My Grandson will be arriving in Rome on June 20th with his girlfriend. They are looking forward to a Romantic few days and hope to visit Venice and leave from Milan . They are in their 20's and hope to stay in nice hostels.
I am looking for suggestions to get the most out of this short trip.
Thanks for any help for this Grandmother
Are they landing in Venice direct? On a Covid Secure flight?
Or will they be travelling to Venice after landing somewhere else?
In order to give suggestions what to do it would help to know their interests.
How many NIGHTS do they have IN Italy?
If just 6 Rome deserves at least 3 and that first day/ night is jet lag day
Venice 2 nights then they’d have to be in Milan the night before departure
Not a lot of time for 3 locations
Even less if they only have 5 nights
margeandconnie -
Yes, a little more info would be helpful
So they are arriving in Rome from JFK on June 20th (as Nigel asked, on a COVID Secure flight?)
Leaving from Milan Malpensa to JFK
.... and hope to visit Venice and leave from Milan
Does this mean they haven't purchased their air yet - although I've a feeling that they have - or just that they'd like to see Venice?
Do the 6 days include arrival and departure days, meaning they'd arrive in June 20 and fly home on June 25th? Or are they flying home on the 26th? Either way, it's a very short time for 3 locations: 4.5 days or 5.5 days on the ground in Italy.
Not sure what their nightly budget is; I would expect even a private hostel room for 2 during high season to run over $100 U.S. per night but I haven't checked. If they're a couple, pretty sure they're not interested in a shared dorm (I wouldn't advise it).
If 5.5 days:
June 20th: land at Fiumicino, transport into central Rome, find their hostel (The Beehive is close to Termini and has gotten rave reviews for years) and walk around some to get acclimated. Shuttle buses into Termini (Rome's most central train station) from the airport are very inexpensive, although they take a bit longer than the express train.
https://www.adr.it/en/web/aeroporti-di-roma-en-/pax-fco-bus
https://www.the-beehive.com
June 21st: Rome sightseeing
June 22nd: Rome sightseeing
June 23rd - Train to Venice, find their pre-booked accommodation (sorry, I don't have a hostel reco for this one) and get acclimated.
June 24th - Venice sightseeing
June 25th - train to Milan; some sightseeing and overnight (sorry, no reco for a hostel here)
June 26th - AM train or shuttle bus to Malpensa; fly home
Yes, what they want to see and do is important to know as some attractions require advance reservations - or they'll want them to avoid standing in a potentially long, hot queue - that they'd want to jump on ASAP.
Thanks so much for all the info. The arrive in Rome on the 20th in at 7 AM and are leaving hopefully early on the 27th for work.
Since it's so short a time, they just want to see beautiful sights though not wanting to visit museums etc.
He has only purchased a one way ticket as he wasn't sure which airport that they will be leaving from. They only want a direct flight. ( Rome or Milan )
Actually she will be working in Naples and meeting him in Rome.
Thanks
Curious: as she would already be in Milan, why didn't he fly into Milan instead of Rome to meet her there? Then they could both have gone directly to Venice, then Rome, and then home from Fiumicino. It's backtracking (for her, anyway) to have to return to Milan. Is it too late at this point to change flights?
So, it looks like they at least have another day to work with - yay! - so I'd add it to either Rome or Venice. If they can BOTH fly home from Rome, and if she's OK meeting him in Venice, and if he can't change his flight into Rome, he might want to get on a train to Venice immediately upon arrival in Rome (Fiumicino). Yes, it will kill whatever is left of that day (20th) but then she/they wouldn't need to backtrack to Milan. 20th, 21st and 22nd in Venice (3 nights/2 full days; Rome on 23rd - 26th; 4 nights/3.5 days. Fly home out of Fiumicino on the 27th.
2 one way tickets is probably going to cost a lot more than a Round trip open Jaw (fly in to one city, fly out of another)
Make sure he knows what is required as far as COVID testing pre flight to Italy (is his flight a COVID approved flight?) and allows time for testing before his departure back to US
margeandconnie, I hope that his flight on the 20th is an official covid secure flight. If not, even though it is direct flight, he is looking at quarantine...
margeandconnie,
I love The Beehive in Rome. It is a great hostel near the main train station. Very clean, safe, and affordable. I suggest he book directly with The Beehive for best rates.
Sharon
Thank you all so much. The plan had changed somewhat due to your input. He will arrive in Rome on Sunday the 20th early in the AM. His girlfriend will join him later in the day from Naples.
I am thinking of booking them into the Hotel Campo de Fiori as it looks charming to me. They will stay 3 nights then head to Venice for 4 nights .I was looking at the Ca Dagresso Hotel. as far as I can tell these areas seem a good fit for young people. They want to stay out of the touristy spots.
They will be leaving for New York on the 27th from Venice even though it is not non stop rather than got into Milan for a direct flight.
I just need to fill in the blanks now...meaning how they will travel to these places....to and from the airport etc.
I thought a taxi from the airport to the hotel in Rome would be good as I expect that he will be exhausted.
His Dad died a few years ago and I am trying to fill the Daddy shoes.
Thank you so much for all of your help.
Info for transport to Rome's historic center from Fiumicino is on the airport's website; I'd provided bus info earlier thinking they might be on a tight budget, as they'd "hoped" to stay in hostels. Here's the taxi info: he can just get one when he arrives, and it'll be € 48,00 flat rate.
https://www.adr.it/en/web/aeroporti-di-roma-en-/pax-fco-taxi
They want to stay out of the touristy spots.
Just to note that much of the historic center of Rome might be considered a "touristy spot" as that's where the attractions that 99.9% of first-time visitors go there for are located. That doesn't mean every street is full of tourists, or that being reasonably close to the things most of them want to see is a bad thing but, well, you get the idea? That brings up the next question: what do they want to DO during their time in Rome and Venice? Their trip will be very soon, and some attractions require advance reservations. Their sightseeing plan is also something that might be best if they work that out themselves?
I recommend they get Rick Steves Rome guidebook. It’s full of very helpful, very practical info.
