bbrizend

I want to take my family to Italy next year for 2 weeks. Wife, son - 17, daughter - 14.

Trip will have to be from mid-June to mid-August.

How far in advance should I be making travel & hotel reservation?

Also, I'm thinking Rome and part north. Any recommendations on things to do/see would be much appreciated.

franco

It all depends on where you want to go and which accomodations you require. If you want to go to S. Severino Marche, Gualdo Cattaneo, Lugnano in Teverina or Pistoia (these are just examples, of course), you won't need any hotel reservations at all. If, going to Rome, you are satisfied with any accomodation as long as it's clean and well-priced, you won't need to prebook, either. If you want to choose (which I strongly recommend) a particular neighbourhood for your stay in Rome, or a particular hotel, book about three months in advance. If you want an apartment, book half a year in advance. If you want to go to Venice, book three months in advance if you are not hard to please; six months if you want to choose your hotel; eight months if you want an apartment. If you want to go to the beach in August (which is not what I would recommend), book eight months ahead. And so on... though your last sentence doesn't seem like you're already set on where to go.

ira

Hi bb,

>How far in advance should I be making travel & hotel reservation?<

I am in the midst of making my reservations for an upcoming trip in October 2011.

Midnightsun

Unless you're looking to cash in frequent flier miles, you should probably wait until February or so to make airline reservations. Some of the European carriers will offer sales on summer travel at that point (although there was less of that this year), so you might save about 20% on fares. You could also snag some deals if you wait until June 1st or so, but then you might not be able to get seats on your desired date. You can probably wait on hotel reservations until that time unless you want to stay in a small hotel in a popular spot. Make those as soon as possible as long as you can be guaranteed a refund if you cancel. Those rates are unlikely to change. There's much to see in Italy. You can easily spend a week in Rome and a week in Tuscany. One of the delights of Italy on our travels has always been spending some time in small towns. You might take a look at places like Orvieto, San Gimignano, or Pienza. While those aren't exactly small (too small and you'll bore your teens), they will give you a different take on Italian life than Rome and Florence. Although all of those places, especially San Gimignano, fill up with daytrippers, they're a bit quieter in the evenings. If your teens can tolerate rural life, you might also spend some time in an agriturismo, a rural rental in a farming area. There are many in Tuscany that are lovely, but in that case, you'll need a car to explore the surrounding countryside.

kwren

In 2 weeks, I'll be making my airline reservations using frequent flyer miles for a trip to Switzerland and Italy next July. Gotta get those seats! Once I know my dates for sure, I'll be sure to book an apartment in Rome by Christmas (thanks franco), but I've been looking for possibilities for the past couple of weeks.

How far in advance to book an agriturismo in Tuscany?

Dukey

Let's get real here: booking airline seats using frequent flyer miles is a LOT different than just booking airline seats.

kwren

<<Let's get real here: booking airline seats using frequent flyer miles is a LOT different than just booking airline seats.>>

Yeah, it's a lot more stressful! but you certainly do need to know when to plan to book those seats if you have miles to use or you'll end up with nothing! And, the OP did ask how far in advance to make travel reservations, so...

bbrizend - if you do have miles, you can and should try to book seats 331 days in advance (or whatever your airline allows). Without miles, midnightsun's advice sounds good.

jamikins

We tend to book hotels etc about 12-9 months in advance. I find that this way I always get what I want, and usually at last years prices!

charnees

Be aware that rooms in Italian hotels are usually very small, and there are not a lot of quad rooms available. If you are staying more than 3 days In a place consider an apartment. You will probably get more room for your money and have a kitchenette, which means you can store snacks amd drinks in the frig, eat breakfast in your 'jammies, and even cook a simple meal.

Some of the places to look for apartments are www.sleepinitaly.com, www.vrbo.com, (vrbo means vacation rental by owner). Www.slowtrav has apartment reviews, so you can also look at those for ideas.

If you want to do Rome and somewhere more north, consider flying into one city and out of another. It doesn't cost any more.

charnees

I forgot to say do your trip in June. It will only get hotter and hotter as summer wears on, and late July and August are beastly hot, which is no fun when you are traipsing around a city. Also, most Europeans take vacation in August, so it gets horribly crowded.

bobthenavigator

I always suggest 6 months in advance. Many places will not take reservations until Jan. for that year. FF miles are a different animal--sooner the better.