Headed to Venice, Florence, and Rome on the 16th with the wife and daughter and 5 other family members for vacation. It's been a long time since I have traveled to Europe, and first time to Italy. This is my wife's bucket list trip, and frankly, not my first choice, but I'm trying to get into it. Any travel tips are greatly appreciated especially with regard to phones, electrical adapters, money exchange, gear, etc. I understand it will be hot and crowded, so I have that to look forward to. Thanks

I think you will have a great time. My wife studied abroad in Florence Italy and fell in love with the country. She brought back some amazing artwork.

We did this exact trip 2 years ago and loved it and we hit a different international location every year. Venice was #1 for atmosphere and just relaxing. It's a very walkable city, with great food (pasta and fish) and everything you want to do close at hand. Florence was great for food in general (especially steak and desserts), walkable but bigger with some amazing museums and historic sights from the more modern era. Rome is more metropolitan and sprawling, uber was helpful there as was the hop on hop off bus which was worth the money just for getting around and taking a break from walking. At first Rome was my least favorite but once you get used to navigating the city, there is so much incredible history and things to see there, you will love it. Also, everything we ate there was amazing without exception.

Grab a couple of power adapters off amazon, I like these..

Make sure you have a credit card that doesn't charge conversion fees and use that as much as possible to avoid dealing with cash. Also, call them now and let them know when you'll be overseas so they don't think the charges are fraud and deny them. You will want some cash on you for small quick purchases, just look for actual bank locations around the cities and stay away from stand alone ATM's, the fees are very high at those and the conversion rate are not at all realistic.

Most phones these days will work overseas without any modifications but you should call your carrier and ask about their international plans. We have Verizon and iPhone X's and they have what they call a travel pass. Basically for $10 a day you get the plan you have at home for use overseas. It's 100% worth the money and makes the trip much more enjoyable. You have your data for navigating around the cities and checking reviews about restaurants you see before you commit, I use google maps with all the places I want to see starred as favorites so we just walk towards whatever we want to do that day.

All the major attractions have websites that sell tickets online so that you avoid the huge wait in the high season. It's worth the planning and time to get tickets ahead of time and skip the lines. In some cases you may not even be able to get in on the day you want as tickets can sell out weeks ahead of time (this happened to us with one museum in Rome) we figured we'd buy at the door since it was right by our hotel but they were sold out for the next 4 days.

Get Rick Steve's guides for Venice and Rome. Well worth the money for planning and suggested itineraries.

Absolutely get your tickets in advance for the Vatican. The line for tickets is blocks long and you get to skip the line for the will call window.

In Europe, day-to-day spending can be more cash-based. So when I'm there I rely mostly on cash, though I appreciate the convenience that credit cards offer. For me, it all comes down to maximizing ease and minimizing fees. I pay for as much as possible with cash, using a bank that charges no or low fees for international ATM transactions, and withdrawing large amounts at each transaction. I never exchange dollars for foreign cash at a currency exchange booth, and I don’t bother getting euros, pounds, or whatever prior to my trip. When I arrive in Europe, I head for an ATM at the airport, load up on cash, and keep it safe in my money belt.
American credit cards work throughout Europe (at hotels, larger shops and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies, and so on); Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common, and the Discover card is unknown in Europe. It’s a good idea to bring an extra card as a backup (especially if you’re renting a car and using your card to cover CDW insurance).
I use my credit card sparingly: to book reservations by phone (for hotel rooms and a rental car), to cover major expenses (such as plane tickets and long hotel stays), and to pay for things near the end of my trip (to avoid another visit to the ATM). Cash is the best — and sometimes only — way to pay for bus fare, taxis, and local guides. If you’ll be shopping a lot or settling bills at pricey business-class hotels, you might use your credit card more than I do — but you’ll still be better off using cash for smaller purchases.
Because merchants pay commissions to credit-card companies, small European businesses (B&Bs, mom-and-pop cafés, gift shops, and more) often prefer that you pay in cash. Vendors might offer you a discount for paying with cash, or they might not accept credit cards at all. Having cash on hand can help you avoid a stressful predicament if you may find yourself in a place that won’t accept your credit card.
A dependence on plastic reshapes the Europe you experience. Pedro’s Pension, the friendly guide at the cathedral, and most merchants in the market don’t take credit cards. Going through the Back Door often means using hard local cash. Minimizing debit- and credit-card use also guards against card fraud or theft: The less you use your cards, the less likely your information will be stolen.
Remember to also notify both your bank & CC provider that you’re going to Europe & when & where you’ll be there...

I have heard that at the Vatican, it's a long walk between bathrooms. Your wife might like to know that.

Venice is very walkable because there's literally no other way to get around. There are no cars or motorcycles there. I don't recall seeing any bicycles, probably because most of the canal bridges and overpasses have stairs. Otherwise, it's by boat. It looked to me like all goods were delivered by boat too. We stayed on Lido Island, which required a water taxi into and back from town each day. But it was nice to get away from the unwashed masses after a day of sightseeing. The crowds will be brutal. I swear, I haven't seen this many people in my trips to China.

