Abruzzo
How to Get Around Abruzzo
Getting Around
Abruzzo Airport, near Pescara, is the region's main air gateway, with a modest schedule of domestic and European flights.
Trains run frequently along the coast on the Adriatic line connecting Pescara to Ancona and Bologna to the north, and Bari to the south; inland service to L'Aquila and the interior is slower and less frequent.
The A24 and A25 highways connect Abruzzo directly to Rome, making a road trip from the capital straightforward.
A car is genuinely necessary to reach the region's hill towns, national parks, and mountain resorts -- public transport in the interior is sparse and not built around visitor schedules.
Verified against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad), September 2026.
Regional connections
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Aquila and Pescasseroli | Bus or car | ~2 hr typical, not a timetable | Better as a separate stay than a day trip. |
| L'Aquila and Sulmona | Bus or car | ~1 hr typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. L'Aquila is a workable base for Sulmona. |
| Sulmona and Pescasseroli | Bus or car | ~1 hr 15 min typical, not a timetable | Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. Sulmona is a workable base for Pescasseroli. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.
Leaving the region
Tickets, and the fine most visitors do not see coming
A ticket bought from a kiosk or machine must be validated on public transport before you start your journey. Officials patrol and will issue an on-the-spot fine if yours is not validated — buying it is only half the transaction. Some buses and trams take contactless payment on board instead, which sidesteps the problem entirely.
Roads and identification
Under Italian law the police can stop you at any time for an identity check or to establish when you entered the country, so carry photo ID at all times; if you are stopped while driving they will normally want your full passport. Theft from parked cars is common across Italy, so leave nothing in the vehicle, boot included. This is a mountain region — the Gran Sasso, the Maiella and three national parks — and journey times follow the terrain rather than the map.
If something goes wrong
If your passport is stolen you cannot use a police report to leave Italy; you need a replacement or an emergency travel document. For state healthcare, UK visitors need a GHIC or EHIC. Altitude sickness is a real risk in the Italian mountains, which in Abruzzo means the Gran Sasso massif and the high Apennine passes.
Two legal points that catch tourists elsewhere in Italy and apply here too: it is an offence to enter or bathe in public fountains in many towns and cities, and urinating in a public place can bring a fine of up to 10,000 euros.