Suggestions for Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice

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Jan 5th, 2001, 08:39 AM

kailyn

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Suggestions for Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice

My boyfriend and I are taking a trip to Italy in early April and i had a few questions as this is my first trip to Europe! We're thinking of spending time in Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice. We are in our early 20's and want to make the most of our time but at a leisurely pace... 1) Hotel recommendations for Florence, Milan and Venice? We have a budget of $250 per night. 2) Which places are not to be missed in terms of sight-seeing, etc? 3) Is it better to use a travel agent or do it yourself now that it is easy to book online, etc. Any travel agent tips? Does anyone know of a good one to use in NYC? Thanks so much, any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

Jan 5th, 2001, 09:18 AM

elaine

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Hi I have files on Florence and Venice;if you'd like to see them email me. Regarding hotels and must-see sightseeing, do a search on those cities on this forum, or look elsewhere on this fodor's website, or buy a general guidebook, and you will see the top suggestions. People could make more specific sightseeing suggestions if you can tell us how long you will have in each place, or for the whole trip. There is no reason why you can't book all of this yourself, or do all the research yourself and have an agent do the final booking if you prefer. Don't wait to book hotels, the best and most popular may already be full for April. Don't book any hotel that you haven't checked on a map to make sure it's a good locatio, or check on it here. Here are just a selection of websites www.travel-italy.com/library/ www.italyguide.com/ www.hotelguide.ch/ www.venere.it/firenze/firenze_Z5.html www.italyhotel.com www.italiantourism.com/ www.traveleurope.it/ www.itwg.com www.museionline.com -- museums all over Italy www.italink.com/end/egui/hogui.htm -- Florence museums www.dolcevita.com www.arca.net/florence.htm www.enjoyflorence.it www.wherenext.com www.initaly.com/ www.toursaroundtuscany.com www.florence.ala.it includes hotels www.karenbrown.com charming inns and small hotels http://goeurope.about.com/travel/ goeurope/ lots of links http://europe.cnn.com/TRAVEL/CITY.GUIDES www.pathfinder.com/travel/TL Travel and Leisure magazine (can search for articles) www.ricksteves.com for information on the Italian rail system: www.itwg.com/trains/trains.asp www.fs-on-line.com/ www.railsaver.com

Jan 5th, 2001, 09:20 AM

Thyra

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Hi Kailyn, first of all you need to make a list of priorities and pick up a few good guide books. Do you like clubbing? Museums?? Art or outdoor activities for example? Shopping? Do you plan to travel by train or car? For starters IMO you should choose the train, it's much MUCH less stressful and the train system in Italy is very good. Learn to speak a few (please, hello, thank you, no thankyou, goodbye) words in Italian, just to be polite. A budget of $250.00 per night is quite a lot IMO also, my husband and I usually spend between 90-120 in Italy and use the extra money on sight seeing, but that is, of course your preference. In terms of itinerary, how long is your trip? If it is 10 days to 2 weeks to see the 4 cities that seems about right...7 days might be pushing it. Give us some more info, and we can be more helpful.

Jan 5th, 2001, 10:16 AM

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

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Kailyn, You are already a bit late for good planning and easter is a busy time. You need to do your homework soon. Do you have your air reservations yet. I would start there, and then look at how long to stay. You will possibly end up paying more thru an agent than booking the hotels yourself, and $250 is more than you need to spend. You can do well for an average of $150 if you do a search on this forum for hotel choices. As said above, get a good guide book and set your priorities. Here are some sample itineraires to get you going. Try to think beyond the big cities. BOB the NAVIGATORS’ FIVE FAVORITE ITINERARIES ________________________________________ MAGICAL FAIRYLANDS: * Arrive and depart from Munich--14 nites--May thru Sep.--car travel * ITINERARY: Salzburg, Dolomites, Venice, Lake Garda, Bavaria ======================================== BELLA ITALIA: * Arrive Milan, depart Venice--15 nites--car & train travel--April thru Oct. * ITINERARY: The Lakes, Ligurian coast, Tuscany, Florence, Venice ======================================== CLASSIC ITALIA: * Arrive & depart Rome--12 to 14 nites--car & train travel, all year * ITINERARY: Tuscan & Umbrian hill towns, Florence, Rome ======================================== LA DOLCE VITA: * Arrive & depart Rome--12 nites--car & train travel--March thru Oct. * ITINERARY: Amalfi coast, Tuscany hill towns, Rome ======================================= OF ALPS & LAKES: * Arrive and depart Zurich--12 nites--train travel--June thru Sep. * ITINERARY: Berner Oberland, Lugano, Lake Como, Luzern ======================================== BOB THE NAVIGATOR [email protected]

Jan 5th, 2001, 11:28 AM

Lauren

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Kailyn, My boyfriend and I booked our own flights but got a great hotel package from Liberty travel (NYC). We stayed at the Plaza Luchessi on the Arno River. It was a little hike up from the city center but it was worth it. Are you going to be in Italy for a long time because that seems like a lot of area to cover if it's a short trip. We spent a week in Florence and we still didn't get to see everything we wanted. The artwork alone in Florence is enough to fill your days. Places to go in Florence - grab a guide book because there is too much to list. It's a great walking city. Eat a dinner at Il Cibreo. As for Rome, you could spend a full week there as well without seeing everything. One restaurant we went to (La Cisterna) was fabulous. Rome - Sistene Chapel, Vatican, Spanish Steps, Colloseum, Forum etc. It's also a great walking city. If you want to be near the center of town, find a hotel near the Spanish Steps, although we stayed near the Vatican and found it just as easy to get around. If you're from NYC, you should be used to the walks. I haven't been to Milan or Venice...yet.