Hi, a friend and I want to go to Italy (probably getting the train from London/ Amsterdam)
From what I've read hear people are favouring independant travel around italy rather than doing a tour.
So we think we'll get an Italy Eurail pass.
We want to see Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Vatican City and Pompeii.
We also want to get a ferry to Greece from Italy.
We need some ideas on budget accommodation/ hostels in Venice, Rome and Florence.
Also we plan to go in January or February. Are the sights and museums open then and how much do they cost?
We are mostly intrerested in historical sights.
Also interested in the supposed Angel and Demons / DaVinci Code sites if they are possible to see?
We probaly have only 10 days but does any one have suggestions on itineraries? Should we base our selves in Rome and see the sites from there? I don't know anyone personally who's been and we will be on a very tight budget? I can't find a decent tour for Italy but it sounds like everyones in favour of winging it, might be the better way to go...
For information on how to travel by train from London to Italy, including pictures of sleeping accommodations on Paris-Italy night trains, go here. Read the railpasses section on the same site. Train travel in Italy is relatively inexpensive so point-to-point tickets are usually cheaper than a pass.
If this is your first trip to Europe, go here and read the Travel Tips section which is a condensation of what is in Europe Through the Back Door, a very helpful guide for independent travel in Europe. BTW, the 2008 edition of the book is now out.
When you want to visit only the most essential places in Greece (Athens, Cape Sounion, Korinthos, Epidavros, Mikene, Sparta/Mistras, Delphi, Olympia, Delos Island) you nee at least one week. Therefore: skip Greece and remain in Italy. There are a lot of Greek Temples and Theaters too: Paestum, Taormina, Siracusa, Agrigento, Segesta, Selinunte .....
Fly with Ryanair to Venice, then travel down to Florence - Pisa - Rome - Naples/Pompei/Ercolano - Paestum - Taormina - Siracusa - Agrigento - Palermo - Segesta and fly back from Palermo.
Just be sure to spend an extra day in Florence. Its the birthplace of the Rennaisance.
2 Mediccis were early popes. As yas a Borgia.
The Borgias kept a Dr. to develope poisons, for certain effects.
travel plans should be just a rough outline. You may decide to follow a certain part of history.
Don't move on, or book ahead till truly satisfied... You only go around once. Even in travel. Just too many places await.
Schedules suck. You're on vacation. Trip out!
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Youth Hostels Rule!
For the conversations.
Nobody cares how old you are.
Some have private rooms or for 2.
Private bath.
Reasearch;
www.hostelz.com<BR>
Adding to my previous post: The ETBD site (Rick Steves) also has a good railpasses section. Don't rely on Rail Europe for either timetables or fares. Their timetables are incomplete and their fares are inflated. For detailed tiimetables for all of Europe, go to www.bahn.de. For timetables and fares, including discounts available through advance online booking, go to each country's national rail site.
What's your reason for Pisa? If it is just for the tower, then you can skip it. It is a pleasant little town, but there is not much else there that is special; there might be better places to spend your time. We really liked Ravenna because of the mosaics and just general medium-sized town atmosphere.
If you want to visit sites from Dan Brown's books, I think your best bet is to look up websites on that or go through the books yourself. If I remember correctly, some may not be open to the general public.
What else are you interested in; art, museums, history, food, wine, music, fashion? We might be able to give more suggestions if you give more details.
And, definitely skip the tour thing; it is much better to go on your own, at your own pace and see what YOU want to see. Spend more time in some places and cut others short depending on what you find there.
I undestand Badger1492. But: the bizantine mosaics in Ravenna are similar to those in Venezia (San Marco) and Palermo (Monreale), at least for non-specialists. Pisa is close to Florence and the IC-trains from Pisa to Rome are cheaper than the ES-trains from Florence to Rome. The best town for sleeping (and visiting) in the area is Siena. Other nice towns between Florence and Rome are Perugia, Assisi and Orvieto.
Hey thank-you everyone for your advice.
I did mistakenly say we had ten days all together but I meant in Italy. after that we will probably go to Greece maybe on tour.
We are very interested in Historical sites but I really want to try out food and wine and a bit of the culture. If any one else has suggestions I would welcome them. Can any one suggewst the average budget needed a day just for entry fees and food on the cheap?
what can we expect to pay for hostels? i would love some more recommendations for the hostels to stay at.
For great budget accommodation, head to the Hotel Sampaoli in Florence (right around the corner from the Accademia!) and Freedom Traveller in Rome (super close to the central station, which is where the Ryanair coaches leave from).
As for Pisa, it's an easy day trip (if that!) from Florence: just pop on the train and follow the crowds from the station. Don't miss the beautiful church right next door to the tower - it has amazing artwork on the ceiling.
Travelling by train in Italy couldn't be easier. I was there last year and made my way from Venice-Verona-Florence-Rome for about 50 euros total.
Happy travelling
:-)
Hi FeatherDuster,
You're definitely going the right way about travelling - do Italy on your own with a map, phrasebook and some research.
If you're interested in history and want something similar to Pompeii, go to Ostia Antica - a 20-minute train ride out of Rome. It's the wonderful port city of Ancient Rome (though the sea is kilometres away now) and it's an real ancient city, street plans and all, but it's so overgrown in parts that you'll come across a few dead ends. My friend solved this problem by climbing the low walls but probably don't do that. It doesn't have the murals that Pompeii does but it does have some mosaics on the floors. The houses are crumbling and have thick vegetation growing all over them so be careful going in and out of some doorways. But there are paths and a little amphitheatre and temples and double-storey houses with arched doorways/windows and when I was wandering through the houses I came across a marble shrine to Cupid and Psyche, I almost cried. I found Pompeii terrific but touristy, even in winter - we had a class of yelling primary school students on an excursion with us that day so very annoying. In the cold months Ostia should be almost empty, especially if you go after lunch. It's all outdoors and muddy in the rain so bring coat and scarf. You can walk anywhere without tourists or guides harassing you and it gave me a feel for ancient history more than Pompeii did.
Regarding the Vatican - if you want to climb the dome at St. Peter's check opening times AND see if you can do that first when you arrive at the basilica. If they say it's closed til later come back when it's open, but when I went there I foolishly left it til the end and when I asked the guards, even though it was within opening times they said it was closed for the whole day. I was almost in tears, especially when I got back to the hotel and some other people from our group said they climbed it in the morning! Not happy.
Also, eat as much gelati and pizza as you can, no matter the weather. It is like nowhere else in the world.
Buon viaggio!
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