Updated on January 3, 2024
If you’re busy packing for your Italy trip, don’t forget to ‘pack’ your mobile phone with these apps that will make your vacation smooth and fun!
I’m a mom in Italy, a vacation planner, and a former cycling and hiking guide. I spend a lot of time traveling around Italy and there are some Italy travel apps that make travel here easier, safer, and more fun.
I’m listing my favorite Italy travel apps that I actually use while traveling in Italy and that I recommend to visiting friends, family, and clients.
You’ll find my favorite apps to use in Italy for:
- Weather
- Getting around cities and towns on foot and by public transportation
- Navigating Italian roads – from dirt roads to Autostrade
- Parking
- Italian translations
- Exploring museums and cultural sites
- Listening to music
Note: I’m not affiliated with any of these apps. They’re just apps that I use while traveling around Italy and apps that I recommend to visiting family, friends, and clients.
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General Apps for Italy
Il Meteo
It’s tough to find a perfect weather app, but I’ve tried pretty much all of the Italian weather apps in my 2+ decades here and Il Meteo is what I’ve settled on.
You can look up a location and see hourly weather or forecasts for the next two weeks.
You can set it to Fahrenheit or Celsius.
If you love your weather data (I do too), you can also look up maps with clouds and precipitation, see webcam views, check out the latest earthquakes, and more.
Helpful Tip: If you decide to use another app, check the ‘fine print’ and make sure the weather is for the location you’re searching. Sometimes the weather you see is for somewhere far away that happens to be the closest place that particular app has weather data for.
Download Il Meteo – App Store or Google Play
Google Maps
Besides using Google Maps for driving in Italy (more on that in the Transportation section below), you can use the app for getting around cities on foot or by public transport.
Get walking directions to see how long it will take you to walk from the Roma Termini train station to Fatamorgana Gelateria in Monti.
Save your own maps for cities (like this Google map of the Best Gelaterie in Florence or this Google map/guide to Spending a Day in Polignano a Mare in Puglia).
You can save maps offline, which is helpful if you don’t have a data plan or you’ll be in an area with spotty service.
In addition to maps, you can also save lists (like this list of Bolzano Restaurants).
Helpful Tip: In small villages and places with narrow lanes (like Venice) I like to use the satellite ‘layer’ mode.
Download Google Maps – App Store or Google Play
Good To Know: CityMapper (App Store or Google Play) is also fairly popular. I don’t use it, but I wanted to mention it because its simple format is loved by many travelers. Note that it’s available for a limited number of cities in Italy.
Amazon Music Unlimited
It’s nice to have tunes on your trip. You may already have a favorite music app. I love Amazon Music Unlimited because you can download or stream music and podcasts, create playlists, and choose from an unbelievably large library of music.
Helpful Tip: Bring a travel speaker for picnics, using at your agriturismo, or for an impromptu wine tasting or aperitivo in a vineyard.
Download Amazon Music Unlimited – App Store or Google Play
Collins Dictionary or Google Translate
Collins Dictionary is my preferred dictionary app for Italy, but I know that the cost isn’t appetizing (over $20 for the Apple version, last time I checked). It’s a great option if you’re learning Italian and want a robust dictionary with additional helpful info like verb conjugations. I use this dictionary all the time here.
Download Collins Dictionary – App Store or Google Play
Google Translate is an excellent option if you don’t speak Italian and you want some help with basic translations while you’re traveling, like if someone is yelling at you to fermare (stop) or you want to know how to say clams (vongole) at your restaurant in Positano.
It also has a handy feature that lets you snap a photo of (or hold your camera up to) a sign and it will translate it on the photo. It’s not perfect, but it can be helpful in a pinch. For example, if you see a sign that says divieto di sosta, Google Translate tells you ‘do not stop,’ which is true.
Download Google Translate – App Store or Google Play
Love it or hate it… Italians love it, and it’s likely your hotel, private driver, or tour guide will want to communicate with you via WhatsApp.
If you don’t want to use WhatsApp, you can also ask to communicate by email or using SMS (messages – just confirm they’re included in your phone plan).
