Come in a day early?

You're looking at hotel rooms almost a year in advance...that's too early to get a good read on prices. Yes, $280-380 is way too high unless you're looking solely at luxury properties. You should be able to get a hotel room at almost every price point. Try www.booking.com just to get a feel for different hotels. Then wait a few months, as you have plenty of time. There's no need to stay at the airport, stay in the center.

It would be helpful to know which city your tour starts in. When we are taking a tour, we arrive a day ahead of the tour and either book the same hotel that the tour will be using or if that is not available then stay in a hotel nearby. We rarely stay at an airport hotel except for some departures for home. This will give you a chance to catch your breath before the tour and recover a bit from jetlag. Airport hotels are generally more pricey although there are some exceptions such as the citizenM hotel at Schiphol airport.

I highly recommend arriving in the tour city at least a day in advance. Stuff happens. You may need a night to get adjusted to the time difference. Rooms in the area of Termini are often reasonably priced. I stayed at Hotel Sonya earlier this year. It is a short walk from Termini, with reasonable rates. Much less that $280.

I think it's always a good idea to arrive a day early, both to help with jet lag and to minimize issues if your flights are cancelled or delayed.
As well as hotels, you might also look at staying in convents or monasteries that rent rooms to travelers. You don't have to be catholic, or even single, but just respectful.
Check out monasterystays.com. -- and it's even cheaper if you can figure out how to book directly and not go through the agency.

Definitely come a day early for several reasons. First, you will be able to have your jet lag day without taking away from your tour. Also, it's nice to have a little more time in a wonderful location. Another reason is if your flight is messed up, you will have the buffer day to recover.

The $280-380 cost sounds very high to me. You will find many options on Booking.com for other price points. To simplify the process, select the center of Rome on the map, look at review ratings and also don't select any hotel with less than 50 reviews. You don't want to be near the airport when you could be enjoying the beautiful center of Rome! I would check your narrowed down list of hotels on TripAdvisor. Especially look at the photos that travelers took, not the hotel professional photos. This will give you a good indication to make your final selection.

Great advise! The tour starts in Rome and ends in Venice. I don't know the name of the hotel we'll be in in Rome..once I find out, I'll try to book a room close by and definitely get in a day earlier. My next issue is do I book an open jaw from Charlotte to Rome to Venice? Or do a RT to Rome and take a train from Venice back to Rome? There are so many things to think about!

Thank you all for your help!

Book open jaw unless you want to spend more time in Rome at the end.

I agree with the others on coming at least one day ahead, but if your schedule and budget allow, I'd do 2 nights ahead. That gives you a full day in the sunlight before the tour starts and there is PLENTY to see in Rome.

If you can't book at the tour hotel for a reasonable rate, one of the recommended ones here or in Rick's Italy book will work for you. Definitely don't stay at the airport. When you say "book thru the agency" does that mean the tour company? You may be able to do at the same hotel but less expensively. It does matter what tour you are contemplating because if it is one that lodges their tours on the outskirts of the city you won't want that for your extra days. You'll want to be centrally located.

If you havent gotten Rick's Italy book yet, donso! Your library may have a cooy.

Fly into Rome arriving at least one day before the tour starts. Then pick a flight out of Venice that is a direct flight to the USA. That is because that flight will leave closer to mid day rather than a 6AM flight to another city in Europe. Early flights out of Venice are often a topic on this forum on how to get to the airport. A midday flight eliminates that early morning transfer to the Venice airport.

I picked the date of May 1st and searched flights on American Airlines. They have a non stop direct to Rome. And they also have a direct flight back to the USA and CLT via Philly. It has a midday departure from Venice with a 3 hour layover in Philly.

Staying in Venice an extra day is never a bad thing. Staying in the hotel your tour is using is really convenient. The same thing as using the same hotel where the tour starts.

The flat rate taxi (about 48 euro) to your hotel is the easiest transfer after an all night and probably sleepless transatlantic flight.

Keep reading and searching this forum for answers to the other questions you will have. How to get euro from an ATM is a frequent topic.

I agree with Pam. Get the Rick Steves guidebook. It will give you all kinds of good info, logistics on getting from point a to b, etc. We have always found them extremely useful in our travels in Europe.

We would come in several days early but certainly a day early to recover from jet lag plus you need to factor in late planes, cancelled planes etc etc. We have only taken one tour, a Russian river tour from Moscow to Petersburg (a real loser) but one guy arrived a day late with no luggage; he got his luggage 7 days in to the trip. Another couple arrived a day late, but with luggage. This is in a group of about 30 -- so 3 people on the tour were delayed flying.

