The best travel adapters for Italy
Italy is the one European country where a standard Europe adapter can leave you looking at a socket it does not fit. Here is why, and what to pack.
By Michael W. · Last updated October 17, 2026
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For Italy the adapter to pack is a universal one with retractable pins - the Epicka - because it covers the Type C and Type F sockets you will meet most of the time and the Type L sockets you will meet in older buildings. You do not need a voltage converter for a phone, laptop, camera or tablet charger; you do need one for a US hairdryer.
Italy is the awkward one in Europe. Most of the continent settled on Type C (the two round pins) and Type F (the grounded Schuko), and a cheap two-pin Europe adapter handles both. Italy additionally uses Type L, a three-pin in-line plug in 10-amp and 16-amp widths, and plenty of Italian buildings still have sockets where a Schuko plug will not seat. The voltage is 230 V at 50 Hz, the same as the rest of Europe.
Newer Italian sockets take everything
A lot of Italian hotels and renovated apartments now fit bipasso or Schuko-bipasso sockets, which accept Type C, Type L and often Type F in the same hole. That is why a plain Europe adapter works for many travellers and then abruptly does not, in one older apartment with original wiring.
Quick picks
The short list. Tap any row for the full write-up, including what each one is bad at.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Epicka Universal Travel Adapter Retractable pins for the common European and worldwide formats, plus USB ports so one plug charges the phones too. | A first trip to Italy, or an Italy-plus-elsewhere itinerary | $19.99View on Amazon #ad Price as of November 3, 2026. How we’re funded |
| 2 |  European Plug Adapter (Type C, Two-Pack) Small, flat Type C adapters - two of them, so the phone and the laptop charge at the same time. | Phone and laptop chargers in a renovated room | $14.92$18.9921% offView on Amazon #ad Price as of November 3, 2026. How we’re funded |
| 3 |  MOMAX 170W GaN Universal Travel Adapter Worldwide plug and 170 W of charging in one unit, so the laptop brick stays at home. | Travellers with a laptop, a phone and a tablet | $66.49$99.9934% offView on Amazon #ad Price as of November 3, 2026. How we’re funded |
| 4 |  Travel Voltage Converter (Step-Down 230V to 120V) Steps Italian 230 V down to US 120 V - necessary for a hairdryer, pointless for a phone. | A single US appliance with a motor or a heating element | $39.99View on Amazon #ad Price as of November 3, 2026. How we’re funded |
The one that fits whatever socket the building has
Epicka Universal Travel Adapter
The case for a universal adapter in Italy is specifically that you cannot tell from the booking which socket the room has. This one slides out the pin set you need, so a Type C hole, a bipasso hole and a Schuko all get served by the same object - and it carries USB ports, so one wall socket charges a phone, a watch and a power bank at once. If the trip continues to the UK or Switzerland, it covers those too.
The specs that decide it
- Covers: Common European pin formats plus worldwide, via retractable pins
- USB: Multiple USB ports from one socket
- Voltage: Pass-through only - it adapts shape, not 230 V
- Italy note: Works in bipasso and Schuko sockets; check seating in old Type L holes
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It is a chunky object in a wall socket and in an old, slack Italian outlet it can hang heavy and work loose, especially with a laptop brick plugged into it. Universal adapters are also the format most likely to be the weak link rather than your charger.
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The two-dollar answer for a modern hotel
European Plug Adapter (Type C, Two-Pack)
If you are staying in a hotel built or refitted in the last twenty years, a plain Type C adapter is all you need, and buying two is better than buying one good one: you charge the phone and the laptop simultaneously, and losing one in a room costs nothing. They are also physically small, so they sit flush and do not hang out of a worn socket.
The specs that decide it
- Covers: Type C - the two-round-pin European standard
- Quantity: Two, so two devices charge at once
- Size: Small and flush - no sag in a loose socket
- Grounding: None. Two-pin only
Flaws but not dealbreakers
No ground pin, so anything that needs an earth connection should not go through it, and no USB, so you still need your own chargers. In an older Italian building with original Type L sockets only, these may not seat at all.
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The one that replaces every charger you packed
MOMAX 170W GaN Universal Travel Adapter
This is the adapter that is also the charger. 170 W across several USB-C and USB-A ports means the laptop, the phone, the tablet and the camera all run off one Italian socket - which matters in a room with one accessible outlet behind the bed, a very common Italian hotel arrangement. It removes the laptop's own brick from your bag, which usually more than pays for its size.
