european destinations travel service

It's easy to go online and see what flight prices are when you want to go. Then, project out the room prices and other costs covered on by European Destinations. It's easy to figure out what value their products are. If E/D advertised package prices are also good for the middle of the Summer, they may be a great value. We're flying to London and out of Rome next month at just over $700. Flights go up to $1,100 for late May, and double what we're paying for the middle of the Summer. Italy is very, very hot in Summer, and the government has regulations on hotel air conditioning. The country closes for the month of August for their vacations. Italy is a place best visited when tourist crowds are down, like April-May and September-October. Flight prices are lower too. I have found that with the internet, half the trip's enjoyment is in the preparation and anticipation of what we're going to see. With so much history, it takes quite a lot of reading to be prepared for what's going to be thrown at you historically.

I have to disagree. The Italy does not close in August. It will be hot and crowded but it will be open. That is an old urban legend that gets frequently passed around. The government does control when ac is turned on and off for the season but not daily usage. However, it is ac and the hotel and not the room will control the usage. But tell us when we plan to travel so that we are not needlessly address concerns that may not apply to your situation.

I agree with Frank. Most of the city will be open for tourists, it's their high season after all. You may find some of the smaller "Mom and Pop" places closed for a week or so but the main sites and larger restaurants and shops will be open for business as usual. I would suggest trying to visit during the off season if possible. All the rates are better including airfare and hotels. If you can wait until November you'll see airline prices drop by several hundred dollars. You can use search engines like Kayak to help with airline prices. Put in different dates and see what pops up. I tend to stay away from travel agencies because they always charge a commission which you can easily save by doing the leg work yourself. Picking your own flights, hotels, transportation and tours will make this "your" trip and not a trip someone else thinks you will be happy with. Donna

Thanks for the help. Our trip has to be planned around my daughters school. The earliest we can depart is MAy 25. We could also go during Thanksgiving week or Christmas. I was hoping to pull this together for the May departure.
Thanks

For a May 24 departure from Sacramento to Venice and Rome to Sacramento on June 7 is about 1550 to 1650 pp using either US air or AA. A Eurpean Destination package for MAy 25 to June 8 starting at Rome -Siena- Florence - Venice is 2611 pp including hotel, air and train. I plan on modifying this itinerary using the same time span but substituting Cinque Terre and one of the Hill towns maybe Volterra of some of the Siena and Florence days. I also have not reviewed all of the hotels yet. Any thoughts on this. ?
Thanks

So you are there 13 nights? That is $153 a night for the hotel rooms, on average, which isn't bad (especially for Venice.). But you should make sure they are hotels you like, not the cheapest available.

Thats what I thought, it also includes train travel which I will be adding to because I am adding trips to Cinque Terre and a hill town or two.