Hi All. We are on a 3.5 week road trip in Europe, the first two week of which are with my son's hockey team in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We are flying in and out of Prague from Canada. The plan is to rent a van after the tournament and drive a loop through various places, part of which is four nights in Rome. We have everything else planned except this leg. We have three boys - 12, 16 and 17. e We are on a bit of a budget. It is not cost effective to turn the car rental in for these days, but we don't want to drive in Rome. We also don't want to stay too far out of Rome because we want to see everything! Where can we stay that has easy and efficient transport into Rome, that is clean and affordable, and that we can safely park the rental car? We will need two rooms, and were hoping for under $130/night for each one. Help? And thanks!!!
Karen
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11817 posts
Karen:
First to parking, Ron in Rome has a great resource here http://www.roninrome.com/transportation/parking-in-rome. Stow that van and have fun in Rome! An apartment might be your best bet for lodging. We like http://www.palazzo-olivia.it/, but there are also many choices at VRBO.com, Cross-Pollinate.com, and Homeaway.com. Have a wonderful trip! Lots of great memories coming your way!
Posted by
The Hague, NL (AMS)
2207 posts
Karen, you might also look at this post, Hotels with FREE Parking in Rome. Do make sure you check to see if your rental company will allow their vehicle into Italy... as some do not.
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
13 posts
Ron and Laurel - thanks so much to both of you! I am going to explore those links thoroughly. Great tip on the rental car as well, we'll check. Much appreciated!
Karen
Posted by
Park Ridge, IL
524 posts
Karen What an awesome trip! Wish my sons' soccer teams had gone to Europe! We were stuck in the Midwest! Is your van already booked? Hope so! Much more difficult to find in Europe than here. Also expensive. But needed with boys and hockey equipment. Reconfirm availability the week and day prior to make sure it will be there as booked. Like the idea of apartment, then you can purchase items at the bakery and the markets instead of restaurants. Make your lunch and carry it with you in your day packs. If going in the summer, make sure the apartment has decent AC as you will need it. Many of them do not. Italy is hot in the summer! Try the Trastevere area across the Tiber and south of the Vatican at night. Great young people's area. Walking area with lots of squares and small restaurants. Fun! Buy Europe through the Back Door and maybe RS Europe or Italy Gruidebooks. Must haves and worth their weight in gold! Karen, have you asked the Helpline for assistance with your itinerary? You are covering a lot of territory in a short period of time. Might be a good idea.
Bobbie
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32384 posts
Karen, A few comments regarding driving in Italy..... One important point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some cases are provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. You may also want to search other Posts here regarding the Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many towns in Italy (especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW. If you accept the CDW offered by the rental firm, it will be expensive but will provide "peace of mind". Some "premium" credit cards provide rental vehicle insurance, however I've found this to be somewhat complicated so I just accept that offered by the rental firm. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. A trip from Prague to Rome and back via car is going to be a LONG drive! Given the distance and travel times, using a budget airline would be a better use of your limited travel time. Although you're on a budget, if you book early enough, the fares can be quite reasonable. Happy travels!
Posted by
Caruthers, CA, USA
244 posts
I would suggest you plan to stay in an area where the metro serves you well. Park the car and metro into Rome locations. As you can tell, you really should not plan to drive in Rome. It will not go well.
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
13 posts
Bobbie, Ken, Ted: I am so very glad I found this website and that people provide such informed advice. International license is now procured. Significant time spent on searching for cheap airfares and the cost difference between driving and flying - when multiplied by five - was just too much. We will try and make stops en route to see things, and all the boys will have ereaders armed to the teeth. Van was reserved early on, thank goodness. We have two hotels booked out of centre Rome - and need to choose which is best. I still wish I could find an apartment that we could park at with easy metro access (and AC) but so far no joy. Do any of you happen to know if the charger (cigarette lighter thingie) in Europe is universal? I'd like to know if we will be able to charge iPods, BBs, etc in a rental car with what we already have. Again - my sincere thanks, very useful info. Two weeks out - hard to believe we will be opening our boys' eyes to another "world." I hope they get itchy feet to travel!
Karen
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34142 posts
Do any of you happen to know if the charger (cigarette lighter thingie) in Europe is universal? I'd like to know if we will be able to charge iPods, BBs, etc in a rental car with what we already have. That won't be an issue. Same as you are used to. We use a splitter and that works. The other thing we do is we have several things which charge off USB so we take a car lighter to USB thing, and a USB hub, and plug those together and then run our extra speakers, Ipod, and satnav all off the hub. The hub is great because it is so small and light. BTW, what's a "BB"? When I was small it was a tiny copper ball, and I can't imagine charging it...
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
13 posts
Nigel - great news for us, many thanks. I'm afraid we are all fully loaded with electronics these days....yet I remain hopeful that my boys will look out the window every now and then! Yikes. BB=Blackberry, sorry about that. Mine is for work, so I often contemplate running over it with my car. Damn things are pretty tough :-) Didn't realise the BBs you are refering to were made of copper! Cheers and thanks.
Karen