The specs that decide it
- Covers: Worldwide plug formats, including the European ones Italy uses
- Output: 170 W total - enough for a laptop plus phones
- Replaces: The laptop charger and separate plug adapters
- Voltage: Pass-through. Not a converter
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It is the heaviest and most expensive thing here, and with that much weight in a tired Italian wall socket it can droop and lose contact. Overkill if you travel with a phone and nothing else.
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The one almost nobody should buy
Travel Voltage Converter (Step-Down 230V to 120V)
This is here to be ruled out. Phone, laptop, tablet and camera chargers are nearly all dual voltage and need shape adaptation only. A converter is for the narrow case of a US appliance with a motor or a heating element - a hairdryer, straighteners, a travel kettle - where 230 V would destroy it. If that is your situation, this is the product; if it is not, you are carrying a brick.
The specs that decide it
- Converts: 230 V down to 120 V
- Needed for: US hairdryers, straighteners, kettles - heating elements and motors
- Not needed for: Phone, laptop, tablet and camera chargers
- Check first: The charger's own label - '100-240V' means no converter
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Heavy, bulky, and converters are wattage-limited - a 1,800 W US hairdryer will overwhelm a small travel converter regardless of what the box implies. For hair, a dual-voltage appliance or the hotel's own dryer is almost always the better answer.
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How the Italy adapters compare
| Pick | Socket types | USB built in | Changes voltage | Main flaw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epicka universal | C, F, bipasso, worldwide | Yes | No | Chunky in a loose socket |
| Type C two-pack | C (and bipasso) | No | No | No ground, may not fit old Type L |
| MOMAX 170W GaN | Worldwide | Yes - 170 W | No | Heaviest, can droop |
| Step-down converter | Via its own plug | No | Yes - 230 to 120 V | Almost nobody needs it |
What Italian sockets actually look like
| Type | Description | Where you meet it | Fits a Europe adapter? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type C | Two round pins, no ground | Everywhere, all building ages | Yes |
| Type F | Grounded Schuko, two pins plus side clips | Modern hotels and refits | Yes, if the socket is Schuko-bipasso |
| Type L | Three pins in a line, 10 A and 16 A widths | Older buildings and apartments | Only via a bipasso socket or a Type L adapter |
The practical upshot: in a modern hotel a plain Type C adapter is fine. In a 1950s apartment with original fittings you can meet a narrow three-in-line socket that a Schuko plug will not enter, and that is the scenario a universal adapter with retractable pins exists for.
Adapter or converter: the question that costs people appliances
An adapter changes the shape of the plug. A converter changes the voltage. Italy runs at 230 V and the US at 120 V, so the distinction is not academic.
- Read the small print on the charger or the device label.
- If it says 100-240 V (almost every phone, laptop, tablet and camera charger does), you need an adapter only.
- If it says 110-120 V only, 230 V will damage it and you need a converter or, better, a dual-voltage version of the appliance.
- Anything with a heating element or a motor - hairdryer, straighteners, kettle, electric shaver with a cord - is the category where this bites.
The full version of this distinction is in travel adapter vs voltage converter.
How many adapters to pack
Two, or one plus a multi-port charger. Italian hotel rooms are frequently short on accessible sockets - a historic building has the wiring it has - and a single adapter means charging your phone or your laptop but not both. The efficient configurations are: two cheap Type C adapters, or one universal adapter with USB ports.
- Pack the adapter in your personal item, not the checked bag - you will want it at the first airport, not the hotel.
- A short USB-C cable plus a multi-port plug beats four separate chargers for both weight and socket count.
- A power bank charged before you fly covers the gap on arrival day when you cannot reach a socket. Note that power banks go in the cabin only.
Keeping all of it findable is its own small problem - best electronics organizers for travel covers the pouch side of it.
Frequently asked questions
What plug adapter do I need for Italy?
Do I need a voltage converter in Italy?
Will a European adapter work in Italy?
Read next
- Best travel adapters
- Travel adapter vs voltage converter
- Europe packing list
- Best luggage for Europe
- Best power banks for international travel
- Best electronics organizers for travel
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