Rome & Florence

Besides the obvious places in Rome, be sure to go to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument for an amazing view of Rome. A great place to eat in Florence with a fantastic view of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge is The Golden View Restaurant. Reservations for the tables next to the window fills up months in advance. You can make the online from their website I believe. We got a table by the window with an unbelievable view without a reservation. We showed up at 6:15 and had to promise that we would be done by 8:30. I was very surprised how reasonable the prices were.

When you first posted about this trip 6 months ago, you said that you were on a budget. You can get good food at reasonable prices everywhere in Spain and Italy. If you are asking for great places to eat, expect to get recommendations for more expensive meals.

I am surprised that a month before departure, you're now asking what to see. How did you determine that you wanted 4 days in each city? Or did you just decide to split your time equally, 4 days in each of your 5 cities? What sights are you planning to see?

Chani: Maybe everyone is different and maybe they have concluded what to do/see but like last minute input. Imagine if everyone would plan the way you would... I am reading along as we will be in Rome and Florence as well. Rome 2 nights Florence 1 day. I recommend a tour since it will give you the most bang for your time ..Happy Traveling :)

If you already have some plans, share them here for more clarity (and the same on your Spanish cities question).

I hope you have good guidebooks at this stage, but without those, you can see a prioritized "At a Glance" list of sightseeing (mostly sites with entry tickets) on each big city page on this site, such as this one for Florence. It's wise to reserve ahead for the top couple of museums in both cities.

Walking/exploration routes are not on that list, but you can download Rick's free audio tours and maps further down the same page under "Listen." Rick's notes about guided tours, cooking classes, specific restaurants, etc. are only in the books.

I am reading along as we will be in Rome and Florence as well. Rome 2
nights Florence 1 day. I recommend a tour since it will give you the
most bang for your time.

Susanne, this is a good example of why it's so important to consider each poster's individual situation, and why having very little to go on can make recommendations an exercise in futility. There is a very big difference between having only one day for Florence and having four, and only 2 days in Rome versus four. There may also be a big difference in your interests, torstenbos' interests and anyone else's.

We can throw out a list of must-do art museums and churches in Florence and Rome only to find that Torstenbos and Co. don't care for art OR churches so that response wouldn't be helpful. It would also be a waste of a post when we could have concentrated on suggestions to fit the interests...if we knew what those were. Same with restaurants: upscale establishments don't usually work with a student's pocketbook.

Experience is a consideration - if one has ever traveled outside of their country before - as is budget. Torstenbos' is a teacher traveling with three friends and focusing on hostels and economical meals; probably a younger traveler but that's just a guess. A guided tour might be a good option for someone trying to cover Florence in a day but with much more time and an eye on expenses, independent touring with a book and/or free/inexpensive audio tours might be better.

Time is somewhat of essence here as some must-see's aren't even going to be a possibility at this late date: they'll already be fully booked for next month so not worth discussion. Your trip may be some months out yet.

So the goal here is to match possible see's and do's with those torstenbos and friends will enjoy in the most economical way (i.e. student discounts available?) We just need more concise details about this trip to do that, if that makes sense? Forums work best if help is customized to each individual's specific case.

Thank you all for your responses! Let me clarify, yes my post did not give enough details! This is my first experience using a forum such as this and I am learning along the way! :) Basically we do have things planned, but being our first time in these places we wanted to know if there are any things we just have to do while we are there (Madrid, Barcelona, & Seville too). I figured I would pick the brains of people who have been here for any advice you have to offer. Early in our trip we were more on a budget, but with saving $ throughout the year we now have more money to work with! So, any and all ideas are appreciated. What do we absolutely have to see or go to? What would we not find in the travel books? Yosemite1 thank you for the suggestion! I am going to look in to making a reservation at that restaurant! Susanne.... thank you for understanding where I am coming from! Again, thank you all so much for your suggestions and advice!

So what things DO you have planned so we don't repeat the same suggestions? You are also traveling with three other people: what are they interested in doing, or is the question just for you?

Understand that all we've had to go on is one (apparently now) outdated post.

For places to eat, we always look to Ricks suggestions first.

Rome - Absolutely loved Osteria da mario (piazza delle coppelle, 51). It is a few minute walk from piazza navona or the pantheon. Cannot wait to return when we visit next month!

Florence - re: goldenview restaurant - my first visit to golden view was in 2001 for lunch and i was very pleased with the food and pricing. Last year i went back, this time for dinner, and found prices to be much higher than i remembered; Perhaps the dinner menu is much more pricey. Dinner for two with house wine came up to nearly €80, which is a bit more than i prefer to spend. But hey, we made it our splurge meal for the trip!

Enjoy your trip and please report back your experience and any other good restaurant finds.

If you're only doing 4 days in each place and want must-sees, I don't think you have to worry too much about finding things that would not be listed in a guidebook. Yes, the guidebook places are the obvious choices, but they're popular for a reason...if this is going to be your only four days in these cities ever and you're hoping to get a list of must-sees, I'd use Rick's "at a glance" boxes in his tour books, which rate all the "must see" attractions (vs. "should see if you can" vs. "only if you have time"). You can focus on seeing the biggies (Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, Pantheon, etc) and then work down from there as you have time. Another option if you are trying to get a quick overview of the highlights of these cities would be to join a walking tour that will take you to several places, pointing out all of the interesting main sights along the way (or use Rick's "Heart of Rome" audiotour). If you are on a tour, ask the guide for suggestions on where to eat afterwards.

I don't know that any of the places we ate in these cities were absolute musts, but our tour guide in Florence recommended Osteria Santo Spirito and we enjoyed that. Edoardo gelato is also great there, right by the Duomo. The Mercato Centrale is a nice option for more affordable food.