It’s been kind of like wedding planning in the sense that a bunch had to get done at one point (booking the flights, all the hotels) and then there has been a lengthy period with nothing to do but read my Rick Steves book, peruse Pinterest, lay awake at night trying to figure out what I am going to pack/how I am going to fit it into a carry on, and update my *nerd-alert* lengthy word document with everything I find or any advice or tips I am told.
I don’t know why my husband says I’m such a planner 🙂
Also, a blog I read, History in High Heels (she also has that etsy shop that has adorable prints!) is living in Florence and she always has cute posts that are fun to read.
SOOO here are a few things about our trip we have planned!
and a few questions at the end if you have tips!
and a few questions at the end if you have tips!
We arrive in Venice, and spend 2 nights there. We don’t have much planned for Venice except to just wander and get lost. The biggest decision we’ll make the whole time is to gondola or not to gondola 🙂 people have very strong opinions about it being overpriced and a waste, or definitely to do it because you’ll likely only get to once!
Next we have Siena for 2 nights and Florence for 2 nights.
We’ll likely do a vineyard tour one of the days in Siena, and no specific plans for Florence other than the usual sightseeing.
I am so excited for all of it, but I am probably most excited for the Amalfi Coast.
We have 4 nights in Positano, and 1 night in Sorrento.
I can’t wait to see our hotel in Positano and just sit out on our balcony overlooking the water.
We will definitely be doing a boat day to Capri – from what you all have told me, it sounds like it will be one of the highlights of the trip!
When we were looking on TripAdvisor for our hotel in Sorrento, one of the hotels had an insane (insanely misquoted in our favor) price, and we booked it for our one night there.
When I opened a new web browser and went back to look, it was back to its normal insane pricing. So that was a fun steal for our one night there 🙂
And then we have 3 nights in Rome to finish off the trip.
We’re staying at a super cute apartment with its own little terrace, so an apartment will be a nice change from all of the hotels (hopefully).
We’re staying at a super cute apartment with its own little terrace, so an apartment will be a nice change from all of the hotels (hopefully).
We already have a small group tour through Walks of Italy booked to see the Colosseum and such, and we also have the Scavi tour underneath St. Peter’s Basilica planned.
It’s going to be such an amazing 15 days – I wish it was here already!
Honestly I’m like so knowledgeable at this point thanks to everyones advice that I am basically fluent in Italian.
one of the things my nerd-alert planner self is still trying to figure out is the train.
we are going to be traveling from city to city on the trains, and while I know it is simple enough, I can’t figure out the buying of the tickets/when to buy.
friends have to said to book the trains the night before at the hotel for whatever city we are going to next, and print the tickets when you get to the station. Mr. Rick Steves and some online sources have said that if you are traveling by train more than 3 times (we will be 4) to get a Eurail Pass, because it saves some money.
That being said, it seems like it may be more confusing to use it and arrange our tickets, and may be worth the small amount of extra money to just by our regular daily tickets each time.
I also haven’t had any friend or friend-of-a-friend suggest doing the pass, so I am thinking no?
Thoughts? Ideas?
also, is this whole booking of trains super easy and I just think I’ll be confused when I walk into the train station, but in reality even a moron could do it?
OH and other questions : do you buy a data plan so that you can have wifi while you are there, or do you just use the wifi when you are at the hotel for free? I feel like having the wifi while we wander around would be helpful, but I’m not sure. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!
Also, I know cash will be needed much more over there than here (it’s a miracle if I ever have cash), but I don’t want to take out tons of cash here prior to going over. is it expensive to use the ATM often over there?
so help a sister out:
1. train suggestions or tips?
2. wifi – buy data to use while over there?
3. what did you do about cash?
what I haven’t learned through my intense reading and from Family Guy,
I have learned from Gilly’s Italian friend Gilly.
ARRIVADERCI ! (gilly voice)
You guys are going to have the best time!! We used wifi at the hotels and starbucks when we were abroad, but I actually find a great app / site that I'll email you for getting around…I posted about it so I just need to find it!! I am for the gondola…you only get to do it once 🙂
here's the link http://handluggageonly.co.uk/2015/06/17/7-apps-that-will-change-your-life-while-travelling/
Thank you so much Biana, that link has great apps! And I am with you, I think the gondola needs to be a yes 🙂
Phone – Def up your data plan. Google maps emergencies and such you'll need it. Use wifi at hotel for social media and texting.
