Italy trip planning

Saria

Hello everyone! I am looking for some advice from you lovely people! I hope you can help me out.

I have recently booked tickets to visit Italy, something my partner and I had been wanting to do for years already, but never got around to. Now we are finally going!

As this is our first proper holiday abroad, I am trying to plan everything beforehand. I've already got the plane tickets, flying from Heathrow to Milan on March 28, then flying back from Rome on April 7. Our plan is to visit Milan, Florence (with day trips to maybe Pisa and Siena) and then Rome and the Vatican City.

Now I am looking for some advice in regards to this trip. I have already booked a hotel in Milan for the first two nights, but am still looking for a place to stay at in Florence (probably March 30 - April 3) and in Rome (probably April 4 - April 7). Do people have any suggestions for good places to stay at, which will not cost a fortune?

For comparison, the hotel I booked in Milan is the Ibis Milano Centro, which came to about 140 Euro for two nights (two people). However I can't really find hotels like this in Rome and Florence. Does Italy have certain chains for hotels, or not really? If not, are there places people can recommend? Hotels or AirBnB (never used them before)?

To get around between the different cities, we are looking to travel by train. Does anyone have experience with this and which website did you use? Would it be best to book my train tickets in advance as well?

And in regards to tourist locations/attractions, which ones should we definitely visit and which ones would require ordering tickets for beforehand? We are mainly going for the culture (so museum visits, architecture, ruins, etc.), but don't mind other things (for example my partner wants to visit the San Siro stadium in Milan).

Lastly, what do people normally do in regards to spending money? Do you take out Euros beforehand or do you simply use your bank card? Or are there other ways of paying where you are not charged extra for money conversions?


I am sorry about the long post! But this trip is both exciting and a bit scary to me, as we are not used to doing anything like this! So any help would be massively appreciated! Thank you!

zagfles

For hotels look on the likes of booking.com & check reviews etc.

In Rome we found the centre very expensive, we stayed in Ciampino, about 15 mins on the train into the centre and cheap IIRC. Worth considering especially if you fly from there.

Spending money - don't change cash - get a zero fee card - see the guide here: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards

For destination specific questions and stuff like train travel ask on the tripadvisor forums https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ForumHome

NoodleDoodleMan

Lastly, what do people normally do in regards to spending money? Do you take out Euros beforehand or do you simply use your bank card? Or are there other ways of paying where you are not charged extra for money conversions?

The Barclaycard credit card listed in the MSE advice (link above) is good for taking readies from ATMs - no fees until 2022........... as long as you pay back the balance when the statement comes in.

The Metrobank current account debit card is also fee free at ATMs in Europe, so obviously you would be covered in Italy.

Saria

Thank you for the replies!

I will definitely look at those cards, sounds very interesting. I often visit my family in Belgium as well, so it would be useful to have a card I can use there as well, rather than always taking cash with me.

And I will post my thread on Tripadvisor as well, hadn't thought about doing that!

Voyager2002

For train information, look for The Man in Seat 61 (Google it).

For hotels, get hold of a guide-book: if necessary from a public library. There are loads of small private hotels that offer good value, but finding them from England is not likely to be easy.

richardw

70 Euro per night for a hotel in Florence and Rome is budgeting too low.

NoodleDoodleMan

The debit card with a Nationwide FlexPlus is also fee free at a hole in the wall - it's £13 per month but that comes with a package of attractive benefits - top rated worldwide travel insurance, vehicle breakdown cover and mobile 'phone insurance.

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/current-accounts/flexplus/features-and-benefits#tab:Featuresandampbenefits

We wouldn't be without it on holiday.

bagand96

Train travel in Italy is fantastic. Modern high speed railways, new clean trains etc. The high speed trains run on the routes you’ll be using so I’d stick to those.

Another poster has suggested The Main In Seat 61. This is an excellent site for advice http://www.seat61.com

There’s two operators of high speed trains in Italy... Trenitalia, the state owned railways, and Italo a newer private operator. Both are very good and the trains very similar, so just choose the cheapest/best times for your trip.

You can book online and you get your ticket as a PDF to your email with both operators. As with the UK it’s best to book in advance to get cheaper fares

http://www.italotreno.it
http://www.trenitalia.com

EDIT: A tip.... even on the English versions of their websites, the city names are in Italian, so you want Firenze for Florence

barbarawright

Italian trains are pretty cheap. Man in Seat 61 will advise on which routes is worth booking in advance. The only thing you need to know is that you need to validate your ticket using a gadget on the wall before you board otherwise you may well have to buy a new one. Or pay a fine . Just watch what everyone else does.

bagand96

Italian trains are pretty cheap. Man in Seat 61 will advise on which routes is worth booking in advance. The only thing you need to know is that you need to validate your ticket using a gadget on the wall before you board otherwise you may well have to buy a new one. Or pay a fine . Just watch what everyone else does.

Good advice for the regional trains where you get a proper ticket. For the high speed routers if you’ve booked in advance online you get a PDF ticket which has a barcode/QR code. This doesn’t need validating, they scan it onboard when they do the ticket check.

Grumpelstiltskin

You do realise you will be travelling over the Easter period?

This will mean hotels will be more expensive.