Been to Venice twice. I liked to get up early, like when it's starting to get light out, and walk around and get lost before the crowd wakes up. Take a trip up/down the Grand Canal at night on a vaporetto (if seated in the bow, keep your butt in the seat - don't stand up). There are many other places to see other than St. Marks Square.

When in Florence, have a Negroni.

Following, we may be taking an Italy trip next year for our 10yr anniversary.

We had an Italian exchange student for the 2018/19 school year, so have a quasi-tour guide.
They live about 90 minutes from Rome, so may be a good place to base out of for a few days.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Headed to Venice, Florence, and Rome on the 16th with the wife and daughter and 5 other family members for vacation.

Drink lots of wine. It'll be a great time!

You're hitting the top-3 in Italy at peak season and there's going to be crowds, lots and lots of crowds. They're popular for a reason, that shouldn't be a reason to avoid the place but, you can be smart about how you travel, are you staying at hotels or, renting an appt (AirBnB, VRBO..)?

- Phones, the easiest is to check your current carrier and see what they offer for overseas. I've avoided these plans and bought a SIM card at the airport upon landing, usually cheaper. The reality of overseas phone usage is, I used my device more to text message, listen to podcasts/tours, view my maps and waypoints than to make any calls. Most every place offers free wi-fi, get connected and you're good. Download WhatsApp to your phone, it'll provide another means to communicate when not on your carriers network. I would also recommend bringing a couple of earbuds, one to use, and the other back-up. You'll likely watch a couple of movies/shows on the flight over, always nice to use your own earbuds. Audio tour also helps to have your own buds, esp if using an app off your phone.

- Just about all modern devices have built in converters so, you just need to get an adapter; if your wife needs a curling iron or such, go to Target/CVS and pick-up a multi-volt version. I bring two adapters when I travel abroad, this one is compact and has served me very well for years. The other one I bring is this larger one but can handle more devices. With all the devices I have now, this comes in handy. Our family was in Rome in '17, and everyone's adapter didn't fit the outlets in our rental except mine, for 3-days that one outlet looked like an octopus coming out of the wall. As you'll discover on your trip, some of the older buildings may still have pre-EU outlets, and some outlets, the prongs don't all fit the same.

- Money, have you debit card for cash withdraws and a couple of credit cards geared for travel. Most of the tourist places will take credit cards, principally Visa and MC, Amex really only the high-end places I've found consistently take AMEX. Most of my purchases was on my card. Cash, I find it easier to just get a couple hundred upon arriving at the airport/train. The exchange fee isn't great but, you won't get raped at a money exchanger kiosk, which you'll see all over the place. Find out which banks are partnered/agreement with your bank. I was in Spain in April and my debit card wasn't working at the supposed partner bank so, I ended up withdrawing from a corner store machine, no issues. In case of theft/loss, make photo copies of your cards/ID, stash that in your luggage. Cash only places in Italy are not uncommon, even for high-end restaurants so, keep some cash available for transportation (tram/taxi), shopping, quick eats/drink and souvenirs. I'm not a money-belt user, I use a money clip in-place of a wallet and I like pants with side zips.

- Popular locations like Doge Palace (Venice), Uffizi (Florence), Academia (Florence) and Vatican Museum (Rome), you'll need to book tickets and tours in-advance. The people standing in the endless lines...they didn't buy in advance, need to be smart, especially in the heat you'll encounter. Most reputable tour operators will have entrance included in their fee, we used Walks of Italy for both the Doge's Palace and Vatican, made life much easier and avoided any crowd issues. Uffizi and Academia in Florence we used Rick Steves Audio Tours and self-guided ourselves through.

- Food/drink. Most popular drink in Italy is wine, the most popular cocktail in the heat is the Aperol Spritz, if you want it more bitter order it with Compari instead of Aperol. If you want a stiffer drink, order a Negroni. When in Venice, the food specialty is seafood and risotto. In Florence, it's t-bone steak (only served rare, no arguing), beans and a few pasta specialties. In Rome, specialities include pizza by the weight (not slice), porchetta (roast pig), offal/off-cut meat dishes, and various pasta dishes like cacio e pepi (black pepper and Pecorino cheese) Carbonara and Amactriciana.

- Gear...pack light. You're going to be in the heat, lugging a heavy, 26" roller will suck, especially in Venice when crossing all the bridges and on/off the Vapereto (water bus). Try to get everything into as small a bag as possible, life will be much easier. I like using packing cubes and garment folder, others will just Ranger Roll their clothes, whatever works for you.

I've relied on Rick Steves travel books for my Euro travel, while not charismatic, he's very informative, and provides lots of useful beta. His strengths are in history, housing information, maps and transportation information. His podcasts are also very good, and the audio guide app we've used extensively. Pick up the Italy book, tear-out the sections needed and tape them up. Take some time and watch this also.

If you have time, or want to get out of the insanity / heat of Rome, I'd recommend a side trip to Tivoli.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_d'Este

https://www.visittivoli.eu/le-...a-gregoriana&lang=EN

In Rome - after you tour the Pantheon, walk a block west and get yourself a grand cafe at the Sant'Eustacio Il Cafe. Best coffee ever.

