tips wanted for venice and rome, 2adults&2 children

annie-c

More tips from Annie-C!

Gosh, you've brought back lovely holiday memories now, so here are soem more tips:

I normally like getting around on foot on holiday, but in Rome we bought 3-day travel passes and made good use of them. It's not a vast city but walking on cobbles is hard work and could be really tiring for the children. Also, it just means that you get to see more!

And you can use the travel cards on buses and trams too, so we used them for a lovely trip out of town to see the Christian catacombs. An English speaking guided tour is included in the entry fee, and ours was given by a really funny and friendly retired priest with lots of serious historical stuff mixed in with grisly stories about the martyrs - great for kids (though we are big kids in our 30s/40s and loved it too!) See the link here for more details

http://www.catacombe.roma.it/

Don't be afraid to ask locals for directions to the right bus stops and ask the bus drivers to let you know where to get on/off. I tried using my 'best Italian' to communicate (all of about 15 phrases!), which was appreciated, but people were more than happy to help and speak English. And, generally, Italians love kids, so you should have no probs getting the help you need.

On a practical note, if the weather is hot while you're away, you'll need to take plenty of water out with you each day. It will be much cheaper to buy bottles at grocery stores on the side streets than at the main tourist attractions. Also, all around Rome are freshwater pumps in the public squares - perfectly safe and fresh water, so fill up your bottles and wash sticky hands as you go round.

Lots of the Churches etc are free to enter, including the Pantheon, which was built as a temple and so counts as a religious building.

The Spanish Steps is a lovely place to rest and watch the world go by. Take a picnic or buy an ice-cream there when you need a breather.

The Trevi Fountain is quite funny the first time you see it - very beautiful, but startlingly touristy - I won't spoil the surprise for you with too much description, but would just say that although you won't need much time there, it is well worth allowing for two trips and seeing it both by day and night.

Oh and one last thing - make sure everyone is wearing suitable footwear. Even with the travelcards, I have never walked so much or climbed so many steps as on that last holiday to Italy (we packed a lot in!). If you can manage it, it really is worth climbing to the top of every church tower, etc, for the amazing views, but you will feel it the next day! We wore flip flops/sandals out for most of the day, because it was so hot, but took slip on trainers with us for the sightseeing/climbing parts - and it was really worth the effort.

And another 'last' thing (!) - for both Rome and Venice - if you are going to do the adventurous thing and stray into the side streets to get better quality food, and see some 'real' life, etc, it is a really good idea to get a proper city map. The ones given away at hotels etc often don't include street names for side streets and alleyways. Wandering around the quieter parts is great, but take a map to make sure you can find your way back (I've found this to my peril -I've never had worries for my personal safety while getting 'lost', but without a good map I have wandered round in circles a good few times before finding my way back!)

Hope this helps

Annie

floydy

annie-c wrote:

Given that time is short, it will be a good idea to plan your trip carefully in advance.

I usually use Rough Guides on holiday, but for Rome, I found the TimeOut guide a real help for a few days visit - just enough on history and culture and also helpful tips about eating and entertainment.

One great tip was that if you're planning to visit both the Colliseum and the Forum then go to the Forum first -the same ticket is valid for entry to both but, while the queues for the Colliseum can be an hour long, you will rarely have more than a few in front of you at the Forum - in fact if visiting at a busy time, it might be worth going over to get your ticket at the Forum, even if you don't plan to stay there (although I thoroughly recommend the Forum in its own right - we spent hours there, but it would have been worth a quick pop around, if only for the magnificent views of the Colisseum).

I agree completely with the earlier poster about Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. A lovely place to sit and watch the world go by. Very child friendly and popular with locals, who sometimes bring their kiddies to play on tricycles, etc whilst sitting having a drink. As with most European cities, it is cheaper to have a carafe of house wine than to buy branded drinks, and always ask for carafes of free tap water with meals. You can spend an evening very cheaply this way and save your money for delicious ice-creams...

My biggest tip for Venice would be, whatever you do, DONT use a guided tour. In high season there are always huge parties of people following behind an umbrella-wielding tour guide, and being herdeed quickly round the sites and then into cheap shops where the guides are on commision.

