Hi, I need some serious advice please. I'll be traveling to Italy in Sept/Oct for about 1 month. I'm going to book accommodations in advance for the first and last couple of days. In my mind I think I can travel through Italy without an exact itinerary and advance reservations, moving from spot to spot when I want and not having troubles finding rooms. Is that really true? Tips and advice please!

Also, I've heard that sometimes when you check in that you're required to give the hotel your passport? Is that true? Thank you.

September and October are highest season in Italy. Unless you want to settle for less desirable or more expensive accommodations, you would be well advised to reserve in advance.

Yes, the hotel will ask for your passport in order to take from it information that it is required by law to provide to the police. It will be returned to you in an hour or two or at the latest the next day.

Yes you give the hotel front desk person your passport at check-in. They will return it to you in a bit.

I think your question is impossible to answer without knowing the places you hope to visit, time of year, your budget (sometimes lack of reservation may force you into spending more for an available room, for example), etc.

Sure I believe it is possible, but I also think you will spend more time looking for places to stay. Maybe you don't mind this. For me, I'd rather spend the time sight-seeing instead of looking for a place to sleep that night. Just depends what you consider an adventure and what you consider an inconvenience.

heyjude,

I would highly recommend making advance reservations!

Buon viaggio!

Hi H,

>In my mind I think I can travel through Italy without an exact itinerary and advance reservations,..

And GWB, in his mind, thought that he could invade Iraq and all would be hunky dory.

You will be there during high season for most of the country.

How much time do you want to spend looking for a place to stay?

At the very least, do some searching for accomodations in those towns that you expect to visit so that when you get there you will have someone to call.

Don't you have some idea of an itinerary?

Make reservations in advance. Although you can find accomodations, they may not be in a hotel you like or in a location you like. Do you really want to spend a good portion of your time in Italy looking for a room? I'd rather spend it seeing things.

I have been to Italy many times in September and October without ever booking accommodation in advance. The peak season for Italian holidays is in July and August.
In most towns and cities, you can walk out of the railway station, walk into a hotel and book a room. In Venezia, there's a hotel booking office in the railway station.

On a trip a few years back, we arrived to Lucca without reservations and could not secure a room so we had to move on.

That same trip we were in Venice and encountered several tourists wandering around looking for hotels.

If you don't have a reservation, do use the room finding services at the train station or tourist office. You won't want to waste precious time wandering around.

How about a compromise? My experience would suggest that you can (with the help of a stop in an internet cafe or a decent, recent guide book and a telephone) book one day in advance at that time of year in most small to mid-size tourist towns (like Gubbio, Perugia, Bevagna, Verona, San G and Siena). For the big cities (Rome, Florence, Venice) to avoid paying the earth, book before you go.

Thank you all. I also thought that peak season was in July and August rather than Sept/Oct. I will definitely book in advance in the larger cities and take my travel books with me, rent a cell phone, and use Internet cafes to book a day or two in advance. I have a rough itinerary but would like to move around depending on whether I like the place or not. I think I'll be alright. Thanks again!

Another possible compromise: a hotel with good service will happily call ahead for you to a comparable property at the next stop on your tour. The staff in a hotel or B&B will also have a better idea of what's going on in the next town/whether they're likely to be booked. If you have some flexibility in your schedule, you can then choose a different stop before heading onward.