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Best place to stay in Rome, Florence and Venice Arbnb or Vrbo

Family of five traveling to Italy before boarding our 11-day Mediterranean Cruise. We have 3 older teenage daughters and would like to stay in the heart of each of the cities. Looking for recommendations for the following dates Rome: 6/27-6/30, Florence: 6/30-7/2, and Venice 7/2. Don't want to break the bank, but also don't want to stay in a place that is bare minimalist. Any advice would be appreciated. I would like to book with someone who is highly rated, recommended,ed and doesn't have hidden fees that show up after. I would say my budget is $250 a night. Thank you for all your advice.

Posted by
7892 posts

Hi, another source for searching is Booking.com. I have used them for apartments occasionally - usually it’s hotels or B&B’s. I am mentioning them because there’s no hidden fees, and we have also really liked the places we stayed. Their reviews are real; you are unable to leave a review unless you have stayed there.

Posted by
28274 posts

You'll probably get more suggestions if you give us a nightly budget for lodging (total for all five of you). We all have different definitions of "break the bank".

Posted by
17566 posts

I am doubtful,that you can find an apartment for 5 in Venice for $250 in July.

I like to use a local agency for Venice apartments. How many nights are you staying in Venice? If only 2 nights, this 2-bdr, 2 bath apartment in San Marco is €329 per night. The price goes up on Thursday and Friday nights.

https://veniceredhouse.com/apartments-in-venice/ca-coriandolo-apartment/

If that doesn’t work, you can search the Venice Red House website for other options.

Posted by
11619 posts

You need to spend some extra time on AirBnB’s website to find what you need and in your price range. In Rome, look in Monti.

Posted by
4633 posts

For Rome and maybe Florence, consider Monastery Stays website, but book directly with the monastery/convent. Some of them do have a curfew. I think the one we stayed at, near the Colosseum, was il Rosario. Of course, you won't have a kitchen, if that's important to you. That will be a very busy time of year and many accommodations may already be reserved. Also, did you check to see if your cruise leaves from Venice or Ravenna?

Posted by
11619 posts

Regarding monastery stays, would a non-Roman Catholic be comfortable staying in one of them? How religious are they? I keep seeing them listed here as suggestions.

Posted by
2575 posts

I think you will have a very difficult time finding a 3 bedroom in that price range. We travel with two teens who can’t sleep on sofa beds. Finding 2 br is very difficult. As you research, you’ll find that a “bedroom” in Europe is any room with any “bed”, even a sofa bed. So if you want everyone to sleep in a real bed, you will need a 4 bedroom.

It may be easier to find two hotel rooms: one double, and one triple.

Posted by
4633 posts

We had the same experience at the convent where we stayed. We are not Catholic. The only issue I see is if your daughters wanted to stay out late.

Posted by
2604 posts

No problem being non Roman Catholic staying in the monastery/convents. My wife and I stayed in 4 on our trip to Italy and plan on doing it again next year.

Posted by
24 posts

How safe are the monastery places do you get a room key and a way to lock your room? I would be afraid to leave anything of value in the room and didn't know if this is something that I should be concerned about. Also, most require a two-night stay, which I cannot do at each location. Any other suggestions as booking was ZERO help. I am still looking at Airbnb and I am guessing that in some cities there will be hidden fees for occupancy extra. Any additional help would be greatly appreciated as this process has become so frustrating.

Posted by
24 posts

@jenny thank you for the spelling correction. I would hate to confuse anyone. I will update my last post.