First of all not sure if I got a deal or got ripped off...its too late anyways. I fly into Rome on March last week and come out of Paris on 2st week to and from San Francisco and I paid 500$ including all taxes in United. Couldnt get any deal with arrival and departure cities being different.
My itenary is 2 days in rome ,florence,venice and Paris and here are my questions.
a) Travel in Italy . I will be travelling inand around Rome/Venice and florence and finally fly from venice to paris. What is the efficient way to travel between cities and shoudl I book in advance or purchase point to point tickets
b) What is the best way to travel inside a city ?Use public transport or the "get on ..get off" bus tours or just walk?NEed info for Rome/Venice and Florence

c) Whats the cheapest way to get to Paris from Venice?

d)Is there any common pass I can bus for travel from city to city in Italy and from Venice to paris?

e) Can I find decent hotels for around 50$ a day in all these cities ? Any suggestions ?

Thanks a lot for reading this long emal
Sam

I'll defer to the much more experienced in this group.

But some thoughts -- I dutifully made my Rome/Florence/Venice/Milan trip in 1999. Train is convenient. If I remember correctly, it takes less than two hours to go from Rome to Florence and less than three to go from Florence to Venice.

As for Venice to Paris, try volareweb.com. I haven't used this myself, but I just learned about it in a recent thread (thanks to Rex (?)). I just checked their website and they do fly between Venice and Paris. Not sure if prices are competitive.

Within Paris, a carnet (10 Metro tickets) is good value. I don't know how the Carte Orange works -- I've never checked it out.

Rome has a Metro. And obviously buses. Florence is small and walkable. Venice is also walkable. Of course there're the vaporettos (sp.?) that run along the canal.

Your post is a bit confusing. If you're asking if you got ripped off in spending $500 for your round-trip flight, the answer is a definite NO! That's a damned good price from San Francisco.
I'm confused as to how many days' duration your trip is. Is it a total of 8 days? If so, then you might consider eliminating either Florence or Venice. (I say to choose between those two, since Rome and Paris are you arrival and departure points.) Four cities in eight days, including travel, doesn't allow enough time in each.
I don't think you're going to have that much of a choice at $50 a night. You're almost restricted to hostels and convents.

Hi sammy,

Good price on the airfare.

In Florence, I can recommend the B&B Peterson (www.bedinflorence.it). It's 40E/nite single.

These threads will help you

Ira?s Trip Report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

get the weekly metro card in paris as it will save you time and your legs by being able to hop on and off constantly.

In all of those cities walk as much as possible - that;s the best way to really learn aobut europe. If you get too far from your hotel then just hop a metro or bus back. the carnet in paris is your best choice. Venice and florence the area you want to see is very small and you wont need anything except feet. We did almost all of rome on foot - but I beleive the buses are convenient.

(All of this assumes you are young and in good shape. If not, begin walking immediately - assuming you need to cover at least 4 or 5 miles per day in addition to the sights.)

The weekly Metro pass in Paris is the Carte Orange. It runs from Monday to Monday so if you purchase it on a Wednesday or Thursday, it is no good after the following Monday.

Someone above recommended the carnet of 10 Metro tickets and that's probably your best value. Just ask for a "carnet" and they'll know exactly what you mean. You can also take your leftover tickets (if you have any) home with you and use them when you return to Paris. (You will want to return to Paris!)

We are 60-somethings and we took a pedometer on our last Paris trip. We walked 12 miles one day but the rest of the time walked between 8 and 10 miles a day . . . with the Metro pass! It's a very inviting city for walkers. Take comfortable shoes.

Have a great trip.

I think you will have a difficult time finding decent hotels for US$50 per day in all of these cities, especially with the current exchange rate of the euro/dollar. You might want to look at B&B's or even youth hostels. Otherwise I think you'll need to stay out of the city center to get anything at that price. Good luck and have a great trip!

One option for the hotel costs is to treat the $50 per night as an average hotel expense. Then pick up some nights in hostels and balance that with the more expensive hotels. Otherwise the hotels in those cities will be pretty marginal. I don't like the on off buses for the cost. I think that you can do better on public transport if you have done your research.

Cheapest way from Venice to Paris is by bus. www.eurolines.it. Takes about 18 hours. Fare is €73, if I read it correctly.

More comfortable is the Euronight train. About 13 hours, no connection, but is about US$150-200, depending on type of accomodations.

Fastest day train takes <10 hours with transfer at Milan.

You may also want to check with the new low cost airlines in Europe. Don't know specific about Venice-Paris, but you may find it cheap to fly Ryanair or Easyjet to London-Stanstead, and back to Paris.

Hi

Take a look at www.volareweb.com for cheap flights (40E) from Venice to Paris.

Look up the Hotel Picpus is Paris. It is around your budget.

http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75012lux.htm