I want to go to Rome, Italy at the end of March, where do I start?

Question

I want to go to Rome, Italy at the end of March? Where do I start, I want to Liberty Travel and they suggested Golbus tours. With a good hotel and air (out of nyc area) it got up to 4,000. It's only my girlfriend and I. Thanks

Answer 1

try "18K Travel"  They have great vacation packages  to Italy. They have several vacation tour companies in which you can compare.

http://www.ytbtravel.com/18ktravel

Answer 2

You can search for flights using any of several sites like farechase http://farechase.yahoo.com/pages/include... skyscanner http://www.skyscanner.net/eur/?redirectu...

expedia http://www.expedia.com/default.asp, or find budget airlines at: http://www.whichbudget.com/en/cheapfligh... For example, Meridiana flys from JFK to Rome.

You might also check flights through Amsterdam. When I fly between Italy and the US, it's often cheaper to connect there. Transavia often has really good fares between Amsterdam and various airports in Italy. The last time I went in October, I had a 90 euro round trip fare between Milan and Amsterdam.

There are a lot of online hotel sites for Italy. I've been using Venere in the nine years since I moved to Emilia Romagna and have always had good experiences.  http://en.venere.com/italy/ You can use this site to narrow down a search to a specific area within a given city, sort by price, rating or other criteria and see reviews by people who have been guests in the past. There are lots of other sites that are equivalent.

Any of the central districts in Rome are convenient for sightseeing. The area around the Roma Termini train station is cheaper, but a little further from the sites. It is still walkable though, and there are good public transportation connections.

The Trevi, Colosseo Foro Romano, Pantheon, Navonna, and Piazza di Spagna districts, as shown on the venere map, are all within easy walking distance of all the major sights.

If you're looking for cheap and close to the attractions in Rome, a good option may be the Hotel Romano (75 euro)http://en.venere.com/hotels_rome/kolosse... It's very close to the Forum & Colosseum and within walking distance of two metro stops and the Termini train station.

Another option about 2 blocks to Roma Termini is the Serena (90 euro) http://en.venere.com/hotels_rome/esquili...

I liked the Hotel Richmond a lot. There are really good views of the forum and the Vittoriano from the hotel. It's very close to the many of the attractions. http://en.venere.com/hotels_rome/kolosse...

You might also be interested in a accomodations at a convent or monastery in Italy. These tend to be some of the best lodging bargains available. There are a number of them in Rome. In some places in Italy, a monestary stay may be free. see: http://www.monasterystays.com/?show=page... or http://www.santasusanna.org/comingtorome... for information.

Answer 3

Where do you start?  Home.  

Ha ha.  

No, seriously.  If you want to go on a tour, that's fine.  I would recommend Rick Steves Tours-- not quite the dates you want, but it might be worth looking at their other Italy tours if you're interested.  http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours08/prod...

If you want to travel on your own, start by buying a guide book.  Get the Rick Steves book or the Lonely Planet book; and the Green Guide in addition (that's what I would recommend in general for western European travel.  One book for the hotel/restaurant/opening hours part of the trip, and the Green guide for architecture, fantastic museum guides, etc.)  See below for a link to all the books.  

The guide books should give you ideas about what to plan, where you want to go, etc.  

Most good city libraries have travel guides, so check those out before you drop $15-20 on each of these.  

Rick Steves Rome Guide - http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalo...

OR

Lonely Planet Rome City Guide - http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/Primary/Reg...

AND

Green Guide Rome - http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?in...

You can probably find them cheaper; I just link to them for informational purposes.  Good luck.

Answer 4

I like this site. it has all the tour companies and you can really compare and figure out where, what you want to see.

http://www.affordabletours.com/Italy

enjoy)