Compare Travel Insurance for Italy
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Key things to know about travel insurance for Italy
- Gaps in GHIC/EHIC: While these cards cover basic state healthcare, travel insurance is vital for Italy to cover medical treatment, lost belongings, and emergency repatriation. The costs of this start from £14,0001.
- Activity-Specific Add-ons: Standard policies often exclude "high-risk" activities; you will likely need specialised add-ons for skiing in the Dolomites, high-altitude hiking (above 2,500m), or certain types of water sports off the Amalfi Coast.
- Cruise Protection: If your Italian trip is part of a cruise, you need a cruise-specific policy to cover unique risks like cabin confinement due to illness or missed port stops caused by weather.
- Importance of Disclosure: To ensure your policy remains valid, you must declare all pre-existing medical conditions and avoid claims involving alcohol, negligence, or travel against FCDO advice.
Italy travel insurance at a glance
Having travel insurance for your trip to Italy can help protect you from:
- Needing to pay thousands of pounds in medical costs in an emergency
- Paying to replace lost or stolen items
- Losing your money if you have to cancel your trip
It’s important to find the right travel insurance policy for your holiday, as travel insurance can vary depending on who you are and what type of trip you’re planning.
PayingTooMuch can help you compare options that are tailored to your circumstances.
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Do I need travel insurance for Italy?
While it is not a legal requirement to have travel insurance to enter Italy, it is strongly recommended by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
It can be helpful to have a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) /EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), but neither of these cards covers everything. Most notably, they don’t cover:
- Medical repatriation
- Cancellation
- Lost or stolen items
The cards only cover you for emergency public healthcare at the same cost as a local. For example, in Italy they have the ‘Servizio Sanitario Nazionale’, which translates to 'National Health Service' in English. So for the most part, you won’t have to pay for basic emergency care in Italy if you have either card.
What does Italy travel insurance cover?
Most standard policies that can be used for a trip to Italy cover:
Emergency medical treatment | Covers the cost of your hospital stays, doctor fees, and prescriptions if you fall ill or have an accident. |
Medical repatriation | Helps to cover the significant costs of flying you back to the UK under medical supervision if you are too unwell to fly on a commercial plane. The costs for this can start from £14,0002. |
Trip Cancellation | Reimburses you for any non-refundable costs for flights, hotels, and pre-booked excursions if you have to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances, like illness or bereavement. |
Lost or stolen belongings | You can be compensated if you lose your items or have them stolen. In tourist hotspots such as Rome and Milan, the risk of theft and pickpocketing can be higher, so this can help put your mind at ease. |
Travel disruption | If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you can receive money to cover the cost of food and alternative accommodation if your airline doesn’t cover this for you. |
What isn't covered by travel insurance for Italy?
Standard travel insurance policies won’t cover everything; some notable exceptions include the following:
Undeclared pre-existing conditions | It’s important that you declare any pre-existing conditions you have during the medical screening process. If you don't, you’re very likely to have any claims rejected and have your policy invalidated. |
Alcohol- or drug-related incidents | If you get ill or have an accident while you are intoxicated from alcohol or illegal drug consumption, you won’t be able to make a claim. |
High-Risk Activities | Many standard policies often exclude "extreme" sports like skiing in the Dolomites or scuba diving in the Portofino Marine Reserve unless you have added specific "adventure" or "winter sports" cover. Make sure you read through your documents to make sure you’re covered for any activities you plan on doing while you’re on holiday. |
Natural Disasters | Italy can suffer from earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding and landslides. Some standard policies do cover natural disasters, but it’s important you check your policy documents. If it doesn't, you will have to get a specific ‘natural disaster’ add-on. It’s important to remember that if the natural disaster was public knowledge before you bought your policy, it will be invalid. |
Travelling Against FCDO Advice | If the UK government advises against travel to Rome and you go anyway, your policy will likely be void. |
Negligence | If you leave your belongings unattended and they’re stolen, your claim will likely be rejected, as your insurer could say you didn’t take due care and attention. |
Travel insurance for activities in Italy
There are a number of activities that may need specific add-ons, including:
- Winter sports – If you’re planning to go skiing/snowboarding in Piedmont or the Aosta Valley, you'll need either a ‘winter sports’ or skiing/snowboarding add-on to make sure you’re covered for any accidents on the slopes.
- Water sports – You may need this add-on if you want to go windsurfing or jet skiing off the Amalfi Coast or Sardinia if your policy documents don’t state inclusion or exclusion specifically.
- Cycling – Most standard policies will cover ‘low intensity’ cycling, such as riding around a village, etc. But for more ‘high intensity’ or 'serious’ cycling, you may need an activity-specific add-on.
- High-Altitude Hiking – Standard policies often have an altitude limit (commonly 2,500m or 3,000m). If you are trekking higher peaks, you will need to check what your policy covers.
Cruise cover for Italy
If you’re visiting Italy on a cruise ship, you’ll need to have cruise travel insurance cover, as it protects from cruise-specific risks such as:
- Cabin Confinement – If the ship's medical officer orders you to stay in your cabin due to illness (like norovirus), this pays out for the parts of the trip that you miss.
- Missed Port Stops – If bad weather prevents the ship from docking at a scheduled destination, you can receive a fixed payment for each cancelled stop.
If you have a single-trip policy, it’s important to check that your policy covers every country your cruise stops in. Even if you don’t plan to disembark at a particular stop, you still need cover for that territory's medical and legal systems in case there is an emergency.
Travel insurance for Italy with medical conditions
Pre-existing medical conditions don’t have to stop you from enjoying an Italian adventure.
As long as you disclose all of your conditions during your medical screening, you can still get comprehensive travel insurance that can cover you if your condition flares up while you’re abroad. In a lot of cases, particularly for conditions that are well managed, the increase in the premium cost can be negligible. If you don’t disclose all of your conditions, by answering the questions we ask honestly, before travelling, you risk invalidating your policy, leaving you to pay any medical fees in full yourself. By using PayingTooMuch, you can easily compare specialist insurers who focus on travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions.
How much is travel insurance for Italy?
The cost of travel insurance for Italy can vary, depending on many factors, including:
- Age – You may find that once you reach the age of 65 your premium costs will jump.
- Your medical history – The fewer medical conditions you have, the more likely it is your premium will be lower. But, if you have any pre-existing conditions, they are likely to increase the cost.
- The length of your trip – The longer you’re in Italy, the higher the chance that you will make a claim. Therefore, the longer your trip, the more likely it is that your premium will be higher.
- Your planned activities – If you don’t plan on doing any high-risk activities, you can save money by not buying any add-ons. But, if you plan on skiing, scuba diving, etc., then your price may increase, as you’ll need those add-ons to cover those activities.