Italy - Rome, Venice & Florence

[emmalee]

We went for our honeymoon in Italy - Rome, Florence, Tuscany region, and Venice! A total of 12.5 days. We stayed in a 4-star hotel in Rome and in smaller hotels in Florence and Venice. Although the hotels were smaller, they were more personalized and had a lot of character! I simply loved our hotel in Florence - Antica Torres. it was located right in the centre of the square and the front door opened out between 2 centrally located restaurants and the (fake) statue of David (the real statue is in the Academy, which was just 10 min away walking distance).
Our total expenses (excluding big ticket shopping items like bags but including all other touristy shopping, food, air tickets, insurance and accom) was $7,900. This was very reasonable considering that we ate very well - we went to a different recommended restaurant every night. Average about 35 euros for 2 persons but we spent 70 euros on one particular grilled fish course in a Venice restaurant. But for lunches we saved quite a bit by eating paninis (sandwiches) at the "counter" since restaurants charge about 25% more if you have a sit-down meal. However don't dismiss this mode of eating - the best ever ever sandwich I had in my life was a boiled beef sandwich which cost only 2.3 euros bought at the mercato centrale (central market) in Florence. The shop name is Nerbone. The flavour, taste, and experience of eating it in the sunshine on the lawn is simply indescrible and heavenly !!!!!!!!

 

[chey]

Hi Emma,

Cool! When did you go for your honeymoon?
Is this F&E? I will like to find out more details from you.Can you pm me for your email address?
Thx!

 

[emmalee]

Hi Cherry,

We went in late March / early April. Went on F&E because both of us prefer not to be restricted by the fixed schedule and tight timeline of tours. Agree with anfield that the towns near Florence are simply delightful! We spent a day each in Siena and in Lucca, where we rented bicycles and cycled around the old city walls.
Between the major cities - we took the trains, seoncd class is already very comfy and relatively inexpensive. Our most expensive ticket was 45 euro per pax from venice to Rome - but then this was a long train ride lasting 5 hours. Cherry, when are you going to Italy? Advise you to avoid the summer months as Italy will be flooded with tourists from Europe and U.S. Can be quite unpleasant if you don't like crowds and prices of hotels will shoot way up.

 

[chey]

Hi Emma,

Sorry for late reply.Now then see your reply. Will be gg in early june.
We will also be gg to Italy region only due to limited days

.Your expense is considerably reasonable indeed. Any "must visit" attractions in Rome, Tuscany, Florence and Venice region?Did you go any shopping? How much is your airticket?
So many questions to ask.haha.

 

[emmalee]

Hi Cherry,

Be prepared for the crowds if you are going in June; busloads of them. Are you doing it free & easy or going with a tour group? I highly recommend the guidebook by Rick Steve. Almost everyone in Italy who has holding a guidebook was using the one by Rick Steve. I bought mine from Kinokuniya.

There are quite a number of must-see sights in Rome - Colosseum, Roman forum, Travi Fountain .... but the most impressive sight was the Vatican Museum, in particular the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. An absolute must to visit.

In Florence, you must visit the Uffizi museum and the Accademia, where Michelangelo's David is housed. The queues to get into the museums are absolutely amazingly long. You need to make reservations. Dial 055-294-883. Bookings are free, but you pay about 2 euro reservation fee when you collect your ticket.This is the official booking site. Forget about all those booking agencies.

For Venice - St Mark's square and the buidling around it e.g. Dodge's Palace was nice. But the most enjoyable bit was wandering along the canals and meeting the artisans at work.

Shopped a lot. Furla bags cost less than half of what they do in Spore. One of the Furla bags that I bought cost Euro 190 (S$380). Saw it at Raffles City yesterday - $820!!!!!

Flew SQ. So airtickets cost more.

 

[scrumpee01]

Hi Emma
I am going to Rome, Florence and Venice in Sept. U mentioned that the queues to the Accademia and Uffizi were long, so did you book tix? U booked from the official website or get your hotel to book for you? I thought of booking too but not now, too early liao. Maybe a week before my departure.

So did you go to the Gucci and Prada outlets? I'm intending to book a day trip to these outlets in Florence, heard from my friend that Prada outlets have really good buys.

 

[emmalee]

Srumpee,

The booking number is given in my previous post. I suggest you reserve a few months in advance especially for peak period. The Rick Steve's guidebook recommends this. For Vatican Museum, we went in the afternoon so there was no queue at all then.

