Post by Owen on Sept 7, 2014 5:26:00 GMT
1 ~ Contrasts of Italy May 2013 review ~ 2024 Views ~ Elizabeth
This travel tale was written by Elizabeth and relates to a Trafalgar Tour.
It was originally posted on the Trafalgar forum.
This travel tale was written by Elizabeth and relates to a Trafalgar Tour.
It was originally posted on the Trafalgar forum.
I just came back from this tour and wanted to expand as there have been few comments about this trip.
I enjoyed the fact that the trains transported you quickly between cities providing much more time to explore.
This is a walking tour within each city so be prepared to walk a lot. It also helps you to understand center points if you get detached from your group.
Average day to leave for the daily tours began between 7:30-8:30 am. Be ready and be on time as reservations are made for the various exhibits throughout the day.
First, our tour director was Romeo, who was patient, funny, and informative throughout the tour.
I travelled solo, so I did take the optional tours which all were well worth every euro . It does add to the cost especially if you are with someone,
I am not sure if the same hotels are being used on every new tour but I will comment on the ones we used.
Rome:
Grand Hotel Palatino was around the corner from the Coliseum and various ruins.
Grand Hotel Palatino was around the corner from the Coliseum and various ruins.
The hotel is nice, the room I had was clean, comfortable and had a TV with CBC World News and CNN in English. Very helpful some nights after a very long day of touring. It has WIFI in the lobby (could also get it on the front steps). The signals were a bit sporadic. Some restaurants had WIFI which were free when you ate there. It came in very handy. Breakfast was the best in comparison to other hotels, but bacon is 'not cured' and not tasty at all. Eggs are runny in all hotels.
Across the street and up the stairs is St Peter In Chains church where Michelangelo's the Moses is found. It is open in the morning and closed from about 1- 3 when it reopens. No cost to go in, wonderful to see.
Also in the area are various shops, small grocery store, pharmacy, and tons of places to eat. Food was cheap, but check the menus before you go in or eat on the patios. There are vendors all over trying to sell you their wares. The purses etc in all cities from them are knock offs. Just politely say no if you are not interested.
During the trip, to stay within budget, I frequently picked up a sandwich and water for around 7 euro
I won't regurgitate the itinerary as it is self explanatory. I will say I wish we had more time at the Vatican especially at St Peters Basilica.
Optionals in Rome
The Seven Hills tour was fabulous and took you to the catacombs, Trevi Fountain (very crowded) and Pantheon. You are escorted with a local guide who can provide valuable information you would not receive if you went on your own. This was followed by a dinner in the square (paid by yourself) and then the bus back to the hotel. Usually back by around 9 pm.
Roman Evening with Dinner- well worth it. We went to a restaurant named "Opera' where we had plenty of tasteful delights with music followed by a final drive about past the Vatican at night. Gorgeous.
Tivoli Gardens- took you outside of Rome and away from the insanity of Rome traffic. These gardens (lots of stairs but your choice how far down you want to go) are magical. We left in the morning and returned around 12:30.
Florence:
We took a 'bullet train' travelling at 260 km/hour to get to Florence. Great ride and scenery. Trip was 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Stayed at Ambasciatori across from the train station. The hotel was very modern and somewhat out of place with the décor of the area.Rooms were nice. They have an addition to the back of the hotel which made finding my room a bit challenging as it was not clearly marked. WIFI in lobby and in room using a different server was also sporadic. Had dinner down the street one night which had fully functioning service. Multiple stores, high end stores all over. Prices I felt were high but did find a bargain or two.
When we arrived around 10:30 naturally the rooms were not ready. We locked everything in a room and went for a brief stroll. Take this walk even if you are tired as it will orient you to the area, gives you a focal point of the Duomo. a huge church in one of the many squares. Trust me, I needed that when I missed my bus back from one of the galleries and was able to walk back on my own.
Trip to leather factory could have been left out. Prices, although they give a discount, are high.