Download WhatsApp – App Store or Google Play
Your Credit Card Company’s App
A big problem many travelers face is making purchases abroad and then having to get a code on your home country mobile phone. This can be a problem if you’ve got a different SIM in your phone or you can’t access your phone (maybe you just left it at home).
To solve this problem, some credit card companies (like Capital One) are now allowing transactions to be ok’d via the app.
You can also check purchases you’ve made, see exchange rates, keep an eye on your vacation spending, and double-check for double purchases.
Transportation Apps for Italy
EasyPark
This app is a gem and I want to hug the developers, because it makes parking in Italy SO.MUCH.EASIER. With EasyPark, you can pay for your parking from your phone (vs finding the machine and buying a ticket), top up if needed (vs having to walk back to your car to add more money to the machine), and you can get credit for unused parking time.
It’s not everywhere in Italy, but it’s becoming more and more common, so I’d definitely recommend downloading it.
Download EasyPark – App Store or Google Play
Google Maps
Use the Google Maps app if you’ve rented a car and you’ll be navigating Italian roads (it’s what I use). You can save maps offline, which is helpful when you’re driving in areas with spotty cell service.
Google Maps isn’t perfect – for example, sometimes the speed limit is incorrect. But, it’s continually getting better (it does a pretty good job of showing speed cameras and giving good route options). However, don’t rely on it blindly – for example, it doesn’t avoid the ZTLs!
Helpful Tip: If you like to feel prepared, you can use street view to check out your entire route (turn-by-turn) or even just your destination. For example, in the screenshots below, you can see the first part of a walking route in Rome, and you can continue and see each of the turns. Or, in the second screenshot, I’m looking at where to enter the Porta Romana parking lot in Florence. It’s helpful to see it ahead of time, so you can recognize it when you arrive. IMPORTANT: Google refreshes the photos, but sometimes they’re older. Check the date (month and year are on the screen) so you’ll have an idea if the view is up-to-date.
Helpful Tip: If you’re planning on using your mobile phone for navigation in your rental car, bring along a phone mount (mine is similar to this one). Make sure you test it out before you leave – it needs to grip your phone tightly, especially if you’ll be driving on bumpy country roads.
Helpful Tip: Use Google Maps to save your parking location. With Google Maps open, touch the blue dot that shows your location, then choose the ‘Save parking’ button. You can always see it on the map and even get directions back to your car.
Download Google Maps – App Store or Google Play
If you’ll be driving in Italy, read more about
Driving in Italy
Getting Gas in Italy
Important Italian Road Signs
Renting a Car in Italy with a US Driver’s License
International Driving Permit – Why You Need One & How to Get One
Trenitalia and Italo
These two apps are the official apps of Italy’s two train companies – Trenitalia (state-run) and Italo (private). With the apps, you can easily book tickets, make changes (as long as your ticket permits it), check the status of trains, and use them to show your tickets on the train (no more pesky printing).
If you’re planning on taking the train in Italy (including with your kids), download these two apps.
Download Trenitalia – App Store or Google Play
Download Italo – App Store or Google Play
Museum and Culture Apps for Italy
Rick Steves Audio Europe
Rick Steves – of the famous turquoise guidebooks – also has an app and I’m a fan. Head to the Italy sections and explore museums with him or listen to him talk about topics like ‘Renaissance Florence’ or ‘Rome After Dark.’
He doesn’t just spit facts and dates at you. Instead, he walks you through museums and monuments and points out the most interesting aspects so you feel like you get the ‘best of’ whatever you’re visiting.
This app is also excellent for older kids and teens who may want to explore on their own.
Good To Know: You can also read the transcripts in the app.
Download Rick Steves Audio Europe – App Store or Google Play
Individual Museum Apps
Many of Italy’s famous museums (even smaller ones!) have their own apps, and they’re usually free. You can always download them in advance and check them out. The easiest way to find them is through the museum’s official website (vs searching on the App Store or Google Play).
More Apps for Your Italy Vacation
These aren’t apps that I use on a regular basis in Italy, but I do use them and have clients use them and find them helpful:
Hotel Tonight – Book hotels last minute. This is helpful if you don’t have a set itinerary and want to get last minute deals (like, really last minute) on hotels and accommodation. It’s great for lower season travel (like February or November) when hotels are itching for business. I’ve used it for last minute stays with my husband – we book just a couple of hours before we show up to check-in. I’ve gotten stays at 4-star hotels at half price!