Finally, get a good guidebook and read through before you go. it makes a whole world of difference.

 

[zoeanne27]

HI Emma

Me too.. I also highly recommend Rick Steve book. Hubby n I went on a 14 days backpack honeymoon ... all using Rick steve books as a guide.. fantastic....

 

[scrumpee01]

Thanks Emma
Too late, I already bought the Lonely Planet guide book.

 

[chey]

Hi Emma,

Thks for your reply. Will keep that in mind.
Mine will be F&E. Anybody here wun to sell or loan(for a fee) Rick Steve book?

 

[racherlle]

hi gals!

i'm planning for my honeymoon in July..
just to check any local tours to recommend for a 3D trip to Naples, Sorrento & Capri?

kindly email me thanks!

[email protected]

Will be doing a F&E for Rome for 5 days before heading to other parts of Europe..

 

[xtrogal]

Hi Emma,

I am going to Rome next Saturday and have not booked accomodation yet. Pls advise which is a good area to stay in and any hotels to recommend which will not burn a hole in my pocket!

S

 

[emmalee]

Hi strogal,

Don't think I can give you any specific recommendations. The prices vary quite a bit, so need to shop around on the internet. TripAdvisor is a good place to start.

Accommodations near the train station tend to be cheaper, but still very conveniently located.

 

[mrs_n]

You could consider a stay in a convent (you don't have to be catholic). Some of them run Bed and breakfast. My mum's friend stayed in one when she went there and she really enjoyed her stay so might be worth a look.

http://www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html#R-vatican

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi.. can i chk w u... izzit that italy's hotels... or even hostels r veri expensive?? cz even convent is like a hotel price in switzerland.. or france.. btw, can i chk w u guys.. anyone noe hw they actually travel frm switzerland to italy? .. do u travel by euro-train? .. tot of doin it.. but realise the hrs r prettie long.. so not sure whether feasible anot.. can someone advise me? .. i m currently plannin my itinery and places to visit for my honeymoon end of tis yr.. and really need ya advice... appreciate it!

any advice.. can email me too.. [email protected]

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi everyone..

realise i may nt b veri clear in my qn.. hee.. sorie.. for the travelling part.. i meant whether anyone of u hav travelled from swit to italy ... and whether possible to make by euro-train.. cz i tot of departing from zermatt and arrive in venice.. then go down to florence.. finally to rome.. really hope someone can advise me ... or enlighten me.. first time to europe.. appreciate it lots!

 

[midas]

hi jen,

i've been to italy and tried taking their train service. it's quite good way to travel, intercity trip like florence to rome is about 1-2hrs only. the frequency is also gd, abt 30mins apart. but i haven't travel from swiss to italy before so can't advise on tat. i understand european pple likes to travel by train betwn countries, seems like a cheap and convenient way to go around europe...here's the website of the italian train service provider:

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

hope it helps..

 

[bellebelle]

I took the train from Swit to Italy. If you travel from Zermatt, you still need to change train before boarding an Italy bound train.

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi midas...
thks alot for ur advice!

hi aspiration! ..
oh u did travel frm swit to italy?? .. i actually checked the website and noticed that the fastest u can reach frm zermatt to milan is 7hrs and its durin the day.. if u travel at night.. it takes abt 10hrs.. frm 9pm to abt 7plus am... m i right? .. i saw it thru euro railway.. cz i m wonderin whether its more worthwhile to take internal flt or go by train better.. cz if its by train, then i need to get longer days of the euro railway pass... rite?
appreciate your advice!

thks..

http://www.eurorailways.com/rail/index.htm

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi aspiration..
sorie.. i mean frm zermatt to venice... its abt 7hrs if travel in the day... and 12hrs if travel in the night... btw, did u book when u were over there or via the internet?
i heard that the euro railway tickets need to be validated before u start ur 1st trip .. and pref validate it one day before hand izit? .. really not sure whether to get the euro railway tickets via online or when i reach europe.. pls advise... thks alot!

 

[bellebelle]

I can't remember the time taken to reach there but it was very long. I validated it on the day that I wanted to travel to italy. The Train at different times are different operated by diff company. You don't even have to pass custom cos as the train got into Italy, their local police will get on board with their dogs to 'sniff' around.

I bought my tickets here because you can get the tourist price. If you buy from there, it may be more expensive. I did not buy online. I bought my tickets from their local agent here together with my eurail tickets.