Optionals:
Florentine Dinner- a must. Way up in Chianti region, driving by the vineyards and olive gardens. Dinner was served to you, choices of meat, fish, pasta etc with several singers serenading you. Very entertaining and full of fun, laughs and much wine. Different types were offered, starting with 'blue champagne', white, red and strawberry wine. Perfect night. Retuned back to the hotel just before 10 pm.
Uffizi Galleries was also excellent. Local guide was informative and detailed. Great if you are an art lover.
San Gimignano trip was cancelled as not enough people wanted to go. Just as well, it poured rain that day and everyone wanted a break.
Venice:
Local train to Venice took about 2 hours.
We were lucky that we had great weather as days before Venice was flooded due to rain. Incredible place to be, the groups favorite.
Stayed at the Bellini, which was by the train station and on the canal. Hotel use to be a palace, hence the unusual configuration. Some rooms were very dull and old others were a bit better. Found only one spare electrical outlet in my room without disconnecting the TV. Could not charge my tablet but could my camera battery. Make sure you charge your electronics in Florence to ensure you don't get stuck. However, it may have been my bad luck. Front desk people very nice and helpful. There is a restaurant right out front on the hotel. It was rather pricey so walk down more and you have better choices.
Note: went to the glass factory which was interesting. But prices to buy were high. You can get authentic glass Murano pieces in the stores at a cheaper price.
Optionals
Canals of Venice with water taxi and gondola. This may seem expensive (69 Euro) but well worth it. We took a regular water taxi over by Marks Square, followed by a 40 minute private gondola ride with champagne. Incredible. The average cost to do this on your own is 80 Euro' just for the gondola ride of 30 minutes. We then had dinner outside of Marks Square (tour director gave suggestions where the prices were better- average about 21 Euros with pasta, choice of meat, salad and wine). We returned via private water taxis back to the hotel of course with more tour information about what we were seeing. Great night.
Lagoon Cruise with lunch or dinner (we had a late lunch) to the island of Burano. A must trip to take. The island is incredible with houses all painted in different colours. It was quiet and the boat ride in itself added more information as to the sights on land. This was a 'seafood' meal but they do offer other food if you don't like seafood (such as myself). Had salad, pasta and steak. Wonderful.
Venetian Glories:
Took a tour along the small lane ways of Venice (they can be very confusing) followed by a visit to the Byzantine Basilica and Doges Palace at St Marks Square. Great tour and once again very informative.
Other tips
Keep money and ID in hotel safes in your room and only bring with you the cash you need for the day. We had one incident of a pickpocket in Florence. She lost only a bit of cash, but credit and debit card were taken. If you carry a credit card with you, have a spare back in the hotel.
Watch when you open your purse to get anything out, keep everything close to you in front (money belt/purse which goes over your shoulder in front of you and be careful).
Know how to get back to your hotel if you are separated from your group .Carry with you the cell phone number of your tour guide, name and address of your hotel and if near a train station, which one (Rome and Florence have more then one). There are huge crowds everywhere and one person did not make the bus back from Pisa to Florence. Quite a challenge.
Average lunch budget was around 10 Euro's depending on how much you wanted to eat, dinner 20-25 Euro's.
Keep those 'pesky' coins you receive in change. Public washrooms are 1.50 Euro to use. Most places would give you small change back but if you walked in with a large bill, I am not sure how much they could break it for you. In the least, always carry either lose coin or a 5 euro note.
Wine and spirits are easy to find in most stores. I picked up some rum and kept it in my room for a late night drink (or even outside on the steps chatting with other guests...kept the price down).
Be prepared if you are leaving from Venice to Frankfurt to catch a connecting flight home, leave plenty of time between departures. It took more then one hour to find our gate to go home in Frankfurt and even with a 2 hours I had, by the time you deplane in Frankfurt, take a bus to the terminal, time is clicking very quickly. We barely caught the flight.
Ladies..leave your heals at home. Cobblestone streets are all over the cities. Wear flats and comfortable shoes/sandals.
Feel free to ask any questions.
It was a fabulous trip. Having it all organized for you is worth every euro. You may buy tickets to enter places such as the Vatican etc, if you go on your own but you still have to wait in line. We bypassed all the long, long line ups.