Overview
Italy is one of the UK's best-loved destinations and among the easiest to reach, with frequent flights from airports across Britain. Whether you want a weekend in Rome, a Tuscan road trip, the lakes or a beach in Sicily, plenty of carriers compete on these routes, so cheap flights to Italy are realistic year-round – use the price charts on this page to track fares.
Best time to fly to Italy
Spring (April to June) and early autumn (September and October) are the sweet spot: warm sightseeing weather, smaller crowds and generally softer airfares. July and August are hot and busy, and many businesses close around mid-August. Winter is quiet in the cities and peak season for skiing in the Alps and Dolomites. The When to book chart above shows how prices shift across the year, which helps you decide when to fly.
Main gateway cities & airports
Most UK travellers arrive into Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Bergamo or Linate, Venice Marco Polo, Naples, Bologna or Pisa. Regional airports including Catania and Palermo (Sicily), Bari (Puglia), Cagliari and Olbia (Sardinia), Verona and Turin also see UK flights year-round or seasonally.
Airlines and routes
Direct flights to Italy are operated by British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, Wizz Air, ITA Airways and Vueling. London airports offer the widest choice, with direct services also from Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol and Newcastle. Reckon on about two and a half hours from London and just under three hours from Manchester. Smaller towns and the islands may need a connection via an Italian hub or another European city.
Popular places to visit in Italy
- Rome: the Colosseum, the Vatican and Trastevere trattorias in one walkable capital.
- Florence & Tuscany: Renaissance art, hill towns and vineyard lunches near Pisa or Florence airports.
- Venice: canals and quiet backstreets, best enjoyed early or out of season.
- Amalfi Coast: cliffside villages, lemon groves and boat trips, usually reached via Naples.
- Lake Como: elegant lakeside towns and mountain views, a short hop from Milan.
Top tips for finding cheap flights to Italy
- Stay flexible by a day or two and use the price charts on this page to find the cheapest departures.
- Compare nearby airports at both ends – Bergamo instead of Malpensa, or Stansted rather than Heathrow, can lower the fare.
- Travel in shoulder season (May, June, September) for better prices and weather than the peak summer.
- Book city breaks a month or two ahead; last-minute fares to Italy rarely drop.
Travel essentials
UK passport holders do not need a visa for trips to Italy of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and be valid for at least three months after the day you leave the Schengen area; a new EU entry system and an ETIAS travel authorisation are expected to be phased in, so check GOV.UK before you travel. The currency is the euro. For the best value, book a few weeks to a couple of months ahead and use the When to book chart above to time your purchase.
