Italy trip - play by ear or book everything in advance?
 

Two week trip in Mid/Late May. Flight and hotel in Rome is confirmed. I'm torn on how much additional advance booking I should do. Will be travelling from Rome to Florence, Como area, Venice. I want some flexibliity for side trips in Tuscany or possible changes to our route, but am worried about hotels being sold out. Is it easy to change reservations or too much trouble and stress once you are there? I realize there isn't a lot of wiggle room on a 2-week trip, but wondering what you experienced travelers think. Thanks everyone...

That is a popular time---I would have advance bookings unless you are not fussy about your accommodations. You will find a place to stay--just not your best options and it will take time.

Unless you either 1)have unlimited budgets or 2) are willing to take almost any accommodation - you should reserve in advance.

I don't like to waste my valuable vacation time looking for rooms. It's a hassle. I've done this before and had a list of possible hotels to book, but it didn't work out as most turned out to be full.

This is a wonderful time to see Italy however, I would book my lodgings in advance since this is a vey popular time to visit. By doing so you can choose the type of hotel you desire, rather than being forced to take less than what you hoped for. Enjoy and mangia!

well since you know your flights already why not go ahead and book accomodations? it seems silly to go 4000 miles and not have a place to stay already picked out!
also if you want to see the major sites/venues..such as the David in Florence ,,the Uffizi in Florence...the Vatican museum in Rome etc it is well worth it to book reservations in advance unless you get a unknown joy in standing in a very long line for hours. I mean you have paid alot to get yourself over to europe...do you really want to waste half a day standing in line? silly....never "wing" such things.... of course there are days when you can be foot loose and fancy free but lodging and major attractions are not such instances.

Grazie! will get booking...

For hotels, booking.com does not charge a fee, so you could reserve hotels as you think your schedule will plan out and ensure you know cancellation policies for the hotels.

Go a lot have done it both ways. If budget best to
stay flexible using eurocheapo.com and book on the fly.
The nicer hotels do book up in May use booking.com
get a cancellable reservation if you must have
flexibility.Works well for me. Happy Travels!

depends where you are planning to stay. If you are going to be based entirely in cities like Venice and Florence you should definitely book in advance; if you were going to be touring and wanting to stay in smaller places, then you could probably do ok getting your accommodation as you went.

so if you were starting in Venice, ending in Rome, you could book, say, 4 nights at either end, and leave the middle free. equipped with a michelin red guide and some tourist board info, you should be fine.

Don't forget a phone and good dialing instructions.

And yes, while there are reservations you can cancel, in busy season there are strict time periods for cancelling, and they won't accommodate changes made at the last minute, sometimes not even within a week.

Do you speak any Italian? The more flexible you would like to be, the more language it may require.

When I was traveling Europe and staying in hostels, rooms, and dorms at 20, I did it spontaneously like that. Even then, it took up more time than it was worth, but having 3 months to travel, I didn't have to worry about wasting time.

I tried the same thing on a trip up to Seattle about 14 years ago with a family of 3. Got a hotel for the Seattle arrival, then "played it by ear". The goal was to rent a car, drive up to Vancouver, then make it over to Victoria, then visit the San Juan Islands, before heading back to Seattle. No reservatations anywhere other than coming into Seattle. Needless to say, I didn't know that every place we visited was having some big festival or celebration or something that had every tourist in the Western Hemisphere visiting that city at that exact time! And this was just before smart phones and the internet! It was holy hell finding a spot to lie our weary heads in. I did it, but not without a LOT of phone calls, begging, pleading, and $$ wasted.

So, as much as I love the word "spontaneous", I never use it in conjunction with the words "long distance traveling" and "hotels".

This is a forum almost obsessively dedicated to travel "planning" -- often at the expense of travel!

Are you flying out of Venice? That would help, because that would be the place I would say you should also book in advance other than Rome.

Italy is otherwise overloaded with clean and charming accommodations. Reservations can be cancelled with 24 hours notice. Traveling without reservations works best if you have a cell phone and one or two good guides to accommodations. I think the Red Michelin Guide to Italy is indispensable. I also take with me the telephone numbers of several places I've previously looked up on the internet.

If you are traveling with an internet connection, I can't see a problem at all, and you might consider investing in one if you really want a hassle free trip.

Some people go to the tourist office to find available accommodation, but I've never done it. Keep in mind that they often close mid-day or on Sundays. I've never paid more money for spur-of-the-moment accommodations.

It's really a matter of temperment and personality. If you are going to melt down and not enjoy your trip, don't do it! But these fears people are raising are baseless. Hotels will not be sold out and you don't have to spend hours looking if you come prepared.

Whoops! Just now caught in the middle of this thread you returned after 5 responses to say you were now booking everything in advance. Probably best for you. Have a great time!