Allow yourself a little time to get lost, wandering the backstreets and taking in how beautiful the surroundings are (it's a relatively small place; you won't really be lost!). You'll also come across cheaper restaurants that way, with better quality set menus than those on the main tourist trail. And you'll get to see lots of people taking gondola rides and being sung to by the older gondoliers (the younger gondoliers are often too busy eyeing up the young female passers-by to sing to their passengers!!)

For both cities, remember to dress modestly on days that you will be visiting churches. Women should cover their shoulders and knees in churches - otherwise be prepared to pay a few euros for the privilege of being wrapped in a shawl/skirt of paper toweling at the entrance! Yes, really - I though that my top was OK to visit St Peters, but it was cap-sleeved and so I was sent to the queue for a paper-towelling cover-up - the photos are great!!

I love Italy and am really interested that you are visiting Rome and Venice in one trip - given the distance apart. Can I ask how you have made the arrangements - have you booked internal flights while you are there?

Anyway, hope you have a lovely time in both cities.

Annie

Thanx Annie,

husband thought we may as well try to do both cities together and found details of a train from venice to rome. prices were about £15o for the four of us, taking about 4 hrs. thought this might be really nice for the scenery, but i suggested looking at flight prices to try to save us more time. Couldn't believe it, because it works out about £80 for the four of us to fly from venice and rome.

so, flying from liverpool to venice (2 day stay), flying to rome (3day stay) and flying back to liverpool. Cant remember cost(am at work at this ungodly hour) but all booked with ryanair in january, very reasonably.

very excited, going next month, will heed all advice, very grateful to all. :T

davidlizard

We "did" Venice and Rome (via Florence, Pisa, Siena, Bologna) for our honeymoon. Flew into Venice, saw some of the city, picked up the hire car, visited Verona and took in the Opera at the amplitheatre there (about 1 hours drive away, but you can easily get there on the train from Venice - but probably not back that night), and dropped the car off in Rome 15 days later - Italian driving is actually not too bad once one gets used to it.

Fully agree with the point made about getting a decent map.

However, in Venice, they move all the buildings around at night - nothing else will explain how a route with a nice restaurant/shop/ice cream palour on it just round the corner from the hotel is nowhere in sight the following morning. And everywhere, there are lost tourists trying to work out where the hell they are on the map. However, if one looks up about 12 feet, the major attractions are all signposted. Find an attaction or landmark near the hotel (we were near the hospital) use that as a reference point to get back to.

Rome has a smallish underground system - beware of a scam where someone lets you through without a ticket saying buy one downstairs, only to get accosted by someone pretending to be a policeman on the escalators demanding money.

robnye

just done rome last week.

didnt come across any pick pockets..... just keep your wits about you

avoid the number 64 bus.... that is the notorious one (so i have heard)

use the 116 or the 117.... little electric buses (no bigger than a milk float)

you dont need a ticket for the forum, the ticket is for palatine hill in the forum. it is a little like beverly hills area of rome i ancient times, this ticket is then valid for the colloseum..... have your kids seen gladiator.......

visit piazza navonna around 6ish in the evening...... restaurants are a little pricey, but the square is full of tourists/artists/romans..... etc

see the trevi fountain in the day and a gain at night.....

via del corso is the main shopping road, of this road are lots of little streets, with cafes/restaurants

always buy your tickets in advance, the tickets cover buses/metro/trams, 1 euro ticket lasts for one metro journey or 75 mins of bus travel..... make sure you validate it...... yellow machines on the buses. 4 euro ticket lasts until midnight on the day you purchase

dont eat at cafes/restaurants where the menu is in 4 languages and displayed outside.........

comfortable shoes....... plenty of water and dont be afraid to try italian, although most italians spot that you are not italian before you open you mouth......

I have a phone number for a tour guide we used to go round the vatican museums/sistine chapel and st peters basilica.... pm me and it will send you his name and number. it was well worth it.

even if you are religious...... being in st peters square at 12pm on sunday is something different..... there was 40000 people there when i went 2 weeks ago......

otherwise have great fun, the weather should be good

annie-c

Yes, sorry! Robnye is absolutely right - the Forum is free - it is the Palatine that shares an entry fee with the Colluseum, and the Palatine at which the queues are shorter.

matchfacts

I've returned from Rome recently and enjoyed two great meal experiences.