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi aspiration..
oh.. no need to validate one day before travel ah.. so i can validate on the day itself.. no need to b specifically hw many hrs before travel hor? .. hehe.. sorie.. duno i m askin too detailed anot.. ;p

hmm.. btw.. but wat do u mean by the train at different times are operated by different companies.. ? .. but they r all under eurail tickets rite?

u bought frm "their" local agent? .. u mean eurail has a local agent here? do u noe hw do i ctt the local agent? the website?

thks alot for ur advice!

 

[midas]

hi jen,

train tics can be bought either online or on the spot at the train stn ticket booth...but for long distance journey, u normally will have seats allocations, so it is advised tat u book earlier coz u can choose to sit side by side wif ur hubby. me n hubby bought tics on the spot so we sat on opp row, but our journey is 1.5hrs so its ok 4 us. i suggest u go to tis site to find out more info:

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Switzerland/Canton_du_Valais/Zermatt-689741/TravelGuide-Zermatt.html

i always do my research at virtual tourist if i'm doing F&E in europe. info r accurate and up-to-date.

oh ya, at italy, u validate the tics at the platform juz b4 u board the train...u can find info on tis at virtual tourist too. gd luck!

 

[bellebelle]

The Eurail pass can be used on all the trains (Tranitalia, Eurostar etc.)but because some trains are much older (Tranitalia crashed their trains before) than others and if I'm not wrong, some trains are reserved for passengers who has paid extras to reserve a seat on that train.

I would recommend you to reserve a seat because the train would be making many stops and you may be sitting on reserved seats therefore along the way, passengers that reserved the seat will board the train and you have to constantly change your seats and the train is packed towards the destination.

You can try http://www.travelextours.com.sg/.
They don't have a direct pass from Swit to Italy but instead it's from Swit to France. So it may be cheaper if you go from Swit to France. THe agency would be better able to advise you on the use of the tickets.

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi midas and aspiration.. thks so much for the info that u gurls provide me.

midas.. that website is a travel guide website izit? .. thks! .. i wil chk it out..

aspiration.. i can ctt the travel agent at travelextours and they can do the booking of eurail tics for me rite? .. and they can also advise me.. ? .. can i at the same time purchase tickets like the jungfraujoch tickets? if so, perhaps i can directly go to them? if i go frm swit to france.. tat means i v to try and make rome as my first stop.. then paris as my last stop.. hmm..

 

[bellebelle]

I don't think you can buy Jungfr tics from them. You can the get the eurail tics on the spot and if you want they can validate the tics too.They can give you advise and also provide you with brouchures and other info that you need to know about eurail

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi aspiration!
thks alot! .. i will chk it out with them.. appreciate your help!

 

[bellebelle]

Paris has disney land...

 

[jennifer_teoh]

is paris disneyland nice? i went before to US disneyland and i love it... but duno whether paris is the same? ... cz seldom hear ppl going to disneyland in paris.. izit big?

 

[midas]

hi jen,

yes, the site is a travel guide. the info r written by real pple who has been there and done tat. the info is very accurate, for example u look under transportation section, they'll tell u how to buy tics, hw to validate tics, hw the validation machine look like etc.

paris disneyland is called the 'euro disney'. it is not really located in paris but u can travel by train from paris. i personnally think all disnaylands r the same. i've been to tokyo disneyland b4 so i din go euro disney..

 

[bellebelle]

I've no idea but Paris Disney cos I din know about it when I was there so I only went to Swit and Italy.

I bought my Jungfr tickets that morning when I wanted to go Jungfr from the train station in Interlaken. SO you need not buy it early.

If you intend to spend much time out in the Glacier at Jungfr, remember to put sunblock and wear a pair of sunglasses. The glacier was 'so white' that it's glaring and because it's near to the sun so we got sunburnt after spenting more than 2 hours walking (to & fro) to a mountain cabin a distance away

 

[jennifer_teoh]

hi midas...
oh really? .. i was jz lukin at what seems like the top 10 attractions in each country... like when i click "rome" then there will be a list of "places to visit",..

... hmm.. then i wil chk out on the tics tingy.. thks!! .. u v been helpful mann!

hi aspiration.. ic ic.. most prob i wont b goin to paris disney.. since no one recommend the place so far.. and it was not stated as one of the places to visit.. ;p .. oic.. then mayb i wil buy it there.. hmm.. tink i did better rem to bring a pair of sunglass... v a feeling that i may forget mann.. hehe..

 

[hijodia]

hi, I have some questions regarding trains in Italy as we are planning a free and easy trip to Italy in late April.