Site and drink wine at a streetside cafe in the Piazza Navona and just relax for a bit.

If you have kids with you, do the multi-person bike things at the Borghese Gardens.

And if you don't have one, there will be lots of opportunities to purchase a "selfie stick"...

My wife and I are planning to do this trip in either 2020 (her plan) or 2021 (my more realistic plan that will probably be deferred to her plan). I started studying Italian a while back, but I'm stalled a few lessons in and need to be more serious about it even though we'll probably be with a tour group.

We hope to add a side trip to Verona. My high school/college pen-pal still lives there and I'd love to finally meet her and her family in person since we reconnected a few years ago.

I'm pretty certain that if these places weren't so crowded, a lot more people would go there.

You will love it. It will be hot and crowded this time of year. Better to go in early June or Sept. But, just enjoy it. You will be seeing a lot of history. Try to eat in "off the beaten track" restaurants. I have been to Italy several times, and I always enjoyed it. Take a good camera and go out early in the AM or wait for late-in-the-day light for beautiful photo ops. Try not to take many pics mid-day. They will look washed out. This time of year it is well worth the effort to get up early and walk around the city at 6AM. No crowds and good light for photography. If you can exit the tourist track of the big cities and get to a few outer small towns, you will really enjoy that. No tourist mobs and friendly people and reasonable prices.

https://www.ristorantenino.it/home-english/

Bean soup at the Spanish Steps, a must, don't miss it...

ATM for cash when you are there is spot on
avoid the exchange companies, all you need is an ATM to get cash, and cash is good for small purchases, meals etc.

Notify your CC company before you leave so they don't shut you down in Italy and want you to contact them to validate you have your card.

Rome- Subway buy a day pass, you can get anywhere you want quickly and safely. The day pass lets you ride anywhere all day and the Key places you'll want to visit are clearly marked.

Venice is a walking city, lots of bridges, the water taxis are expensive but where else are you going to do that... Rialto Bridge is a nice experience and your wife will like the shopping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rialto_Bridge

Have fun,

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
https://www.ristorantenino.it/home-english/

Bean soup at the Spanish Steps, a must, don't miss it...

ATM for cash when you are there is spot on
avoid the exchange companies, all you need is an ATM to get cash, and cash is good for small purchases, meals etc.

Notify your CC company before you leave so they don't shut you down in Italy and want you to contact them to validate you have your card.

Rome- Subway buy a day pass, you can get anywhere you want quickly and safely. The day pass lets you ride anywhere all day and the Key places you'll want to visit are clearly marked.

Venice is a walking city, lots of bridges, the water taxis are expensive but where else are you going to do that... Rialto Bridge is a nice experience and your wife will like the shopping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rialto_Bridge

Have fun,

Great advice. Wear a money belt. Do NOT keep your wallet in your back pocket. Leave most of your ID and passport in the hotel safe. Carry a photo-copy of your passport in your pocket. Only carry one credit card and some cash in the money belt.

I did a 2 week tour of Italy in 2015 and visited all 3 of the cities the OP listed.

My favorite of the three was Venice. I'm an avid reader and have read Daniel Silva's entire Gabriel Allon series. Venice is frequently in the novels and the Jewish Ghetto is written about extensively. I ended up staying in the Jewish Ghetto and really enjoyed the non-touristy aspect of it. Also, enjoyed the simple things in Venice such as drinking cappuccino at an outdoor cafe overlooking the water or just enjoying the sun riding on the back of a water taxi.

One thing that was memorable was watching a professional European soccer match in Italy. We happened to catch one in Florence but I'm sure you could at any of the 3 cities. I am not a soccer fan, but it was an enjoyable experience much like going to a professional hockey game in Canada.

The museums in Florence were amazing, but I don't suggest seeing more than 1 in a day or they become a little overwhelming (I actually got numb to seeing famous paintings from the "masters"). Here is my Sigforum challenge coin in front of David:


Not everyone knows this, but Florence is also famous for its monster steaks and our group enjoyed a couple. They're so big (e.g. 2 kilos) that you eat them family style which was a way I had never eaten steak. Here is my Sigforum challenge coin with a 2 kilo steak:


Rome was having a heat wave while I was there so I didn't enjoy Rome very much. We had "reservations" at the Vatican and it was a huge disappointment since they oversell and the Chinese tour groups are extremely pushy.

My normal European power adaptor worked fine everywhere we went in Italy. My phone wasn't unlocked so putting in a SIM card wasn't an option, but I did use it for the wifi. One tip I can give is to get a GPS program that you download maps ahead of time and then the phone's GPS will work without cell signal.

Another tip is that rolling suitcases are a pain in the ass in Europe due to the brick streets and sidewalks. I bought a big backpack and left my rolling suitcase at home which was a great decision. I also had an EDC backpack which was designed to be a front pack when I was carrying my big ass backpack.

I've always liked this photo we took on our last trip to Venice. Taken while we were eating a late lunch on the Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.



There are two sets of prices for everything in Venice; those for the locals and those for the tourists.

Good advice on Cell phone connectivity

https://www.ricksteves.com/tra...-connected-in-europe