Where should I stay in Rome, Florence and Venice?

It seems everything in Europe is expensive now. I assume you are looking for apartments, so can't offer advice.

If are looking for hotels, consider Hotel Due Torri in Rome and Hotel California in Florence. In Venice our suggestion for a hotel would be one that has a number of stairs that might not work for the seniors.

With the number of people in your party, consider a taxi from the official taxi stand at either the airport or train station.

You can search for and book apartments on booking.com. The map will show you the exact location. It will also show other options in that area, and the price for each.

However, for your first time to ItLy, you might be wise to choose hotels, at least in Rome. You can get a lot of help with local transport, tickets for attractions, advice on restaurants, etc. from the hotel desk agents.

Venice is smaller of the three cities, Cannariegio area pretty near the train station, is an area we have stayed in during our visits. Walking is fairly easy in Venice but we have no mobility issues, water taxis are available as well. Restaurants in that area were fine.

In Florence we have stayed in the Duomo area for a BNB and a hotel, close to the train and plenty of restaurants. Florence is fairly easy to manage on foot.

Rome is huge and means a tremendous amount of walking. We stayed near the Vatican which is good for the museums but that area was slim on restaurants and we walked many miles to the Trastevere area which is plentiful with great food. Enjoy your trip.

Thank you, everyone, for your insights! It seems like reserving a hotel for our first visit makes sense, but accommodating five people is proving to be a bit more challenging compared to finding apartments.

In general, if anyone can share their view points on stayin near Vatican VS near Pantheon/Novona VS near Colosseum, that would be great.

Additionally, I'd appreciate hearing from those who have traveled in a similar fashion. Is it too risky to leave our Venice stay unbooked in advance? This way, if we decide to extend our time in Florence, we can adjust our Venice plans on the fly. Or am I overthinking it? Should I stick to a more structured plan for my first visit?

In Rome, the area near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon is the most central location for the sights first-time visitors want to see. Vatican City/Prati is on the other side of the river, and the area around the Colosseum is kind of far from everything but the Colosseum and Termini. I suggest looking at a tourist-type map which you can find on google to orient yourself. Also, taxis are plentiful and relatively inexpensive (10-15 euro for most trips within the city).

Yes
Florence has taxis as do all cities in Italy

Hi Amy,

We stayed in all three places in AirBnB in Jan with a family of four. Here are my recommendations

Overall hint. Once you book your stay, pin it in google maps, then explore google maps for restaurants based on the built in price tool (1-4 star price) and check the reviews. Pin restaurants you want to eat in. Also pin sight seeing. I ended up with lists like Rome Eats, Rome Site, Venice Eats, and Venice Sights. This made navigation when I was over a breeze.

ROME

Its a blend between good eating spots and being close to where you want to walk. We had a week in Rome, and walked everywhere apart from the football game at Roma. We stayed near the Spanish Steps. This was a good location, close to great shopping, but food and restaurants were expensive.

Novana was a good area. I personally would not stay in Prati. We walked to an from the Vatican, which was a 40 minute odd walk, I think you would want to be on the other side of the river. For me, I would look for airbnbs in the following neighbourhoods. Trevi, Ponte, Parione, S. Eustachio, San't Angelo. Monti is Ok, but getting a little out of it. Regola could also be considered. A place in any of these neighbourhoods out you in the walking zone.

FLORENCE

We had a week in Florence and stayed right overlooking Santa Croce Basilica and loved it. We chose this area as it was slightly cheaper and had great eats. Florence is very walkable, so I would recommend staying anywhere in the city centre between the Santa Maria station and Santa Croce Basilica. Anything north to Mercato Centrale (I would not stay that far north). We found Florence to be very walkable, so book in the city and you will be fine. Accommodation got cheaper towards Santa Croce and Santa Maria. We loved the Croce side, however, it was a 30 min walk from the train station with our bags (Which I was fine with)

VENICE

We only had 4 nights in Venice, and we stayed based on price and location. We ended up booking in San Polo, on a Calle one street north of the Fish Market. This was a great bustling neighbourhood, however it was noisy. Venice is really walkable. We did Row Venice around Cannaregio, and it was quiet and sleepy. We walked through San Marco and Dorodouro.

The great thing about San Polo is its close to everything, you can access almost anything easily.

Have a look at price, versus location. Remember, there is a lot of street noise in Venice, so if that bothers you, head out to the surrounding suburbs.

We got a four-day Vaporetto pass, and this was excellent for getting around.

Hope this helps, Have a great time planning and a great trip.

Trent and everyone, thank you for being amazing! All the tips are super helpful!
One last question, does it make sense to get any travel passes in Rome to help with public transport? Or based on where I stay, I can choose between walking, or paying bus tickets as and when needed.
Also any experience with Uber-XL for 5 people, and 4 check-in bags in Europe (to/from airport or hotels) (we aren't carrying any carry-ons), or booking two uber/taxies is our best option? I see several Rome hotels offering airport shuttles, which is new to me, here in the US mostly it's just airport hotels that offer airport shuttles.

We were going to get travel pass for Rome, but decided not to. In the end we walked everywhere and took the taxi, which was fine. You probably won't fit 5 in though. We did see some maxi cabs that may fit 5. What we loved about our place was there was a taxi stand right outside the front door. A cab will be cheaper than public transport if you can find one to fit 5.

For transport to and from the airport, book a transfer service. in Rome, you have Romecabs and Rome Chauffeur. We used the second one, as the first was booked out. We got a nice Mercedes Van, big enough for 5. We paid 70 euro each way. (For 4 people)

For Venice, you will need to use the Vaporetto to get to your accommodation. Ask the AirBnB which line you need. We needed line 2, and we were lost finding it initially. If you come into the airport, consider getting a private boat, this would be a highlight.

For Florence, Taxi, or walk.

Yes, it is too risky not to have reservations in advance for Venice, unless maybe you're going in the dead of winter.
You also have an unusual number in your group to start with. Shoulder season is almost as crowded as summer, post- COVID, as pent-up demand is filling up lodging months in advance. In addition, prices go up the closer you get to your dates. And, Easter is early next year, so the spring travelers will be there late March.
Did you mention when your trip is? Are you experienced European travelers ?
Kudos for being the trip director, and putting major energies into planning.
Please keep us updated as your planning evolves.
Safe travels!

Thanks everyone!

Hey Pat, thanks for replying. Our trip is just a week away! We kind of planned this last minute, so I'm juggling to get everything sorted. We're thinking of spending 4 to 5 days in Switzerland towards the end of the trip, but I'm not sure how chilly it'll be there. So, the exact number of days in Florence is a bit up in the air. If others suggest skipping a day in Interlaken, we might add it to Florence. I wish I had more time to plan or some extra certainty, but we had to postpone this trip for a while and only decided on it a few days ago. If we delay any longer, it will be too cold. A bit embarrassed to tell here, as I am sure all of you must have planned your trips months in advance, so I am feeling a bit ridiculous. Appreciate all the help though!

Thanks Trent for all the tips around transport, really appreciate it!

I would not advise planning a Venice visit without advance reservations. At certain times of year—late November—-January, you might do okay, but personally I would not want to take a chance. February is Carnavale and VERY. Use, and March starts the tourist season.

In Venice we like to use a local agency for apartments. You get lots of choices for location, and some services, such as a “meet and greet” on arrival (they meet you at the nearest vaporetto dock and lead you to the apartment, give you the keys and an orientation to the apartment. This is very helpful for first-time visitors (which we are not, but I still like the service).

https://www.viewsonvenice.com/

https://veniceredhouse.com/

We have rented two times from each of these agencies with good results.

When we were in Venice last March, we several times “rescued” people who were trying to follow phone map directions to their AirBnB apartment, and were lost. In one case the woman was in tears. Since we have spent a lot of time in Venice and know most areas, and how to find specific addresses, we were able to sort things out for them.

When are you going? I do not see that in your questions.

Thanks Lola, I'll look up those agencies. We will be there next week, with travel starting this weekend. So I have very less time to plan everything.

S, F, 70 and solo traveler but ALWAYS book an apt and always with booking.com. I only do carryon and travel for a month at a time and almost always have a washing machine. For your group if you book an apt ensure there is an elevator. I like book.com as it show on a map exactly where the apt is and I always try to get one extremely close to a Metro.

Rome-I've stayed in various areas but again close to a metro and bus line.
Venice-with alleys, canals, bridges there may be more walking here unless your accommodation is close to a vaporetto stop. But that is the fun of Venice.
Florence-very walkable or grab a taxi.

Have you considered staying at a convent or monastery? Monastery Stays website will give you info, but you should book directly with the convent or monastery. Of course, then you wouldn't have a kitchen.

I have been to Rome 4 times and have not found the subway to be useful, but I have not tried the buses.