Cash – use your cc for meals and anything you can. Bring like $1000 or more for cabs, tips, snacks and small stuff like gelato. That seems like a lot but 15 days is a lot of time and just think about what you'd spend on the weekend here then multiply it by how many days you are gone.
Thank you so much for the advice I really appreciate it!
I used a credit card as much as possible to avoid walking around with lots of cash. ATM fees were very high
Thanks Martha!
Def do the gondola – imo better to regret the $ spent than not doing it.. bring wine – it'll be fun that way and if it's too much at least you can drink your worries away! 🙂
You're smart to worry about the trains – they are confusing and not awesome. Don't get the eurail pass – we did it and it wasn't worth it. buy your tickets the day before and make sure you buy the right one and get on the right train.. they normally don't check your tickets until you're already on there and the thing is moving… One thing we learned the hard way was that if you're going say from Sorrento to Rome on the high speed train – sometimes that high speed train is going all the way to Florence but you're getting off at Rome. The sign to get on that train will say – to Florence and say nothing about Rome. Pay attention to the times they're supposed to leave and look at the end route of the train you're getting on to find the right platform. (I hope that saves you from the headache we had in Milan!)
And I dunno if you need your data plan over there… all the places you're going to are SO walkable and you'll have good maps on hand. It's kind of part of the fun being disconnected and wandering around!
Excited and SO jealous!! And can't wait to see more of your vacation wardrobe purchases! 🙂
Thanks Christine! I agree I'd rather spend the money than regret not doing something – we've been holding nothing back, so we'll be poor when we get back home anyway so it won't make a difference 🙂 And glad to hear to not get the eurail pass or need to up our phone plans – I will be taking your advice on that for sure! Thank you so much!!
So excited for you!! Def do the Gondola- it's part of the fun of venice!
Skip the Eurail pass and just get your point to point tickets. If you want to text anyone in the US, download the WhatsApp to text people anywhere for free over wifi.
Try and use your credit card as much as possible, you'll get the best conversation rate. As far as taking out cash, you'll get charged two sets of fees, $3-6 from your US bank for using another ATM(check with them what it will be) and then $3-6 from the Italian ATM bank, so if you take out $100 or $500 it's going to be the same. Just be careful having that much cash! Oh and make sure to tell your credit card and debit company that you're going so they don't freeze your account!!
Thank you so much for the tips Kathryn! This helps so much. Especially to pass on the eurail that makes me happy because the idea of that stressed me out.
We were in Tuscany, Florence and Amalfi for two weeks last September– you will love it!
A few tips:
If you are planning on driving places then the emergency wifi may worth it (we got seriously lost driving around tuscany even with a garmin) otherwise there is wifi everywhere. Agree with the suggestion of whatsapp- best way to keep in touch only using wifi.
We tried to use a CC since it is the best conversion rate for big dinners, excursions and hotel stays and then cash for lunch, drinks, little things, etc. I felt like we were always at the ATM though and the fees do add up so try to take out as much as possible one time.
Capri excursion: we used Plaghia Charter company. € 70,00/person included free shuttle service from hotel to the beach ( departure point) drinks and beach towels. It was a beautiful boat, only 4 other couples so felt private-like and you have a whole half a day to explore Capri which is enough. They serve wine and apps on the way back and let you stop and swim if you want! Such a great day.
My favorite town on the amalfi coast was Ravello- it is so gorgeous and way more relaxing than busy Positano. While there we learned they have a lot of outdoor concerts too so that may be looking into. We only went for the day- walked around, shopped a bit and then had a long lunch at Palazzo Avino which is a beautiful hotel with the most stunning views. Wish we had stayed there a night or two- heaven!!!
Have so much fun!!!!
Thank you so much for the advice! And for the name of the Capri charter company that is so nice.
Hi Taylor!
I am so happy to hear you are coming to Italy and you enjoy reading my posts on life in Italy/Florence. I would love to meet up for a coffee while you are in Florence, if you have time of course.
For the trains, you can't book ahead online unless you are a resident/have a TrenItalia card. But don't worry you can buy your tickets at the station the day of. I always purchase the day before though because I am also type A lol. Don't do the EuroRail, there are so many restrictions now. I promise it is super simple and isn't nearly as stressful as you think. Remember trains rarely sell out because they can add cars! But if you want to email me, I would be more than happy to help you and walk you through it.
