Trip to Italy
Jul 19th, 2014, 11:46 AM
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Trip to Italy
Hello my name is Caitlyn my boyfriend and I have decided to go to Italy for about a month we were thinking about starting in mid august and leaving in September. Are those good months weather wise? We are visiting all the major cities just because. But we want to see some not so popular tourists places... Any recommendations? We figure 8-10,000 U.s dollars for the 2 of us would be a good budget. Is this realistic budget for that amount of time? Anything will help please and thank you
Jul 19th, 2014, 12:08 PM
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If possible, wait until the summer crowds have thinned out and travel during September.
As for other places to see, think about the Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, the Lakes, etc. Do a bit of research to see what appeals.
Its hard to advise on a budget as you have given us no idea of what you like to do and where you will be going and what style of travel you prefer. Does the $8-10K include airfare?
As for other places to see, think about the Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, the Lakes, etc. Do a bit of research to see what appeals.
Its hard to advise on a budget as you have given us no idea of what you like to do and where you will be going and what style of travel you prefer. Does the $8-10K include airfare?
Jul 19th, 2014, 12:21 PM
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Your budget is fine, if not downright extravagant.
The Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, the Lakes, etc. are not off the beaten track destinations. They are mobbed with non-Italian tourists most of the year, and in particular in September, when American retirees descend on Italy. There is a huge argument on travel message boards as to whether every "newbie" who asks about getting off the beaten track should be steered back to the popular tourist sights, or whether people should seriously help them get off the beaten tourist track. I fall into the camp who thinks that getting off the beaten track in Italy is an extraordinary experience, not just in terms of beauty and art, but also in experiencing a world that has survived against the odds of world wars and globalization.
If you want to see the major cities for a month in August/September, that can be a great idea, because many local people put their air-conditioned apartments on the rental market while they head off for summer vacation. You will find that the famous restaurants are closed, and that the cities are hot, and that the tourist attractions are crowded. So just be prepared to put up with that.
For a month of traveling, you have plenty of time to also get out of the cities, away from the guidebook tourist attractions, and find an Italy few tourists ever see but which is just a joy. But you need to focus on what kind of "off the beaten track experience" means the most to you.
Do you want the sea? Do you want a farm? Do you want a secret art city that tourists unjustly ignore? Do you want to cool temps? Do you want night life, Italian style? Can you think of anything that would mean the most to you --whether it is craft beer or nature hikes or music or hot springs or boat trips or fabulous palaces and art museums or ruins or food, food, food --- ???
Italy truly has everything.
Some things are easier with a car, and some are easier by public transportation. Are you ok with renting a car or not?
The Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, the Lakes, etc. are not off the beaten track destinations. They are mobbed with non-Italian tourists most of the year, and in particular in September, when American retirees descend on Italy. There is a huge argument on travel message boards as to whether every "newbie" who asks about getting off the beaten track should be steered back to the popular tourist sights, or whether people should seriously help them get off the beaten tourist track. I fall into the camp who thinks that getting off the beaten track in Italy is an extraordinary experience, not just in terms of beauty and art, but also in experiencing a world that has survived against the odds of world wars and globalization.
If you want to see the major cities for a month in August/September, that can be a great idea, because many local people put their air-conditioned apartments on the rental market while they head off for summer vacation. You will find that the famous restaurants are closed, and that the cities are hot, and that the tourist attractions are crowded. So just be prepared to put up with that.
For a month of traveling, you have plenty of time to also get out of the cities, away from the guidebook tourist attractions, and find an Italy few tourists ever see but which is just a joy. But you need to focus on what kind of "off the beaten track experience" means the most to you.
Do you want the sea? Do you want a farm? Do you want a secret art city that tourists unjustly ignore? Do you want to cool temps? Do you want night life, Italian style? Can you think of anything that would mean the most to you --whether it is craft beer or nature hikes or music or hot springs or boat trips or fabulous palaces and art museums or ruins or food, food, food --- ???
Italy truly has everything.
Some things are easier with a car, and some are easier by public transportation. Are you ok with renting a car or not?
Jul 19th, 2014, 01:27 PM
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I see the budget as marginal if it includes airfares, especially since it is in $$$. I think 10,000E would be OK excluding airfares, but that is $13,600. I like to budget 400E per day---200E for lodging, 100E for food and drink and 100E for transport and tourism. For 30 days that is 12,000E plus airfare. It can be done for less if you really try.
