I want to plan a trip to Italy...what do you suggest?

Question

I want to go to italy for either vacation or for my honeymoon. I want to know things like:
1. What is the best way to plan a trip there? (ie, travel agency, or just buy the air tickets and book hotel on my own.)
2. Where do you think is the best place to stay there? (city, hotel...)
3. I have never been to Europe before-are all the hotels there like flop houses where you share a bathroom with 50 other people?
4. Will nice hotels be as costly as American Hotels?

sorry my questions are pretty dumb...I've only planned a trip to mexico once and I stayed at a resort-I don't really know how that could compare to a European trip.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I suggest Venice, Milan, the Lakes, Florence - Northern Italy is the best! You may want to go with a package tour for your first time - http://www.affordabletours.com/search/it/?t=ITMI

Answer 2

Italy is not a third world country! It has hotels which are just as respectable as those in the US! IT is very unlikely that any Italian hotel will expect you to share a bathroom with anyone - this is only hostels (which are much cheaper.) Being a Western European country, Italy will probably have comparable hotel prices to those in the US.

Rome is amazing - beautiful, historic, romantic etc.
Venice is also beautiful and unique, and a trip to Italy without visiting Venice would be a bit of a shame. It would be a great place to spend your honeymoon, but it is a tourist trap and very expensive in the summer.
Milan is the shopping and fashion capital of the world!
The Italian mountains are beautiful and peaceful.
So it just depends on what you want out of the trip!

I think you should book through an agency as you have never been to Europe and you know nothing about it. An agency will help you sort everything out.

Answer 3

Try www.untours.com - these guys are great...

Their prices include 2 weeks in an apartment or farmhouse or whatever, with a fully equipped kitchen and some starting groceries, a rental car (or transportation pass if it's in a city), on site english speaking support, and optional airfare. There's usually some kind of group event during the two weeks, but other then that, they just help you plan out what YOU want to do - they give you great guide books and everything. If you have questions or a problem, there's an english speaker for you to call...And every place that they rent, they have actually *seen*. You actually have a HOME to live in, rather than just hotel room, and you can save money because you're eating a chunk of your meals *in*.

The coolest coolest thing about them is that all of their profits go to charity...the Untours Foundation, which makes low interest loans and grants in economically depressed areas in the U.S. and abroad. The Today Show and NBC even did a feature on the founder, Hal Taussig, recently, because he's quietly given away 5 million dollars over the years.

They do Florence, Sicily, Rome, Tuscany, Umbria and Venice and in some cases you can do a week in one location then a week in another.

Really, check 'em out. Great concept, great company. My Mom went on an Untour on her last trip to Europe, and she says she'll never go any other way!

K

Answer 4

I have been to Europe twice but I have not planned either of them. My parents did the planning but I remember how it went planning wise.
1. Plan the trip yourself, agency's sometimes forget things (I know from personal experience), make your itenerary and print it out for all those going with you.
2. Cities: I recommend Rome, Florence (prettiest city ever!) and Pompeii due to magnitude of the history.
3. Hotels: Europe is used to American travelers and the money we bring, so for most major cities you want to visit there are plenty of hotels with nice rooms and comfortable accomodations. If still curious, call, they are more than willing to try and convince you to stay with them =).
4. As for prices, depending on the "star rating" system they go by that more so than America does. So see how many stars they are and that should give you a rough idea of the price to stay there. Generally, their rates are a little more than ours.
No such things as a dumb question, that's why i love Y!Answers. Good luck and happy travels. =)

Answer 5

one part of europe that i've been to, tuscany is GORGEOUS. one thing to plan (i don't know when your wedding is, but) it gets really quite hot in the summertime. if you go in the spring, it's really quite lovely.

i don't know what type of person you are, but i like flexibility. when you get there, there may be things that you want to do that would be different from what you've planned out. you could keep a list with you of hotels in each city if there is a change in plans.

some hotels in europe are really quite nice. it woudl be cheaper for you if you got one that's not in the center of the city but on the outskirts. it would also be helpful if you learned a little about the public transport. trams, subways, and buses are all REALLY nice and clean there, and quite useful for getting around.

every time i went to europe, it was a "school" trip, and it was really quite cheap. never had to share a bathroom. that is called a hostel.

Answer 6

How exciting! Some day I want to visit Cinque Terre in Italy....

Go to the library and check out a travel book about Italy [Fodor's and Frommer's are good ones].

Also, try TripAdvisor.com - they have ratings of hotels by past guests [and comments about why the did/didn't like a particular hotel], along with destination guides and forums.

From what I've seen, hotels in Europe are just as expensive as here in the U.S., and there are many types, from hostels to "the Ritz".

Good luck!!