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Rome to Venice


BeignetBoy
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We have just booked a cruise on SDII from Rome to Venice this summer and are beginning to consider other details for our trip. It will be our first Mediterranean Cruise, having done a number of TA crossings on SeaDream.

 

I know that many of the Cruise Critic viewers have visited Rome and we would appreciate any advice to make our trip even more memorable. Specifically, any hotel recommendations? Any tour guide recommendations? We are debating on how long to stay in Rome prior to embarkation and she we consider a trip to Florence? Should we consider an extra night or two in Venice? Etc.

 

Also, are any of the Land Packages offered by SD while on board highly recommended?

 

In summary, any information is very much appreciated.

 

Thanks!:)

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BB, can't help you with Rome hotels -- have stayed at Waldorf Astoria and airport Hilton. But for tour guides -- do contact Stefano at Rome Cabs (http://www.romecabs.com). They are the best!

 

Venice -- again we did the Hilton -- quite nice. Keep in mind that Venice will be jammed in the summer -- and hot. But certainly worth seeing the high spots so at least you can say you've been there!

 

Am sure others will weigh in on hotels, etc. Think Florence might be a bit ambitious?

 

Vandrefalk

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We've stayed at Albergo del Senato hotel in Rome right adjacent to the Pantheon so an excellent location to walk around and see the major sights. This is a smaller, charming, boutique hotel with excellent rating on Trip Advisor (top 10).

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for all of the recommendations. We are looking at the recommended hotels. And Vanderfalk and Terri, thanks for the recommendation for Rome Cabs. I have send them several emails and have yet to receive a reply. Still looking.

 

Also, we are wondering if we should fly into Florence, stay a day or two there, then train to Rome for a stay of a few days before getting on the ship. Or if it is better to just go to Rome, hire someone (possibly Rome Cabs if I can get them to respond) for a day trip from Rome to Florence and return.

 

Another thing that we are trying to decide on is how much time to spend in Venice... given that $'s are not unlimited.

 

Any advice or suggestions is appreciated.

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Thanks for all of the recommendations. We are looking at the recommended hotels. And Vanderfalk and Terri, thanks for the recommendation for Rome Cabs. I have send them several emails and have yet to receive a reply. Still looking.

 

Also, we are wondering if we should fly into Florence, stay a day or two there, then train to Rome for a stay of a few days before getting on the ship. Or if it is better to just go to Rome, hire someone (possibly Rome Cabs if I can get them to respond) for a day trip from Rome to Florence and return.

 

Another thing that we are trying to decide on is how much time to spend in Venice... given that $'s are not unlimited.

 

Any advice or suggestions is appreciated.

 

We also use Rome Cabs. I don't understand the non response. Stefano has always responded within a few hours in the past. I would suggest checking for another link. Rome Cabs does a nice tour of Rome and ends up at the ship in Civitivecchia. As far as Venice-one of the most expensive cities in the world- we usually find two nights to be just about right. For a Rome hotel, we have enjoyed Hotel Valadier, near the Spanish Steps. Have fun.

Edited by Jim Avery
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Thanks for the suggestions. I just gave Rome Cabs another message and I am sure that they will get back to me soon. And Ragnar, I am using my correct email address. And Jim, we were thinking about two nights in Venice, so that confirms my feelings here.

 

Thanks again.

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Hi guys,

 

Hotel in Venice link

 

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187870-d262129-Reviews-Novecento_Boutique_Hotel-Venice_Veneto.html

 

2 days in Venice is the minimum for first time. Bring right shoes for walking, walking, walking.

 

2 days in Rome is also the minimum plus a one trip to Florence for the day (makes 3) and again good walking shoes.

 

Rome and Venice restaurants are about "grabbing a local bite" along sight seeing walks around the cities with something a bit special in the evening and a local bottle of vino remebering the un-filtered Prosecco.

 

A tourist map showing best walks is invaluable.

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I agree with the great and wise ho-hum that 2 days is the minimum for Rome and Venice. If you want to do Florence as a day trip, you really have to plan for a long day. It is 120 miles each way, so 4 hours of your day will be in the car. I don't know how it is in Italy, but when we had a driver in Germany, he was limited to the number of hours he could work. You don't want that to limit your day. And there is a lot to see, between the Uffizi and the Galleria dell'Accademia, which are both must stops. There is also the Palazzao Pitti and Il Duomo. And of course, you have to have the best pizza in the world. If you stay more than a day, you can also drive through Tuscany, and visit a winery or two.

