Hi, Am planning to go to Rome and Venice during october end. I have few questions,?

Question

1. how to find good,safe and cheap place to stay.

2. what is the best way to commute around in rome and venice.

3. what is the best way to commute from rome to venice.

4. what is the best way for airport transfer.

5. is there any day sightseeing in rome and venice.

I have 4 days, 3 nights with me, pls help me out to explore theitaly better. And am travelling with my spouse and 2 kids so want safe tips.

regards

Manju

Answer 1

there is no way you can see rome and venice during a 3 night stay, you should just pick one and enjoy it, dragging 2 kids around on public transport wont be any fun. in saying that, their public transport is excellent if you are careful. you dont say what airport you are flying into so cant help you there. all areas around rome are safe enough if you are not out all night, the cheapest being around the termini district.

Answer 2

geting around Rome -- feet and their metro - it was quite safe - just don't walk around with an open purse!  depending on what you want to see....  if it's religious tye thinks - email me and i ccan forward 4 walking tours i put together for my folks and i when we went!  take some warm clothes just in case.  Fodor's rome book was great and if you can find - Knopf Mapguides for Rome - it was super to have along.  

Make sure yo hit the castel San Agelo and if ou need to wear out the kids the Vittorio Emanual II has steps upon steps - just no yelling on them as it's thir tomb of the unknown soldier  : ) the trevi fountian was right by the Pantheon.  

enjoy!!!

PS - take kleenix for the kids and the restrooms!!!

Answer 3

1. how to find good,safe and cheap place to stay

Try http://www.venere.com

They have a great selection of accomodation at various prices and you can browse by area. There are pictures of the accomodation and also guest reviews that you can read. It's an excellent site I can recommend it highly.

2. what is the best way to commute around in rome and venice

In Rome the busses are excellent and taxis are plentiful. You can also walk to may places. The beauty of the busses is that you can see the sights as you travel. In Venice your best and cheapest option is the water bus known as a vaporetto. They are excellent value for money as water taxis and gondolas are extremely expensive.

3. what is the best way to commute from rome to venice

You could travel by train which is cheap but the journey is around six and a half hours on average. You could opt to fly if you're short on time and have the money to spare. I wouldn't recommend driving. Its a long way and Italian drivers are completely mad!!

4. what is the best way for airport transfer

This depends where you're flying to. If you're arriving in Rome the I suggest a taxi as its quick and easy. If you're flying into Venice first then I recommend a bus from the airport to the Piazalle Roma and a vaporetto to your hotel.

5. is there any day sightseeing in rome and venice

I'd recommend a an Eyewitness Travel Guide book. They're excellent, full of maps and pictures etc. They include every museum, building and place of interest that you could possibly wish to visit and each is located on a map of the area with a description, address, opening times and admittance charges.

Enjoy Italy

Buona fortuna

Answer 4

I spent the day in Venice once but it was part of a Thompsons holiday so it was all pre-arranged, sorry I can't help with that part, but DON'T eat near the main square as they will rip you off, venture into the smaller side streets where you will find fantastic restaurants at a much better price.

Answer 5

I'm going to have to agree with a few of my fellow responders. I would suggest picking one or the other and spend the entire time searching the city. I recently came back from Italy with my wife and two teen age children. You could easily spend 4 days in Rome or Venice and only scratch the surface of the city. Of course Rome is larger and there are so many incredible sites to see that you can easily see several places within walking distance. I would set aside the Vatican and its museum for one day alone. Climb to the top of the dome for an amazing view of the city. I'll also offer a few money saving tips. I severely under estimated food costs. The euro conversion was killer on the budget. If you can look for the Crystal Lite flavor sticks for bottled water and add them to a 2 liter of water at your table. (A cola was running 2 to 2.5 euros per can...that's almost $3 for a coke.) If you have Kroger's in your area they have their own brand and the Black Cherry flavor is clear when added to the water. If your hotel has a mini fridge buy some sliced meat at the local grocery and have it for dinner one evening. For lunch the small restaurants off the main streets will sell slices of pizza and a variety of sandwiches for a reasonable price. The "tourist menu" is expensive and most times so-so in quality. If you're in a hurry, skip a sit down meal. It is VERY time consuming. There are at least two courses and the pacing of the meal is much slower than in the states.  

Make sure to carry money an ID in a least two separate places. I kept a few euro bills inside a sock. Also carry a business card from the hotel someplace on your person. Most taxi drivers understand simple English requests. But I could never properly pronounce my hotel's name so the card came in handy a few times.  We had no problems on the local buses (buy the tickets at the tobacco shops) . But we were warned to be very aware of our surroundings getting onto and off of the buses due to pickpockets. We didn't have a problem but other guests at our hotel were not as lucky.

Sorry for going on so long.....have a good trip....Italy is a great country to visit!

Answer 6

If you are going to Venice,the kids will love the boats. it will cost about 12 euros per adult for a day boat pass or 25 euros per adult for 3 days,but beware you have to pay to use the public toilets, 1 euro per time, which if you have small kids will cost you a fortune,the only "free" toilets are the ones in resturants which mean you have to sit in and pay for something to eat. if you have kids and they want a drink, there is a supermarket called Billa, go in there and get any drinks and snacks that you want as it cost  lot less in there then in the small shops. As a small bottle of coke/orange in a small shop will cost you about 2 euros per bottle whereas in the supermarket, a big bottle of coke/orange will only be about 1 euro and as there are 4 of you the supermarket will save you a lot of money in the long run.   there are some sightseeing tours in Venice but they are really  not worth the money you pay ( a lot of people tag along at the back of the walking tours). The best way to get to and from the airports is to use public buses, the public transport in Venice is very very good, the bus stops are directly outside the airport doors and very frequent, they go to Pizzia Roma which is the centre of Venice and where you catch all the boats. there is plenty room for suitcases, buggys etc on the buses and the fare is about 1 euro each, you do not pay the driver you get a card from a matchine or airport shop and then you stamp it on the bus, ( although nobody ever checks if you have a ticket, the last time I went I didn't bother to buy a ticket!) I just got on. but I would not recommend doing that, don't try it on the boats though as there ARE ticket inspectors on the boats!! lol.  Sorry I cant tell you about Rome ..I have never been, but I know that you will have a great time in Venice, it is a great place and a great city. beware of what you say in front of  the Italians though, some of them pretend that they don't understand English but believe me they do of you complain about anything!!lol

Answer 7

Hi,Manju,

Your questions cover a lot of ground-having been to Rome myself,all I can suggest is getting hold of a copy of both Lonely planet and Rough guides to Rome to help you plany your stay.

Check out www.tourome.com for daytrips/sightseeing.

Hope it helps.

P.s- Keep your wallet and valuables safe.

Answer 8

i have the best site for you.....www.romebuddy.com!fantastic holiday destination!!

Answer 9

Going to Rome and Venice with four people without advance reservations is going to be challenging unless you are loaded with money. As for commuting, Italy is a walking country. Going from Rome to Venice take the night train. In general, however, that is such a short time, I would recommend you choose either Venice OR Rome and kick back and enjoy where you are instead of trying to dash about with a couple kids in tow. Or extend your stay. Italy is NOT a country to rush through!