Michelin Guide – This app doesn’t just list Michelin-star restaurants. There are also other local high-quality restaurants that you can see by area. The only thing is, it’s not always up-to-date, so be sure to call ahead if you’re excited to visit a particular restaurant.
Netflix – This is great if you’re traveling with kids, because you can download your kids’ favorite shows or stream in Italy. You can use other apps like Disney+ and PrimeVideo while you’re traveling in Italy, but you won’t have access to identical content that you see in your home country.
Good To Know: Not all streaming apps work in Italy. For example, the popular kids PBS app doesn’t work in Italy.
XE – This is a simple, easy-to-use, real-time currency converter app. Know what that Gucci purse will cost you in your home country currency!
LastMinute – Use this app for last-minute hotel bookings, hotel/car packages, and more. I use this often for travels outside of Italy and I find that I check it routinely now even for our trips in Italy. It’s hit or miss, but worth a look. And, you can look about a year out, so don’t only check on it for last-minute reservations.
Apps to Avoid on Your Italy Vacation
Find Wi-Fi Apps – I may be in the minority here, but I prefer to use Wi-Fi at my hotel and not in random public places. If you want access to data while you’re out exploring Italy, look into getting data added to your phone plan (from home or from an Italian provider).
Free VPN Apps – Decide if you want to risk your personal info (check to see what you’re giving the app access to). There are plenty of reputable subscription-based VPNs if you need to access websites from your home country.
Social Media Apps – You may want to avoid posting on social media while you’re traveling for a couple of reasons: 1) If you don’t have a housesitter, you’re advertising that you’re gone and your home is empty. 2) You may not want people to know where you are (for example, don’t tag your pool photo with the name of the agriturismo you’re staying at).
Tips to Using Apps on Your Italy Vacation
Download the apps you may want to use before you arrive in Italy. Use your Wi-Fi or data in your home country on a plan you already have. That way, you’ll save time on your vacation and you’ll save data on your international plan.
Try out the apps before you arrive in Italy. Get comfortable with the layout of the app. If you don’t like it, or it doesn’t do what you need it to do, find another app to replace it so you’ll be all set for your trip.
Stick to apps you’re familiar with. For example, I recommend Google Maps, but if you’re already comfortable with another map app, use it. It’s helpful to know the app’s icons and functionality so you’re not trying to figure it all out while you’re driving down a narrow street with cars behind you.
Make sure you know app passwords (if needed). It’s a pain to reset passwords when you’re here. It takes time, and you may need to accept the changes with a code from your home mobile number, which can be a pain if you’ve switched SIMs or don’t have access to your home country mobile number while you’re in Italy.
Make sure your phone locks when not in use. If you happen to lose your phone while in Italy, you don’t want someone to have easy access to your apps – especially financial apps or those with personal and sensitive info.
I hope you’ve found an app or two that will help you on your Italy vacation! Let me know if you have any apps to add to this list of Best Travel Apps for Italy!
You may also want to check out
200+ Italy Travel Tips
What to Pack for Italy
Apps for Italy FAQ
We don’t have a nationwide taxi app, or even a nationwide service like Uber. I’ve found that calling the city’s taxi number works best, but you can always ask a local where you are if there is a taxi app that works well at the moment for the city. I say at the moment because things are evolving so quickly. For example, at the time of writing, appTaxi works well in Florence.
I use GetYourGuide occasionally, and usually just check on our tours in my email. But, if you’re planning on doing multiple tours on your Italy, the GetYourGuide app is an excellent way to see them and stay organized.
My top three would be Google Maps, a dictionary or translation app (I use Collins English-Italian dictionary, but Google Translate is a good option if you don’t know any Italian), and WhatsApp (for communicating with hotels and guides and people back home). If you’ll be driving in Italy, you should definitely download the EasyPark app so you don’t have to deal with pesky pay and display parking machines.
An iOS app is an app that works on an Apple iPhone (purchase the app from the App Store). If you have an Android phone, you’ll need to use Android apps (purchased from the Google Play store).
