Hi there,
these are the places that i'm planning to visit during my vacation to Italy this coming new year which is from 27th Dec 2007 till 03rd Jan 2008, but the problem is that i'm traveling alone and i've no idea which, where & what to do??? Heard that the local over there is not friendly as well.. (Is it true?) Any advise? Thanks

yeah.. just to add some more info..
i'll be arriving Rome on the 27th and straight go to Fluorence for a night stay, then only heading to pisa and go back to Rome for the New Year countdown.. lastly i'll be going to Venice before heading back to my hometown... so any recommadation of places & thing to do?? (with a tight budget of 400 Euro to spend)

Hi C,

Does 400E include hotel as well?

You can save a lot by staying in Rome.

First of all, people are friendly if you are friendly.

I assume you arrive on the 27th and leave on the 3rd. That gives you 6 days, plus about 1/2 day if your plane gets in early and leaves late.

Is your flight arriving in Rome and leaving from Venice?

Do you mean you have 400 euros for the entire trip, including in-country transport, food and housing? That is less than $100 per day. You could do it, but it would be tight, really tight.

You are cramming a lot into a short stay. Give us some more info.

dave

With arriving on the 27th of Dec. and departing on the 3rd of Jan. you will need lodging for 7 nights.
Do you mean 400euro total for 7 nights lodging plus food, transportation etc? If you could find lodging at 57euro per night that would be the total of your 400euro.

BTW, in English it is Florence (not Fluorence) in Italian it is Firenze. It is good to know the Italian names of cities..Roma, Firenze, Pisa, Venezia.

I don't know where you heard that the "locals" are not friendly but probably it was when people you know were in Italy when it was packed with tourist and no doubt some Italians that work in the tourist industry were tired and needed a vacation themselves. And of course most people react as to how they are treated.

Anyway IF you are planning a trip to Italy with a total of 400euro I just do not know how this can be accomplished. Especially considering the high priced cities you want to visit. And also.. trying to visit the three major cities would not give you any time to enjoy any of them..figure you lose a half a day anytime you move from one location to another. You would lose a good part of the day going to Venice from Rome.

And why do you plan on arriving in Rome, going to Florence, going back to Rome and then going to Venice.

If you are arriving in Rome and want to see it first visit Rome. Then train to Florence, than to Venice and fly home from there.

You need to get a good map of Italy.
You need to rethink this whole trip calvin. But I hope you can work it out as Italy is a beautiful country with wonderful people.

H-m-m. even the least expensive rooms (in hostels) will put stress on this budget...as far as I can tell, they will cost you about 25 Euro and up per night.Less expensive on the outskirts of cities. Also, no breakfast at most hostels, though some have kitchen facilities.

IF you just did two cities and traveled by bus, or local trains that take more time, but are less expensive, you just MIGHT do it.

And then IF you shopped at the Supermercato and ate simply, that would help. But it would be a stretch.

You'd better hope the locals ARE friendly: you are going to need invitations to a home cooked meal to make this less dreary!

Fodorites,

The "kids" are out of school.....

I loved the spelling "Fluorence". Like Fluoride, it may be good for your teeth. It certainly is good for the soul. But how can you "do" Rome, Fluo/orence, Pisa and Venice in 6 days?

Better to stick with Rome -- what has fascinated the rest of the world for 2000 years cannot pall in 6 days, surely.

OR:

Well, I'd have trouble taking a pass on Venice, the incomparable.

But Florence takes time. I used to live there. A day or 2 is laughable. Let it wait for next time......

That's good advice from all. As to friendliness even if you are friendly you can come across unfriendly locals; it's the same as it is at home.

Wow, I have to agree with my fellow posters. 6 days is not nearly enough to do all 4 cities justice. Stick with Rome, save money on those Eurostars, and enjoy. Or, if you need to go to another city besides Rome, head to Florence/Firenze for a few nights. Your itinerary wastes a lot of precious time and money. Rome-Florence-Pisa-Rome-Venice is not something I'd do.

I'd highly recommend sticking with Rome and being done with it for this trip.

Dayle - I think you nailed it

hi there, thanks for the reply/advise...
400euro is the pocket money to spend on the FOOD, Transport & ETC.. (all those hotel have been taking care off) Actually i'll be arriving at Rome and depart from Venice. Once touching the airport, i'll be heading to "Florence" (*Thanks LoveItaly*) for a night or two there.. but really don't how & which transport should i take??? (trains, bus or taxi?) after that i'll be going to Pisa to see the only Tower by my on eye b4 moving forward to the Rome. After the count-down (2008), i take the plane direct to Venice..

...once at Venice, i only have 2 more day to spare in my pocket.. which means 'Time really matters'. To all the mates out there, although i know personally, it is really a 'mission im-possible~4', i really hope that u guyz can help me make my journey to Rome a memorable one..
Thanks

(yeah! One more thing.. should i travel with a big backpack or 2 small bag??)

You seem to be doing it in a strange way, but I suppose the flight to Venice from Rome would explain it. I would agree with the others, you could easily spend a month in Rome and not see everything, it doesn't really make sense to spend so little time in Florence (Pisa is only an hour from Florence by train).

The quickest way from Rome to Florence (discounting a flight) would be train. A bus would be much cheaper, but slower.

Ok, the money situation is ok, not great but doable.

Time is the problem and I'm still a bit fuzzy on your details. Here is how I understand it...

Day 1 (27)...arrive Rome, go to Florence. Assuming you arrive on the first flight, about 7:30am, I doubt you would get to your hotel in Florence before 1-2 pm. Remember, daylight is about equal to NY-Chicago-Seattle.

Day 2 (28)...Florence

Day 3 (29)...Leave Firenze, stop by Pisa, go to Rome. You'll arrive Rome in the early evening.

Day 4 (30)...Rome

Day 5 (31)...Rome

Day 6 (1)...Leave Rome, fly to Venice. Most stuff will be closed.

Day 7 (2)...Venice

Day 8 (3)...Fly home

So, as you can see, you can do it, but you are going to spend a fair amount of time traveling. If I assume You fly into Rome and out of Venice, why backtrack?

Are you looking for quantity or quality? Meaning do you want to just do a quickie look at 4 different places or do you really want to experience it?

Money seems to be tight, but you are bouncing around, which costs both time and MONEY.

Give us some more info please.

dave

I visited the same cities a couple of years ago, but started in Venice and ended in Rome. If you have a need to be in Rome on December 31, why not start in Venice, train to Florence, and spend December 31 to January 3 in Rome (if it isn't too late to change any arrangements you've already made)?

Plan on skipping Pisa since your time is so limited (although, honestly, my sidetrip from Florence to Pisa was one of the highlights of my trip). Although I spent 4 days in Florence (including the one day side trip), two days is enough to see the major museums and to walk around and get a feel for the city.

Venice is not to be missed, in my opinion.

I had a good experience at the following hotels: Hotel do Pozzi (Venice); Hotel Casci (Florence); and Hotel Alimandi (Rome). I have no idea of their respective rates at the present time and with your limited budget, they may be out of reach.

I didn't find people to be unfriendly at all -- quite the contrary, and I don't know if I should feel greatful or disappointed because none of the scams so common in Rome were ever applied to me, but then, I try to blend in wherever I travel.

hie..
thanks guyz & gals for the valuable input, btw i'm still cracking my head working out the plan.. shd make up my mind after finishing those DK travel guide book..