Since I will be riding my bicycle through Italy and not able to carry a lot of clothes. I will also be on a budget and may not want to pay to have my clothes laundered. I may need yo stop at what we call in the States a "Laundromat". A place that has self service clothes washers and dryers. What is the name for this places in Italy?

Laundromat = lavanderia and gettone is the word for token.

You may see a sign like this:

Wow pictures and everything thank you! Lavanderia that should be an easy one to say and to remember. Do you always need to purchase gettoni before washing? In the States we usually use U.S. coins but I guess some places use tokens.

I only used the lavanderia once and it was in Perugia and I had to use tokens. It may be possible that there are some where a token is not necessary, especially those with an attendant. The one in Perugia did not have a person present; it was completely self service.

Can be "lavanderia automatica" or "lavanderia a gettone".

Spinnaker,

Try to look for laundromats while near larger cities, because they are very difficult to find in smaller cities, and in some places, don't exist at all.

You can also find laundromats in University towns, but definitely not in most smallest cities.

quote:

Originally posted by Giulia da Urbino:
You can also find laundromats in University towns, but definitely not in most smallest cities.

Thanks for that information. I was going to ask about small towns but did not want to sound stupid.

So I guess we should visit one when we see one and not try to wait till the last minute.

This site:laundromat locations has a list of the laundromats run by one of the larger chains, ondablu.....they are few and far between compared to the US. My Italian friends simply could not concieve of the fact that everyone does not have a washer in their house/apartment. And when visiting here, they found the idea of sharing a machine with strangers kind of gross- they thought maybe they should run a cycle empty to "clean" it!!!

Spinnaker, I can't remember how far south you're going, but one of the things we've found, while trying (unsuccessfully) to locate a laundromat in the medium-sized town of Ostuni (Puglia) is that they're more of a northern phenomenon. Kate's ondablu map shows just one in Puglia, and none at all in Calabria or Basilicata.

Laundromats stopped at Eboli...

Jonathan

We are not sure how far South we are going. One plan is to try and make Rome and perhaps even Sicily if we really spun those pedals, then take a train back to Milan.

Another plan to to go South (actually SW I guess) for a way then head over to the Adriatic coast, up toward Venice and back to Milan.

Thanks for the tip on laundromats not being South.

I understand that some B&Bs and hostels will let you toss your laundry in with theirs free of charge. As long as they are washing that night.

Funny story on washing the washing machine. How do they feel about public restrooms?

quote:

Laundromats stopped at Eboli...

Too, too funny Jonathan.


M

Jonathan! LOL
Spinnaker, think hard when packing because this is a reality. You may almost always have to wash by hand. I live in a city of 45,000 and there is and never has been no laundromat. The closest one is in Perugia, 30 minutes by car.