Ladies with rooms for rent offers at train stations?
 

We have travelled to most of Europe with a carry-on and using trains. We have never had a reservation for a hotel, usually just check out the ladies at the train stations who approach with offers to rent a room in their home. We have always been very successful when we have done this. It works well for us because when we travel we just have an itinerary without a definite schedule. If we want to stay 5 nights instead of 2, we just stay put. We like to be flexible.
So has anyone had any success with rooms to rent at the train stations in ITALY?
Appreciate any information you can provide.
We are going to Venice, Verona, Varenna, Milan, Veranazza, Lucca, Florence, Bologna in Oct.
Thanks all,
Joanne

Yes only did it once and was aloof but in Florence a nice dressed young man showed me a picture of his B&B - it looked nice and he looked honest so i did it and it was a swell B&B - clean, near the station, huge breakfast in room, great facilities, etc. I think many of the folks are hotel touts that get a commission for folks they drag over to the hotel - they often have a badge on and must be licensed to do you?? I wouldn't have done this ordinarily but there was a big line at the Florence hotel booking window in the station - i'm glad i did - super nice young couple trying so hard with their B&B.

ttt

PalQ, thank you for your response.

Still hoping for further answers on this topic.
Will be in Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Lake Como and Bologna. In October.
Thanks for any more posts.
Joanne

I didn't quite understand the (sarcastic?) statements of the last post by rex, but I found this posting to be helpful. I acutally was wondering about finding "last-minute" B&B accomodations myself, since I'll be studying abroad in France this summer and plan to stay on my own for three extra weeks to tour France and maybe Italy. But since my study abroad program only covers lodging for the time of the summer class, it is likely that I'll have to look for short-term B&B types for the last couple of weeks. I'll have to start a new thread on that, since it would be discussion about lodging in Provence.

Hi Sable -

you might get more help with this question at eurotrip.com.

That site caters more to your type of travel (and mine!).

Not Italy but as I was walking to San Sebastian main station to catch an overnight train to Lisbon, a woman approached me and asked if I needed a room for the night. I told her I was leaving town but had time to go with her and inspect her little hotel for my next visit. It was a good place. The name is Pension Fanny. It is a 5 minute walk. Her number is 943.421128. Single is 25 euro and a double is 35 euro. January 2006.

Gosh rex, what is it with you today? Moriarity vibrations are uncool said the tank driver, as I recall.

Hi Rex, I'm curious if your experiences in taking walk up accommodation in comparison to advanced reservatiions is specific to Italy? Or have you had less than ideal accommodations when traveling without bookings elsewhere in Europe as well?

I generally have a mix of both approaches on most trips and haven't had a significant amount of difference in results (so far). I'm sure we'll go to Italy some time in the not so distant future, and so your comments have me curious now. I'm hoping that you'll elaborate a bit on those bad experiences.

I think the answer to that last question is pretty obvious. Some of us are very picky about where we sleep. Others are not. That is not meant as a put-down, but a simple fact.
Many of us would not be happy with the places we'd get by just going with the person who is at the train station waiting to fill empty rooms.
There is a huge network of travel advice. Places which are special, have great rates, and something special to offer will be filled -- it's that simple. The ones that are left and need to hire people to try to fill them at the last minute are still vacant for a reason -- they are not the best places. For some that is fine. The world is full of those travelers who repeatedly say "all I need is a clean room and a bed" -- this is a good way to find that. People who want a special experience with where they stay need to book ahead.

Not as a debate necessarily, but might it also have to do with what different people consider to be special to them? ie, I might hold more value in things other than fluffy pillows or turn down service. Granted, I've not taken a room from a stranger at a train station... But have found some places to stay that have been memorable to me and made for an enhanced trip, both when carefully researching the advice of others, and by choosing on arrival. I'm sort of middle of the road though - when it's a major destination city, we do book ahead. Once outside the major traffic, we don't. But you're right as well. I do admittedly have less pickiness than some I've read. Don't feel shortchanged or anything... I just don't always have the same priorities, depending on where we are. After all, advice always starts somewhere and someone was the first to stay at the place everyone's talking about now.

I can imagine the reaction some may have had to the $5 guesthouse we stayed at in rural Cambodia in January (we generously shared with a local gecko). But then, the Grosvenor House in London was right up there too. lol It's all fun for me. Feel lucky to go at all.

But as sable has already said they have done this before, it did seem sort of silly to mock the choice, as if it were a foolish one (and from an opinion, I wondered, that may not be entirely based in personal experience in comparing those styles.. but I wasn't sure, so thought it best to ask).

In my very limited experience with off-season travel in Italy, I did not see any ladies hanging around at train stations in Italy.

In support of some of the above statements, in Venice on New Year's Eve at the train station, I did see one hotel hawker hanging around with a sign obviously trying to get business. I noted the hotel, and looked it up afterwards. Wouldn't you know that it has horrible reviews on TripAdvisor, and in fact someone has created a blog devoted to its horribleness.