What we did is separately book the same hotels at each end for several extra days. The prices were not crazy. We didn't do it through the tour company but asked to be in the same room and the hotels had no problem coping. they do this all the time. If this doesn't work out, then just get another hotel and move -- but that is a pain.

One thing about tours is that many are rather superficial and you may want to visit and tour a thing or two that is left off the tour or only a drive by. for example, our Russian trip did not go through St. Basil the iconic Moscow church; we did that on our own a couple of days before the tour and were the only people not whining that that was left out (we 'saw it' from a distance but didn't visit it on the tour)

I am going to add my two cents in here.

Your body and mind will thank you if you arrive at least a day before your tour starts. You'll also be able to start your tour refreshed, rather than dragging through that opening meeting/dinner with your eyes at half mast because you're so jetlagged from the overnight flight to Rome.

While most travel agencies/tour companies will try to talk you into booking your pre-tour night through them, you may be able to do better on your own. There's nothing wrong with staying in a different hotel, but if you know your starting hotel, then you may be able to book in directly with the hotel or a third party site like Orbitz, etc., and find a better deal.

If you do arrive early and stay at a different hotel before the tour begins, take a look at where you're supposed to meet your tour to start the tour. You may want to look for hotels in that general area.

As far as whether to book open jaw or not - well, you have to look at cost and convenience. If the tour ends in Venice and you want to go directly home, then it's probably cheaper to book an open jaw ticket.

BUT you said you're flying out of Charlotte, right? AA may have a RT flight that significantly beats the cost of flying out of Venice as long as you don't mind taking the train back to Rome.

Your first overseas trip! How exciting! You're going to LOVE it!!!

I agree with the others that it would be highly advisable to arrive in the tour departure city at least one day prior to the start of the tour. That allows a "cushion" for things like flight disruptions, allows time for you to get over jet lag and will allow you to visit sights not covered by the tour. Is this a RS tour you'll be taking?

I also agree that you should buy the RS Italy 2018 guidebook as soon as it's available, as it will provide you with a lot of good information to help your trip go smoothly. The book has listings for reliable hotels in different price ranges in various parts of Rome, so you'll have a choice. My suggestion would be to simply book a room in the hotel that the tour will be using. You might want to pack the book along to use as reference during your trip, as it contains a wealth of information.

If you could provide the group here with more information on your tour, which hotels the tour uses, etc., it will be easier to provide more detailed suggestions on best ways to travel from the airport to your hotel, how to get around the city, etc.

As this is your first time travelling out of the U.S., I'd also recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip, as that provides a lot of good information on the differences you'll find in Europe, and will help you travel well.

Good luck with your planning!

In May 2017 my flight was cancelled AFTER we had boarded, we had to be rerouted (along with all the other flights going to JFK). There were at least a dozen people on my flight who were going to miss the first day of their tour because of the flight delay.

Fly in early. If flights out of Venezia are not convenient, tack on another day at the end and fly out of Milano Malpensa (MXP) or Roma Fiumicino (FCO).

Ken said at least one day early. I'll add, as many days early as you possibly can. And allow yourself to do a lot of cafe sitting those first days.

Flights out of Venice often leave at shockingly early hours. Getting to the Venice airport for a very early flight is either expensive, a hassle, or both. If you are going to finish your Italy time in Venice, you will indeed want to book an "open jaw" flight, which is called "multi city" or "multiple destinations" on airline booking websites - into one city (Charlotte to Rome) and out of another (Venice to Charlotte). Just be careful not to book one that leaves Venice too early. The flight through Philadelphia is a good answer to this, but do allow enough time in Philadelphia for immigration and customs (a few hours). When returning to the US from abroad, you go through immigration and customs in your first US airport - regardless of your final destination.

Of course, you may want to stay after your tour and end somewhere other than Venice, in which case you will fly home from somewhere else. So, don't book any flights until you are sure of your plans. A train from Venice to Rome is under four hours, so you certainly can go back to Rome if you wish. Or you may want to go somewhere not on your tour. Just be sure to allow enough time. For instance, you don't want to take a long train ride just to stay in a place one night.

Again, Rick's Italy book has this kind of information, as well as the answer to questions you didn't even think to ask yet. Be sure to get one. You can get one out of the library for now, as you'll want the 2018 edition once it's available (due out November 2017).

Liz, I'd definitely come in at least a day early, and would recommend more days than that, if possible. There is a great deal to see in Rome, and it's always a good idea to have a cushion if joining a tour, a cruise, etc. Most of us don't even recommend pre-purchasing onward train tickets for arrival day.