Also for phones/wifi, Italian SIM cards are super cheap. I suggest purchasing one and just popping it into your cell, that way you have data and a local number in case of an emergency. I pay 12 euros for 250 texts, 250 calls, and 1 GB of data. There are no cell contracts here.
I use the ATM for cash. You can call your bank and see if they have a partner bank over here to avoid fees (if you're a Bank of America customer you can go to BNL banks here free of charge). But a lot of places will only take cash.
You are going to have an amazing time!
And PS – Do the gondola, everyone should once!
Hi Ashley! Yes I love reading all of your blog posts and following your beautiful pics on instagram – I am so jealous you live in Florence! Our schedules for when we arrive and leave cities are still up in the air but thank you so much if we have time I would love to grab a coffee thats so sweet 🙂
Thank you SO SO much for your tips! They help a ton 🙂 And after everyones response about the gondola we will definitely do it!! Thanks so much 🙂
Taylor,
I am so jealous! My husband and I went for our honeymoon two years ago. It was really incredible. Below are all my tips. Please take tons of pictures so I can live vicariously through you when you get home.
Trains – If you do wait to buy everything over there, look into it more than the night before. We waited until the night before to book our Florence to Venice train and couldn't get the early a.m. fast train because it was already sold out. Honestly, I didn't think traveling by train was the easiest thing we did while in Italy. All the announcements for changing from one loading dock to another are in Italian so you basically just have to pay attention to the crowd and follow them.
Wifi – Don't waste your money on a plan. Just use what the hotels have. You'll probably only need it to post to social media at night before you go to bed anyway. Plus, it's so nice to unplug and you'll walk pretty much everywhere you go so you can always pop in a store and ask for directions if you get lost.
Cash – If you apply now, there is a credit card with no fees for abroad usage. It might be Citi? You should DEFINITELY find/get that credit card. That way, you can pay mostly with it (shopping, eating, etc.) and just use your debit card to get Euros a few times while you are over there. My debit card had a 3% fee associated with it when I took money out over there. It got to be pretty costly. Also, there is also a limit on the amount of Euros you can take out of your account each day (maybe around $600?) so if you plan to only use cash, you'll be looking for an ATM every other day. Keep in mind you'll spend WAY more than you think you will or plan to.
Do the gondola! It was so much fun and actually really romantic. You can buy champagne or wine and take it with you to sip. If you're with more than just Kip, you can do a group gondola ride. We saw people doing that who had hired a singer and an organist to ride with them. They looked like they were having so much fun!
I didn't get to go to the Amalfi coast (we went to Cinque Terra instead), but my parents went the year after we did and LOVED Positano. My dad said it was his absolute favorite city they stayed in, and they went all over the place.
Last tip – take Rick Steves' advice. He pretty much never led us astray while we were over there.
~Wendy
Thank you so much for all of your advice Wendy! And glad to hear you say that about Rick Steves because I've been reading so much in his book. All of this is so, so helpful I really appreciate it!
Taylor,
My daughter and I just came back from Italy several weeks ago. Don't worry, its easy! We had to run to the train station an hour before the last train departed from Florence to Rome due to a change in flights the next day. We exchanged tickets with no hassles. There was no problem, and I worried for nothing.
Thanks Cynthia! Hope you had a great trip!
Few suggestions from our recent trip!
1. Highly suggest downloading the app infotreni – this will be a lifesaver in looking at train departures and arrivals!
2. My husband updated his phone plan so he had data while in Italy and it really did come in handy. However you can get by without it, just about any coffee shop/wine bar has free wifi.
3. Dinner reservations … osteria enoteca ai artisti in Venice and la giostra in Florence – highly recommend!
Thank you Kelsey! Just downloaded the app 🙂 I'll add those restaurants to our list thank you so, so much!
Do the gondola ride! It's worth it…. I would make sure you have a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. Credit cards are widely accepted. I have a Chase Southwest Visa that is free internationally and Capital One credit cards are free international too. ATMs are easy to come by but check with your bank first in fees. I used ATMs in Italy but can't remember cost. I bought my train tickets the day of. I think you should plan to do that. My understanding of the passes is that they don't make sense unless you're traveling longer distances and more countries. Be prepared for the train staff to be unhelpful though so ensure that you know exactly where you need to go and can ask for tickets in Italian. I have found on both my trips to Italy that Italians are not as hospitable as you may think. I had trouble with rude ticket operators and people that played dumb. You are going to be very prepared though. Enjoy!!