Some people say they get good deals from the tourist booking desks at train stations. It's not necessarily that these are bad hotels, but even great hotels have last-minute cancellations. However, I've never heard of a rate that was so good that I haven't beaten it by extensive research ahead of time.

Just for the record, I didn't mean to suggest that pickiness meant expensive or lots of amenities.
The wonderfully atmospheric little hotel with ancient sloped floors, slightly worn interiors, and a friendly staff that goes for a really good price will be filled. That's not the place you'll find someone touting at the train station because it hasn't been recommended over and over among tourists who have discovered it.

Ok, actually, based on your comment and WillTravel's, I can completely go along with that. Pretty much describes what I like in a hotel too. I've seen a hundred and one glowing reviews of a hotel and then found it too stuffy or antiseptic for my tastes. But others would have seen it as elegant or spotless. Prefer personality in my hotels, if I've decided it's important someplace or another (say if I were to visit Venice)

I was more basing my thoughts on sable's original question (and I do apologize for contributing to this deviation from course) on ladies with rooms, which I interpreted and have often seen referred to as homestays, not so much a hotel. And homestays (or something similar) can be pretty interesting. Like the owner of the gecko laden guesthouse turned out to be a UN interpreter for 10 years and lived through the Khmer Rouge and had tons of stories. Sat out in the decidely uncozy area in front of the guesthouse and learned a lot more about the country than I might have somewhere else. In the morning, his wife made us each a big fresh baguette (give the French legacy it's due there). Of course, they could have been totally different, but I'll probably never forget that stay nor think of it unfavorably.

But anyway, sable is asking about ladies with rooms in their homes for rent. A different deal and sort of silly to pooh-pooh and nyah-nyah (not meaning you Patrick) when sable's already familiar and satisfied with past experiences doing this exact thing elsewhere. Kind of takes the rest of our preferences out of the equation, wouldn't you think? Unless there's some other reason our preferences matter more than the question.

I think she just wants to know if anyone has done the same in Italy. I'm sort of curious too, how this sort of thing works out generally. I've heard some good and some bad from other countries.

The only thing I know is that in Cinque Terre before Rick Steve made it a tourist mecca it was true that one could arrive and there were women (or men) that would be at the train station with offers to rent rooms in their homes. I don't think that is the case now.

Sable, I have never looked for anyone at a train station trying to rent a room in their house so my knowledge is not 100% accurate but I don't think so, especially in the large cities.


Perhaps is small towns in southern Italy this could possibly be the case, again I don't know. The cities you are mentioning are all big cities that have a deversified population economic wise. The upper and middle class of course would never rent a room. The middle class that has no need to and the lower income residents usually have such small residences I doubt many of them even have an extra room. Especially since Italian children (and they are not children but young working adults) usually tend to live at home with their parents until they marry or their career requires them to relocate.

Bologna, being a great university city lacks rooms for all of the university students. It is not uncommon for students of very well to do families to share a one bedroom apartment with two other students not due to lack of money but due to lack of available housing. They scramble and worry before the start of each school year as to where they can find a room.

Milan has lot of young and upcoming young people working in corporations and although they are university graduates their pay is not usually enough to allow them to have their own apartment so they too share rooms and apartments.

I am not saying that you will not find a few people hanging around the various train stations trying to rent a room to travellers but I sure wouldn't count on it. Best wishes to you.

Sable - I say go for it.

Do some research at the library and bookstores to see what others say about this option. I believe Rick Steve's mentions this as doable.

I remember the days when I liked to travel like that! It was quite an adventure, albeit somewhat stressful.

When I go through Italy I will be looking for those ladies for research for future travel possibilities (just in case and perhaps to dream of the old days).

VS

Now Viaggio, remember it is ladies to rent a room from not the lady herself, LOL!! I hope you or sable reports back on this interesting subject. I would not rent a room from a stranger but my curiosity is aroused as to whether this is still possible.

LoveItaly - It has to be possible. Not all landlords want to use the internet for advertising and connecting/communicating.

There are some that feel they would rather collect a cash-sale customer at the train station than use credit cards, if you get my drift.

I suppose though that my main concern would be the safety of my stuff while I am out enjoying the sights/sites.

Still, if one uses ones head and applies common sense they could do well.

VS

LoveItaly HA! I hadn't thought of that possibility! Or at least I havn't in a while.

I'm either getting older or I'm too tired lately.

I need a vacation!

LOL VS

Ah yes Viaggio, cash..I for sure get your drift ;) And seriously, I am curious as to whether or not one can find women that still rent out rooms. For a long time after WWII as you know Italians were in dire financial straights. Now most (but not all of course) are not. Well the immigrants are but doubt if they have residences that have an extra room. Anyway, I hope to reach a friend that lives in Milan this weekend, I am going to ask him as he uses the Milan train station all the time.

LoveItaly, me-thinks that you believe that the Euro is beneficial to all.

Aren't there those that have been hurt by the imposition of the Euro?

VS