Italy help

[diam124]

My DH has to be in Venice in August on business, so I am planning on joining him for the trip. We will probably be there 4-5 days (his meeting is only 1 day I think). I know nothing about Italy though. Here are my questions:

I read that Aug. is not the best time to go, but that's unavoidable. How much will it impact our trip in terms of restaurants/sights being open?

Are there better/cheaper alternatives to flying in to Venice? I priced it around $1300 per person.

I understand that Venice itself is pretty small, so I'd like to go somewhere else too. I'd love to see Rome, but I don't know if we'll have enough time (since I assume we'd have to fly out of Venice if we fly in to Venice). What other places near Venice are good to see?

TIA!

[thedoorchick]

There is a big thread in here on Italy, but to answer one of your questions:

- You can fly open-jaw; there's no reason you HAVE to fly in and out of Venice. Rome is a good distance from there, but if you have a few days, you can fly into Venice, take the train to Rome (there are red-eyes so you don't lose a whole day on the train) then fly home out of Rome. Don't know how that would affect the cost.

[msnicolea]

You can fly into Milan and train it (or rent a car) to Venice--we did that a few years ago and the prices were SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. Florence is do-able from Venice, and I really enjoyed Verona, though you don't need more than a day there.

[thedoorchick]

Here's the other Italy thread I was thinking of:

http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=385&highlight=Italy

[tlew12778]

A lot of restaurants and cafes will be closed. A lot of stores will be closed (that is when most do their yearly renovations). The museums will probably be open. My guess is that there will be less gondolas around but you only need one for the photo op ;). The vaporettos will be running, but you mostly walk everywhere. The factories in Murano will likely be closed.

You can fly into Milan and take the train to Venice. It's a 2.5 hour ride.

You don't have enough time to see Rome well in 4-5 days. You could probably do Florence really quickly (1-2 days). There is Trieste but I don't know what there is to see there. That is where they make Illy coffee though :p. You could train if back to the lake region and see Como and surrounding areas. If you are willing to travel 4 hours, you can go to the Cinque Terre for a couple days.

If you plan on travelling outside of Venice I would very seriously consider flying into Milan as it's more central.

[diam124]

tlew - is the situation the same in Milan in terms of places being closed in August?

[tlew12778]

Yup. More or less. Italians all go on vacation in August. You'll find places open on the coast (Venice is on the coast but it's not a coastal destination of Italians looking for beach time). It's gotten better over the years... it's not so much of a ghost town now, but basically Italians LOVE their August vacations. In fact, the city of Milan actually has to publish a little booklet that lets ppl know what is actually open in August.

You will find ppl at 5 Terre though. We are actually thinking of going there to and to the Cote d'azur for the first 2 weeks.

[tlew12778]

Oh actually, I heard that there is also a ferry from Venice to Croatia. I don't know if that interests you at all but the Adriatic is actually better in Croatia than it is in Italy.

[diam124]

Ok, so I think what we'll probably do is fly to Venice and then take the train to Rome and fly home from Rome. So, here's a sample itinerary:

Wed. - arrive early in Venice
Wed. & Thurs. & Fri. - Venice (Wed. I'm sure we'll be jet-lagged and Thurs. DH will be in meeting)
Take train to Rome (possibly overnight Friday)
Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning in Rome.

Does that sound ok or is that too much time in Venice?

Also, how does the train system work? Is there one main line (ie Amtrak) or multiples lines? Should we buy our tickets ahead of time or wait until we get there?

[tlew12778]

Yeah that will work. You will have to run around Rome like crazy people but you'll get an overview. Plan to be out of the hotel at 9AM and come back at midnight. Bring good walking shoes. The very first time I went to Rome I did it in 3 days. It was tiring, I didn't see the inside of coloseum, but I saw everything else.

It depends on what you want to see in Venice. If you want to go to museums, then it's enough time. If you want to just walk around and site see, you could leave Friday morning. I did Venice in one weekend (Sat-Sun).

There is one main train line called Trenitalia (http://www.trenitalia.com). There is one train that takes 5 hours to get to Rome from Venice (you have to change at Florence). Otherwise you are looking at an 8 hour ride. Your other option it to fly with Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com)but I personally cannot stand them. I avoid them at all costs. But, the flight is only an hour. It could, quite possibly be cheaper though.

You can buy train tickets on the website. You can also wait till you get there. Being August I don't know how busy it will be... it could potentially be VERY busy as people are trying to get to the major airports in Rome and Milan. Once I asked about a train from Milan to Barcelona in June and it was already sold out! But Rome is probably not as popular as Barcelona... take a look and see what you find. The good thing about the train is that you can always get a refund or change the date, while with Ryanair you cannot (well unless you pay an exhorbitant fee).

[meatpie]

If I would have known I could have taken a ferry to Croatia from Venice, I would have extended my already extended honeymoon. I'd really consider a ferry to Croatia, but I've been to Rome (loved, loved it). Just another thought.

[diam124]

Hmmm...I checked with Ryanair and a one-way ticket from Venice to Rome is 4.99 EUR? Are their prices really that low?

[Mrs. M.]

Hmmm...I checked with Ryanair and a one-way ticket from Venice to Rome is 4.99 EUR? Are their prices really that low?

It is possible to get Ryanair tickets that cheap, usually it's before tax. I would not fly them though (safety concerns mentioned in the "worst airline" thread).

[diam124]

Ok, nevermind. I see how the majority of their rates are fees and taxes.

[diam124]

I'll have to check out that airline thread. It's really tempting though at those rates!

As far as the trains, is it possible to get a 2 person sleeper car? (the thought of sleeping with strangers in the same car kind of freaks me out a little).

[kimbyj]

I'll have to check out that airline thread. It's really tempting though at those rates!

As far as the trains, is it possible to get a 2 person sleeper car? (the thought of sleeping with strangers in the same car kind of freaks me out a little).
Last timed I trianed in Italy was 1996. I am sure things have changed but I can tell you that we bought tickets way inadvance. The trains were MOBBED. We had first class sleeper tickets and could not even find our sleeper. There were people in the hallways sleeping. It was maddening!

August is a big vacation time for most Europeans. A lot of places will be closed wherever you go. You can still enjoy your trip though. Personally, I think 2 days in Venice is plenty of time. I think there is much more to see & do in Florence or Rome.

I am partial to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast b/c ex-BF lived there and from 1999-2002 I spent a lot of time in that area. Italy is wonderful! ENJOY!

[tlew12778]

I think that 2 person sleepers exist but I have never taken one. I can't sleep on trains or planes so I avoid the overnight trains at all costs. Also. there are various types of trains. The eurostar is the fastest, most expensive and nicest of the Italian trains.

The ferry to Croatia is new I think. An ex-coworker of mine sent his son to camp in Pula, Croatia last year and they drove it. When they got to Pula (7 hrs from Milan at least) they found out there was a ferry from Venice. So they took the ferry to pick him up at the end of camp.

[diam124]

I just wanted to come back on and post a quick update. Our trip was actually cancelled (then the meeting was changed to Amsterdam but I won't be going). Thankfully we hadn't booked any tickets or anything yet. We were pretty bummed especially since we had read up on Venice and Rome and we were really excited about going. Although I am a little relieved because I was really afraid that it would be too hot to do a lot of sight-seeing in August. Anyway, thanks to everyone who replied especially tlew for all your suggestions. Maybe we'll make it there someday. :)