Thanks for these, especially the Venice suggestions where we’re really only there for 48 hours. Added to my spreadsheet! LOL We have booked our tours, all of them guided and very excited about what we’ve selected to do.
We are staying at the Palazzo Avino in Ravello.
We’re only in Venice for 48 hours also, same as last time. Just walking around is glorious. I just remember reading suggestions that after you arrive, if it’s during the day, do not go to St. Mark’s square right away. It’s full of day trippers. Turn away and walk away from the center. That’s what we did and it was wonderful. I think we went later in the afternoon the first time.
I also read this suggestion and so glad we did it. The first morning you wake up, get up early and get to St. Mark’s by 7:30-800. The streets are quiet and we stopped at 3 little coffee joints on the way. You stand up and drink a shot of express, maybe a little pastry. It was fun. Anyway, the square only had maybe 10 people, the pigeons were flying around and landing, it was magical. Just like you think of it. We were first in line to go up the Campanile Tower, which opened at 9. The view of Venice was spectacular. You will notice about 10 or so, the throngs of people start arriving off the cruise ships. I’m so glad we experienced it this way. When people say they don’t like Venice it’s too crowded, I tell them they didn’t do it the right way.
We stayed in Positano, so I can’t help you there except for one thing…how to get there. I read this on Trip Advisors and read it a lot. It was really stunning.
Take the fast train from Rome to Salerno. Then take the ferry from Salerno to Ravello. You will see the Amalfi Coast from the sea. Awe inspiring. Simply magnificent. It’s a 5 minute walk from the train station to the ferries. Throngs of people will be walking that way. The scenery of the Amalfi coast is not the same from Sorrento , you don’t see all the gorgeous villages and towns, it’s just not as beautiful. This is who we used. We took the earliest train out of Rome to make the late morning ferry.
Any recommendation of a good neighborhood for staying 4 or 5 nights in Florence? We’d like to take advantage of opportunity for day tours to wineries and smaller towns, and my husband has found many leave from the main train station. So we’re starting with that thought, appreciate input from other travelers.
Palazzo castri. It’s very close to the train station. It’s a boutique hotel with a nice court yard. The breakfast is pretty good. It’s a 4 star hotel, but the rooms were nice. Easy walk to a lot of places.
Thanks. Looks like a great date. Seems not available our dates (Oct 5-10), but it helps on neighborhood and could help others.
We stayed here a few years ago - Hotel Brunelleschi. Very well located - walked to everything. Part of it is an old building. The breakfast was good, the dinner at the restaurant was good, they has a small gym, and the rooms were clean and well appointed. Highly recommend
Thanks for the quick response, great location. It looks lovely, but it is beyond our budget. My fault for not mentioning budget. Ideally we’ll find a room under $300/night per couple (2 couples, could share an apartment). May have to compromise on location. On Monday we’ll see what our travel agent offers.
La Scala offers free, same day tickets for performances. You have to get to the theatre just after lunch, take a number and come back an hour before the performance.
Oops! I didn’t realize when I responded that this thread is a a year old!
There are two Room Mate hotels in Florence; depending on time of year, they are reasonable.
Room Mate Isabella is right on top of Gucci in the main shopping street. We stayed there a few years ago. Several years before that, we stayed at
Casa Santo Nome de Gesu - married couples are allowed to stay, single men are not.
This convent is special as it was used to hide Jews during the war; the Mother Superior was name to Yad Vashem
We stayed near the Ponte Vecchio bridge on the opposite side of the river from the main sites. I used credit card points. We liked that everything was easily walkable. We went late October and it was still busy. We did a food tour that we enjoyed but it was expensive. Our hotel reserved us tickets for the David. I had reservations for the Uffizi that I booked before we went. The hotel was also great at dinner reservations.
I had heard the area near the train station wasn’t as safe but I don’t know if that’s a fact. My sister has spent extended periods in Florence and always gets an apartment. With two couples that might be the cost effective way to go since you are there for multiple days.
This past May our family (2 parents, 2 20-something kids) stayed in an apartment south of the Arno, near the Ponte Vecchio, in a place that I found on VRBO. We were about a 15 minute or so walk to the Santa Maria Novella train station, and the same to a tour van pick-up area.
If you want to PM me, I can give you some links/more details.
We have stayed at an Airbnb over looking the bridge. I really liked that location. To be honest, I didn’t like the palazzo castri by the train station as much. It wasn’t as close to the museums and stores.
I used to stay at the excelsior before the price went through the roof and when I used to have a lot of Marriott points.
Over the years I’ve gotten great suggestions on CC by doing a search for a location. It brings up past threads and it’s a great place to start looking.
We stayed at the Hotel Davanzati. Walked 10 minutes to train station. Well situated, family owned.
Thanks! That looks lovely, just pricey for us (this is a Part2 vacation after a Viking Rhine river cruise).
Today we made tentative reservations for a small apartment at Palazzo die Ciompi. The good news is that it has 2 bedrooms and kitchenette, 5 nights total under $1500 split two ways. The bad news is we need to share a single bathroom, but we have done that before with this same couple in Paris to save money for other travel splurges. Also like having a gathering spot at kitchen table for planning, eating food picked up in markets etc. We have a few months to cancel/rebook if we find something better.
Florence location shown by the little house.
Hello,
Wondering if those who have been to Italy can give advice as to if it is acceptable to wear birkenstock type sandals into places of worship including the Vatican or if that is in poor taste? I know shoulders and knees need to be covered but trying to plan comfortable footwear for longer days that include these stops for my college age DD and DS. Thank you!
Birkenstocks are perfectly fine to wear!
Colorado_mom - I looked at Rick Steve’s recommendations for hotels in Florence, then Trip Advisor. I can just say - book as early as you can! I watched my options decreasing as I kept reading more and more Google reviews trying to decide. We did Air BnBs in Cinque Terre and Lake Como - stunningly beautiful. Did hotels in Florence.
Definitely book as early as possible. We booked back in January for May. Then in March decided to extended the trip by 2 days but by then our hotel in Florence had tripled in price.
Worked out for the best as we’re going to spend the extra couple days in Cinque Terre instead, but it was definitely a shock.
Anyway, maybe we’ll unknowingly cross paths with @conmama as we’re also going to Rome and Florence in May. Skipping Venice this trip to run around Tuscany though.
We went last May, so wish I was going!
