80 Basic Italian Phrases for Travel

Learn Basic Italian phrases before your next trip to Italy

Ciao! I'm Amedea, the owner of Learn Italian Manchester . I am an Italian teacher with over 15 years of experience teaching Italian to students from literally everywhere around the world. Firstly, these 80 basic Italian phrases for travel will be your linguistic passport to authentic Italian experiences. Secondly, there's nothing quite like the magic that happens when you can connect with locals in their native language whilst exploring the enchanting streets of Rome, savouring authentic gelato in Florence, or navigating the romantic canals of Venice. 

Whether you're planning your first Italian getaway or returning for another dose of la dolce vita, these 80 essential phrases will transform your travel experience from tourist to temporary local. These carefully selected expressions will help you navigate airports, order delicious meals, ask for directions, handle emergencies, and most importantly, create genuine connections with the wonderfully warm Italian people you'll meet along the way.

Essential Greetings and Politeness

Hello - Ciao - chah-oh
Good morning - Buongiorno - bwohn-jor-noh
Good evening - Buonasera - bwoh-nah-seh-rah
Good night - Buonanotte - bwoh-nah-not-teh
Please - Per favore - per fah-voh-reh
Thank you - Grazie - grah-tsee-eh
Thank you very much - Grazie mille - grah-tsee-eh meel-leh
You're welcome - Prego - preh-goh
Excuse me - Scusi - skoo-zee
I'm sorry - Mi dispiace - mee dees-pee-ah-cheh

Basic Communication

Do you speak English? - Parla inglese? - par-lah een-gleh-zeh
I don't speak Italian well - Non parlo bene l'italiano - nohn par-loh beh-neh lee-tah-lee-ah-noh
I don't understand - Non capisco - nohn kah-pees-koh
Could you repeat that? - Può ripetere? - pwoh ree-peh-teh-reh
Could you speak more slowly? - Può parlare più lentamente? - pwoh par-lah-reh pee-oo len-tah-men-teh
What does this mean? - Cosa significa questo? - koh-sah see-gnee-fee-kah kweh-stoh
How do you say this in Italian? - Come si dice questo in italiano? - koh-meh see dee-cheh kweh-stoh een ee-tah-lee-ah-noh
I'm learning Italian - Sto imparando l'italiano - stoh eem-pah-ran-doh lee-tah-lee-ah-noh

Getting Around and Directions

Where is...? - Dove si trova...? - doh-veh see troh-vah
How do I get to...? - Come arrivo a...? - koh-meh ar-ree-voh ah
Is it far? - È lontano? - eh lon-tah-noh
Is it near? - È vicino? - eh vee-chee-noh
Turn left - Giri a sinistra - jee-ree ah see-nee-strah
Turn right - Giri a destra - jee-ree ah deh-strah
Go straight - Vada dritto - vah-dah dreet-toh
The train station - La stazione dei treni - lah stah-tsee-oh-neh day treh-nee
The airport - L'aeroporto - lah-eh-roh-por-toh
The bus stop - La fermata dell'autobus - lah fer-mah-tah del-lah-oo-toh-boos
A taxi - Un taxi - oon taxi
The metro - La metropolitana - lah meh-troh-poh-lee-tah-nah

At the Hotel

I have a reservation - Ho una prenotazione - oh oo-nah preh-noh-tah-tsee-oh-neh
I would like a room - Vorrei una camera - vor-ray oo-nah kah-meh-rah
For one night - Per una notte - per oo-nah not-teh
For two nights - Per due notti - per doo-eh not-tee
With bathroom - Con bagno - kohn bah-nyoh
What time is breakfast? - A che ora è la colazione? - ah keh oh-rah eh lah koh-lah-tsee-oh-neh
What time is check-out? - A che ora è il check-out? - ah keh oh-rah eh eel check-out
Could I have the key? - Potrei avere la chiave? - poh-tray ah-veh-reh lah kee-ah-veh
The room number - Il numero della camera - eel noo-meh-roh del-lah kah-meh-rah

Dining and Food

I'm hungry - Ho fame - oh fah-meh
I'm thirsty - Ho sete - oh seh-teh
A table for two - Un tavolo per due - oon tah-voh-loh per doo-eh
The menu, please - Il menu, per favore - eel meh-noo per fah-voh-reh
What do you recommend? - Cosa mi consiglia? - koh-sah mee kohn-see-lyah
I would like... - Vorrei... - vor-ray
The bill, please - Il conto, per favore - eel kohn-toh per fah-voh-reh
Is service included? - È incluso il servizio? - eh een-kloo-zoh eel ser-vee-tsee-oh
Water - Acqua - ah-kwah
Wine - Vino - vee-noh
Beer - Birra - beer-rah
Coffee - Caffè - kaf-feh
Delicious - Delizioso - deh-lee-tsee-oh-zoh

Shopping

How much does this cost? - Quanto costa questo? - kwan-toh koh-stah kweh-stoh
Too expensive - Troppo caro - trohp-poh kah-roh
Do you have anything cheaper? - Ha qualcosa di meno caro? - ah kwal-koh-sah dee meh-noh kah-roh
I'm just looking - Sto solo guardando - stoh soh-loh gwar-dan-doh
I'll take it - Lo prendo - loh pren-doh
Do you accept credit cards? - Accettate carte di credito? - ah-chet-tah-teh kar-teh dee kreh-dee-toh
Could I have a bag? - Potrei avere una borsa? - poh-tray ah-veh-reh oo-nah bor-sah
The size - La taglia - lah tah-lyah
Small - Piccolo - peek-koh-loh
Large - Grande - gran-deh

Numbers and Time

What time is it? - Che ore sono? - keh oh-reh soh-noh
One - Uno - oo-noh
Two - Due - doo-eh
Three - Tre - treh
Four - Quattro - kwat-troh
Five - Cinque - cheen-kweh
Ten - Dieci - dee-eh-chee
Twenty - Venti - ven-tee
One hundred - Cento - chen-toh
Today - Oggi - oh-jee
Tomorrow - Domani - doh-mah-nee
Yesterday - Ieri - ee-eh-ree

Emergencies and Important Situations

Help! - Aiuto! - ah-yoo-toh
Call the police - Chiami la polizia - kee-ah-mee lah poh-lee-tsee-ah
I need a doctor - Ho bisogno di un medico - oh bee-zoh-nyoh dee oon meh-dee-koh
I'm lost - Mi sono perso/persa - mee soh-noh per-soh/per-sah
Where is the hospital? - Dove si trova l'ospedale? - doh-veh see troh-vah loh-speh-dah-leh
I don't feel well - Non mi sento bene - nohn mee sen-toh beh-neh
Where is the pharmacy? - Dove si trova la farmacia? - doh-veh see troh-vah lah far-mah-chee-ah

Final Useful Expressions

Fantastic - Fantastico - fan-tah-stee-koh
Beautiful - Bello - bel-loh
I love Italy - Amo l'Italia - ah-moh lee-tah-lee-ah
Have a good trip - Buon viaggio - bwohn vee-ah-joh
See you later - A dopo - ah doh-poh
Goodbye - Arrivederci - ar-ree-veh-der-chee

Mastering these phrases will open doors to authentic Italian experiences that most tourists never discover. You'll find yourself chatting with market vendors about the best seasonal produce, getting insider recommendations from local baristas, and navigating Italy with the confidence of someone who truly appreciates the culture and language.

Moreover Italians absolutely adore when visitors make an effort to speak their beautiful language, even imperfectly. Your attempts will be met with warm smiles, patient corrections, and often animated conversations that could lead to lifelong friendships or unforgettable local experiences.

Ready to transform your Italian holiday from ordinary to extraordinary? Don't let language barriers hold you back from experiencing the real Italy. My comprehensive "Italian for Holidays" course is specifically designed for travellers like you who want to connect authentically with Italian culture. Available on your mobile phone and tablet for under £100, this course will have you speaking confidently before you even board your plane to Italy.

Start your Italian journey today and unlock the true magic of Italy!

Your future self will thank you when you're effortlessly ordering that perfect cappuccino in a hidden Roman cafe or getting directions to a secret viewpoint from a friendly Venetian local.

Andiamo - let's go make your Italian dreams a reality!

If you liked this Italian grammar lesson you will enjoy this one: Italian Pronunciation Guide for Beginners