My questions are is April & May a good time to travel to Rome/venice Italy would this be their off season but not too cool either ? and I would like to find a place to stay that is within close distance of Venice from Rome .
I have never traveled outside the US before so is the currency hard to understand ? I need all the help I can get
Teresa,
Today in Rome it was 74 degrees and beautiful. Last week we were down into the mid 50's. I was in St. Peter's today for the Wednesday Papal Audience at 10:30 Am and there was about 25-30,000 folks... We've all noticed a huge upswing in the number of people on the streets and in the tourist locations. We just finished three consecutive weeks of friends visiting and all had great weather and a great time.
Looking back, I'd rather come in April, or perhaps even better May, as everything starts to bloom... and it's just NOT THAT HOT YET! June and July may be peak season but we do not have air conditioning (as most Romans DO NOT) so I enjoy this time of year best!
The currency is easy to use. Get it at an ATM! Everything now costs a little more than 1 1/2 times the euro price in US dollars. If you need more help, send a message to Kent, me, or others who respond. Any of us can and will try to help you! Good Luck - you'll love Italy! We all do!
Thank you for you reply Kent & Ron
I guess I better look at a map I dont know where Venice actually is but if it is a day away we can manage that . Crowds dont bother me too much I,m just on a budget and it seems a better price from April and May .
Are B&B,s a better choice for lodging I have seen some posts about them on other sites .I am not sure at this point where exactly or what sites there are to see , but we do want to go to Venice . Once we figure that out we will need advice again on good places to stay .
thank ya`ll again for your help
May is peak toursim time in Italy. You should have beautiful weather. Stay in each city, don't waste time traveling to the heart of each city. Cities take on a different feel at night and you will want to experience it.
www.xe.com will convert euro into dollars so you can tell how much your spending.
Provide your budget and I'm sure the board can recommend places to stay.
Kent said, "...Rome and Venice, or Florence and Venice, or Rome and Florence."
I wonder what's in southern Italy! I was listening to a Rick Steves radio podcast yesterday in which he confessed that's he's never really been to southern Italy. He says it's a mystery land only for the Italians.
I suspect he's saving a few places for future expansion of tourism. You can only do so many videos and books on the same places, and there aren't many new towns left to discover in the north.
I can't wait to see what wonders are in store in the future years of southern expansion.
Wow I didn`t know May was part of the peak travel time , I had checked the off season time online and it said Oct to May , But the prices seem reasonable for May more so than for June .
My Budget is 5,000 including air /lodging and we don`t mind staying out of motels/hotels .
Since we want to go to Rome & Venice should we stay somewhere in between like Firenze ?
Thank you so much Sam
How many days do you have to see Italy? It's really not a good idea to stay in Florence if you want to really see Venice and Rome. Rome to Florence is 1 hour 40 minutes and Florence to Venice is 2 hours 40 minutes - too long to be spending on a train unless you are heading to each city to stay the night and spend a couple days.
If you want to see Venice and Rome then you should stay in Venice and Rome. What many people do is have an open jaw flight, fly into Venice and then out of Rome. Venice arrival times from the US are usually nice and early in the morning . Venice is quite a bit more laid back than Rome and can be easier to recover from jetlag. Flying out of Rome will generally give you a more reasonable time in the morning to fly.
Depending on your time there, you could do an even split between Rome and Venice. At least 8 to 10 nights total would be quite doable. If you can onlyu do less then picking one or the other for the whole time might make more sense.
The euro is currently running about 1.58 USD, so multiply the euro cost by 1.6 to come up with a figure. Something cost 10euros it will take $16 to buy it.
Teresa, I agree with Sam & Ron. I would do the open jaw ticket and fly into one city and out another. Less time on the train is more time exploring Italy. If I could only do two cities (and that's plenty), and if it was my first trip to Italy, I would do Rome and Venice. They're both very unique and very different! I've done that route both ways and again agree with Ron: I'd fly into Venice and out of Roma.