Jul 19th, 2014, 01:53 PM
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Caitlynn
Yesterday your first post was about you and your friend backpacking around Europe for 2 months. Today 's planis for a trip with boyfriend toItaly for a month during a different time period. Which is it?
Plans evolve but you willget better advice here once you have an itinerary a bit more defined.
Share you interests as requested above for more suggestions.
Yesterday your first post was about you and your friend backpacking around Europe for 2 months. Today 's planis for a trip with boyfriend toItaly for a month during a different time period. Which is it?
Plans evolve but you willget better advice here once you have an itinerary a bit more defined.
Share you interests as requested above for more suggestions.
Jul 19th, 2014, 04:01 PM
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My husband and I did 18 days in Italy for just under $6000 plus airfare, staying in 3 lovely apartments and one very nice B&B, preparing some of our own meals, and eating out "frugally." We traveled by train and found this convenient and inexpensive. Our itinerary was 3 nights in Bellagio, 4 nights in Venice, 6 nights in Florence (with a day trip to Siena and another to Pisa and Lucca), and 5 nights in Rome (with a day trip to Orvieto). We are "heavy sightseers" and walked an average of 7-8 miles per day (assuming our phone app is correct) and had a marvelous time and saw so many beautiful churches and museums as well as enjoying just walking through the cities and towns. Do LOTS of research to find things that interest you. Good luck!
Jul 19th, 2014, 05:27 PM
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$6K plus airfare from the US will be about $9K - their entire budget. And that is for 18 days - they want a month - which means a trip on a very tight budget (hostels, lots of picnics, super budget train fares and NOT any nightlife - which beyond the student cafes can be very expensive).
I think the OP needs to understand that everything in europe will be more expensive - partly du to the low value of the $ and just since they will be traveling to world class cities/tourist destinations - rather than small towns.
I think the OP needs to understand that everything in europe will be more expensive - partly du to the low value of the $ and just since they will be traveling to world class cities/tourist destinations - rather than small towns.
Jul 19th, 2014, 05:35 PM
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You can do a month in Italy for $8,000 or less (the other $2,000 would be used for airfare). You'll have a very nice trip for that amount.
Start thinking in Euros rather than USD. I know you're saving USD but for pricing it will be easier when you get there if you think in Euros now.
<< But we want to see some not so popular tourists places >>
Even in Rome, a busy, noisy city, there are places where you will see no (or few) tourists. I love Roman churches and I was the only person in many of them. Some of the streets in Trastevere (away from the main square) were empty. There are lots of other areas of Rome you can explore without seeing a tourist.
First you need to decide what you enjoy doing and seeing. Then look for some of the lesser known sights or towns.
Start thinking in Euros rather than USD. I know you're saving USD but for pricing it will be easier when you get there if you think in Euros now.
<< But we want to see some not so popular tourists places >>
Even in Rome, a busy, noisy city, there are places where you will see no (or few) tourists. I love Roman churches and I was the only person in many of them. Some of the streets in Trastevere (away from the main square) were empty. There are lots of other areas of Rome you can explore without seeing a tourist.
First you need to decide what you enjoy doing and seeing. Then look for some of the lesser known sights or towns.
Jul 20th, 2014, 12:48 AM
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>>I think the OP needs to understand that everything in europe will be more expensive - partly du to the low value of the $ and just since they will be traveling to world class cities/tourist destinations - rather than small towns.<<
Really? I live in Europe and travel all around Europe to its major capital and I spend a fraction of what I spend on hotel bills when I travel to NYC. Trains are so expensive in the US that I never even consider taking them. Public transportation -- buses and metros -- are generally cheaper, and the cost of many museums in NYC is shocking compared with the capitals of Europe.
You cannot find in most major American cities beautiful and charming accommodations for the equivalent costs of what you can find in Rome, Florence and Venice, where I routinely spend less than 130e per night traveling as a couple, and I never book anywhere that doesn't have private bath and air con. Most of the time I spend less than 100e. About the only Italian cities where I spend more are Milan and sometimes Bologna or Trento. Verona, Lucca, Napoli, Palermo -- etc etc -- are all as cheap.
Italy is not known for its nightlife anyway, and most of us spend time in its free piazze in the evenings.
I honestly Bobthenavigator's budget is a waste of a lot of money. 200e per day for lodgings is almost absurd. You can look on booking.com and venere.com and see for yourself just how absurd it is. There are hundreds of well reviewed accommodations that are far below 200e per day, not even counting apartments.