Thank you Allison!! I'd much rather just buy the individual train tickets so I am glad to hear that. And gondola ride it is! Thanks so much for your tips!
We are actually also going to Tuscany today in three weeks, as we are having our wedding in Borgo Casabianca (close to Siena) on August 8th and we are much looking forward to that occasion.
We are by car however as we are currently living in Switzerland but my best friend is flying in from the US and will be travelling around in Europe for two weeks after the wedding and due to that they got the Eurorail pass. However I agree that it would probably be cheaper for you guys if you just book tickets when needed. You can also get around Florence, Siena etc. by foots and rental bikes quite nicely because the distances are not very far. Only thing to keep in mind is that Italian trains can't be trusted in terms of being on time (they are often late so take that into consideration if you have to be on time somewhere).
Siena itself is super nice and when we went down to Tuscany for a weekend to do wedding planning a couple of weeks ago we also went to Montepulciano (where they filmed Twilight) and it is a super nice city on top of a hill with a lot of cute little (wine) shops because the wine from that region is super famous.
We are actually surprised of many stores do actually take credit cards as we hadn't exchanged Swiss Francs to Euros but we went by without having to purchase any. You should have a little bit on hand however. I would go for maybe 500 Euro and withdraw another 500 Euro if needed. You don't want to be carrying cash with you all the time. It's enough to watch out for wallets, phones, etc.
Last but not least: just go with the flow. Look at the plates of people when passing by a nice restaurant and see how it looks and try to avoid restaurants looking out on touristy squares. We actually found a really nice restaurant in Florence the other week when walking down a street (between Ponte Vecchio and the dome), which was called Obica. It was on an inside square of a house and super nice (both in terms of looks and food) and we really enjoyed it there.
Have a great trip.
Best
Sarah
Thanks for your tips Sarah!! They will help so much. I hope you have an amazing trip I know you will!! Congratulations and have a wonderful wedding!
I am so jealous, what an amazing trip that you have planned! We fell in love with the Amalfi Coast, everything about it is beautiful and breathtaking. Tuscany was another favorite along with Rome! Xo, Stephanie
Thanks Stephanie!
Oh and make sure your cross body bag is big enough to hold a bottle of water 🙂 Its going to be warm.
I didn't even think about that, thanks so much!
I've been to Italy 4 or 5 times and I can attest that the trains are always an adventure. Unlike the other commenter, I have found the conductors to be very helpful when we’ve boarded the wrong train or other hilarious mishaps. The Italian train system is one of the most dysfunctional I’ve ever used, and I work in the developing world and lived in the former Soviet Union. There is good chance something may go wrong, but it’s an adventure! And it’ll end up being the best story you tell when you get home because you survived it together. The most important thing to remember is that there is ALWAYS another train. Just pay attention to the announcements and ask your fellow travelers on the platform. Express trains between larger cities can sell out on the weekends during summer, so I would suggest going maybe two days in advance to buy tickets in that situation.
When I travel, I use my credit card when I can and pull out local cash from ATMs, even in Africa. You don’t want to carry all those US dollars with you and it can be a pain in the butt constantly looking for an open bank to exchange dollars. Not to mention the eternal debate of which is better – a high conversion rate with a commission, or a lower conversion rate with no commission. And constantly doing the math to see if you’ve gotten the best exchange rate. Be aware of the fees for using your ATM and just be sure to take out 200-300Euros at a time and split them between your husband and yourself.
It’s going to be a magical trip! Have fun! Oh and when in Sienna if you’re looking for a good day trip, I can’t say enough wonderful things at Montepulciano and Montalcino. Both have delicious wine and the scenery is breathtaking.
Cheers, Susan
Okay I am beyond jealous of your 15 day vacation! I have been lucky enough to go to Italy a few times in the past few years (studied abroad in Florence for 3 months and then went back for a week last year) and so my husband is always shocked when I am like "I really want to go to Italy again!" He's like, umm I just took you there last year. But I can't help it, it's my favorite place!
It sounds like you have a ton of amazing things planned so I won't throw a boatload of suggestions your way (but if you want any I have been to all of those places you are going and would be more than happy to!) but I will try to answer your questions.
