We are planning a trip to Italy in May. We have visited the biggies (Rome, Florence, Venice) on a previous trip. We plan to visit the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Cinque Terre and the Lake Como area. We prefer to plan as we go and as our fancy takes us - in other words, without reservations, picking up accommodations along the way.
Is this possible in May in these locations?
We will be traveling around by train and bus. So sleeping in the car isn't an option!!
Thanks.
I do this often especially in May, but almost always with a car. It's a lot harder to just land somewhere off the train and start wandering the streets with your bags to find a room. If you are taking the train isn't it cheaper to get tickets ahead of time? And if you know where you are going to be then why not make a reservation so you can drop you bags and see the sights? I just find this so much easier to do when you have a car or are traveling in rural areas and don't care where you end up. But, you seem to have some specific locations that tend to draw lots of tourists, so you might not find this as much fun as you think.
This is actually our preferred way to travel and we've done it many times. So my question is not about the logistics, but about the likelihood of finding rooms on short notice!
We travel with out reservations all the time-any season.
It's our preferred way, as well, letting the spirit move us!
As long as you are adaptable you will always find a room.
My sister and her son were in Italy last July without reservations- and found great rooms, some were simple but they all were clean.
If, for any reason, you become concerned about room availability at your next destination you can always get on line the day before and "look" for a room that way. We've done that a few times. But my experience is that there are always some rooms available somewhere.
Happy travels!!
I always point out that having no reservations does not necessarily mean travelling with no idea as to where you might be staying or going. One of our best trips was flying into Athens and out of Milan 4 weeks later with not even one hotel or transportation reservation. We however did have a rough itinerary (we did alter it as we went) and we had a good list of options for hotels and restaurants, as well as the basics of transport options at each stop. Some times we just showed up, other times we called ahead, but in that and many other trips, I can honestly say that the "wasted time" difference between making a reservation and just showing up is not much. I know some that wander for an hour or more finding the hotel they reserved and pass a half dozen other great hotels on the way. I say go for it.
Thanks to all of you. I think we'll continue with our original plan!!
If you are taking an iDevice or smartphone (know the warnings about roaming fees), makes things a little easier. I am one of those 'must have everything in place before leaving' people, but on our trip last year to California, there were 2 nights, when doing the PCH, that we weren't sure where we would end up. So the night before, we'd look at the map and figured we'd stop 'here' - so onto Expedia on the iPad using the free wifi and easy peasy to book a hotel for the next day. It did help that we had a car rental...even if I had waited until the morning we were leaving instead of the night before, it would have worked out fine. I am now a little more open to travelling without accoms, as long as I can book online the night before or day of (I wouldn't really want to be wandering around hoping for a good deal and a place that wasn't a dive). Oh, just remembering our trip in 2012 when, luckily, I hadn't booked our 2 nights in Bath in advance, and decided to spend an extra night staying with my sister...so I got on airbnb and booked Bath for the next day...if I had already been booked, I would not have been able to spend the extra day with my sister.
...and as an addendum to the good luck we had with non-planning - back before internet bookings made things easy, hubby and I would 'wing' it, back when we still had limited funds and would go camping. We were in Boston (this must have been, well, 2001 is the first time I rem going to Boston). It was either a Fri or Sat night...trying to find somewhere to stay, really on a budget - we ended up at this motel on the side of a highway (noisy, bathroom door wouldn't close, I may be remembering mold in the shower) - in the morning, the lady at the front desk was asking why in God's name we stayed there (getting late and desperate for a bed)...telling us about the crackheads and druggies in the back, and in the daylight, the place was REALLY a dive...maybe that's when my 'gotta plan everything' instinct kicked in...lol.
Well, considering that May is high season... I don't really recommend you, prices can be very expensive if you book last minute.
Alina
It is a non question in my opinion...since you do not want logictics advice.
If you have made up your mind...then go for it. I am pretty sure it is possible...but how picky are you?
There will (most likely) always be a room available...but you have to be open for it not to meet all your requirements.