Don't stay near the airport: go directly into Rome! You don't necessarily need to stay close to the hotel your tour is staying at, and be cautious to check the actual location of that accommodation on a map? As you don't mention whose tour you're taking, there's a chance that it may be further from center than is convenient, although at the price being quoted I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

You shouldn't have an trouble finding one for under the price the "agency" is quoting. Searching for and booking a hotel room abroad doesn't need to any more complex than in the States: a lot of us like www.booking.com for getting that job done. It's not difficult, and you can sort by price, desired amenities, location, etc. Also, take a browse through past threads on the Italy forum for questions about Rome hotels and advice from previous travelers.

Didn't see this mentioned above so here goes. If you contact the office (assuming it's a Rick Steves Tour) they should, at some point, be able to tell you the name of the first hotel. If you can stay there you'll eliminate a lot of hassle needed to just change hotels.

No reason to stay at an airport hotel.
Get yourself into Rome, great hotels can easily be found for $150 per night. Good hotels for a little over $100.00
No need to book the room for a few months.
Cab into town is a fixed rate of 50 euro from airport to hotel door.
Stay in the Ancient Center area near the Panthenon and self explore for a day or more before your tour.

This is my first time flying out the US so I have ZERO experience on how to plan a trip.

Liz, you are in for a wonderful experience!

Arrive at least one day early. Keep active the first day, staying outside as much as possible. Stay up until as close to normal bedtime as possible. If you can afford it, fly at least Economy Plus.

Please tell us more about the tour.

You guys are so full of valuable info...I really appreciate all the input! I know I'm planning a little "prematurely" but going to Italy is the only thing that's been on my bucket list ever since I was able to understand I'm Italian. To say I am excited is an understatement! My first time over will be to see the "main" tourist sites but my second trip over will be to Puglia. My Grandparents are from Foggia, specifically Rodi Garganico, so I want to see where they came from before they moved to the states in 1926.

I signed up for a small tour with Nada's Italy that takes us to Rome, Florence and ends in Venice from May 18-28. So far, I haven't received the info on where we'll be staying. Once I get that info I think it will be easier to make a reservation at the same hotel or at least near it when I come in a day or two early.

Coming in early and getting a room at or near the tour hotel in Rome is a definite. I think it might be fun to end the trip in Venice, take a train to Rome and stay one more night to fly back to Charlotte the next day would be good too.. So much to think about though!

I have Rick's Italy 2017 but will get the 2018 in November.

These are all cities VERY easy to tour on your own. My husband and I did Venice over 35 years ago on our first trip to Europe together. I would plan if you possibly can to have several extra days for Rome and then again for Venice. Open jaw out of major cities is no more expensive than a round trip but since Venice is not a major city, you might want to fly into Rome and out of Milan (just check out various options)

Once you know exactly what the tour will do (and a visit means you go in and 'see' or 'view' means a drive by) then plan to visit a few things you will have less or no time for on the tour. 3 extra days at each end would be well spent.

3 extra days at each end would be well spent.

Absolutely! Consider that your biggest single expense is usually (but not always) airfare so we add as many days to our trips abroad as we're able to. There are also some nice day trips you could make from Rome - or on your back to Rome, should you fly out of there - if you wish to. You have lots of time to plan, and that's a sunny thing to do during the dark days of winter! :O)

I think most of us here would not think you are planning prematurely! (See the thread You know your are addicted when.... hahaha!!)

So, yes, doing your research ahead is good. If you were getting the quote for the hotel from a Travel Agent, keep in mind they usually only sell hotels where they can get a commission. The smaller less expensive hotels are not in their wheelhouse but are easy to book online.

I'm sure your tour will be fun! My first trip to Italy was a Rick Steves tour and altho the cities are easy to tour on your own, I had much more confidence traveling with a tour group.

Take a look at Rick's Southern Italy tour for the next year when you want to see Puglia.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy

This tour? http://www.nadasitaly.com/tours/1#tab2

I read up on the tour and it looks nice. I especially like the fact that it has no more than 12 on the tour. You're going to have such a great time!

It's interesting to hear that you'll be taking a tour with Nada's Italy. You might consider posting a Trip Report when you get back, as others may be interested to hear your impressions of the tour (there's a separate section here on the forum for "Trip Reports"). I've looked at Nada's website on several occasions, and always enjoy listening to the way she speaks Italian.