Personally, I cannot think of a way to spend 100 euros per day on transport and tourism in Rome or Florence, and I am somebody who takes taxis where other people would walk or take a bus. There are plenty of discount cards for museum entrances and spectacular free sights as well.
From many past posts, I know that the Fodorites offering these budgets are not staying in luxury hotels or eating in the top restaurants in Italy. To put it mildly, you can get what they are getting for far less than what they are spending, without hardly trying (and so could they if they looked around and tried some new things).
Really? I live in Europe and travel all around Europe to its major capital and I spend a fraction of what I spend on hotel bills when I travel to NYC. Trains are so expensive in the US that I never even consider taking them. Public transportation -- buses and metros -- are generally cheaper, and the cost of many museums in NYC is shocking compared with the capitals of Europe.
You cannot find in most major American cities beautiful and charming accommodations for the equivalent costs of what you can find in Rome, Florence and Venice, where I routinely spend less than 130e per night traveling as a couple, and I never book anywhere that doesn't have private bath and air con. Most of the time I spend less than 100e. About the only Italian cities where I spend more are Milan and sometimes Bologna or Trento. Verona, Lucca, Napoli, Palermo -- etc etc -- are all as cheap.
Italy is not known for its nightlife anyway, and most of us spend time in its free piazze in the evenings.
I honestly Bobthenavigator's budget is a waste of a lot of money. 200e per day for lodgings is almost absurd. You can look on booking.com and venere.com and see for yourself just how absurd it is. There are hundreds of well reviewed accommodations that are far below 200e per day, not even counting apartments.
Personally, I cannot think of a way to spend 100 euros per day on transport and tourism in Rome or Florence, and I am somebody who takes taxis where other people would walk or take a bus. There are plenty of discount cards for museum entrances and spectacular free sights as well.
From many past posts, I know that the Fodorites offering these budgets are not staying in luxury hotels or eating in the top restaurants in Italy. To put it mildly, you can get what they are getting for far less than what they are spending, without hardly trying (and so could they if they looked around and tried some new things).
Jul 20th, 2014, 07:38 AM
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Caitlyn - people are still responding to your other threads not knowing that you have made a decision. Perhaps you could post and let them know that you have decided on Italy and put a link to this thread.
Jul 20th, 2014, 10:12 AM
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>>Italy is not known for its nightlife anyway, and most of us spend time in its free piazze in the evenings.<<
If she goes to Milan, it has amazing nightlife! And they can have aperitivi which is much better than the price you can get for a drink and appetizers in the States.
BTW, a friend just got back from a trip to Italy and she had Bolgheri, Livorno, Vieste and San Marino on her itinerary. I don't know if these would be considered off the beaten track, but they don't come up often in itineraries. So if you're looking for something like that, she really loved those places!
If she goes to Milan, it has amazing nightlife! And they can have aperitivi which is much better than the price you can get for a drink and appetizers in the States.
BTW, a friend just got back from a trip to Italy and she had Bolgheri, Livorno, Vieste and San Marino on her itinerary. I don't know if these would be considered off the beaten track, but they don't come up often in itineraries. So if you're looking for something like that, she really loved those places!
Jul 20th, 2014, 10:17 AM
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We are going to a cooking school in Le Marche for the fourth time in 2 years again this August. We love the area and we love that it us off the normal tourist trail for North Americans. We also find it very affordable!
Here is the place http://www.latavolamarche.com/html/
And our pics https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7634528008046/
If you click on my name you can find our trip reports.
Enjoy and congrats!
Here is the place http://www.latavolamarche.com/html/
And our pics https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7634528008046/
If you click on my name you can find our trip reports.
Enjoy and congrats!
Jul 21st, 2014, 10:57 AM
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Yes its my boyfriend and I and we have decided we are traveling to Italy we are willing to just do 3 weeks because 10,000 u.s dollars is our budget. I will starting learning how to do euros instead of u.s dollars. We have started thinking maybe spring time instead of fall. We would like to see Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Florance, Rome, and Naples. Does this sound realistic? if we can we want to squeeze in maybe 1 or 2 more smaller towns. We are willing to couch surf, hostels, maybe a hotel. We love walking, we're fine with a bus as well. We want to see the beaches, the country side, and the nightlife of Italy 
Jul 21st, 2014, 12:35 PM
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You can stay longer than 3 weeks on $10,000. For me that would be a huge budget.
