Planning a trip to italy...so many questions!?

Question

Im trying to plan a trip to Italy for me and my best friend as her 25th birthday gift. I have never traveled to Europe and im not even sure what area id like to go to in italy.

id like advice on where to get cheap airfare, cool cities for 20somethings that like art and partying equally, where to eat shop, etc. hostels or hotels? how much can i expect to spend? can we get by on just english?

this is so overwhelming!

Answer 1

Come here in Caserta (one hour distance from Naples), and visit our great Reggia di Caserta...the royal rooms and the park!

Answer 2

for the cheap airfares i cannot give you any advice, because i'm from europe. i'd advice you to visit at least, rome, florence, and milano, all cities with shopping, art (and lot's of it!) and nightlife. In the main cities at least a bit english is spoken, in rome they are very used to tourists, so it won't be a problem at all. a hotel you can find between 40 and 200 euro's a night, it all depends on what you want to spend. also with food, there are very expensive "tourist" restaurants, and there are very good restaurants for a reasonable price. for example in rome at via sardegna ( a side street near villa borghese of the via veneto) there's "la bruschetta" . i'd advice you to make up a plan of each city you want to visit, and than to pose your questions on each city here on aswers, to get some more detailed answers. than you'll get a more clear idea of what is expecting you. but you need to know, in all cities it is very crowdy and they drive like crazy! you'll have to get used to it!

Answer 3

I hate to be brief, but come join Portal Italy at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/portalital...

I got lots of help there from the group members. It is a great group with no spam. There are also pictures and link that are useful for your trip.

ENJOY!

Answer 4

heya i m italian...look if i were u i d buy one of those little dictionary with example of simple phrases in italian cos if you wanna do somethin cheap it s quite difficult to find people who can understand english...but , of course, it also depends on areas...But don t worry that much cos i bet you ll easily find someone who ll give you directions talkin our English(that mostly is italian but with words such as you....go...yes..)and a looooooot of gesture and mimics help..

The cheaper flight you can get its with lowcost companies...For example ryan air easy jet... but if it is youre very first time i wud rather prefer , for your mum' sake , somethin like ALITALIA or AIR ONE cos you have full assistance and someone who s paid to look after you.

For the rest you can find loads of guide with costs and rewiews

DO NOT choose for hostels or hotel graded below *** -they re cheaper but in there you can only find the worst species of companies..

BEFORE I FORGET...BEWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE italians boys n girls.......we have the ability to make you fall in love in a blink....LOL

HAVE fun..

Answer 5

the above posters gave some good advice.

The vast majority of Italian travels make a journey from Rome, to Florence, and Venice.  I would recommend to break this type of rut that travelers fall into.

The coolest/hippest city in Italy is Milan.  Hit Rome and Florence for a couple days each.  but think about avoiding Venice and including Milan.  And Bologna is a wonderful university town with great nightlife.  

Older travelers to Italy flock to the tourist sites.  Some younger travelers follow in their wake, but don't enjoy it.  I would recommend to not feel obligated to see every high profile tourist site in the country.  get off the beaten path.  Mix with the locals.  

in Italy especially, Hotels won't be much more expensive than hostels.  so I would opt for them.  English is widely spoken and unlike other countries, they won't look down on you if you can't speak Italian.   You'll spend more money than you'll expect.  but who cares, your in Italy!!!

I'm very jealous.

Answer 6

I've had very pleasant dealings with "Diplomat Travel" in Washington, DC. They've arranged pIanes, trains and rental cars for me for years.

I can't tell you much about partying, but I can tell you that Italy is $$$...but worth it. many people speak English (in the big cities). I spoke Spanish and because the 2 languages are so similar, i had no communication problems; I even learned a little Italian!

Must-sees are obvious: the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Vatican in Rome; the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence; anything in Venice. We arranged for a rental car BEFORE we left: renting one AFTER you get to Italy is VERY $$$. We stayed in Rome a few days and didn't need a car, so we arranged to have the car ready the day we left for Perugia and points north (winding up in Tuscany).

Restaurants: (almost impossible to get a bad meal in Italy).

'Rei Degli Amici' near the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna) in Rome, also 'IL Piperno' near The Grand Army Plaza.

'Garga' near Ponte San Trinita in Florence;'i corristi' in Venice.

Eat at the buffet in the 'Rinascente' in Milan... and always order 'risotto Milanese' anywhere you eat in Milan, it's their pride and joy. Wherever you eat in Italy, order 'legumi di stagione' (=the season's vegetables). Italians pride themselves on the freshness of their food, with good reason.

And bring extra $$$ to buy some of the FABULOUS clothes that are another source of pride to Italians. And try not to wear jeans...khaki skirts or pants and a nice shirt are fine.

You will LOVE Italy: enjoy it.

Answer 7

Buy Rick Steves Italy. Great Advice throughout.  He points out great places to stay - many who give a discount if you mention the book.  look at staying at hostels so you aren't spending money needlessly - you can get a room with 2 beds for less than a hotel.  or venere.com is a good sight also.

I would recommend Rome, Florence and Venice - all easily accessible by train.  Venice will be the most expensive, but you have to see it.  hit a grocery store and eat in your room to save money.  Many museums are closed Mondays - keep that in mind.

Also, as far as going out - leave the really cute shoes at home however painful that is.  You'll be walking on cobblestones wherever you go.  Bring a towel you can leave behind, most of the towels you'll be provided with are like sheets.  Same with flip flops for the showers - also, pack smart so you won't be weighed down.  1 pair jeans, 1 skirt & 1 pant - 1 or 2 walking around "bottom" a few daytime shirts and go out tops - all the same color scheme.  you can have the wash done at some hostels and you're bag will get heavier as you go.

Learn key phrases to get thru initial pleasentries - people will readily switch to English if you try.