1. As for trains, they make it seem really confusing but it's actually really easy. So you aren't crazy! There are two options. The first is to buy online. Just go to Trenitalia.it (or just google it) and try to use Chrome so it will translate for you haha but you basically book on there just like buying a plane ticket. And then you can print and bring in a folder with you or you can do this the day before and print at the hotel. The other option which works great for the shorter more local trains is to just go to the train station and buy at one of the kiosks. They have a ton of them at all of the stations and they work just like an ATM. Pretty simple! Also, I have never really known a train to sell out, except maybe for like really long ones like night trains, so I wouldn't be too concerned!
2. As for wifi I would recommend just using it for free at the hotels. I know that it would be nice to have it for using maps on your phone and looking things up when you're at historical sites, but honestly part of the magic of a trip abroad is just being out of your element and living in the moment. Do some research before you go or bring your Rick Steves book for the highlights of the sites, and then just get lost! You can always pop in to a shop (most people speak English) and ask for directions or just hop in a cab and ask them to take you somewhere central that you know your way again.
3. As for cash, I would definitely bring some with you on the way over so that you are set from the beginning but otherwise there are ATMs all over and they work just like ones here. You can pick your language so you don't have to try to translate and you just have to pay the regular like $3 fee. The only thing is that if you have a limit on how much you can withdraw a day, remember that is in USD so be sure to do some math and make sure you aren't taking out too much in Euro.
Hope that helps! Have the best trip ever!
xo Mary-Katherine
gold-hatted lover
sorry for my very belated THANK YOU but thank you so much for these tips! I appreciate it so so much!!!
Hi Taylor,
I know my comment is super late, but I hope it helps!! My husband and I did almost the exact same trip you are doing three years ago. We started in Rome and ended up in Venice, but we visited the same cities. You are going to LOVE Italy! It was our favorite trip ever.
We did a Gondola ride and yes it was expensive, but it was also special. It was a little cheesy but one of my favorite things. We were walking and saw an open Gondola and got in, but looking back I might wait for a more exciting gondolier (is that what they are called?). Our's was kind of boring, but we saw some pretty entertaining ones. That said, I still recommend it!
Rick Steves is the way to go! We also liked Frommers Day by Day. They are all written by different people and have a little spin (like one city was written by a foodie and it had great restaurants, but not all of them are the same). But Rick has great suggestions. I recommend downloading his app and the tours of the museums and sights you want to see. We did it for the Uffizi and Pompeii I remember and it was easier than renting a headset at the museum and had good information.
We did Naples on our way back from Positano (we took the bus from Positano to Sorrento and then the train to Rome then Florence). We had wanted to stay longer in Naples, but ended up being super creeped out and just ate pizza and went back to the train station. The pizza was delicious and it was an easy spot after Pompeii.
Positano was our favorite spot. We did a boat tour that went from Positano to Capri with some swimming along the way. There were a handful of boats in the harbor in Positano and we found one we liked and did their tour. It was a nice guy. We didn't do the blue grotto, but our captain took us to another grotto that was beautiful and didn't have a long wait.
If you don't already have one, I would get a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. And then look at what ATM has the best rates. If you have Bank of America, they have sister banks in Europe that have low ATM fees.
And as for adding data, I would recommend it. I am usually not a big fan of using data when on vacation, but my husband is addicted to his phone so he added a plan for him and I. he used it way more than I did, but it was nice to be able to look up directions easily on our phones when we were lost (like trying to find a restaurant). We just got back from our honeymoon and did three weeks in Greece and Turkey and the wifi in the hotels was hit and miss. Some hotels had great wifi and some it barely worked. My husband wanted to look up different things (like restaurants, museum opening times, ect) and we weren't able to do every where. Also if you add a plan, the calling rates are much cheaper (which we did a few times to make reservations).
One last thing, when we went to Rome, we had to reserve our tickets for the Borghese Gallery ahead of time. I used Skype to call from the US. Not sure if that's still the way it is, but check it out. You may be able to do from Venice, but it might be better to do now.
I hope that helps!! You are going to have such a wonderful trip!! Can't wait to hear more about it!!
Lara
sorry for my very belated THANK YOU but thank you so much for these tips! I appreciate it so so much!!!
Adding all of this to my nerdy word document right now 🙂
Hi guys,
Thank you so much for this wonderful article really!
If someone want to know more about the City2City I think this is the right place for you!