ujjal66

Hello Everyone, I am from Bangladesh, I wish to visit Italy on first week of April'2018. This will be my first visit to Europe if I got the VISA. Now you expert people with your experience can you help me how can I make a Tour Plan for 20 days in Italy and also can you help me how to book hotel/hostel free of cost as it is needed to apply for VISA. I wish to start from Rome.
Thanks.

Dukey1

For hotel/hostel booking you could use a booking engine such as www.booking.com Usually you can cancel for free up until a certain pre-determined date although some establishments require a deposit taken on a credit card which may or may not be fully refundable.

Booking.com is just one of several such resources you could use.

KTtravel

I recommend getting a guidebook so you can decide which places to visit. Many people book Rome, Florence and Venice but others enjoy countryside areas or other cities.

PalenQ

Needs to set itinerary soon to get accommodations for Visa.

20 days Italy

Land in Venice - 3 nights
Florence - 3 nights
Rent car and tour Tuscany's iconic hill towns - 4 nights.
Amalfi Coast - 5 nights
Rome - 5 nights

well a sampler of best if Italy.

Book trains - cars useless in cities and not even allowed in many -far in advance to get discounted tickets - www.trenitalia.com or www.italotreno.com.en - competing rail systems using same tracks and stations - check both; for lots of train info: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com

AJPeabody

Using Booking.com or Hotels.com for searches and info is fine, but booking directly with your chosen hotels will simplify things immensely if there are problems or room changes, etc. Usually you can get the same price as offered by the online agency (if not, just ask the hotel for the lower rate), and because you have not obligated the hotel to lose a rather large booking commission, you can get a better room and better service.

PalenQ

CBC Marketplace just had a comparison of online hotel-booking sites and found varying prices for different people searching for the same location hotels. so try again and again.

I think AJ's advice is great!

bvlenci

<i> Using Booking.com or Hotels.com for searches and info is fine, but booking directly with your chosen hotels will simplify things immensely if there are problems or room changes, etc. </i>

I don't agree with this at all. If you're taking a trip that involves multiple lodgings, which is usually the case with a 20-day visit, it's much simpler to change or cancel if everything has been booked through the same booking service.

A few years ago, I had to cancel a planned trip to Scotland because of a family emergency. I had six hotel bookings, one directly with a B&B and five through booking.com. I was able to cancel all five of the latter in a few minutes by merely checking a box on the "Manage my bookings" page of booking.com, and confirming that I really wanted to do that. I sent an email to cancel the other booking, and got a response about 24 hours later. It would have been <b> much </b> more complicated to have had to do that six times, and check all the responses to make sure I hadn't overlooked one, all while dealing with the emergency that caused the change in plans.

If I need to make a special request or change a room for a hotel I've booked through a service, there's nothing to prevent me from calling or emailing the hotel directly. I often do that.