Visiting Italy in 2025? Enjoy our practical guide to changes and updates in travel to help you enjoy your trip to Italy in 2025.
One of our favourite things about looking forward to a new year is planning our trips to Italy! For those of us visiting Italy in 2025 there are lots of new and exciting things to look forward to and a couple of important changes to entry requirements and taxes, which you need to know about before you travel. Hopefully, you will find everything you need in our practical guide to visiting Italy in 2025.
Visiting Italy in 2025: Travel
Flights
Travelling to Italy has never been easier. Despite its relatively small size, Italy has over 100 airports with 15 of these offering long haul flights. While we may already feel somewhat spoiled for choice when searching for flights to Italy, Delta, United and American Airlines have all announced new routes connecting major hubs in the U.S. to some new Italian cities. From May and June AA, passengers will be able to fly directly from Chicago Oā€™Hare to Naples and Dallas Fort Worth to Venice Marco Polo. They also plan to increase frequency on their other routes. This means that 2025 will see the airline’s largest ever schedule to Italy.
Not to be outdone, Delta will launch new routes between New York JFK and Catania; Minneapolis and Rome; Boston and Milan and Atlanta and Naples. All beginning in summer 2025. Meanwhile, United plan to launch new routes between Venice and Washington and Newark and Palermo. With the use of their Boeing 767-400 aircraft, this will be the first and only carrier to offer ‘lie flat’ options between Ney York and Palermo.
For the Brits, new routes will also begin to operate from the U.K. British Airways will offer flights from London Heathrow to Riminiā€™s Federico Fellini and from London Gatwick to Salerno. Meanwhile EasyJet plan to launch a new service linking Edinburgh to Olbia, Sardinia. Looking for advice on booking flights to Italy? Read our full guide here.
Trains
We have some very good news for European travellers visiting Italy in 2025. European Sleeper have launched a new and quite affordable route from Brussels to Venice. Before crossing into Italy, the train will stop at Antwerp, and Utrecht, Cologne, Munich and Innsbruck. With connecting trains into these hubs from all over the continent, this is an excellent addition to to the timetable! What’s more, on its way to Italy’s iconic floating city, there is also the option to alight at Verona or Bolzano. As a host city of the winter Olympics in 2026, this will make many winter sports enthusiasts very happy!
2025 also sees a luxury option added to Italy’s train network. The much anticipated Orient Express La Dolce Vita will finally take to the tracks in April. With various itineraries on offer, passengers can choose from luxurious ambles right across the country including Venice, Portofino, Matera and even across to Sicily. Life on board really is La Dolce Vita. Guests will find 12 luxury cabins and 18 suites, along with a classic Italian lounge bar and evening menu designed by a three starred Michelin chef.
Visiting Italy in 2025: The Jubilee
2025 is special in Italy, as it is a Jubilee year. This makes it a year of reflection, celebration and pilgrimage for Catholics, not just in Italy but all over the world. As a result, many Catholics will choose 2025 as a year to travel Italy to embrace the Jubilee celebrations. The Jubilee officially begins on 24 December 2024, when the Pope opens the Holy Door of the Basilica in Rome. The celebrations then continue until Epiphany (6 January) 2026. Festivities will continue throughout the year, with many cultural activities and spiritual experiences to mark the Jubilee. More than five million pilgrims are expected to make the journey to Italy in 2025.
While Rome will certainly be the epicentre of the Jubilee, many visitors will take the opportunity to make pilgrimages across the country. Routes such as Via Francigena and Via di Francesco are likely to be very popular. Pilgrims will find plenty of camaraderie and like-minded company for their Cammino but they will be much busier than in a usual year. If you plan to follow one of these routes, we strongly recommend booking accommodation in advance. In Rome, hotels and apartments are already filling up fast so make your plans early to avoid disappointment.
Away from the Jubilee
Although the Jubilee will see an influx of tourists, please do not let this put you off visiting Italy in 2025. On the whole, it is Rome that will see the bulk of the pilgrims. If you don’t plan to get involved with the Jubilee, our advice is to skip Rome and instead enjoy some of Italy’s other wonderful cities. In the south, consider Bari or Lecce in Puglia or Matera in Basilicata. Or further north, why not explore Milan or Verona? To avoid the crowds, spending some time away from the cities while visiting Italy in 2025, is also a good idea. Opting for a villa in Tuscanyhttps://bookingsforyou.com/italy/tuscany/, Puglia or the Italian lakes is the perfect way to relax and soak-up authentic Italian culture with family or friends.
Visiting Italy in 2025: New Entry Requirements
Despite originally being scheduled for 2022, the EU’s new entry/exit system (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) have faced a catalogue of delays. The has been largely due incomplete infrastructure required at EU borders. The current plan is for the EES to be introduced first. Reportedly in the first half of 2025. And, ETIAS is expected to follow six months later. However we still don’t have exact dates for any of the new entry systems.
Even though we’re not sure when these changes will happen, many of Italy’s airports are ‘EES ready’. You will find facial recognition scanners and automatic gates in operation. However you still need to show your passport to a border guard to enter the country. The new EES will eliminate this stage. Your biometric data will then be saved for three years. This will only apply when crossing an EU border – not between mutual EU countries. And, only for travellers without an EU passport.
Very similar to the ESTA system used when entering the U.S.A., ETIAS is essentially a visa waiver to allow those travelling on non EU passports to enter a country within the EU. ETIAS will need to be applied for in advance online and will cost ā‚¬7. However, it will be free of charge for over 70s and under 18s.
2025 Changes to Tourist Tax
Tax is always an emotive subject! Those of us who have travelled to Italy since 2011 know that the imposta di soggiorno (Italy’s tourist tax) is nothing new. This tax was introduced on the basis that visitors to the country will be by default also using the municipality’s subsidised services: refuse collection, public transport etc. Currently, the tax only applies in Italy’s cities and popular tourist destinations. However, there is some support for the tax to be rolled out right across the country.
If you’re visiting Italy in 2025, increases are expected in most cities. Milan has already announced an increase for guests staying in 4 and 5 star hotels in the city. Although there have yet to be any announcements from other municipalities, it’s widely expected that they will follow suit. The tax is imposed on a sliding scale: the more luxurious the accommodation the higher the rate of tax that is applied.
Where to Stay in Italy in 2025?
If your primary purpose when visiting Italy in 2025 is the Jubilee, then it makes sense to spend at least some of your time in Rome. However, as we have said, it will be busy and therefore prices will be high. Using a comparison site such as Trip.com is a great way to compare prices and different types of accommodation.
If your trip is less jubilee-centric, then opting for a self-catering villa or apartment in Italy is always a great option. Click here to browse our stunning collection of villas and apartments. Or, contact us at Bookings For You for help to find your perfect place for an Italian escape in 2025.