Useful Museum info for budgeting & itinerary planning
 

I have read a few threads about people wanting to know how much to budget for their trips.

This is a call for help from the seasoned travellers who have been to Italy and France within the last year. I thought it might be a good idea if there was one thread that people who are planning trips [especially 1st timers] could go to to get information on costs, days closed, good passes and other useful information for museums, churches & other attractions in Rome, Florence, Venice and Paris [maybe Paris should be on a different thread?]

I am a 1st timer and will be visiting these places in Sept/Oct this year and I know that this would be extremely valuable information in helping me budget & plan my itinerary.

I only have access to a computer at work so my search time is limited. [I really should be working, but hey this site is addictive and I have withdrawal symptoms over the weekends - how sad to get excited about going to work on Mondays]

I can't wait to experience first hand the places that Fodorites bring to life in their trip reports. Please help and thank you.

Jan

I thought this might have been a good idea but maybe not.

Thanks anyway.

Jan, the reason it's not such a great idea is that someone would constantly have to be responding to the thread to keep it at the top of the list. Otherwise, only those who did a search on that topic would find it, and then they still might not find it.

Thanks Susan. I will just stick to researching and reading this site.

Take care.

Jan, Do still using this site. There is a wealth of information here!

Obviously, I meant do still USE this site!

Hi Susan

Sorry I didn't reply straight away but its been the weekend.

Thank you for your reply and yes I will keep researching this site, there is a wealth of information here and I couldn't have planned our trip without it.

Not sure if I will ask anymore questions though, I will use the search for any questions I have as 90% of questions have already been answered.

I am just struggling with the individual city itineraries at the moment, grouping site seeing by areas, how much the admission fees are, opening times, days closed and whether or not prior booking is needed. This information is all here on the site, it is just a matter of piecing it all together and coming up with a day to day itinerary guide.

A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this site and made trip planning that much easier for 1st time travellers like myself. Questions have been asked about things that I would never have thought of.

Happy travels to everyone for their near and future trips. I will go back to my silent researching so please keep the questions and answers coming.

Jan

I made a spreadsheet for each city, with locations (including map coordinates), days open, free days, and costs for each museum of interest to us (another for restaurants).

I would hesitate to share it, since it is likely out of date, and who knows if our interests coincide, but by doing the research and setting up the spreadsheet I had all the information at hand to plan our days. The map coordinates were quite useful, as I was able to plan by neighborhood and save a lot of travel time.

You might check your library for computer availability. Ours has very good capacity, and it is my backup when I have technical problems at home.

most good guide books have this info. If you go to the library or your local bookstore and find a 2006 guide book for each city of interest there will be a lot of info about museums, days open, and cost.

There are comprehensive threads on this forum for Paris and London.. not sure if there are others...
They are titled "Superthread"... sort of a brain-dump and full of links.

Janz,
Maybe you could post the information as you go along with your research.

I think it would be quite helpful.

Clevelandbrown, Plafield, Travelnut & Jagirl, thank you for your suggestions.

The spreadsheet is a great idea. I have also had my name down at the local library for the most recent guide books, but there must be a long waiting list.

Jan, I wasn't saying you should never ask a question. There is a lot of great information you can get by doing some searches here, but don't think you can't ask questions if you don't find the information you need. We all like to help!

Jan, I think threads work best when they are very specific. For instance ask what's your favorite museum in Paris and why, or what is your favorite hotel in Venice. If you are considering a museum pass, to ask if it is worth it for the agenda you have planned.

For facts like what day is the Louvre closed, or how much is admission, those you'll easily find in guidebooks or a quick internet search.

Posts are often most interesting and provoke lively discussion here when you ask people's opinion (cuz -believe you me- everyone has those!!) rather than about factual information you can find elsewhere.

So, please, do not hesitate to post other questions here.