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Roman Holiday - planning an Italian vacation - Help and suggestions
Posted on 11/3/16 at 1:24 pm
Posted on 11/3/16 at 1:24 pm
***I deleted my other post because I am not going to Paris***
Like I said in my other thread, this will be my 50th birthday present. I am planning on going in May 2018. My wife does not want to go, she does not fly, so I am taking my daughter who will be 14 years old by then. I plan to visit Rome, Rimini, and Venice. I am planning on doing AirBnB. The prices are unbelievably cheap in Italy.
Here is my idea and would like your inputs/suggestions:
Fly out on a Tuesday, arrive in Rome Wednesday. From what I gather, it is about 15-18 hours to Rome from New Orleans (connecting in Atlanta or NY), add the 6 hour time change, if I leave New Orleans in morning (say 7am), I would be in Rome around mid-morning Wednesday. Spend 4 nights in Rome, hitting all the sites, etc.
Sunday morning, taking train (3 hr train ride) to Rimini. Stay there for 2 nights.
Tuesday morning, take train to Venice (maybe a stop in Bologna). 3 hr train ride from Rimini to Venice. Stay 2 nights, and then take flight home on Thursday.
Does this sound like too much in 8 days (plus travel days) or should I delete the trip to Rimini and just do Rome & Venice?
Like I said in my other thread, this will be my 50th birthday present. I am planning on going in May 2018. My wife does not want to go, she does not fly, so I am taking my daughter who will be 14 years old by then. I plan to visit Rome, Rimini, and Venice. I am planning on doing AirBnB. The prices are unbelievably cheap in Italy.
Here is my idea and would like your inputs/suggestions:
Fly out on a Tuesday, arrive in Rome Wednesday. From what I gather, it is about 15-18 hours to Rome from New Orleans (connecting in Atlanta or NY), add the 6 hour time change, if I leave New Orleans in morning (say 7am), I would be in Rome around mid-morning Wednesday. Spend 4 nights in Rome, hitting all the sites, etc.
Sunday morning, taking train (3 hr train ride) to Rimini. Stay there for 2 nights.
Tuesday morning, take train to Venice (maybe a stop in Bologna). 3 hr train ride from Rimini to Venice. Stay 2 nights, and then take flight home on Thursday.
Does this sound like too much in 8 days (plus travel days) or should I delete the trip to Rimini and just do Rome & Venice?
This post was edited on 11/3/16 at 1:28 pm
6
Posted on 11/3/16 at 1:45 pm to theantiquetiger
From Rome, I'd stop in the wine country and spend a day sampling!
Posted on 11/3/16 at 1:56 pm to theantiquetiger
You're planning way ahead but I will try to help anyway. Florence is a must see in my opinion. I liked it better than Rome. We did Venice, Florence, Rome in 10 days this past year and it was the perfect amount of days for us.So maybe get rid of Rimini and add Florence, but it's your trip so do whatever you want.Venice is not anything special in my opinion. It is the perfect departing or arriving city. The highlight of our trip was the wine tours in Tuscany.
Posted on 11/3/16 at 8:17 pm to Civildawg
quote:
enice is not anything special in my opinion.
I disagree.
Venice is beautiful.
Posted on 11/3/16 at 8:47 pm to Civildawg
quote:
The highlight of our trip was the wine tours in Tuscany.
Gee, that sounds just sad.
Posted on 11/3/16 at 10:15 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
The highlight of our trip was the wine tours in Tuscany.
Gee, that sounds just sad.
Why does that sound sad? Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Posted on 11/3/16 at 10:29 pm to LuckySo-n-So
Italy is amazing.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 6:42 am to theantiquetiger
If you can swing it, extend your stay by 3 days and make a stop in Florence. Florence is a must see.
I'd also play around with the flights to find the best price and then plan the itinerary on that. We flew into Milan (cheapest airport to fly into in Italy) and flew out of Rome airfare was $1,150 roundtrip from MSY. Our trip intierary was Milan -- day trip to Lake Como -- Venice -- Florence -- day trip to Cinque Terre -- Rome. Worked out nicely and just book high speed rail the night before you leave each city, cost anywhere from €50 - €75/person and is easy to book online. No need for printed tickets, everything can go through your phone.
I've been to Italy twice, each trip 12 or 13 days, and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface.
ETA: Is there anything particular you wanted to do or see in Rimini? If not, I'd do like others mentioned and swap Rimini for Florence if you don't want to extend your stay.
I'd also play around with the flights to find the best price and then plan the itinerary on that. We flew into Milan (cheapest airport to fly into in Italy) and flew out of Rome airfare was $1,150 roundtrip from MSY. Our trip intierary was Milan -- day trip to Lake Como -- Venice -- Florence -- day trip to Cinque Terre -- Rome. Worked out nicely and just book high speed rail the night before you leave each city, cost anywhere from €50 - €75/person and is easy to book online. No need for printed tickets, everything can go through your phone.
I've been to Italy twice, each trip 12 or 13 days, and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface.