If you want to see all those places plus a beach and smaller towns then stick to your original plan for 4 weeks.
BTW - depending on when in spring you go it may not be beach weather. Cinque Terre is on the water and there are beaches and the Lido in Venice has beaches so you don't have to go far for a beach.
Also check convent lodgings, although they generally have curfews. The book Bed and Blessings lists convents in Italy and Santa Suzanna in Rome is the American Catholic church and they have convent recommendations on their web site.
If you want to see all those places plus a beach and smaller towns then stick to your original plan for 4 weeks.
BTW - depending on when in spring you go it may not be beach weather. Cinque Terre is on the water and there are beaches and the Lido in Venice has beaches so you don't have to go far for a beach.
Also check convent lodgings, although they generally have curfews. The book Bed and Blessings lists convents in Italy and Santa Suzanna in Rome is the American Catholic church and they have convent recommendations on their web site.
Jul 21st, 2014, 02:10 PM
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Caitlynmae21,
I have looked at your other threads as well as this one, and I have to honesty tell you that I think you have not gotten great advice and that you are making decisions and changing your plans based on not very good advice.
First of all, $10,000 is a really more than adequate money for you and your boyfriend to have a comfortable trip for a month. And you don't even need to couch surf. If you couch surf, you can stay for 2 months!
Secondly, I saw in your other thread that people advised you to spend 30 days in just one country in Euroepe rather than travel around. I do think your original plan was too chaotic, but I honestly think that you should consider seeing another country in Europe!
How about 20 days in Italy and 10 in France or Greece? Or Spain? Or 15 and 15?
It is possible to both believe (as I do) that one can never spend too much time in Italy (that's why I live here) and yet at the same time recognize that there is a point to putting some sharp variety into a trip of one month.
You were nice enough not to ask the people giving you the advice to just go to one country if they have ever spent 30 days just traveling in Italy and Italy alone or any one country for 30 days. It is actually harder in some ways to do that than to visit more than one country. You can re-energized by the variety of seeing different cultures and eating different food.
It is no longer necessary in Europe to change money and go through passport controls to travel from one country to another. There are high speed trains and low cost flights. Some people have never tried these things and there advice is based on imagining it would be difficult and make for a shallow experience when in fact, it is quite the eye opener to see the new Europe.
If you and your boyfriend feel much, much better about your decision to simply go to Italy and Italy alone for 3 weeks, knowing that with $10,000 you will be coming home with spare change, then good for you and don't change a thing and take the trip you want.
But if based on advice you got from less than 10 people here you decided that $10,000 wasn't enough for 2 people to go to a couple of countries in Europe for 30 days, that is totally wrong, and if you still want to do that you can and have a very happy trip.
I have looked at your other threads as well as this one, and I have to honesty tell you that I think you have not gotten great advice and that you are making decisions and changing your plans based on not very good advice.
First of all, $10,000 is a really more than adequate money for you and your boyfriend to have a comfortable trip for a month. And you don't even need to couch surf. If you couch surf, you can stay for 2 months!
Secondly, I saw in your other thread that people advised you to spend 30 days in just one country in Euroepe rather than travel around. I do think your original plan was too chaotic, but I honestly think that you should consider seeing another country in Europe!
How about 20 days in Italy and 10 in France or Greece? Or Spain? Or 15 and 15?
It is possible to both believe (as I do) that one can never spend too much time in Italy (that's why I live here) and yet at the same time recognize that there is a point to putting some sharp variety into a trip of one month.
You were nice enough not to ask the people giving you the advice to just go to one country if they have ever spent 30 days just traveling in Italy and Italy alone or any one country for 30 days. It is actually harder in some ways to do that than to visit more than one country. You can re-energized by the variety of seeing different cultures and eating different food.
It is no longer necessary in Europe to change money and go through passport controls to travel from one country to another. There are high speed trains and low cost flights. Some people have never tried these things and there advice is based on imagining it would be difficult and make for a shallow experience when in fact, it is quite the eye opener to see the new Europe.
If you and your boyfriend feel much, much better about your decision to simply go to Italy and Italy alone for 3 weeks, knowing that with $10,000 you will be coming home with spare change, then good for you and don't change a thing and take the trip you want.
But if based on advice you got from less than 10 people here you decided that $10,000 wasn't enough for 2 people to go to a couple of countries in Europe for 30 days, that is totally wrong, and if you still want to do that you can and have a very happy trip.