I never plan in advance...and it has always worked out for me. 30 something countries and counting...
Bon voyage!
We aren't picky - we love funky little hole in the wall places so I'm sure we'll be fine.
judy, you can always call ahead to your next destination. Sometimes I have found that the place I was staying at would have a recommendation for my next stop, and would often offer to call ahead for me.
I would reserve the first and last days...hou knoe where you will be.
I agree on the first and last days, especially if you have an early flight or train to catch on the return. We have done 3 trips to Italy and Sicily w/o any reservations. Mostly in June and not had any major problems. Amalfi has many hotels, and the small towns just a quick walk or bus ride also have many. Never had a problem, even on the day of the Feast of San Andrea. I would say, look earlier in the day when you get to a town you wish to say in. We had a close call in Milazzo Sicily, but lucked out when some one heard us talking and brought us to where they were staying. Ended up with an apartment for 50E a night and stayed for 5 night.
www.gregsitaly.com
In all of my previous trips to Europe all that I ever booked in advance was my first night. From there on, for as long as a month, we just winged it. We are now planning a trip to Italy in May and found in January that many of the places where we wanted to stay were already fully booked for the dates we wanted. I took the hint and booked the whole trip. This will be a first for us. It turns out it was not a big deal as we wanted the low 120 day advance train fares. Since we had the trains booked, just as well have the hotels/B&Bs booked. My advice, contrary to many above, is get on that computer and book your hotels. Yes, you will find something, but it may not be what you want and, most importantly, you will be using a lot of your travel time.
Traveled w/o reservations in Italy in Sept. Worked fine for us. We flew into and out of Nice and trained into Italy. However, we stayed 2 nights in Nice before starting our Italian adventure and stayed 2 nights before flying home. At the end of our trip, our train from CT through Genoa was delayed hours. We arrived at our hotel in Nice very late and were so happy to have the next day there to just chill and enjoy a relaxing dinner. Without that extra day at the end of our trip, we would have slept only a few hours before racing to the airport early the next morning and our trip would have ended in a rush. Not the way I wanted to remember Italy. Trains usually run on time but....... Judy
No problem. I've found places in the busiest tourists locations even the day before or the same day, and that includes this past July at the Dolomites. I suggest you take your Ipad with you so that you can make searches on the spot, otherwise you may have to call several places. You can use a hotel search engine (like booking.com or hotels.com), enter the date and the location and whatever is available will pop up. It may not be one of the top choices recommended by Rick Steves, but who cares!
I am completely in the camp of having everything reserved; but since you're getting so much support for winging it, I won't bother with giving my reasons. However, you should be aware that May 1, a national holiday in Italy, falls on a Thursday this year. That means a hefty percentage of the population will be taking a 4 - day minivacation. You should take that into account when making - - -or not making - - -plans.
judy,
It sounds like you've decided to use the spontaneous approach, so my comments likely won't carry much weight.
I always prefer to pre-book accommodations, especially in busier places like the Cinque Terre. Wandering around an unfamiliar city looking for a place to sleep is wastes valuable touring time, so I prefer to travel as efficiently as possible. That approach also gives me a choice of which area of each city I want to stay, and the price and comfort range I prefer. I always carry directions to each new hotel, so I don't waste any time looking for it when I arrive.
May is spring shoulder season, and I've found that it's often very busy and crowded in some locations. Especially in the C.T., you might consider pre-booking your accommodations, as that will save time and money travelling back and forth to each of the five towns to try and find somewhere to sleep. I know that as I've watched others spend hours trying to find accommodations there.
Happy travels!
Hi Judy: you can definitely travel without reservations all over but Cinque Terre is absolutely crowded during the May 1 holiday and you will need reservations on or around that day. You should be OK the rest of the month.
Hi Judy: you can definitely travel without reservations all over but Cinque Terre is absolutely crowded during the May 1 holiday and you will need reservations on or around that day. You should be OK the rest of the month.
