Italy Lines
 

After reading a ton about the places we plan to go in Italy, I'm worried about lines!!! How crowded is everyplace? I'm going Oct. 6-19. Will I have to wait to see everything? Is it really that touristy? I'm sure that is a dumb question, but really, what's it like?

You forgot to mention WHERE you'll be going. (In some towns, you could be the only foreign tourist; in others there'll always be lines.)

Of course to the touristy areas! <BR> <BR>Rome, Florence, and Venice!

Dawn, <BR> <BR>My husband, son and I left this past Oct.21-Nov. 4 for all the places you mentioned. The only time I was really struck by the sheer number of people I saw was in Rome. But even then it wasn't enough to make us stand in lines for hours or diminish the event one bit. I was very surprised on how un-crowded Venice was at that time. You see hords of tourists in pics in the guide book..to me that's not fun. You will be pleasantly surprised. If you do meet up w/ a line or a crowd just stop and think about where you are and what you're about to go see (a musuem, basilica, the coloseum etc) You won't be disappointed. Don't worry, be excited!

As a rule the only place we've had to stand in line in Rome is at the Vatican Museums, summer or winter. <BR> <BR>Though I recall years and years ago waiting nearly 20 minutes at the ticket booth for the Roman Forum waiting until the attendant got enough change to change my 5,000 lire note! (Happened a couple of years later at the booth for the elevator to St. Peter's roof.) That problem is gone now ... Italy can afford to mint enough coins and they no longer hand out candies as change. <BR> <BR>The Uffizi, for which you can now make reservations, is the only place I can ever recall waiting in line in Florence. <BR> <BR>In Venice one waits for the vaporetti, but that's about it. <BR> <BR>Early October may seem like off-season, and in fact was once the 'shoulder season'. But it's really in the peak season anymore. More kids in school, of course, so the crowds are down some. From a weather standpoint it's about as nice a time to go to Rome as you can find. <BR> <BR>Ed