Since I live in Roma, I'm a little bias and would say spend more time here, but it really comes down to what you want see. Venice at Sunset is certainly more romantic than Rome at Sunset if you're traveling with a special someone! Roma can be a bustling, busy town - maybe that's why we like it. there's more diversity in Roma but I've gone to Venice and did not want to go home - very relaxing!
So I agree with the guys - Do Rome & Venice and on your NEXT trip head for the hills of Tuscany and spend the entire time there!
Ciao!
Ron
Look on Kayak.com for cheap flights. Use cross-pllinate.com to find B&B's. Use VRBO.com to find apartments. Check out traveler reviews of hotels and B&B's on tripadvisor. There are 4 of us travelling and renting an apartment was the most affordable option for us. There are some small studio apartments on VRBO also. Plus when you have an apartment, you save on meals. I second the idea of flying into Venice and out of Rome. That turned out to be cheaper than roundtrip from Venice. Your $3000 budget seems low. The cheapest airfare we found was $1200 per person. Italy seems very expensive compared to when we were in France and Belgium 2 years ago (comparing euros to euros). With the exchange rate 50% higher, it makes it worse. Good Luck.
I have a website for you. www.cross-pollinate.com This is a bed and breakfast booking site for Venice, Florence and Rome. It is owned and operated by am American family living in Rome. I have stayed at the bed and breakfasts that they offer and they have always been very nice and affordable. Have a good time in Italy! You'll love it!
Thank you all for your input
That makes alot of sense arriving in Venice and leaving from Rome instead of going back and forth .
We both like ruins and ancient things & the floating city of Venice .
I wish we could stay 2 weeks but 6 nites is all we can afford there but mabe that will give us enough time to see alot .
I know it,s much cheaper but I,m not comfortable buying tickets online , I will look up the B&B,S and apartments for sure as the hotels seem very high .
Venice is a truly beautiful city, but it's not a floating city (in case you meant that literally). That's a myth. It's actually built on some small islands and a huge number of posts that have been driven into the lagoon. (The most recent James Bond movie incorrectly shows one of the palazzos as floating on some pontoon things, to the amusement of real Venetians, no doubt.)
I bet the Venetians do wish that their city was floating when the high water hits and the streets and first floors of many of the buildings are flooded.
I have been checking out the Cross-pollinate site and they are very reasonable in both Venice & Rome .
Has anyone stayed in their B&B,s in Rome & which location would be closest to most of the attractions and has anyone stayed in the Piazza San Marco area in Venice which seems to be in a good location .
For B&B's check out Nicolas Inn in Rome, www.nicolasinn.com or Gullivers Lodge, www.gulliverslodge.com. In Venice try Locando Orseolo www.locandaorseolo.com or Locanda Antica Venezia www.anticavenezia.com.
For a B&B in Venice, check out Ca' Angeli. We haven't stayed there, but we are this July. It gets rave reviews on TripAdvisor.
I checked out Nicolas inn it wasn`t a bad price at 282.00 per 2 people per nite " highest price " and had great reviews , much better than the hotels a travel book had .
I tried priceing gullivers lodge but didn`t find any , only an e-mail link .
I`ll check Venice next thanks everyone
We went to Rome at the end of April first week of May. It was very nice, we did have some rain a few days but usually just for part of the day. It was warm there as well. Very nice time of year. It is staring to get busy but not too busy. May 1 is a holiday there so some things may be busy or crowded the day after the holiday (we did the Vatican that day which was a mistake it was very crowded). It was also my first trip out of North America. I loved it and can not wait to get back!
Thank you Teresa I have wondered about April and the weather April does sound much better to avoid the crowds .
I also wonder about the currency fluctuation's and booking lodging trains , will the price,s change with the current markets once I have reservations .
Also do they allow pictures to be taken inside the Vatican /Sistine chapel
