swdob

We have 9 days in March to see a bit of Italy with our 13yr old daughter. We're thinking Rome and Venice. Any ideas about where to stay in each and how to travel between them? Not budget but not over-the-top prices.
Thanks, in advance!

ellenem

If you plan to see only rome and Venice, then take the train between the two--4.5 hours

There are many threads here offering ideas for where to stay, so I encourage you to do a search. Also please give us a clear idea of you hotel budget--under $100, no more than $300, like that--and how many people "we" is--I assume at least 3?

zeppole

Taking the train between the two towns is easy although a bit long and not terribly scenic. You can also drive, but with only 9 days, it wouldn't be much fun because you wouldn't be able to explore much with the car without taking too much away from the cities you are visiting. Plus, March is not great driving weather on that route.

What is your top price for a hotel room? Are you planning on having a roll away for your daughter to do you want a triple or two rooms?

In Roma, it is a good idea to stay in the historic center because you will want to be able to walk to do your sightseeing.

In Venezia, it doesn't really matter where you stay, because the city is actually rather small. It's best to stay out of the San Marco area, because it's so crowded, but in March, that isn't likely to be a problem, unless you are going during a holiday or big spectacle. Don't stay in the Lido or Mestre.

zeppole

PS: If you are very well-organized and the weather is nice, you can get up early in Roma and take a 90 minute train to Firenze (Florence), stow your luggage at the train station, and spend the day doing a small bit of sightseeing there, and have lunch or buy items for a train picnic). You can pick up your luggage and proceed to Venezia and be there in time for dinner.

If you are very keen on food, you could lunch in Bologna instead of Firenze, plus see a few sights.

scot1

in Rome with our 13 yr old this year we stayed at Navona First b & b right beside campo del fiori, very central,it is more like staying in an apartment - booked through b&b planet.You get breakfast at a cafe/bar round the corner,very italian.In Venice a couple of years ago we stayed at a hotel on the lido - villa albertina - they have a website but i think you can book it through expedia etc. It was a lot cheaper than staying in central venice & the vaparetto runs from 5am til 1am about one every 20mins.The hotel was lovely , a big old villa in gardens.The town there has a really nice laid back vibe & is good after a busy day in venice. Hope this helps - check out my reviews on tripadvisor too.

swdob

oops; made an error in my last answer. I meant up to $300 if it's possible. A triple is best.

About the trip, I know the train ride is long, etc., but if we don't drive it's really the only rational choice I think.
thanks,
S

swdob

Zeppole--
thanks for your ideas. Sounds interesting. I had thought that staying outside of Venice would be impractical. And I'll look into your suggestion in Rome. Anything else specifically interesting to a 13yr old (girl)?

swdob

oops, again! My message was meant for scot1

Vttraveler

You might consider getting an apartment in Rome. They are good value for money relative to hotels and are often available for periods of less than a week.
When we were in Rome with our 16 year old son he really enjoyed the Piazza Navona and Piazza della Rotunda (Pantheon) areas--watching artists and street performers at different times of day.

zeppole

People have differing feelings about the Lido and about the crowds in Venice but I think it doesn't make sense to stay on the Lido in March. Not only is the boat ride cold in March, but Venice itself is less crowded. Venice gets so many day trippers, part of its charm only comes out at night.

You should be able to find budget-conscious accommodations in Venice itself.

ellenem

I love this place in Venice, and it should be within your budget. It's also a Tripadvisor favorite.

http://www.alpontemocenigo.com/en/index.htm

missypie

Try the Corte Grimani in Venice. We loved it.

notbob

I'll second the suggestion for apartment rental instead of a hotel.

It will give all of you some space. Haven't been to Rome, but here are couple of the ones in Venice.

www.veniceapartments.org

www.viewsonvenice.com

LynAK

There are so many choices in Rome that it can be overwhelming.

We stayed recently at the Hotel Artorius on Via del Boschetta and were very pleased.

http://www.hotelartoriusrome.com/

We had 2 rooms, a triple and a double right next to each other and both had large outdoor spaces, more like porches than balconies. The double room was smallish, but the triple was HUGE (these were rooms 109 and 110, can't remember which was the triple...I think it was 109)

Anyway, this hotel gets great reviews on tripadvisor
http://rome-hotels.tripadvisor.com/H...ome_Lazio.html

I'm going to write one myself one of these days. Comes with an excellent breakfast, very clean, nice people running it, and easy access to bus lines, right off Via Nazionale and near the Colosseum.

