Rail, ferries and private transfers

Car-free holidays in Italy

Italy without the need to drive

Explore on your own terms, with the travel between places properly arranged. We combine well-located hotels, trains, ferries and private transfers so that a hire car is unnecessary.

A car-free holiday can be a week in one place or a longer journey through several. The starting point is choosing bases that work for the way you want to spend your days.

Choose the right bases

Car-free does not have to mean public transport for every journey

Rail is useful between cities, ferries connect islands and lakeside towns, and a private transfer can make the final approach to your hotel much easier. We choose the right option for each part of the route.

A useful hotel location

Being able to walk to restaurants, a waterfront or a station can shape the whole holiday. A scenic hotel outside town may need regular transfers, even in a well-connected destination.

Explore Italian city breaks

Comfortable connections

We consider station access, luggage, ferry departures and the time between services. Arrival and departure transfers can be arranged where they make the day easier.

Read about our planning services

Days out that work

Choose local trains, boats, guides or a private driver for a particular outing. You can reach countryside and archaeological sites without hiring a car for the entire stay.

Explore multi-centre ideas

Tell us how you like to get around

Car-free does not automatically mean step-free or little walking. Share any concerns about hills, bridges, stairs or handling luggage so we can choose suitable hotels and arrangements.

A place worth staying longer

Ischia: an island stay with time to settle in

Castello Aragonese in Ischia at sunset, viewed from the beach with reflections in the sand

Ischia works particularly well when you want variety without changing hotels: thermal bathing, gardens, coastal villages, boat outings and days spent enjoying your hotel.

Combine a few nights in Naples with a longer island stay, or make Ischia the focus of your holiday. We coordinate the mainland arrival, sea crossing and transfer to your hotel, allowing for the season and arrival time.

Choose the location carefully. A harbour village, a hillside resort and a quieter coastal setting offer different daily routines; we explain how you will reach restaurants, beaches and places of interest.

Explore Ischia and our recommended accommodation

San Montano Resort & Spa

An option to consider for a resort-focused Ischia stay. Explore the hotel, then ask ExpertoItaly how its setting and facilities would fit your island plans.

Explore San Montano
Manzi Hotel & Spa Superior Room interior with pastel-blue Moorish arches, parquet floors and private balcony in Casamicciola Terme

Manzi Hotel & Spa

A spa hotel option in Casamicciola Terme. Compare the accommodation and location with the way you would like to explore Ischia.

Explore Manzi

Where it works well

Choose places around the experience you want

Italy’s art cities

Walkable cultural stays, with rail between cities and private transfers where useful.

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Lake Maggiore

Choose a well-connected lakeside base for boats, gardens and outings, with rail useful for arrival.

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Milan & the lakes

Combine a city stay with a carefully selected lakeside town, taking hotel and station access into account.

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Summer view of a traditional alpine village and church tower surrounded by green meadows in Alta Badia, Dolomites

Alta Badia

A summer mountain stay planned around local buses, cable cars and transfers to your accommodation.

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Aeolian islands

Sicily & the Aeolian Islands

Stay in walkable centres and use targeted transfers or guided excursions where public connections are less convenient.

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Cities & the Adriatic

Combine cultural stays with time by the coast, matching rail connections and final transfers to your chosen hotels.

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One destination can contain very different holidays

A car-free stay on Lake Garda, for example, depends on the town and hotel you choose. Ferry frequency, hills and the distance to the station matter; we check the actual route rather than assuming the whole destination works the same way.

Published journeys to adapt

Sample car-free holidays

ischia

City and island

Naples & Ischia

Ten nights pairing Naples’ cultural life with a longer island stay, using sea crossings and transfers.

Explore the journey
Aeolian islands

Sicily and the islands

Palermo, Salina & Taormina

Fourteen nights across a cultural city, an Aeolian island and eastern Sicily, with the connections planned between stays.

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A twin-centre city holiday

Padova & Verona

Seven nights in two cultural cities, linked by rail with time for gardens, architecture and unhurried exploring.

Explore the journey

Culture and Le Marche

Art cities & the Adriatic

A fourteen-night route through Bologna, Ravenna, Ascoli Piceno and Pesaro, combining rail and the onward transport needed for each base.

Explore the journey

When the journey adds to the holiday

Scenic rail, with time on either side

A scenic train can be a rewarding part of a wider holiday. We allow time for the places before and after it, and check reservations, connections and luggage arrangements for your chosen route.

The Bernina route

Understand the panoramic Bernina Express and regional trains, and how the route can connect Switzerland with Lake Como and Milan.

Read the Bernina guide

The Glacier Express

Explore a longer Swiss and Italian journey, with Alpine stays and a separate onward connection towards Italy.

Read the Glacier Express guide

The Vigezzina–Centovalli

Consider a scenic outing from the Lake Maggiore area, allowing time for a selected stop along the route.

Read the railway guide

Practical advice

Before choosing a car-free holiday

Will someone help with our luggage?

We can arrange private transfers for particular stages, but you may still need to handle luggage at stations and on trains or ferries. Tell ExpertoItaly what assistance you need before the route is designed.

Can we stay at a country hotel?

Sometimes. We consider how you will go out for meals and excursions, and what additional transfers would involve. A hotel in town may offer more independence.

Are ferries available all year?

Schedules vary by route and season, and weather can affect sailings. We check the intended crossing and allow sensible time around arrival and departure.

Could we hire a car for just one part?

Yes. A city stay followed by a few days with a car can be a useful compromise. Explore self-drive options if countryside access is important to you.

Explore another approach

Find the way of travelling that suits you

Plan with ExpertoItaly

Plan a holiday without driving

Tell ExpertoItaly what you would like to see, how much walking you enjoy and the pace you prefer. We will bring together suitable places to stay, travel arrangements and worthwhile days out.

Tell us what you have in mind

Personal planning and support from ExpertoItaly · Travel Trust Association member Q8055