Hi. We are virgin travelers to Italy, have a cruise planned from Venice to Rome on May 23th 2008. It is a 12 day cruise on Oceania. We are looking at doing most of our own land tours, all suggestions would be appreciated. Also, we are using airmiles and can get to and from Rome, but what is the best and cheapest way to get from Rome to Venice? We will stay 2 extra days in Rome. We will be with one other couple, so can share expenses for excurision.
Thanks for any and all assistance.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
My opinion is that the best and cheapest way to get from Rome to Venice is by train. Italian train system is a good value. Rental car in Italy is on the expensive side.
Posted by
OP
Bend, Or, USA
6 posts
Thank you, is there a train station near the airport in Rome, and do you know how long a trip it is? We are set to arrive into Rome around 1000 and need to be in Venice by early afternoon.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Linda - you have an Oregonians' chat going here.
Train from Rome to Venice is by far the cheapest and fastest way to go. The fastest trip I could see on the Italian train service website is 4 1/2 hours, and that's when everything goes right. Plan on 5 hours at least. But that is much faster than you could do by car so don't even think about a car unless you're going to dawdle in the countryside.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Trains run twice an hour from Fiumicino to Roma Termini. The trip takes 30 minutes. The earliest train you could take from there to Venezia Santa Lucia departs at 12:52 and arrives at 17:22.
Posted by
Texas
531 posts
Linda- Given your need to be in Venice early afternoon the same day you arrive from USA I would fly from Rome or change my departure from the US to arrive a day or two earlier...too much can go wrong to chance missing your cruise.
Posted by
OP
Bend, Or, USA
6 posts
Thank you all for your help.
I think we will arrive a day ahead of time and take the train, I would love to see the country. Then we will spend the night in Venice before we get on the cruise ship. We have to fly in and out of the same airport to use our air miles or I would fly into Venice and out of Rome.
We will spend 2 nights in Rome after our cruise ends. Has anyone rented a home in Rome?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Flying in a day ahead of time sounds like the best choice to me.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Linda, two nights is probably too short a time to rent a home. Most apartment rentals require a week. How many people are you trying to accomodate?
Posted by
Wilmington, DE, USA
712 posts
If you land in Rome and want to make an air connection to Venice (you are at the airport anyway) - There are some cheap flights between cities in Europe now days. We thougt of doing it, but we would be in Rome for 4 nights and wasting time getting back to the airport and security didn't seem worth it, so we are planning on taking a train in Sept.
Posted by
OP
Bend, Or, USA
6 posts
There will be a total of 4 (2 couples). Does anyone have a suggestion of a place to stay in Rome for 2 nights? Any other suggestions of places to go, things to see, places to eat, would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
There are, of course, a gazillion places to stay in Rome. Staying north of the train station (Termini) minimizes travel time for such a short visit, but there's little neighborhood atmosphere. Look at Rick's listings and then search Tripadvisor.com for additional places and reviews.
For a short visit, I'd suggest going to the Forum, then dinner around Piazza Novona and walking around that area as long as you can stay awake. On the next day, go to St. Peters and the Vatican museums. Lots of advice available here and on Lonelyplanet.com
Posted by
San Francisco, CA, USA
11 posts
Doug - I'll be in Italy soon too - what do you mean by "Rick's listings" re: accommodations?
Thanks!
Stu