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Italy in December 25-12-15 to 4-1-16. Need help

Italy in December 25-12-15 to 4-1-16. Need help

Old Nov 2nd, 2015, 10:05 PM
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Italy in December 25-12-15 to 4-1-16. Need help

Hi guys,
I need some help planning my trip to Italy.

I arrive in Naples on 25/12/15 from madrid around 5:30pm and I fly out of Venice back home to Mumbai, India at 2:30pm on 04/01/2016.

I intend to visit Rome , Florence, Pisa(day trip) and venice.

I have a few questions:

1) where should i celebrate the new year? I'll be traveling on a tight budget ,planning to stay in hostels .
I've checked out the bed prices in rome around that time and i find it to be quite expensive (50-70€ for a bed in a dormitory .. Too expensive).. I'm thinking of celebrating it in Florence.. Any suggestions ? .. I am not looking for a fancy diner .. Maybe have a couple of drinks with the locals , enjoy the fireworks and dance and make new friends.

2) i intend to pre book the train tickets as I'm getting promo fares at the moment. But I'm not sure if my itinerary is doable and its correct..

3) are the buses better than train cost wise and time wise ?

4) how cold will it be ? I'm not used to cold weather..


25/12 : arrive in naples
26/12: naples( Pompeii)
27/12-29/12 : rome
30/12-01/01: florence with day trip to pisa
1/1-3/1 : venice
4/1: flight back home from venice.

A bit about me :
I'm 27 years old, vegetarian (tips for good vegetarian food and restaurants in Italy) , i wouldn't mind skipping the museums .. Not a big fan of art and museums. I'm happy to stroll around and get lost walking streets and little towns along the way.

Thank you all so much in advance for the responses and taking the time to read my large post
Look forward to reading all your advice
Thanks again!
ujjwal_gandhi is offline  
Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 04:07 AM
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The weather at that time of year can be cool or chilly or cold - depending - you won;t know until you get there. It is likely that you may have temps in the 50s - but a friend went to Venice that time several years ago and had temps in the 40s and down with rain 4 or 5 days and light snow one day.

So you definitely need to have clothes to layer if it turn colder and be sure you have 2 pair of well broken in walking shoes, since if one gets wet it likely won't be dry the next morning.

Do check the major sights to see what days and hours they are open and get advance times tickets for those that are usually the most crowded.

Typically buses and train do no go the same places. For most trips trains are much faster and buses - if available - are a slower, less convenient option.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 04:23 AM
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I assume you're traveling alone; if not, two people can often find a double room in a budget hotel cheaper than two beds in a hostel.

I'm sure there are hostels that charge a lot less than €50 a night for a bed in a dormitory. Where were you looking?

The weather tends to be chilly in Rome at that time of year. Temperatures don't often go below freezing, and snow is rare. Florence and Venice will be colder, and Venice also suffers from high winds fairly often.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 04:37 AM
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The train between Naples/Pompeii is a commuter train (Circumvesuviana) so there is no advance booking. It's only 2-3€ each way.

Naples/Rome, Rome/Florence, Florence/Venice are the trips to book in advance (either with Trenitalia or Italo) if you want to try to get some discounts. Some of Italo's trains only go to Rome Tiburtina station which is a bit further from the center, but on the subway and is a major bus hub (they also have trains to the main station - Termini). I see some 17€ fares for Naples/Rome on Italo for your date of 12/27.

http://www.italotreno.it/en

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Florence/Pisa is a local regional train so no point booking in advance (no discounts). Cost is about 8€ each way.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 06:13 AM
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If you are from Mumbai, you'll be cold so plan accordingly with layers. We were in Venice over New Year's about five years ago. We had several brilliantly sunny days with temperatures perhaps 4 degrees but also had one day when the snow flakes were swirling around. Rome was warmer.

My daughter and son-in-law spent New Year's eve in Rome about 15 years ago when they were college students. They also found very high prices in the hostels at the New Year's holiday, so I think what you are seeing are typical prices for that particular holiday.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 10:21 AM
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Thank you guys for your quick reply..

Yes I am traveling alone and as Julies said the high rates are the typical prices for that particular holiday.. although i have found a couple of hostels offering beds for a cheaper price but since i intend to travel from south to north .. i guess moving on to florence would be ideal.. what do you guys suggest ?

Hopefully i will be prepared for the cold weather ..( sometimes i pray that it should snow for sometime while i am there... i think it would be fun )

Q) Is there a direct train from rome to pisa ? the trenitalia website is not returning any results for travel on 30-12-15
if there is one , i would prefer going to pisa from rome, visit the tower and then take the train to florence.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 12:20 PM
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There should be trains every two hours or so direct from Rome Termini to Pisa Centrale - along the coast - IC trains - Trenitalia is notoriously slow loading winter schedules after mid December but they certainly will be running I would think.

For lots of great info on trains check www.seat61.com - good info on discounted tickets you can book online; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. If you can sit on the seaside of the train going to Pisa - left side or west side for coastal views - not dramatic but at times quite nice.

There is a luggage storage at Pisa Centrale and very frequent regional trains with a flat fare - no reason to buy in advance - very very cheap to Florence SMN - in deadend in-town station.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2015, 01:25 PM
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Take a look at Airbnb for Rome. You may be able to get a private room in someone's home for what you want to pay.
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Rome--Metro...alse&source=bb

Lee Ann
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Old Nov 5th, 2015, 12:35 AM
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yeah.. trenitalia website isn't showing the winter schedule.. a couple of other sites are showings the schedule for the journey.. i am not sure whether to book it through 3rd party sites..what if i book my tickets through the 3rd party site and the schedule changes and my train isn't listed. what happens to my booking ?

I don't prefer Airbnb when traveling alone.. there's no fun in that. you come back to your room with no one to chat with or have a couple of beers.. i guess its the price you end up paying for company..
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Old Nov 5th, 2015, 10:02 AM
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I would wait until the train comes on the Trenitalia.com site - the official site of the Italian Railways. You will also pay less probably and if you do it as soon as it comes on no problem and often those fares are available for some time after they come online.
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Old Nov 7th, 2015, 02:02 PM
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Yes, keep checking Trenitalia (every day) until your Dec 30 schedule is loaded. Schedules change to the winter schedule the 2nd weekend in Dec. so check the same day of the week before that weekend and you will find which trains should be listed eventually for your date. I see a couple of Frecciabianca trains that don't require any changes.

There are also a few IC and regional trains without changes. The IC and regional trains don't have amenities. Try to snag a discount on the Frecciabianca as soon as the train schedule is loaded (cheapest price should be 19€). There are no discounts for regional trains, but to see that price, check a date on Trenitalia within the next 7 days. You might be able to get a ticket as cheap as 9€ on the IC.

Is Rome the only place you are having trouble booking? Have you looked at hostels for Rome? Some (such as Beehive) have some private rooms with shared bath/kitchen. Papa Germano seems to have a room for your date for 55€ (45 if you pay cash).
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