How far in advance should you book an international trip (Italy)?

Question

We are were planning to go Mid July 2007.

Answer 1

I would say as soon as you know you are going.  Prices get higher the closer you are to the date.

Answer 2

I liked JetGirly's reply so I'll add to it.  We just spent 2 weeks there with our 5 year old and it was great!  We flew into Rome and stayed for 4 days at this great hotel 5 minutes from the train: [e-mail].  Ricardo is the owner and you tell him Kevin, Tiffany and Rachael from California refered you and he'll take you in like family.  

  Naples was a 2 day trip that should of been an overnighter.  That place is hurting.  We woke up to protests in the street and the Rick Steve's hotel reference stunk so we changed it that night.  The book we realy liked was by DK Books because they show you where you're going and they are very user freindly.  So yeah we saw Pompeii and my wife's family so that was good enough.

  Florence was next for 2 days and it was beautiful!  We stayed at the Golden Tuplet "Mirage of Florence".  We thought is was too far out of town cause we had to take a bus for a little bit but it really put us in a great hotel right in with the locals so we founf some great food with no tourists around.  Find TITO's Pizzaria near the hotel...AWESOME!!!

   Pisa was a day trip before Venice and it worked out well because it's a college town and loaded with tourists so it was safe for our daughter and nice to slowly walk around before getting on the train again.  Yeah and don't worry about train tickets, buy as you go.

  Venice is expensive but brealthtaking.  The island of Lido is going to be were we stay next time because it has a beach and the whole place is gorgeous.  Murano is where they blow glass but it's expensive there so wait till you get back to the main island.  Find a hotel on Venice so you don't have to bus and water taxi in there, I found one that was the same price as the place we stayed at off the island.  Talk to locals everywhere!  The are nice and some love to speak english so be their practice.

  Milan was our final destination and we flew home from there.  DiVinci's Last Supper was sold out a month in advance and we went on www.tickitaly.com for all our museum tickets.  We mainly shopped in Milan, which costs more then anything, but it was fun.  Then we stayed in a little hotel near the airport WAY OUT IN THE country but it was nice to relax and enjoy the nature.

  So thats my 2 cents.

Oh and we bought our flights on 1-800-fly-Europe, i think the website is www.flyeurope.com but last time I went to Europe I used Travelocity and it was great too.  I bought both tickets at least 2 or 3 months in advance and traveled in Feb and May.

  HAVE FUN!!!

Answer 3

As soon as you know you are going and free of any potential schedule conflicts, etc.

However, it is interesting to know that if your credit card expires before the travel date, your card may not be accepted.

I guess that is one good reason to have more than one card!

Answer 4

call and get an airfair price shop around and when you get the right price then you start booking. should be about 3 months ahead. late spring early summer are good times . may==june not to hot.

Answer 5

Earlier is almost always better. You can't book plane tickets more than a year out, so I would say about 11 months from when you want to go, start watching ticket prices and book when they dip low.

Answer 6

As soon as you can, but keep in mind that many hotels and airlines don't load rates that far in advance, or don't load specials that far in advance.  

When you book a hotel room, closely read the cancellation policy.  If it's flexible, book now and if a lower rate comes up between now and then, ask them to change it.

Answer 7

The earliest you are able to book a reservation is 333 days prior to flight. No airline opens its schedule before that.  I would suggest you book it no earlier than November/December.  

See a local travel agent. They will best advise you on prices.

You should fly into one city and out of another. Milan to Rome

for example. Will cost no more money, and will save you getting back to the starting point. You will see more of the country.  See....A travel agent told you that!

Answer 8

If you want to travel in high season, like July, you should book six or eight months in advance for hotels and flights.  You'll also want to book about three months early for admission into special places like the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and The Last Supper in Milan.  I highly recommend getting a good Guide Book (like the one by Rick Steves) that will tell you which sights require booking.  I know that for Summer 2006 it's more or less impossible to get into The Last Supper at this point in time.

The best airport depends on what part of Italy you want to visit.  If you want to explore Rome and Florence, fly into Rome.  If you want to do Naples and the Amalfi Coast, fly into Naples.  For Venice and Verona, it's cheapest to fly into Milan.

As someone who used to live in Italy, I suggest scheduling your holiday so that you have AT LEAST three full days in each major city you visit.  July is busy and there are lots of tourists, so doing things takes more time.  I suggest spending three days in Florence, two days in the Tuscan countryside, four days in Rome plus five days around the Amalfi Coast (Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, etc.).  Traveling within the country is best done by train, unless you want to get "really" off-the-beaten-path in Tuscany.  Check my personal travel site for my experiences in the Amalfi area.

Answer 9

i went to spain and france and i booked mine almost a year in advance.

Answer 10

depending what year, month, and day, I would probably say at least 7 months before you go to Italy.