14 Days in Italy

Old Sep 25th, 2005, 11:12 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
14 Days in Italy

My husband & I are flying into Rome and returning from Milan late Oct. We are visiting our daughter who is studying in Florence. Can you suggest a itinerary that would allow us to see the best of Italy in 14 days. We are going on a small budget so we are looking for nice accommodations for cheap. B&B, albergos,pensions, hostels, etc. Should and when should we rent a car. Looking forward from hearing from you.
jeanprouty is offline  
Old Sep 25th, 2005, 12:04 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 45,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hello jeanprouty. flying into Rome and home from Milan is a good idea.
A question, do you want to stay in Rome before you go to Florence to see your daughter? Do you want to visit Venice? Getting from Rome to Florence to Venice and then to Milan is all very easily done by train. If you want to stay in the countryside of Tuscany you would probably want a car but that would add to the expense of your trip of course.

There is a nice place in Florence that Ira here on Fodor's always enjoys staying at (but he is in France right now) but think I can research and find the name of it. This place is near the main train station in Florence. Or hopefully someone else here on Fodor's will remember the name.

Also their is a place in Rome that a poster enjoyed very much. Think I can find that information also. Venice will be the most expensive city to stay in. Do you have any idea what you want to budget per night for your rooms?

Please answer back ASAP as I am assuming you are talking about this October, or do you mean October 2006? I will see if I can find the names of the places in Rome and Florence for you.

It sounds like you will have a wonderful trip!

Figure on losing somewhere around a half a day moving from city to city (checking out of hotel, getting to station, the train trip, getting to the next hotel and checkin etc.) Train travel time; Rome to Florence is about 90 minutes, Florence to Venice is about 3 hours and Venice to Milan is about 3 hours or a tad more. There is a shuttle bus at the Central (Centrale) train station in Milan that takes you to the Malpensa Airport which is where I assume you will be flying home from. Even though the shuttle bus does not normally take an hour I would figure an hour just in case there is heavy traffic. The shuttle bus runs something like every 20 to 30 minutes. Believe (not positive) the ticket is 5Euro per person. There is storage under the buss for the passenger's luggage.

And in case you do not know you can catch the train from the airport when you arrive in Rome. It will take you to the main train station. You can then go to your hotel in Rome if you plan on staying there or transfere to the train to Florence. Best wishes.
LoveItaly is offline  
Old Sep 25th, 2005, 12:53 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 417
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The decision whether to rent a car will depend on where you want to go. If you stick to the four cities outlined above (Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan), you can easily get to and from them by train and you wouldn't want a car in any of them. If, instead, you want to see some of Tuscany, you will probably want a car for that part of the trip.
Check out the threads here for cheap hotels in Rome and Venice. In Florence, are you going to stay with your daughter? If not, look into the Hotel Casci. Give yourself at least a day or two in Milan. It's often overlooked on this forum, but it is definitely worth seeing. We stayed in Locanda dei Mercanti, which is located in the Centro Storico, off Via Dante. The rooms range from 142 euro up.
rbrazill is offline  
Old Sep 25th, 2005, 01:15 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 45,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi jeanprouty, I am confused because your thread shows that there is 3 responses but I only see 2, mine and rbrazill's. It is strange.

Anyway, the B&B that Ira likes in Florence is the B&B Peterson. And he said the website is http://www.bedinforence.it

He said they had a KingSize bed, A/C, room was about 12X18 feet. Ensuite bath and there is an elevator. In Oct. 03 they paid 60 Euro for a dbl room so imagine it is more now.
8 to 10 minutes to the train station and another 8 to 10 minutes to the Duomo. It is on a safe, well lit street with wide sidewalks.

He said your exit the train station in Florence on the Via L Alamanni side (flight of stairs), cross street, turn right and walk up west side to Via G Monaco. They really like the owner of this place also.

Another recommendation was made by another poster for another place in Florence. It is Soggiorno Bavaria, via Borgo degli Abizi 26. Email: [email protected]
Tele/Fax # 011-39-055-2340313
It is close to the Duomo and is in a former palace. It did not have an ensuite bath however, bath in hallway. Price (think this spring) was 98Euro, credit cards accepted.

In Rome: WillTravel stayed at the Hotel Julia, via Rasella 29
Website is: http://www.hoteljulia.it
Her room had a toilet and sink in the room, shower down the hall. Breakfast was included. It has an elevator and 24 hours service. It is located 100m from the Piazza Barberini (which is where the Via Veneto starts). Subway station is right there.

Hope this might be of some help to you.

BTW, the train website is www.trenitalia.com

I agree with rbrazill regarding going to Milan. I would train to Milan the day before you fly home (just in case their is a work stoppage/strike or the train is running late..that way you won't be panicky the day of your flight. The day of your flight you will just have to take the shuttle bus from the Central Train Station to Malpensa Airport. And Milan is a city you would enjoy I would think, the Duomo, the Galleria, shops, etc.

Have fun planning your trip!!





LoveItaly is offline  
Old Sep 25th, 2005, 01:27 PM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Dear LoveItaly,
Thank you for your quick response. Yes, we would love to see Rome before heading to Florence, actually she is in Siena. We do want to see as much of Italy as we can without rushing too much. As far as a budget, could u suggest what we should expect to spend for a modest, clean, close to everything room. Would $60-100 be okay per night for both of us.
jeanprouty is offline  
Old Sep 25th, 2005, 03:05 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 45,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hello jeanprouty, so your fortunate daughter is in Siena, won't you all have a delightful time!

Jean, when you ask about $60.00 to $100.00 for you two per night for a room are you referring to US dollars or Euro dollars? I would say if US dollars it would be impossible, well maybe not impossible but not probable.
If you are referring to Euro's I would check out those website I gave you...but I don't really know. The last visits I have made to Florence I have stayed at a nice hotel in Florence but it is in a residental area. Last visit I think was about 75Euro, but I also got a discount due to my Italian friend and her connections. Imagine that rate would be more now.

Italy has gotten expensive and of course the Euro is so strong now that it doesn't help the budget situation does it? I understand what type of accomodations you are looking for..have you gone to www.tripadvisor.com? You might pick up some good ideas there plus reviews from other travellers. If you are going October 2005 I would get on this immediately so hopefully you can find hotels that fit your criteria. Best wishes.
LoveItaly is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
rachel10513
Europe
13
May 21st, 2014 08:41 AM
mphetamin
Europe
7
May 12th, 2007 05:09 PM
carlita
Europe
14
Oct 16th, 2005 01:37 PM
seren
Europe
13
Nov 22nd, 2004 10:19 AM
nanb
Europe
4
Feb 13th, 2003 02:48 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -