Italy Travel Tips: Receipts and Transportation
Keep Your Receipt - Today as we left the bread shop, we were approached by an official from the finance department who asked us to produce the receipt for what we had just bought. Shops, bars, and restaurants are obligated to give the customer a receipt and the customer is supposed to take it. While I've never seen anyone stopped before, apparently it's being enforced. Receipts in Italy | Italian Bar Receipts
Validate Your Train Ticket - While riding the train recently, we saw some tourists receive a fine of 25 euro each for not validating their train tickets. Before getting on the train, it's necessary to validate your ticket with the time and date stamp by putting it in the machine. Our tickets were scrutinized more carefully than usual as well. How to Read and Validate Train Tickets | Italy Train Travel Tips
Buy a Bus Ticket - A friend of mine who is staying in Florence neglected to buy a bus ticket before boarding the local bus. A conductor checked tickets and she was required to pay a fine for not having one. Local bus tickets can usually be bought in a tabacchi or newstand near the bus stop. When boarding the bus, it's necessary to validate the ticket on the bus. How to Read and Validate Bus Tickets | Tabacchi Definition
Watch Your Driving Speed - Drivers be on the alert for speed traps. We're seeing more of them as well as lower speed limits on some roads.
Comments
Keeping your receipts is not only a good idea to keep you out of trouble…it can also save you money. Receipts that are stamped at customs qualify the owner of those receipts to get back all of the tax money that they spent while in the country, as long as you do not hold Italian citizenship.
-John
www.ItalyVacationHotels.com
This is only true for items costing at least 155 euro that you are bringing back home with you (if you’re a non-EU resident) - not for services, like hotel receipts. Before leaving Italy, you should show the items and have the receipts stamped at customs.