On 20th April you'll fly from London to Rome. You'll stay for 3 nights in the centrally located Hotel Piave which is walking distance to the station and many of Rome's attractions. On 23rd April you'll catch the train to Florence, just an hour and half away, where you will stay for 3 nights at the Alberto Giovanna which again is in a central location and walking distance to many attractions. As part of your time in Florence you can easily dedicate a day to Pisa which is cheaply done on the train. On 26th April you will catch the train again from Florence to Bologna (my favourite Italian city)! You'll stay for 2 nights in Bologna, again right in the city at the Bologna Old Town. On the 28th April you'll catch the train right into Venice (the best way to arrive in Venice). You'll have two nights in Venice and I've splurged on a hotel which has amazing reviews and is right near to everything, Ca' Fontanea, although for less money you could stay in Lido or Master. On 30th April you don't leave Venice until later in the day so you have the full day to explore.
Don't forget that many hotels in Italy charge a tourist tax of a few Euros pp and you will have to pay this direct when you arrive. It varies for different cities in Italy but you can't avoid it. I've picked these hotels based on location and good reviews, as well as budget but you can be sure that these are decent ones. You can find cheaper hotels I'm not going to say you can't, but the ones I've picked are close to attractions and also public transport etc. I only ever choose hotels or places I'd stay in myself but you can pick cheaper ones which would reduce the budget. The trains are bookable at Trein Italia website and there are different times to choose from but in the main, I've picked those that are best value and avoided busy times like first thing in the morning and rush hour.
*Breakdown*
London to Rome £29.98 @ Ryanair
Rome hotel £188 @ booking.com
Rome to Florencee Train €38/£29.37
Florence Hotel £134.60 @ Expedia
Florence to Bologna Train €28/£21.64
Bologna Hotel £74.26 @ hotels.com
Bologna to Venice Train €24.30/£18.78
Venice Hotel £173.28 @ hotels.com
Venice to London €33.32/£25.75 @ Ryanair
Sounds like a good deal. I'm gonna sound like a grumpy old man, but when there are that many screenshots/pictures, it would be pretty useful if they were re-sized before being uploaded as they are HUGE and there are a lot to scroll past. It's just something I always do when posting pics on here. Hot deal.
rachelandgromit
6 Mar 162#5
Sorry, I use to post thumb nails but then people complained they couldn't see the details such as dates or airports as it was too small which is why I now post the big ones.
mad_design_man
7 Mar 16#6
That's an obscene fee, we usually fly to Rome and stay in nice hotels in cities for HALF this price.
rachelandgromit to mad_design_man
7 Mar 16#7
This isn't just Rome. I've said in my listing you can find cheaper hotels, but I only pick ones I'd stay in myself that have consistently good reviews and ratings and the ones I've picked are centrally located as you won't have a car, and with a short time in each it is good to be in walking distance to most attractions.
You could change the hotels to stay in cheaper ones, those on the outskirts or even hostels.
mamadonnmu
7 Mar 16#8
heat for the effort :smirk:
Socialchemistry
7 Mar 16#9
Thanks for this, we're planning a 2 week tour of Italy next year so I've bookmarked this as a good starting point for ideas!
databar
7 Mar 161#10
Great post Rachel
always good holidays. :smiley:
drunkendoc
8 Mar 16#11
Top effort as ever. Many thanks.
foes4you
11 Mar 16#12
nice on paper but it will be a bit of a worry getting all the connections, and your times for departure and arrival in Stanstead would require a hotel both ends which you havnt included.
rachelandgromit to foes4you
11 Mar 16#13
Depends where you are in the UK. Even with a 6am departure I've travelled down on the day to an airport just had an early nights sleep the day before. Much better and no traffic on the road!
foes4you
11 Mar 16#14
That's assuming you have a car, how much is it to park ?
rachelandgromit to foes4you
11 Mar 16#15
Couldn't tell you, I guess you'd have to do a comparison and look at the different options. I have used justpark.com too which is an alternative to expensive parking where you can park at people's houses.
foes4you
11 Mar 16#16
will they collect you at 1 in the morning ?
rachelandgromit to foes4you
12 Mar 16#17
Who collect you? You can drive, take a taxi, catch a bus or train etc. I've had taxis pick me up at 1am, 3am and drop me off in the middle of the night for £50 return from Cheshire to Manchester or Liverpool when parking is more expensive for me (normally when I'm off somewhere for a few weeks). My flight a few days ago departed at 6am and I drove down to the airport getting there for 4am and had previously paid for parking. I'm sorry but I'm not seeing your point. With every holiday you can book a night before or after in a hotel or make your own way to the airport. I can't predict where everyone lives who wants this deal so would never include the cost of hotel, parking, fuel or public transport in the cost.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
On 20th April you'll fly from London to Rome. You'll stay for 3 nights in the centrally located Hotel Piave which is walking distance to the station and many of Rome's attractions. On 23rd April you'll catch the train to Florence, just an hour and half away, where you will stay for 3 nights at the Alberto Giovanna which again is in a central location and walking distance to many attractions. As part of your time in Florence you can easily dedicate a day to Pisa which is cheaply done on the train. On 26th April you will catch the train again from Florence to Bologna (my favourite Italian city)! You'll stay for 2 nights in Bologna, again right in the city at the Bologna Old Town. On the 28th April you'll catch the train right into Venice (the best way to arrive in Venice). You'll have two nights in Venice and I've splurged on a hotel which has amazing reviews and is right near to everything, Ca' Fontanea, although for less money you could stay in Lido or Master. On 30th April you don't leave Venice until later in the day so you have the full day to explore.
Don't forget that many hotels in Italy charge a tourist tax of a few Euros pp and you will have to pay this direct when you arrive. It varies for different cities in Italy but you can't avoid it. I've picked these hotels based on location and good reviews, as well as budget but you can be sure that these are decent ones. You can find cheaper hotels I'm not going to say you can't, but the ones I've picked are close to attractions and also public transport etc. I only ever choose hotels or places I'd stay in myself but you can pick cheaper ones which would reduce the budget. The trains are bookable at Trein Italia website and there are different times to choose from but in the main, I've picked those that are best value and avoided busy times like first thing in the morning and rush hour.
*Breakdown*
London to Rome £29.98 @ Ryanair
Rome hotel £188 @ booking.com
Rome to Florencee Train €38/£29.37
Florence Hotel £134.60 @ Expedia
Florence to Bologna Train €28/£21.64
Bologna Hotel £74.26 @ hotels.com
Bologna to Venice Train €24.30/£18.78
Venice Hotel £173.28 @ hotels.com
Venice to London €33.32/£25.75 @ Ryanair
Total £695.66/£347.83pp
17 comments
You could change the hotels to stay in cheaper ones, those on the outskirts or even hostels.
always good holidays. :smiley: