travelling around italy

phoenix5

Thanks for taking the time to reply - I know what you mean about these particular cities, they are expensive

phoenix5

phoenix5 wrote: »

Hi there, we are a family of 5 (kids 15.13.9) and are hoping to visit Italy this summer, specifically Rome, Venice and Florence. Instead of flying we are thinking of going via rail and I have looked at several options of getting around as well as accommodation, which is very confusing, so am hoping for some pointers such as:
Is the rail system in Italy reliable and easy to use?
Would it be best to book rail tickets in advance or buy them at each station?
Also any thoughts on hotels/apartments would be great - our budget is limited so has to be reasonably priced and would maybe spend a week in Rome and a week in Florence and go elsewhere from these bases (although travelling to and from these places from accommodation further away is fine)
Any advice, pointers, opinions would be really gratefully accepted and many thanks in advance.
:pThanks for taking the time to reply - I know what you mean about the expense of these cities

phoenix5

peachyprice wrote: »

Travelling around Italy by train is easy and reliable, as long as they are not on strike.

Journey times and tickets can be found www.trenitalia.com, there's an English button in the top right corner if it comes up in Italian. You can book tickets in advance, but obviously that wouldn't be as flexible as booking them when you get to the station. Some of the fast Inter-City trains are cheaper if you book in advance, but most routes have slower routes that are charged per km, so it doesn't matter when you book.

I do agree with Richard though, Rome, Florence and Venice is not going to be a cheap holiday in the slightest, the train fares will be the least of your financial worries.

Thanks so much for the helpful response - and completely understand about these cities being expensive.

phoenix5

Thank you to everyone who has responded with their opinions and experience - we are travelling in July and have looked at certain apartment options as well as cheaper hotels which are coming in at anything between £50 and £100 per night, which is ok actually, so I think the accommodation side will work out ok. The trains I thought might be a good experience for the kids, seeing all that countryside etc as well as allowing for easy access to some areas of italy.
I haven't used the forum much for posting messages so am trying to reply individually but all I am getting is messages at the bottom of my thread, but really do appreciate all the help. xx

vegasvisitor

We did Rome/Florence/Rimini/Milan total 2 weeks a few years back, maybe about 2005.

We used the train for each connection. The only one that was very busy was Florence to Rimini, or more specifically the Bologna-Rimini leg of that journey, simply because it was a Thursday or Friday and Italians were flocking to the coast for the weekend.

Trains are pretty reasonable, and reliable. Only one hour on the Eurostar from Rome to Florence. Trains are also comfortable. For about 30%-50% more you can travel 1st class. We did this on the Rimini-Milan leg because it was about 3 hours, well worth it, nice and comfy. You can also pay an additional fee to reserve a seat. That way if you get on the train and someone is on your seat they have to move and give you the seat. Back then it was €3 or similar to do this.

In Rome we stayed in the Holiday Inn Express San Giovanni. I'm not sure that would suit you with 3 kids...not sure if family rooms accommodate 5 at that chain. It was good though and included breakfast, and reasonable rate.

andygb

phoenix5 wrote: »

Thanks for taking the time to reply - I know what you mean about these particular cities, they are expensive

I have just done some searches on the hotels which we stayed at in Italy, and looking at September 2014, they are nearly three times more expensive to book now than when we went. We only booked around three/four weeks before we went.
I think booking in advance is so much more expensive.

phoenix5

andygb wrote: »

I have just done some searches on the hotels which we stayed at in Italy, and looking at September 2014, they are nearly three times more expensive to book now than when we went. We only booked around three/four weeks before we went.
I think booking in advance is so much more expensive.

Yes I think you are right......many thanks for such good advice, I am slowly making sense of where we might try...and maybe my plan is a bit ambitious so might scale it back a tad......there's just so much to do and see in Italy

peachyprice

phoenix5 wrote: »

......there's just so much to do and see in Italy

But it isn't going anywhere

I've been holidaying in Italy for years and still haven't seen everything I want to. In fact I'm off again next summer