Travel Tips and Cultural Differences:

• Pack lightly! Bring versatile clothing and shoes. Pack with room to spare so you can buy souvenirs once you get to your destination. Most likely, you will regret overpacking more than underpacking. It will also be easier to handle your luggage when getting on and off buses, trains, and airplanes. 

• Be aware of your surroundings! It is much safer to be aware of your surroundings at all times. You may also stumble upon a place that you want to explore.

• Do your research! There are so many places to explore no matter where you go. Make sure you have an idea of what you want to do before you go so that you do not waste your time once you get to your destination. 

• On a similar note, try to buy tickets and passes well in advance. Often, cathedrals and museums will have a limited number of people allowed in during the day so make sure to have your ticket purchased ahead of time so you don't miss out.

• Budget ahead of time and reassess! Make sure that you have enough money budgeted for your trip (and the estimated conversion) and have some to spare in case of emergencies or a last-minute souvenir decision. 

• Cathedrals almost always require that shoulders and midriffs are covered. Make sure to dress appropriately or have something to throw over your shoulders. 

• Try to learn the basics of the language. Even if most people speak or have signs in English, it can be helpful to know the basics so you can fend for yourself without translating everything.

• Try to learn the basics of the metric system as well. 

• Almost every place you shop will have tap card readers, so having a card that has that feature can be really helpful. 

• What you see as the price is what you will pay. Every store has tax included with the price so the price will not go up when you get to the register. 

• Bathrooms are not free unless you are a paying customer in restaurants. There are public restrooms but they usually have a small fee to cover the cost of using the facilities. 

• If you are walking around a city and get thirsty, look for a Supermercato or a local grocery store for a drink instead of any tourist booths. Those stores are much cheaper than paying for an individual drink at a booth. 

• Try to download maps of areas while you are on Wi-Fi before you go places. You will usually have signal when you go places, but it can be a bit spotty so be prepared. In general, Google Maps is much more accurate than Apple maps in Europe. 

• Similar to the Spanish siesta, Italians practice a riposo. Many shops and restaurants will close briefly every day from 1-4 PM. 

• Dinner is very slow and typically does not start being served until 8 PM. Any dinner service before 8 PM is for tourists. You will almost always be served bread with oil/vinegar to start a meal.

• You will have to specify if you want flat/still (acqua naturale) or sparkling water (acqua frizzante).

• Do not ask for coffee/espresso with any kind of milk after lunch time, or expect to be criticized/looked at strangely if you do. After noon stick to espresso or black coffee if you want to dine like the locals do.

• Do not be afraid to try new foods. Italian cuisine is some of the best in the world. Take advantage of it and try new things!

Florence Tourist Locations:

Many places will offer student discounts!

• The Duomo: You will want to look ahead at tickets depending on how long you will be in the area. They go pretty quickly, especially during tourist season.

• Palazzo Vecchio: Touring the palace takes a bit of time, but it is well worth it. Being able to climb the tower provides great views of the whole city. 

• Piazzale Michelangelo: Here, you can see views of the entire city of Florence. Many tourists enjoy watching the sunset so get there early if you want a spot. 

• Mercato Centrale: This is a great spot to get a meal (upstairs) or buy supplies to cook your own food (downstairs). Many booths and vendors are set up inside and will often give samples.

• Ponte Vecchio: This historic bridge is a Florence tourist hot spot. There are people constantly milling about. I would not recommend buying anything here, but it is still so fun to see!

• Uffizi Gallery: As a student, you should be able to get a discounted ticket to enter. This museum contains many famous paintings including The Birth of Venus. 

• Accademia Gallery: This museum contains the famous Statue of David. You should be able to get a student discount here as well. 

• Pitti Palace: This palace contains many galleries and is a wonderful place to walk around. 

• Basilica di Santa Croce: I passed this church almost every day and finally visited it on my last day in Florence. I would have gone more times if I had known how stunning it was inside. 

• Basilica di Santa Maria Novella: The churches in Florence are some of my favorite places. The artistry in each one is so unique and well-worth spending the time to see them. 

• Basilica di San Lorenzo: Burial place of the Medici family (the family that ruled Florence during the Renaissance).

Helpful Apps and Websites:

• Omio or Trenitalia

Both of these apps are very helpful for navigating the trains system in Italy. Traveling by train is relatively easy as well, once you get the hang of it. 

• GetYourGuide

Be wary of any other "tourist" sites. Usually you should just go to the website of the location you want to go to. But this app is really good for helping to find things to do. It can also provide an easier way to tour a city or get tickets to different museums or places to tour. I used GetYourGuide when exploring Verona, Italy; Berlin, Germany; and Amsterdam, Netherlands. I bought a Verona Card through GetYourGuide. I was able to get into the Verona arena, a bunch of cathedrals, and some museums for free or very cheap! It also included a pass for public transportation, but I opted to walk or take a scooter. I also used GetYourGuide when I was in Berlin and Amsterdam. I was able to get museum tickets and boat tour tickets. It was a very smooth process. They have tons of tour guide options or passes in so many different locations. Very helpful!

• Scooter apps

• Bit

• RideMovi

• Bird

Scooters are a pretty cheap way to get around cities quickly. If I was running late leaving for the train station, I would usually rent one to get there faster. They only cost a few Euros each time. I think I could ride around for 10-20 minutes and it would be less than 10 euros. You can get pretty far, pretty fast. There are usually other scooter/bike rental options depending on what city you visit. 

• Bus2Alps (https://bus2alps.com/)

This is a bus company solely for study abroad students. They have many destination options such as the Amalfi Coast, Barcelona, Croatia, Greece, Interlaken, Munich, Tuscany, Vienna, Switzerland, and much more, depending on the time of year. I went to Split, Croatia with them and it was super smooth. I hopped on the bus around 7-8 pm on a Thursday and we drove through the night to Split. The next morning we checked into our hostel and went ziplining. I was able to spend a couple of days exploring the city. On Sunday, we hopped on the bus and went to Krka National Park. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Overall, it cost a couple hundred euros, and it was totally worth it to be able to explore a new place. All I had to do was show up. I know multiple people who also used Bus2Alps for traveling and they had only good things to say about their experiences with them. 

• Smart Trip

SmartTrip does the exact same thing as Bus2Alps. Some people opted to use Smart Trip instead of Bus2Alps. This is still a valid traveling option. They offer many of the same destinations for a similar price. I personally never used it, but I know other people who did.