current plan. This ensures convenience and minimizes data usage on your international plan when you arrive.

Backup Important Documents: Before traveling to Italy, consider scanning and storing important documents such as your passport, travel insurance, and itinerary in a secure cloud storage app. This ensures that you have access to essential information even if physical documents are lost or stolen during your trip.

Use Offline Features: Many apps offer offline functionality, allowing you to access maps, translation tools, and travel guides without requiring an internet connection. Take advantage of these features to save data and navigate Italy’s streets, even in areas with limited connectivity.

Familiarize yourself with the apps prior to your trip to Italy. Test their functionality and interface. If a particular app doesn’t meet your needs, seek out alternatives to ensure a smooth experience during your travels.

Stick to apps you’re accustomed to using. While we always recommend Google Maps, feel free to use any mapping app you’re comfortable with. Knowing the app’s features and navigation will be beneficial, especially when navigating unfamiliar streets.

Keep track of app passwords, if required. Resetting passwords while abroad can be cumbersome, often requiring verification through your home mobile number, which may not be readily accessible in Italy.

Secure your phone with a lock screen when not in use. In the event of loss, this precaution prevents unauthorized access to sensitive apps, particularly those containing financial or personal information.

Be Mindful of Data Roaming: If you plan to use data on your phone while in Italy, be aware of potential roaming charges from your home provider. Consider purchasing a local SIM card or a temporary international data plan to avoid unexpected fees and ensure seamless connectivity throughout your trip.

We trust you’ll find these app tips helpful for your Italy vacation! Feel free to share any additional apps you find useful for traveling in Italy.

Italy Travel Apps FAQ

Which Italy travel apps are a must for traveling to Italy? Our top five apps would be Google Maps, Google Translate, WhatsApp (for communicating with hotels, restaurants, and guides and people back home), The Fork (reservations is a must in Italy), and GetYourGuide (to book with the best Italy tour companies).  If you’ll be driving in Italy, you should definitely download the EasyPark app so you don’t have to deal with parking machines.

What cities should I visit in Italy? We love and highly recommend making multiple city stops on your Italy trip. Make your trip planning easy by using guides (with free google maps!) for Venice, Cinque Terre, and Florence. Many Italian cities are connected by train, so it’s easy to visit.

Are there other countries I should visit aside from Italy? Europe is so connected that it’s easy to add another country to your Italy trip. Should you choose to do so, consider extending your trip with these Italy and Croatia itinerary ideas from my friend Olivia.

Does Uber work in Italy? No, we quickly found that our go-to Uber app is not available in every major city in Italy; in fact, there’s only 2 cities that allow Uber Black in Italy (Milan and Rome). Instead download Free Now, the best Italy taxi app. It’s safe and free.

Which travel taxi app is a must for Italy? The Free Now app is the best Italy taxi app. The Free Now Italy taxi app is very handy because you can put in the address you’d like to go to and someone will come pick you up based on either an address or a GPS signal of where you are. Don’t try to flag a taxi down on the road; they’ll just speed by you.

What is the best Italy train app? Trenitalia is the best Italy train app to book train tickets. We booked all our Italy train tickets across 10 Italian cities in less than 2 hours using this app. If you’re booking cross country trains in Europe, use Trainline.

What is the best Italy tour companies? We highly recommend the GetYourGuide app to connect with the best Italy tour companies. You can easily find tour companies that are top-rated and reviewed whether you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or as a family. There is a tour for everyone!

The Bottom Line: Download these Best Italy Travel Apps for your Italy Trip

We hope this article has helped you narrow down your options for the best travel apps for your Italy vacation! These apps will undoubtedly enhance your experience and planning.

If you’re looking for an incredible experience in Italian cities such as Venice, Cinque Terre, or Florence, don’t forget to utilize our other Italy cities and town guides below to plan the perfect Italian vacation.

If you’ve spent time in Italy, we’re curious about which Italy city is your favorite. Let us know in the comments.

And if you have additional travel apps that you’ve found helpful in Italy, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below – your insights could be invaluable to fellow travelers.