Europeautumn

We are honeymooning in Itlay in 1 week. We are going for 10 days and trying to pack into two 22" backpacks. I am thinking of reducing what I packed and sending out our laundry or stopping at a laundry mat.
How easy is this to do and what is the typical cost? We are staying in bed and breakfast locations.

Jennie

We just returned from Venice and Florence ourselves. While we never did any laundry in Florence, we DID do some in Venice. We were able to find a small self-service laundromat. I'm at work and don't have my notes with me right now, but it was not too far from St. Mark's Square. I'm sure if you ask around, you could find it.

It was pretty easy to do (there were instructions in English) and only took about an hour altogether (we went later in the evening and didn't have to wait on a machine). The cost was not too terrible--for Venice (where everything is more expensive) . . . it was about 4 euros to wash a load and 3 euros for 10 minutes of drying. We only did one load and then just dried our stuff for 10 minutes and then took it back to our hotel and let it dry the rest of the way overnight, which it did with no problem.

We also checked out a self-service place called "Gabriella's" in Venice (can't remember at all where it was because we ended up not using them) and it was 14 euros for one "load" (didn't ever get what, exactly, constituted one load) to be washed and dried, but not folded.

If I were you, I would try to do your laundry in Florence. We saw several self-service laundry places just walking around and prices in Florence, in general, are much cheaper than Venice.

Good luck and congratulations,
Jennie

NYCFoodSnob

These places aren't abundant in either of these cities. Much depends on your location. I'd contact your B&B hosts and ask them if one is nearby. Otherwise, take some Woolite and use your bathroom. The wash cycle is so long in Italy, I prefer to do mine by hand.

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Venice in June... normally I pack too much when I travel but this time I was a bit surprised by the heat. After a day of walking my t-shirt would be soaking wet and in the end I ran out of fresh t-shirts. But we found a self laundry near the hotel...we stayed at the Hotel Continental near the train station. The laundry place was on the located about 5-10 minutes walk from the station (turn left when you come out of the station...the place is on the right hand side)...it cost about8 € for washing and drying. There was an internet café next door so while the clothes were getting cleaned I was on the internet checking my mail. The internet café was called Planet Internet and I paid about 5 € for 30 minutes. The pamphlet says ?Turbo connection? but I can assure you that this was not the case

I have posted a trip report with pictures on my homepage www.gardkarlsen.com Maybe you can find some good Venice tips there.

Have a great trip.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

DRJ

FWIW, there is a laundry in Campo Santa Margharita that will do your washing in one day. It shouldn't cost more than 10 euro.

Patrick

My experience in Italy (unlike France, for example) has been that self-service laundries are really difficult. If you can find them (both the ones I had found in advance in Venice had gone out of business) they are likely to already be filled or taken over by the woman in charge doing laundry by the load which has been left. I've found usually your best bet is to leave the bundle with the lady (or man) in charge, pay by the kilo, and pick it up that afternoon. Just ask if they fold it as well, or you may end up with everything jammed into a bag and permanently wrinkled. In smaller hotels that don't offer that expensive "by the piece" service, they may also have a maid who will take it home at night and return it the next morning for cheap!

JudyC

There are plenty of coin-laundry places in Florence,there is a chain with more than 10 stores over the city, one is around the corner of museum Bargello.

marty

In August, I saw a self-service laundromat on Ruga Guiffa which is the street you are on when you cross the bridge leaving Santa Maria Formosa. It is the bridge you will see if you are standing in the middle of the square at the drinking water with the church to your right. I did not use it, but there were several machines, and it never was crowded.

Tries2PakLite

My husband and I did laundry in Florence when we were there 3-4 years ago. As a college town, there are definitely laundromats available.

Our experience was great. It was relatively simple and while I waited my husband ran across the street to the pasticceria and bought me the most incredible pastry I think I have ever had. I was over the moon that even doing laundry in Italy could be a fantastic experience.

I'm sorry that I don't remember the location. If it comes to me, I will post it.

milan

We used ondablu laundromats in Rome. It was very easy -- they had wash instructions in several languages on the alls. I didn't use the one in Florence, but remember walking past it. The address according to their website (ondablu.com) is Via degli Alfani, 24. They also have internet access that was quite cheap. We finished 3 loads of laundry in a little over an hour (40 minute wash, 20 minute dryer).

milan

Remember that Italian hotels (even the high end ones) don't have irons that you can use. (You can pay to have things pressed for you). After I did the laundry, I wished that I had brought a travel iron to take care of my husbands shirts...

kcsqueeze

In the past, we've sent out anything that couldn't be washed with woolite in the sink (and dry unwrinkled). Our hotel took care of it, our things were back within 24 hours.

I'm sorry I don't remember the cost, I know it wasn't cheap but I don't remember fainting from the bill. We will do this again in November. I'd rather carry less and pay for the service.

sandi_travelnut

In Florence we stayed at the Hotel Accademia (Via Faenza 7) and there was a laundry mat just down the street. It's very close to part of the leather market.

Betsy

Type Ondablu into a Google search and click on the "translate this page" option for a list of all their locations in Italy.

Rookie

Below is my post from this summer regarding "Laundromats in Italy". The web site noted is a self service laundromat company headquartered in Florence. They have several locations in Florence convenient to tourist/hotel areas, but none in Venice that I know of. Best wishes.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34424972

diva48

Okay..I don't know about you guys, but when I am on vacation I do not want to be spending my time in a laundromat! So if my apartment does not have a washing machine I head to my friend Roberta's lavanderia in Campo Santa Margarita. Tell her Cheryl sent you!
(When you pass the Dumas bar same side of square in far corner small shop)

travel3773

Our hotel had laundry service...we paid about 25 euro and it was washed, folded, and delivered to our door...well worth it not to have to do laundry during our honeymoon!

Patrick

Ok, a little off the subject. I've heard them called laundramats, washaterias, and lots of other things, but recently staying in New York at friends' apartment, they left me a note where the "laundry mat" was. I thought that was hysterically funny for some reason. Now I see someone else use that same expression. Where are you from sandi? Is that a local expression.