 

We have been very happy with two Hilton properties in Rome and Venice. In Rome, we stayed at the Cavalieri (might be the Waldorf Astoria property that Vandrefalk mentioned). In Venice it was the Molino Stucky (she probably stayed there, too). Both are wonderful hotels and are away from the crowds, but still easy to get to all the tourist spots. Be careful about picking a hotel in Venice. You want someplace with its own dock or else you will be dragging your luggage up and down bridges.

 

Zimmy's DH

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I second the train idea. Florence station right in the heart of sights you'll want to see.

 

By the way, forget what I said about the Splendid being "budget". I checked for mid June this year and it is almost twice the Hilton Morino Stuckey. But you can walk quickly to St. marks, etc. The Hilton is on a different island. Has a shuttle boat though I believe. But for €250/night less, might be worth a short boat ride :rolleyes:

 

I now remember the Splendid is only "budget" if you want to be a short stroll from St. Marks. Venice hotels are steep...

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We were in Venice last September and three nights was perfect. We also found hotel prices unreal (high) and decided to use Airbnb and found a very well located (Top floor of old building next to San Samuele vap) and comfortable 2br apartment for under half the price of a 4 (not 5) star hotel and were very pleased. One has to be careful and check out the reviews but it can really work well in a very expensive place like Venice. But if money is no (or not much of a) object, other recommendations here are solid.

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Thanks for all of the responses and recommendations. We are leaning towards flying to Rome, and then either booking a car tour to Florence or just taking a train up for a day trip.

 

And 2/3 days in Venice is what we were leaning towards.. so you are all confirming what we were thinking.

 

As for Rome cabs, I don't know what to think. No response yet after 2 direct emails to info@Romecabs.com and one to the contact form on their web site. Based on the recommendations of so many of you on this site, I might just go ahead and book a tour with them through their system, or I might choose someone else (Rudy's Tour Service who has good recommendations on Trip Advisor and who has been responding to my emails. Has anyone booked any tours through him)...

 

Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

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Glad you heard from Stefano -- he is the best!

and Zimmy's DH was correct -- we stayed at both the Cavalieri and Molino Stuckey. The Cavalieri has a shuttle that takes you near the big train station, but you can walk almost everywhere once there. The only downside is that it stops running in the evening, so you would have to catch a cab at night to get back to the hotel. But the views from the hotel are spectacular!!

 

In Venice, the hotel water shuttle has one stop across the canal before going to the stop by St. Mark's. Very, very convenient. And the price is right :D

 

Enjoy!

Vandrefalk

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  • 5 months later...

Thanks for all of the advice on our upcoming trip.. now two weeks out. We have the hotels in both Rome and Venice and we have our tours booked, but I have one more question regarding the day trip to Florence. We are planning on taking one day (Thursday) to train to Florence, see some of the things there, and then train back to Rome. I can book the trip through Rick Steves' site for just under $200 for both of us with some cancellation options in the medium price section (not first class and not economy).

 

But we are wondering if it would just be better to buy them at the terminal on the day of travel as we would then have more flexibility in terms of specific times. Especially for the return in that we might be wanting to return earlier (or later) than the return trip that we have reserved. (Now we have a train arriving at 10 AM in Florence and leaving at 5 PM)... Any thoughts? And thanks!

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My concern, BeignetBoy, would be getting to the station and finding that the train you want is sold out. This is prime tourist time and I'd want to be assured of having a way to get back to Rome. But that may just be my paranoia. The fewer the number of trains, the greater the likelihood of them being sold out. You might have to either upgrade to first or downgrade to economy to find seats.

 

I imagine there are kiosks at the Florence station to buy tickets so you don't have to wait in line (which is another variable), but make sure you have a chip enabled credit card.

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Thanks Zimmy.. I have a similar concern although there seem to lots of options at this point. I think that we'll just buy a round trip leaving late afternoon knowing that will give us enough time in Florence. If we are ready to go back to Rome earlier, perhaps we can get an earlier one, or just "hang out" and have some wine. :)

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There is so much to see in Florence that it is not likely you will be wanting to leave early. Look into ways you can skip the lines at the museums so you can make the most of your time. We had a private guide and she did that for us. And see my earlier post about pizza. The best.

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