If you stay a few days after your trip and decide to fly back from Milan instead of Venice or Rome, you might consider staying your last two days at Stresa on Lake Maggiore to add something completely different. Google "Isola Bella" and also "Stresa", and you'll see what's waiting for you - total relaxation and beauty! We stayed at Hotel Boston in Stresa, inexpensive hotel option with a great location to everything in Stresa & the ferry out to see Isola Bella & Isola Pescatori. They are used to American tourists, so it's an easy town to visit.

A website that's one of my favorites for any planning is rome2rio.com It will give you information on trains, etc. for any options you're considering; also, links to the specific transportation. Enjoy your trip!

Ok - I will revise you whole trip. I would go into Rome at least two days early and preferable three or four. Do you jet lag adjustment on your own schedule instead to being immediately forced to join a tour and adjust to jet lag at the same time. Can easily get nice hotels in the city for $150 or a bit more.

But even more critical -- since the airline and the tour are not tied together you really should go a couple days just in case something happens to the US flight. We were on a Lufthansa flight from Denver a couple years ago that was cancelled because of equipment problems. Enormous panic among many passengers who were boarding a cruise the next day. It took two days for us to get re-booked. That is normally why we go in a week early for a cruise or tour.

Second, to make it easy on yourself I would take the train from Venice to Milan, spend a couple of days, and fly home from Milan. Big airport, probably better prices. From Venice you will have a very early departure (think 5, 6am) on a local flight that connects somewhere else in Europe for your return flight home. Makes for a long day. Milan will be a much easier departure airport.

Make it a relaxing trip instead of push to get here and there.

More excellent advice! I'm so glad I came here. I truly had no idea panning a trip could be so involved! Milan sounds like a better option for my departure. Nooooooow, I think things are going to change. As I'm reading all the suggestions, looking at the maps, etc., I'm going to look at flying in to Rome early, taking a two day trip to my Grandparents village Rodi in Foggia (3-4 hour trip by train from Rome, I believe..) and back to Rome to start the tour. When it ends in Venice, take a train to Milan, spend a night or two there, then head home.

My big concern is my work giving me so much time off and the cost of taking side trips. I need to watch the cost. I think if I ask the tour to help me plan, the cost will skyrocket.

Did anyone else go through this when planning? The back and forth...changing routes, changing plans, etc.,? I swear it's become a part time job already!

Thank you all again for your help!

"Did anyone else go through this when planning? The back and forth...changing routes, changing plans, etc.,? I swear it's become a part time job already!"

Yes, we ALL go through this, and yes, it does take a lot of time. Many of us on this board enjoy it (I know I do), but it certainly does feel like a second job sometimes. This is particularly true when one is new at travel planning in general, or going to a new place. For instance, I was in Switzerland in September 2014 and am going back for September 2017. Planning this second Switzerland trip was much faster and easier than the first.

"Did anyone else go through this when planning? The back and forth...changing routes, changing plans, etc.,? I swear it's become a part time job already!"

Yes! See the thread in the General Europe section titled You know you have a travel addiction when... hahahah!!

I suspect you'll get good help here and free at that, lol!, for planning your side trips. I think budget and time off are the hardest things to arrange!

You can do it with help here -- don't worry about paying the tour office exorbitant fees!

It make me laugh because my itinerary out of the tour time changes on a daily basis. Today I'm NOT going to stay over night in Rodi but make Foggia my base and take a train in and out to avoid paying for two hotels. Is there a forum here for hotel reco's?

Thanks again! :)

"Is there a forum here for hotel reco's?"

In theory, the Italy Reviews forum should be where people post their experiences with hotels, and this Italy forum is where you ask for recommendations. In actuality, it gets a bit mixed up, and you should look at both (but start a new post with your Foggia hotel question in this forum, as it is not only gets more traffic, but is the "correct" place for the question).

You might have better luck at Trip Adviser for hotel recommendations. But I briefly looked at the current transport to Rodi. The Freccia train from Rome leaves around 8 am and gets to Foggia about 10:45, then it is a bus with one or two transfers that don't get into Rodi until mid-afternoon. So you might want to look at staying 2 nights there to check up for relatives. Also, Rodi is something of a beach resort and May is before the summer season begins, so it could be quite pleasant, what Rick calls a Backdoor Experience.

Edit - Looks like there also trains from Foggia to Rodi that operate April 1 to Sept 1, so that makes life easier.

Did anyone else go through this when planning? The back and forth...changing routes, changing plans, etc.,? I swear it's become a part time job already!

We all do this. It becomes an addiction after awhile, but it's part of the fun of the trip. At least, it is for me.