We are traveling in Italy during the month of September and don't want to be tied down to reservations. Will we have difficulty finding hotels day-by-day? Thanks.

September is a very busy time. If you don't care at all where you stay, I'm sure you'll be able to find a bed to sleep in. But why not do a little planning so you know where you want to go and what you want to see and book ahead? Personally I'd rather be sightseeing than looking for a hotel every day.

All the people who provide and receive advice on this forum will thank you for NOT making reservations in advance - - you won't be competing with "us" for the accommodations with the best locations, the best features and the best rates that "we" snarf up by making reservations in advance. We appreciate your settling for the places in the less ideal locations, with the crummier features, at the higher rates.

Cynical of me to say it this way - - but I think you get what I'm trying to say....

Best wishes,

Rex

Excellent point Patrick, not only do you not have the certainty of a reservation, but the time spent into finding a room once you are there is time the could be spent elsewhere.

Rex, we always love your points, I personally enjoy them with the sarcasm, makes for a more entertaining read!

T.

I'll be much more DIRECT about answering your question: YES, you very probably WILL "have trouble" finding a place to stay that is ultimately to your liking but if you don't want to be "tied down" then this may be the "price" you'll pay.

So, to use one of the oft-heard phrases on this board, "Is it worth it?"

Janstan,
A well-planned trip is a successful trip. It sounds like you haven't decided what you want to see and do. Spend some time reading guide books, this forum and make your decisions about where you want to stay. We just returned from a trip which I booked last October. We had some flexibility on what we did at each place, but let me tell you my family was most pleased that they always knew where we will sleep and where we were going next. Shlepping in the hot sun with suitcases up and down stone streets to discover that the place you got is in a lousy location is not fun.
You are probably hesitant to commit to seeing only certain places, but if you don't like Rome and want to leave you can do a day trip to the shore or Pompei and still not lug your luggage around.
Good luck.

Hi J,

Sept is still high season in Italy. Make reservations for at least your first and last nights.

Ira's suggestion is a must. We usually travel with no reservations, when we have a car rental, but we have had a few occassions where we spent an evening looking for rooms. One time, it was 1 AM until we found a room. We now make sure we have reservations for the 1st night and the last night. If you are prepared to hunt for a long time for a room, and not get upset, then you can still enjoy the trip.

PS We don't have any children or husbands with us.

If you read and speak Italian, you can be okay. I,however,agree that you will probably be stuck (at least sometimes) with less desirable rooms.
I remember one trip here in the US in August to the Seattle area when I kept "open" some days without reservations. We ended up making lots of calls to sold out places and staying at a place we never would have chosen.

Janstan,
We booked all hotels on our recent visit. And I am glad we did. I overheard a receptionist tell a caller the price of their rooms, double what we got on the internet. How about booking some rooms - in the bigger cities for example?!
Papermoon

The answer to your question is: positively, absolutely, no matter what, YES.