ETA: Is there anything particular you wanted to do or see in Rimini? If not, I'd do like others mentioned and swap Rimini for Florence if you don't want to extend your stay.
This post was edited on 11/4/16 at 6:51 am
Posted on 11/4/16 at 6:58 am to theantiquetiger
I will save you some money. When you guys go eat somewhere... a little cafe on the street... anywhere. They are going to put a small bowl of stale chips or popcorn down. Just refuse it and tell them to take it away.
If you have one piece of stale popcorn you find 6 Euros on the bill. Classic tourist pop in Rome, Milan, etc...
A great way to get the lay of the land in Rome is one of the hop on/hop off tourist buses. They will get you everywhere you want to go and it is very convenient. Plan on at least half a day at the Vatican... lines get longer the later in the day you go over there. Sistine Chapel can take awhile as the crowds get worse as the day goes on.
I would keep Rimini in. Do all 3... no regrets.
If you have one piece of stale popcorn you find 6 Euros on the bill. Classic tourist pop in Rome, Milan, etc...
A great way to get the lay of the land in Rome is one of the hop on/hop off tourist buses. They will get you everywhere you want to go and it is very convenient. Plan on at least half a day at the Vatican... lines get longer the later in the day you go over there. Sistine Chapel can take awhile as the crowds get worse as the day goes on.
I would keep Rimini in. Do all 3... no regrets.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 7:38 am to Tridentds
I think they're going to charge you no matter what - it's called a servizio and is typically 2-3%. Food/drink prices are lower compared to the US and there is no tipping, so I don't mind paying what is basically a usage fee for the table. The one that sucks is in Venice they normally charge a coperto on top of the servizio (I may have this backwards). Tip for OP: in Rome, try to stay near the Jewish Ghetto - its walking distance to a lot in the city and is where most of the good restaurants are. We stayed at a hotel called Xenia Guesthouse when we were there, I highly recommend it.
Re: the Vatican, book a tour to get around the lines/waits. You won't regret it. We used Walks of Italy.
Re: the Vatican, book a tour to get around the lines/waits. You won't regret it. We used Walks of Italy.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 4:32 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
Gee, that sounds just sad.
Unless you like great food, great wine and great scenery with towns and villages that are well over a thousand years older than anything in the US. I'd be more than happy spending a week in Tuscany and a week in Piemonte.
Posted on 11/4/16 at 10:21 pm to theantiquetiger
We really loved the food tour we did the first day. Go to several different places and get a list of restaurants to try while we were there. Trastevere would also be a great area to stay. Da Enzo was our favorite restaurant, it was the first stop on the tour.
LINK
I would spend extra and try to get an after hours tour of the Vatican. The tour we had was shoulder to shoulder, with the Sistine Chapel having hundreds of people inside. It would be much better with a smaller crowd.
We used city wonders for walking tours, and they were great. Guides were very knowledgeable and their english was good. Bring your own headphones, the cheap ones they give you aren't very good.
We also did Florence, and it was great. I would highly recommend visiting there as well. It's much smaller than Rome, and we had trouble getting cabs, so make sure to stay within walking distance of Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. We were about 1.5 miles away, and had to walk back in the rain one night.
The Amalfi coast was beautiful and would recommend it to anyone if you aren't set in your locations yet.
LINK
I would spend extra and try to get an after hours tour of the Vatican. The tour we had was shoulder to shoulder, with the Sistine Chapel having hundreds of people inside. It would be much better with a smaller crowd.
We used city wonders for walking tours, and they were great. Guides were very knowledgeable and their english was good. Bring your own headphones, the cheap ones they give you aren't very good.
We also did Florence, and it was great. I would highly recommend visiting there as well. It's much smaller than Rome, and we had trouble getting cabs, so make sure to stay within walking distance of Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. We were about 1.5 miles away, and had to walk back in the rain one night.
The Amalfi coast was beautiful and would recommend it to anyone if you aren't set in your locations yet.
This post was edited on 11/4/16 at 10:42 pm
Posted on 11/5/16 at 1:02 pm to theantiquetiger
As others have stated, highly encourage a stop in Florence. Did Italy for honeymoon back in 2003:
flew into Naples (military Space-A out of Norfolk, VA)
overnight train from Naples to Venice
3 days in Venice
2 days in Florence
3 days in Rome
4 days on the Amalfi Coast
We were mid 20's with no kids so constantly travelling was no big deal.
Looked at going back for our 10 year anniversary, but work didn't allow. Have you looked at Croatia? Supposed to be a cheaper, more authentic version of Itally.
flew into Naples (military Space-A out of Norfolk, VA)
overnight train from Naples to Venice
3 days in Venice
2 days in Florence
3 days in Rome
4 days on the Amalfi Coast
We were mid 20's with no kids so constantly travelling was no big deal.
Looked at going back for our 10 year anniversary, but work didn't allow. Have you looked at Croatia? Supposed to be a cheaper, more authentic version of Itally.
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