Is the price the same when buying directly from the train station compared to buying from trenitalia.com website?

How do we reserved the seats on the train?
Do we need to get our tickets stamped before we board the trains?

thanks for answering.

 

[midas]

hi hijodia,

i booked my train tix at the train stn ticket booth so duno whether there's diff in prices from the website...the prices varies according to the city u r going also..but my guess is tat even if there is diff, it'll be negligible otherwise nobody will be booking tix online rite? i know u can reserve seats online but haven't tried so can't help on tis one...probably will be similar to SQ seat reservation? as for the stamping part, yes u need to validate the tix at a yellow color validator machine located at the platform b4 u board the train

 

[hijodia]

hi midas,

I heard that booking tix online will be cheaper.
well, i still not too sure whether this is true.

so i guess you didn't reserve your seats?
Do you need to change seats along the way as people board the train during the various stops? I am afraid that those people boarding might have reserved the seats that we are sitting on.

 

[midas]

oh...u'll be allocated seats when u book the tix..so u can't sit on other pple's seats unless its not booked by anyone at all. the carriage no. & seat no. will be printed on the tix...must go to the rite carriage hor..coz seat no.s repeats so u may sit on the wrong one in the wrong carriage

 

[snowies]

if u are only travelling via train in italy only, i would suggest you to buy the train tickets at the counter. You can buy those cheap 2nd class train tickets without reservations, eg: IR and DIR but the journey is longer as they have more stops and the seats is more uncomfortable. Beware of the rude staffs at the counter too.
However, if you are crossing borders, i would suggest you to buy eurail coz it's cheaper.

FYI, you can get eurail tickets in singapore travel agency also, but only certain agency lar.

 

[caleb_touchstudio]

Good day fellow couples!

This is Caleb from Touchstudios. We are a one stop wedding hub with internationally recognized wedding works. We are currently looking to undertake an Overseas tour season ourselves for Europe and Asia 2011. We welcome fun loving couples who are keen to join us at various pitstops/countries/places for their pre or post wedding shoot as well and are hoping to take time out to explore these beautiful places with us. Be refreshed before we dived back into the rat race. Our intended countries include the following in 2011.

1. Rome
2. Prague,
3. Florence
4. Barcelona
5. Australia - Melbourne, Bristle, Sydney,
6. Perth city and Outback seaside towns of Augusta, Bunsburry
7. England - London, Bath, Manchester, Nottingham. State your town
8. France - Paris
9. New Zealand
10. Germany

Other places in Asia include

1. Ball,
2. Langkawi
3. Indonesia
4. Saigon Vietnam
5. China - Beijing and Shang Hai

Our packages are affordable and there will be significant savings should you find another couple to pair along! Cheers! We'd love to hear from you! Email us with your country of interest and intended timing. For couple if your intended Pre-wedding/Honeymoon location does not coincide with us, email us too and we may just have the right package for you! Mail us to arrange for a drop by over at our studio and we can take it off from there!

web: www.touchstudios.com.sg
blog: blog.touchstudios.com.sg
mail: [email protected]

 

[shalombebe]

Hi there,

I'm doing my photoshoot in Rome and Venice this June. Having problem looking for a Makeup Artist in Venice. Anyone has any contact? Help~~

 

[pocketpig]

thinking to stay in verona, then take a day trip to venice? or stay in venice and take 1hr train to verona? Anyone can advice?

 

[xueyi1020]

Hi OH Gal

Just a word of caution... bring LOTS of sunscreen. It's going to be very hot! Was there end May which is suppose to be between 15-20 deg C but ended up around 32 deg C. The sun was glaring. I came back with a tan. It's hot like SG only not so humid. So good luck for your photoshoot.

 

[lovetotravel]

Hi pocketpig,

stay in Venice and take day trip to Verona. Venice is best seen when all the tourist are gone and when the sunsets or first thing in the morning. It is a beautiful place and you can take your time to explore out of San Marco square and away from the crowd. You can also take a boat to the lovely Burano town with colourful houses.

If you only take daytrip to Venice, you will not be able to see it at its best because everywhere is full of tourist, crowded and noisy.

 

[angz]

Anyone know what is the tax rebate for foreigners in Italy?

 

[inloveandwar]

Italy is my number 1 destination till now. Rome and Venice are so beautiful. I feel like i have went back to the past in a time machine. I wanna get lost there for 1 year to explore all the places. I be back! It feels like heaven