"Enoteca Antica" on Via della Croce by the Spanish Steps:
http://www.enotecaantica.com/home.html

"Giggetto" on Via del Portico D'Ottavia:
http://www.giggettoalporticodottavia.it/english/home.htm

Both had been recommended by Italians in England. There's plenty of information and reviews available so I'll let you look for yourself.

Cardew

nelly wrote:

Rome only.

The problem with the sistene chapel is you go through a million other similar rooms 1st so its not that great when you get there.

That's a problem?

If you like art the Vatican is overwhelming. The 'other similar rooms' are full of masterpieces and the Sistene Chapel is unbelievable.

To my mind walking is not the best way to get around Rome in a couple of days - especially if you have children; St Peter's and the Vatican are a long way, by foot, from the centre of Rome. There is a very good 'tourist' bus that enables you to get on and off at a variety stops and you can then walk a short distance to the various attractions.

A couple of hours browsing the internet reading about the sights is time well spent. Set the kids a project to read up about, say, the St Peter's.and it will give them an interest.

I think Rome is fabulous but I would think my children would have found Rome a bit boring at that age, as it ain't Disney.

meggie-lizzie

We went to Rome twice in the past year, in July (really hot) and in January (bit like early spring here) have used Ryanair and Easyjet, both times we booked an airport transfer with terravision, costs about £9.50 and drops you at the Termini Station so I guess it depends where your hotel is as to how convenient it would be. The tip about the Palatine and Colloseum tickets worked fine for us, the queue in July was amazing, but with our ticket we just walked straight in, no waiting! We had a fridge with a freezer in our room, this was great as we bought water at the supermarket and froze it overnight, this meant it stayed cold until afternoon. Best place to buy postcards we found was the streetsellers (which surprised us) 20 cards for 1 euro! Most annoyed after I had bought them @ 3 for 1 euro, lol!
Have a wonderful time and remember to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, although Hubby wouldn't in January, he said the one he threw in last July worked too quickly!

floydy

really appreciate your advice, thanx.

floydy

floydy wrote:

really appreciate your advice, thanx.

:rotfl:
Hi to all

Been back a couple of weeks and had a fantastic time

Venice was wonderful, great wandering round little streets and over countless bridges. Enjoyed a gondola ride, scoffed at the 150 euro price, walked away and offer came down to 120 Euro straight away, but wouldnt budge any lower. Returned the next day and decided we had to do it, so paid the 120 euro and really enjoyed it, gondoliers are very skilled and it was very tranquil in places, glad we did it( lasted about 40 mins). St. marks square and basilica, and doges palace were great. Transport easy and holiday inn absolutely fine.

Rome was better, loads more to do and we were shattered getting round everywhere, but had a brill time. Bought the BTI tickets for 11 Euro each (3 days travel on bus, metro or train, under 10's travel free), which was fantastic.
All the sights are draw droppers, really unbelievable architecture and got to be seen to be believed. Collosseum was the most interesting for me (missed out on under 18'sand over 65's going free with photo id, EU citizens only, would have saved 11 Euro each on my two), and Sistine chapel ( once we finally reached it).
Holiday inn really nice and good breakfast, really friendly staff(at both hotels), and very easy to get to and from sights.
Spent a fortune, meals a bit hit and miss, paid overboard to enjoy atmosphere in Piazza Novana(spelling?), and in Venice, but lovely, and especially enjoyed little bars off main streets for great paninis and pastries.

:T Thanx to all for your advice, also looked at trip advisor which was great for hints, would recommend a diy approach to booking flights, accomodation and transfers, saved a fortune getting there so didnt grumble at paying for the touristy experiences.:T

BTW,:mad:
Decided to get a taxi to hotel ( 5 euro each to bus terminal anyway, so theres 20 euro), agreed a price of 40 euro with the taxi driver, maybe 45 depending on traffic, he said. Tried to charge us 53 euros, had read to challenge them and threaten to report them for ripping us off (taxi drivers name and number displayed on the passenger door inside), he kicked up a fuss and then backed down, i paid him 2, 20euro and a 5 euro note(both blue) and he walked away switched one of the 20's for a 10(red) and claimed i had only given him 35 euros. I was incensed and knew straight away what he had done, he tried to argue with me but i just walked away. Made my blood boil, and should have reported him, had a laugh about it later, but beware. Only downer during the whole trip, but didnt dwell on it.:mad: