1. Use an Online Doctor Service in Italy
2. Google a Private Doctor Nearby
3. Use Public Tourist Medical Service if Available
4. Ask Your Hotel Concierge or Airbnb Host
5. Join Expat Groups on Social Media
6. Visit a Walk-in Clinic or Urgent Care Center
7. Go to an Emergency Room for Severe Issues
How to see a doctor in Italy as a tourist ? When you’re on vacation or working seasonally in a tourist area in Italy, it’s not uncommon to feel unwell—maybe a sore throat, sunburn, urinary tract infection, or a minor injury. But what do you do if you’re far from your family doctor?
Can tourists get healthcare in Italy?
Yes, tourists can obtain healthcare in Italy. For severe or life-threatening issues, the Emergency Room (Pronto Soccorso) is essential.
For minor illnesses, telemedicine options are often preferable due to their convenience, affordability, and rapid availability.
What to do if you get sick while traveling in Italy?
Don’t worry—Italy has a solid healthcare system with plenty of options for tourists and travelers.
How to see a doctor in Italy as a tourist if you’re from the EU? You can use your EHIC or GHIC card to access public healthcare. It works well for serious issues or specialist care, but for something minor—like a UTI or a stomach bug—it can be slow and a bit of a hassle.
That’s where Doctorsa comes in. It’s built for travelers, offering fast, affordable online visits (starting at just €20) with English-speaking doctors. Whether you need a quick prescription, help with a sore throat, or treatment for a UTI, you can get it sorted in minutes.
In some touristy locations, there are public clinics available for visitors. They’re run by the government and can help with basic care and first aid. They’re usually cheap, but expect longer waits, potential language barriers, and some paperwork.
Online Doctors in Italy
Not sure how to see a doctor in Italy as a tourist? Here’s the smart way: online urgent care services like Doctorsa.
No searching for clinics, no language barriers, no wasted time. Just fast, convenient care from wherever you are—your hotel, Airbnb, or even the beach.
Some good reasons to go for it:
✅ Always Available
Services like Doctorsa are 24/7, including weekends and holidays. Perfect for sudden illnesses or late-night concerns—no need to wait for local clinic hours.
✅ Convenience
Get care from your phone or laptop without leaving your accommodation. No travel, no waiting rooms—just quick access to a doctor.
✅ Prescriptions
Receive electronic prescriptions by email after your consult. Head to any nearby pharmacy and show the e-prescription—no paperwork or delays.
✅ Cost
Online consults are much cheaper than many in-person visits in Italy. For example a video visit with a doctor in Italy cost as little as $20 USD with Doctorsa. Transparent pricing, no surprise bills.
✅ No Language Barrier
Speak with a doctor in English (or other languages). No need to explain symptoms in Italian or worry about misunderstandings.
✅ Free Follow-Up
Some platforms, like Doctorsa, offer 7 days of free follow-up via chat. If anything changes, you can check in again—at no extra cost.
What can be treated online
- Prescriptions when your medication is lost or runs out.
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Respiratory Infections (colds, sinus infections, mild asthma)
- Strep Throat and Tonsillitis
- Allergies and Hay Fever
- Skin Conditions (rashes, eczema, acne)
- Gastrointestinal Issues (diarrhea, nausea, acid reflux)
- Eye Infections (conjunctivitis or stye)
- Headaches and Migraines
- Minor Injuries (sprains, strains)
- Sexual Health Concerns (Chlamydia treatment, birth control)
- View the complete list of conditions treatable online.
How to Find a Doctor Near Me in Italy with Google Search
Search terms like “doctor Italy,” “private doctor near me,” “doctor appointment near me,” or “family doctor near me.“
- Click on the “Maps” tab to see nearby options, reviews, and distances.
- Filter by ratings or opening hours to find the most convenient doctor.
- Check clinic websites for detailed information and appointment booking.
- Contact clinics directly to confirm availability and necessary documents for the doctor appointment.
You can, instead, be more specific and use these keywords: “English-speaking doctor in Italy” or “English family doctor near me”.
You can also use Google maps and look for clinics near your accommodation – This also offers a list of customer reviews and contact details.
Public Tourist Clinics: Limited Locations and Availability
The Tourist Medical Guard is a public daytime healthcare service offered in popular tourist destinations across Italy.
Public services are subsidized by the local government (Regioni). They’re usually more affordable, but wait times tend to be longer.
It provides basic medical care to non-residents (people not officially living in the area), similar to what a general practitioner (GP) would offer.
This service is not always active—it’s up to each Italian region to decide when and where to activate it, usually during peak tourist seasons like summer or winter holidays in mountain resorts.
For non-emergency health concerns that require in-person care—but not a trip to the ER—the Tourist Medical Guard has you covered.
For example they can assist you with:
- General medical visits
- Minor injuries: sprains, strains, small cuts requiring stitches, minor burns
- Flu symptoms
-
Insect bites
Access rules vary: some clinics require a phone call to book a doctor appointment, others allow walk-ins.
A more recent option is the European number for non-urgent medical assistance 116117, which offers 24/7 assistance from a healthcare professional in English. While it’s designed for non-urgent medical issues, they can also connect you to emergency services for life-threatening situations or to the Tourist Medical Guard, when available.
Hotel Concierge or Airbnb Host Recommendations
Your hotel concierge or Airbnb host might have a list of doctors who treat foreigners and can often help you book a doctor appointment nearby.
They may even call the clinic for you to help arrange a doctor appointment.
However, this option isn’t always ideal. These medical visits (“house calls”) are sometimes influenced by referral kickbacks, which can lead to inflated consultation fees—and in some cases, even unnecessary and costly hospitalizations.
👉 👉 To avoid unexpected expenses, always ask for the full price upfront, and check whether it includes a prescription if needed. If you’re advised to go to the hospital, and it’s not a clear emergency, it’s wise to ask for a second opinion before proceeding.
Alternatively, you can use Doctorsa, which offers affordable medical care online, and in-person medical visits in Rome, Milan, Florence and Bologna.
Prices on Doctorsa are clearly listed before you book, so there are no hidden fees or surprise charges—making it easier to stay in control of your healthcare costs while traveling.
Advice from Expat Groups in Italy
Social media platforms like Facebook, Reddit, Quora and Tripadvisor have vibrant expat communities.
You can reach out to expat communities to ask for gp doctor recommendations.
Pros:
Members often share personal experiences and can suggest gp doctors who are familiar with the needs of foreigners.
Cons:
Keep in mind that these recommendations may not be ideal for short-term visitors. Expats are usually focused on long-term care and have access to public healthcare as residents, which travelers don’t.
Plus, be cautious—some services may promote themselves in these groups while pretending to be regular users.
Some accounts are clearly used for promotional purposes, possibly by multiple individuals. The tone and writing style vary across posts, suggesting it’s managed by more than one person—likely affiliated with the service being promoted.
Urgent Care in Italy: How Does It Work?
Walk-in clinics—places where you can see a doctor without an appointment—are uncommon in Italy. Most outpatient clinics (known as ambulatori) operate by appointment only. While you might try walking in to check for last-minute availability, they’re typically fully booked, so seeing a doctor spontaneously isn’t easy.
Instead, private hospitals (cliniche private) often have doctors on-duty 24/7 and provide services like X-rays and other diagnostic tests. If you require immediate, in-person medical assistance, these facilities are usually a better option. However, private hospitals can be expensive, making health insurance highly recommended.
These clinics:
- Do not require appointments; you can walk in directly.
- Provide treatment for minor injuries, infections, and common illnesses but are also available for advanced diagnostics.
- Are open during evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- Can be very expensive and having health insurance is recommended
Cost of seeing a doctor in Italy as a tourist
In the past, if you got sick while traveling, your options weren’t great—either spend hours waiting at the ER or pay a hotel doctor a small fortune, sometimes hundreds of euros, for something as simple as an antibiotic.
Now, more and more travelers know the ER should be reserved for life-threatening issues. For minor urgencies that don’t require an in-person visit, online urgent care services offer a much faster and more affordable alternative.
Is medical care free in Italy for tourists?
No, medical care is typically not free for tourists in Italy. Depending on the type of service and the region you’re visiting, you may be required to pay a fee.
How much does it cost to see a doctor in Italy as a tourist?
The cost of seeing a doctor in Italy can be as low as €20 for an online consultation with Doctorsa, one of the cheapest options, to up to 250€ or more for seeing an academic clinician.
The price you pay can change drastically—up to 500%—depending on the city, or even the neighborhood— meaning shopping around can really pay off.
Even in expensive cities like Milan or Rome, there are still affordable private clinics if you know where to look.
Booking an online consultation is a fast, efficient, and affordable solution for minor illnesses, antibiotic prescriptions, or referrals to specialists.
If you decide to visit the ER (not recommended for minor illnesses!), emergency rooms classify cases by urgency: minor illnesses receive a “code-5”, a non-urgent code, which involves paying a fee.
Though the fee itself is generally low, the real cost is the extensive waiting time—often several hours. A more efficient alternative is to use video consultations, which can connect you with a doctor within minutes. When appropriate, you can promptly receive a prescription usable at nearby pharmacies, of which Italy has plenty, easily found and typically open.
| Code | Color | Name | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red | Emergency | Interruption or compromise of one or more vital functions |
| 2 | Orange | Urgency | Vital functions at risk, evolving risk, or severe pain |
| 3 | Cyan | Deferable Urgency | Stable condition with suffering, requires complex care |
| 4 | Green | Minor Urgency | Stable condition, requires single-specialty care |
| 5 | White | Non-Urgent | Non-urgent issue or of minimal clinical relevance |
Do tourists need health insurance in Italy?
As of 2025, the Italian Embassy won’t issue a visa unless you show proof of health insurance—it’s a legal requirement, and anyone who works in this space will tell you: embassies are strict about it.
That said, there’s one exception worth knowing.
Some countries have special agreements with Italy that let their citizens visit for short stays without needing a visa. These tourists and short-term travelers don’t have to go through the embassy at all—they just show their documents at the border. And while the law technically still requires insurance, in practice, they’re often allowed in without it.
These visa-exempt countries are usually wealthier or have close diplomatic ties with Italy—think Canada, the UAE, Israel, Monaco, the UK, and the US.
Emergency Medical Help in Italy
If you face a severe medical emergency in Italy:
- Dial 112 for an ambulance.
- Provide clear information about your condition and location.
- Emergency medical treatment is provided to everyone, but having travel insurance is highly recommended for coverage of further care.
How to get antibiotics while traveling?
Obtaining antibiotics while traveling in Italy requires a doctor’s prescription. Pharmacies cannot dispense antibiotics without a prescription from a licensed healthcare professional. Fortunately, consultations (even online) are accessible, allowing you to quickly receive prescriptions.
In summary, what to do if you get ill on holiday?
- Use online doctor services like Doctorsa for minor illnesses and prescriptions. It’s fast, affordable, and avoids the hassle of navigating the local system.
- Visit a public tourist clinic if available in your area and you need in-person care for a minor issue. Expect lower costs but possible wait times and language barriers.
- Find a private doctor or a walk-in clinic nearby if you don’t mind waiting a few days for an appointment, and don’t mind paying a bit more for convenience.
- Go to the emergency department only for serious or life-threatening conditions. It’s not the right place for minor problems.
Conclusion
Understanding how to navigate the Italian healthcare system is essential for a worry-free trip. Whether you choose online consultations through Doctorsa or local healthcare services, medical assistance is readily available. Stay informed and enjoy your Italian adventure in good health.
