Planning your Italian holiday is not always easy because there are just so many places to choose between and so many companies offering to organise your trip for you. Here are three stages to help you plan your holiday to Italy this year.

1. Decide upon the type of holiday you want

The best place to start is to decide where you want to go. This is arguably the hardest part of all because you are quite simply spoilt for choice. There are so many destinations to enjoy and things to see in Italy that your best bet is to get out a map, check your favourite travel website, buy a guidebook and spend some time researching.

You may want to head to:

• one of the main cities like Rome, Florence, Milan or Venice;
• a region like Tuscany, Abruzzo or Umbria;
• a small area like the Amalfi Coast;
• one of the islands, Sardinia or Sicily;
• a beach resort on either side of the country.

Of course, you could mix and match your holiday as well. Can’t decide between a city break or the countryside? Then do both. Italy is a relatively small country and it is easy to travel from place to place. So you could spend one week in one destination and one week in another on a multi-centre holiday.

2. Work out your budget

Italy is not the cheapest destination in Europe, and you should therefore plan your budget carefully. After all, it is no good going somewhere amazing and then not being able to do anything.

If your budget is tight, you can still have a fantastic time here. Just make sure you find out about the ways to save money in the country. These could include:

• getting tourist passes in the cities to see the sights for less;
• eating out at lunchtime instead of the evenings to take advantage of the cheaper deals;
• staying outside the major cities and travelling into them each day;
• staying on the coast and spending your days swimming in the sea;
• seeking out the free beaches rather than the private ones;
• travelling out of season when everything is a bit cheaper.

3. Find a provider running holidays to your preferred area

Once you know how much you have to spend and where yo want to go, you then need to get there. You could do it all yourself, but sometimes it can be better to use the services of a specialist provider.

For example, if you want to go on a multi-centre trip, a specialist like Bellarome can help out. They can take all the hassle out of planning your trip and find the best transport connections so you can travel with ease, and focus on enjoying your holiday.

Start planning your holiday today

Finding a package for your trip is not difficult, and it just takes a bit of planning on your part. So start looking for the best destination for your trip, plan your budget and then find a provider who will make organising your holiday easy.

Photo by Moyan Brenn on Flickr.