Planning a trip to Italy-any help would be great!!

[toto2]

I've spend 3 weeks a few yeras back and had a wonderfull time. It is expensive. For small hotel try this website. A few friends of mine used it and like the hotels they went to ( in paris and barcelona)

http://www.eurocheapo.com/

Dont wait until you are hungry to look for restaurants: throug the day , look at the menues of restaurants you will be crossing: a lot of tourist traps and a lot of expensive restaurants . the Rick steeve board have lot recommandation:
http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti_menu.htm


We finished with Venice and it was a good idea since it is very relaxing : no cars, no moped etc.

If you have a car , go down to visit Pompeï ! it is a must: We stayed a this hotel : http://www.villadeimisteri.it/

The web site is in Italian , but quite easy to figure out. It is a 3 minutes walk from ythe entrence to the site and has a pool !!!!! Back then , the restaurant was not too bad either. You can take the train to go into Naples or visit Herculanum at the train station , 5 minutes walk from the hotekl ( dont go into Naple with a car , never !!!!!!)

In florence , do try to buy your ticket for the two major museum in advance ( the Accademia and the Uffic) Dont go throug a booker in the states , you will be ripped off. When you arrive in Italy , make a phone call to the museum , with a credit card ready0 check out these museum web site for info ! You will save hours of waiting in line ( call it a museum fastpass !!!!)


And lastly : GO !

 

[Sleepy]

dont go into Naples with a car , never !!!!!!!

Awwww.......what's wrong with Naples driving? I do it everyday

Seriously, I would not even recommend driving to Pompei. The driving there is no better.

 

[escape]

In florence , do try to buy your ticket for the two major museum in advance ( the Accademia and the Uffic) Dont go throug a booker in the states , you will be ripped off. When you arrive in Italy , make a phone call to the museum , with a credit card ready0 check out these museum web site for info ! You will save hours of waiting in line ( call it a museum fastpass !!!!)

Actually, you probably need to do this in advance of your trip. The Uffizi is booked about a month in advance now.

From Frommers.com...

Reserving Tickets for the Uffizi & Other Museums -- You can bypass the hours-long ticket line at the Uffizi Galleries by reserving a ticket and an entry time in advance by calling Firenze Musei at tel. 055-294-883 (Mon-Fri 8:30am-6:30pm, Sat until 12:30pm). By March, entry times can be booked more than a week in advance. You can also reserve for the Accademia Gallery (another interminable line, to see David), as well as the Galleria Palatina in the Pitti Palace, the Bargello, and several others. There is a 1.55€ ($1.80) fee (worth every penny), and you can pay by credit card.

Actually, I think it cost a little more now but not much.

 

[escape]

escape, Anytime you need some advice about Naples, let me know. I will do what I can to help you out. I spend several hours downtown everyday while my son is in dance class at the San Carlo. I'm all about people watching and noticing what is going on around me.....from the begger man that makes his rounds in one of the train stations to the man who walks his dogs every evening on the same route and that crazy lady on the bus who gets into arguments is a hoot! One thing I enjoyed was running into some American tourists in a small meat shop. They were in on a cruise and just looking. I had the shop owner give them a few samples of cheese and then some prosciutto. One of the ladies said "OMG! Look at the amount of fat in that ham!" I said yes, and you are on vacation and should enjoy it because you may never have this opportunity again. We run into Americans now and then and it is always nice to give them tips even if it is how to save time on public transportation (which I am an expert on now) . I think the funniest experience was the man who (I forget what nationality) saw me in front of the San Carlo and asked me why I was there. I explained. He asked me if I liked Naples and I said Yes, I do. He then said.....it's ok to look at, but not the best place to live. He said "Naples is like a salad without the salt." Interesting way to put it.

I'm sure you have a lot of great stories to tell!

While doing the tours of Italy at a very slow pace in order to see those not so touristy things is great, nothing beats living here. Imagine walking into a vegetable shop for your weekly eggs, potatoes (10 lbs for 1Euro), onions and tomatoes and getting free fresh basil....just because...oh, and because you only got 2 tomatoes, they will throw those in free as well.

That would never happen here. And at that price, too!

 

[Sleepy]

One more thing to add......Check with your credit card or bank (ATM) card company to see if they have a service charge for international charges. Most banks charge a 3% fee...which can really add up. Also, for those ATM withdrawls.....keep in mind that the exchange rate is a bit high here. (last I saw it was $1.20 for 1 Euro). If your maximum withdrawl limit is $300 a day, you will get even less Euro than that. You might want to request to have your maximum amount increased.....that is unless you decide on travelers cheques.

 

[toto2]

Awwww.......what's wrong with Naples driving? I do it everyday

Seriously, I would not even recommend driving to Pompei. The driving there is no better.

We drove from Rome directly to Pompei , via highway , and the archeological site is not in the city of Pompei itself. It is not too far from the highway. So for me , it was the best way to go to Naples : stay at Villa dei Mysteri and take the train into the city !

 

[suzannen]

You will have a wonderful time. We took the train and visited Venice, Florence, Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Rome was actually our least favorite spot. The Amalfi Coast, especially Positano, was our favorite. We went in July and it was brutally hot. We learned after 1 mistake, to double-check on which trains were air-conditioned. The American Express offices were great about knowing which trains were higher class and express. First-class doesn't mean the same thing there. We had one miserable 5-hour trip due to this (with chickens sitting with us, no less).

When we were in Venice we stayed at the Hotel Flora on the recommendtion of 2 friends who were travel agents (www.hotelflora.it/en/index.htm). It's a 17th-century building with an adorable garden right by Piazza San Marco. The rooms are on the small side, but having breakfast in the garden every morning was the best way to start the day. They also recommended the Vino Vino for dinner (http://www.vinovino.co.it/). It's a wine bar associated with the higher price restaurant Antico Martini next door. You don't need reservations, it's very casual, but it's the same great food as served at the full restaurant. Also Ristorante da Raffaele (at Calle Larga XXII Marzo 2347
Tel. 0415232317) is a more expensive restaurant and you need a reservation, but they have outside dining right by where the gondolas are moored. As you eat, you can watch and hear the various gondoliers singing their beautiful Italian songs.

Have fun!!