· 7 min read
Italian Phrases for Travel: 40 Essentials
By Language Lab editorial team
40 Italian phrases for travel: greetings, the hotel, directions and tickets, restaurants and shops, with meanings. Checked against the BBC's Italian Quick Fix.
For a trip to Italy, learn a few frames and the words that fit them. Vorrei means I'd like and works for food, drinks and tickets. Quanto costa? asks how much something costs. At a hotel, Ho una prenotazione means I've got a reservation, and una camera singola or una camera matrimoniale is a single or a double room. For directions you will hear dritto, straight on, a destra, on the right, and a sinistra, on the left. For the train, ask for un'andata, a single, or un'andata e ritorno, a return. Il conto is the bill. And if you are lost for words, Parla inglese? means do you speak English. The 40 phrases below come from the BBC's Italian Quick Fix lists.
First words
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ciao. | Hello or goodbye |
| Arrivederci. | Goodbye |
| Grazie. | Thank you |
| Sì. | Yes |
| No. | No |
| Mi chiamo ... | My name is ... |
| Parla inglese? | Do you speak English? |
| Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano. | I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian. |
| Ho bisogno di aiuto. | I need help. |
| Come? | Pardon? |
At the hotel
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| un albergo | a hotel |
| Ho una prenotazione | I've got a reservation |
| una camera singola | a single room |
| una camera matrimoniale | a double room |
| con doccia | with a shower |
| con colazione | with breakfast |
| per una notte | for one night |
| la chiave | key |
| Il suo nome? | Your name? |
These combine like building blocks: una camera singola con doccia, per una notte is a single room with a shower, for one night. To ask about paying by card, the BBC gives Possiamo ... pagare con carta di credito? Can we ... pay with a credit card?
Directions and tickets
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dritto | straight on |
| a destra | on the right |
| a sinistra | on the left |
| Vada ... | Go ... |
| Prenda ... | Take ... |
| Attraversi ... | Cross ... |
| vicino | near |
| lontano | far |
| un'andata | single ticket |
| un'andata e ritorno | return ticket |
Vada, Prenda and Attraversi are what you will hear when someone gives you directions: go, take, cross.
Eating and drinking
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vorrei ... | I'd like ... |
| un'acqua | water |
| una birra | beer |
| il vino rosso | red wine |
| il vino bianco | white wine |
| il piatto del giorno | dish of the day |
| il conto | bill |
Shopping
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Desidera? | What would you like? |
| Quanto costa? | How much does it cost? |
| Mi piace ... | I like (it) ... |
| Altro? | Anything else? |
One more for emergencies of the ordinary kind: Dove è il bagno, per favore? Where is the toilet, please?
Three short exchanges
- At reception. You: Ho una prenotazione. Mi chiamo ... I've got a reservation. My name is ... Receptionist: Il suo nome? Your name?
- In a restaurant. You: Vorrei il piatto del giorno. I'd like the dish of the day. Then: Vorrei una birra. I'd like a beer. Later: Il conto, per favore. The bill, please.
- In a shop. Assistant: Desidera? What would you like? You: Quanto costa? How much does it cost? Assistant: Altro? Anything else? You: No, grazie. No, thank you.
How to learn them
- Learn Vorrei and Quanto costa? first. They cover ordering and buying.
- Say every phrase aloud; the BBC lists come with audio to copy.
- Test yourself from English to Italian.
- Spread your practice over a week. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Italian is one of the quicker languages for English speakers: the US State Department lists it at 24 weeks of classes, in its easiest category.
Language Lab's Italian course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, a way to rehearse the hotel, the trattoria and the ticket office out loud.
Frequently asked
What are the most useful Italian phrases for travel?
Vorrei for I'd like, Quanto costa? for how much does it cost, Ho una prenotazione for I've got a reservation, il conto for the bill, and Grazie.
How do I order food in Italian?
Say Vorrei and the dish or drink, for example Vorrei il piatto del giorno, I'd like the dish of the day.
How do I ask for the bill in Italian?
Il conto, per favore.
How do I say I don't speak Italian?
Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano: I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian. Parla inglese? asks do you speak English.
How do I book a room in Italian?
Una camera singola is a single room and una camera matrimoniale is a double room. Add con doccia for with a shower and per una notte for one night.
How do I buy a train ticket in Italian?
Vorrei un'andata for a single ticket, or Vorrei un'andata e ritorno for a return.
Sources: BBC Languages, Italian Quick Fix: basic, accommodation, food and drink, shopping and getting around phrases (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Manarola in the Cinque Terre, seen from the sea, Sjaak Kempe / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