Price for the triple was €150 per night, €130 for the double. (I booked this quite some time in advance of our stay which was mid-July 2008 so perhaps prices have gone up a bit..the tripadvisor website quotes a higher price, but you should look into it as our cost was lower)

Vttraveler

the rental agency we used in Rome was realrome.com. The owner, Tim Pearson, is very helpful and easy to deal with. There are other agencies with higher end options well within your price range. You should be able to afford a 2 BR apartment easily-much more space than a hotel triple

Travelnut

Be sure to plan an 'open-jaw' flight where you fly into one city and out of the other. Much more convenient and no more expensive.

Flying out of Venice very often involves very-early morning flights, which can be a real challenge to make. So check flight timetables both ways before you commit. Flying into Venice and out of Rome will most likely be easier.

The train ride is fine, nice though not thrilling countryside, but a good chance to write some notes, edit photos on a laptop, just chill out and reflect.

I believe hotel/apt prices in March are still considered off-season so that will save you a little. Avoid going over Easter should it be that early into spring.

Amie11

Went to Venice last year with our 12 year old daughter - stayed at the Metropole Hotel, which has rooms with two double beds that are reasonable (for Venice). It's a lovely high-end hotel but not over the top. My daughter loved visiting Murano in Venice (glass blowing factories and lots of glass jewelry and souvenirs). We traveled from Rome to Venice by train, planned the trip over the dinner hour and had a lovely dinner in the dining car - arrived in Venice in the early evening when all the lights were on and the city looked magical. For lodging in Rome, see what price you can get at the Hotel Raphael; they'll put a roll-away in the room if that works for you. They bring pastries to you room everyday at teatime (a highlight for my twelve year old) and it's right off the Piazza Navona, where there are street performers and gelato stores.

Valeria_82

If you are opting for a nice apartment in Venice, have a look here:

http://www.summerinitaly.com/eng/ren...404!italy_.htm

and Rome:

http://www.summerinitaly.com/eng/ren...428!italy_.htm

or simply take a look at this lovely portal: http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/

If would like to book a hotel...well, I've been here in Rome: http://www.viscontipalace.com/ expensive but extremely confortable

and in Venice I recommend Locanda Cà La Bricola...excellent and quite cheap!

Hope it helps

Lexma90

Here's another idea for a hotel in Venice. I know apartments can be nice, and provide more room, but we like having the front desk staff at hotels available, even if we don't use them much.

On several trips to Venice, we'd stayed on the edge of the Cannaregio, near the Castello area, at Hotel Giorgione. It's a 15-20 minute walk to San Marco square, but in a less-touristy, more relaxed part of the city. There's a nice little piazza just down the street, and a school somewhere nearby. Each morning, I go for a (short) run down to the edge of the island, passing school kids on the way. And on the way back, I stop at the same pastry shop that the kids are stopping in (they're buying their mid-morning snack; I'm buying a couple of cookies). Their Superior Double rooms have an extra bed.

Have your daughter start reading about Rome & Venice; I can't imagine what she wouldn't like, to be honest. Ancient Rome is hard to envision - get one of those books (on sale all over in Rome) that has pictures of how the sites look now, plus an overlay of how they looked originally. But because it's outside, sometimes more interesting to younger types.

Some novels that she might like, depending on her reading level, are "In the Company of the Courtesan," by Sarah Dunant (as I recall, she was a former courtesan in the book, so nothing graphic), set in Venice; "Leonardo's Swans," by Karen Essex (about Leonardo da Vinci and nobility in Mantova); "The Passion of Artemisia," by Susan Vreeland, about the female painter Artemisia Gentileschi.

scot1

hi swdob - in answer to your questions my daughter loved seeing the fountains in piazza navona & all the artists, also like most girls that age she loves clothes so we went to the costume museum in rome - i forget the street though, maybe someone else will know where i mean. It was free too. In Venice i agree with all the recommendations to see the glass being made & she also loved collecting the mini masks that are a few euros each from stalls.