Travelling in Italy X 4 weeks

What exactly are you asking? Do you want cities to visit, how to get around, how much money to bring? You really don't say what type of help you're looking for.

Donna

I'm a first time travel across seas, so those are the kind of questions I'm not really sure to ask. Travel money (how much to bring and in what form), is it even feasible to think of going without reservations at hotels,What's the best way to get around (rent a car for the month and just drive, rail system), split my time with a tour group and then do my own thing? I would like to get hte most out of my time, without to musch stress with a time line. I do have an idea of some cities, major ones aren't as important as long as I enjoy the culture of Italy. I;m looking for a somewhat unscheduled timeline so if I want to stay in one are longer I would have that option.

It would be easier to offer you help if we know when you are traveling (which month or time frame) and what and how many cities you plan to see.

As for money, it really depends on how you plan to eat. You can go very cheap by buying food in a grocery store or outside market or you can do sit down meals each time which are a lot more expensive. It also depends on how many pay sites you are going to visit. What I can tell you is that you don't need euros before you get to Italy. All airports have an ATM machine which you can use to get euros. ATM's are easy to find in all large cities. Make sure to let your bank and credit card companies know you're traveling so they don't put fraud holds on your cards.

I would not go on a vacation without having hotel reservations, especially if you plan on going during high season. You run the risk of not finding something, especially if you're on a tight budget.

The best way to get around is by using public transportation. Most cities are walkable, including Rome, Florence and Venice. You can take the train between towns. The faster trains will cost more money but save you time. The slower trains will cost lots less but could take hours more. Check out the trenitalia site (not raileurope or those types of sites) for prices and schedules. Check schedules for next month to get a good feel of what prices and schedules will be. They don't change much over time. You can buy your tickets when you get to Italy or wait until the day you plan to travel and pick them up then. This will give you the ultimate in freedom.

In order to get the most out of your time you should plan and do it on your own. You'll be able to go at your own pace, change things if you want to and spend as much or as little time in and area as you like.

If you have more specific questions I can give you more specific answers.

Donna

Myself I would say drive it but a rental for that long may be pretty expensive. I would definetly get hotel reservations and make sure they take credit cards as you could unexpectedly have to dip into the cash funds.Also, made me feel easier to come here with some Euro in my wallet. That way if you have trouble finding an ATM or one that works it's not an immediate worry.

I'm thinking you might want a mixture of car and train. You could rent a car for a week or so to get around Sicily and then return it and use the train on the mainland. You're going to need to pick your destinations carefully, as Sicily can easily eat up half of your alloted time alone.

There are a number of factors that go into any trip: cost, time, number of destinations, must-see items, etc. You have to decide which are the most important to you. Carefree and unplanned are not necessarily the same thing, as you will not feel very carefree if you are in some town with nowhere to stay for the night because every place is booked up.

I would probably draft out a loose itinerary so you have some idea of what you want to do & where you want to go, but keep it flexible so that if you decide to stay in one place longer or move on sooner, you have the option. Train tickets can easily be purchased just a few days in advance or even day of, so you can move from place to place with little advance notice.

I'd definitely start with reading "Europe Through the Back Door" to answer most of the questions you admitted you don't know to ask ;-). (we all have to start somewhere...!) It will discuss, answer, and explain your questions about money, transportation, accommodations, etc. - a 'how-to' Travel Skills manual for traveling in Europe. I can practically guarantee it's in your local library, or buy it from this site, or any book retailer. I'd suggest purchasing it, because of the amount of info in it - you'll want to refer to it later.

Then, you can get to the specific questions for your trip...When are you planning to go?

Get the "RS Italy 2010" book and read it. (No need to also purchase "Europe Through the Back Door" as it covers the same material, but the Italy has more Italy-specific info.)

Wow, this site is really incredible and the information that all have given me is very helpful. I truly appreciate it. I'm going to take some time to absorb it and will be back at a later date. thanks agin to all who replied.

Last time we were in Italy, we stayed in Lucca at a place that had a common area with a kitchen. On a whimm,we decided that we would go to each little shop and buy all the things to make our own dinner - pastry shop, bakery, butcher, cheese maker, pasta maker, wine shop, deli and even a tobacco shop for matches to light the stove! It was so much fun that that we are going to do this again when we visit Bologna next month. I'm sure we'll find some incredible things for dinner. The cost is only $119 a night for a 2 person appartment. They even take their guest on a free walking tour of Bolonga on Sundays! I can let you know how the place was when we get back the end of September if you would like.

My husband and I have self toured in Italy for 2 1/2 weeks a couple years ago and am now planning a fun filled 3 week trip in September. I like you enjoy the culture in addition to seeing the sights. I'd be willing to talk to you about what kind of stuff we've/we'll be doing. Just send a personal email request and we can arrange a time to talk. I hate emailing!