Your trip to Italy will go a lot easier if you’ve got your travel plans figured out ahead of time.  Unplanned travel in a foreign country can end up being difficult, and could provide unfavorable results if you are not able to experience things as you would have liked.  Here are some tips on Italy travel – getting there, and getting around once you’re in Italy.

Getting To Italy:

There are a few ways to reach Italy, so it will depend on where you live. For those who live overseas, you have the option to fly by a commercial airline or arrive by cruise ship. Visitors who live in Europe can reach Italy by train that can be another option besides flying.

• Flying into Italy is by far the most common way to reach the destination of your choice. In order to book your flight into Italy you can use a travel agent or search for flights online through a trip planning website such as www.kayak.com. Not only can you search for flights one-way or return, but you can also coordinate hotel availability for the duration of your stay. Most overseas flights into Italy are overnight trips; so planning ahead is essential if you need to arrive into Italy on a designated day.
• Another way to reach Italy from North America is by cruise ship. Although this takes a lot of time that you could otherwise spend touring Italy, it is a glorious trip with stops to some major ports for the tourist attractions.
• For those who are already in Europe, traveling to Italy by train is a great way to experience the countryside. This is an extremely flexible option for those who want to visit some major destinations within a set amount of time and want to avoid all that goes along with driving in another country such as renting a car, paying gas and mileage, as well as parking when you reach the cities you want to visit. You can purchase 1st or 2nd class tickets on most lines.  Information on tickets, lines, and times, is available at the Trenitalia web site.

Getting Around Italy:

Once you have reached Italy, there will be much to explore and experience. In order to make good use of your time while there, take some time beforehand to plan how you’ll get around in Italy.

• Renting a car is a popular way to visit destinations that are off the beaten track and are not as popular to most tourists. Since major flights and trains do not reach the remote towns a car is a perfect solution to experience the countryside and explore parts of Italy that have not been commercialized with tourism.
• If you plan on touring the major centers of Italy, renting a vehicle may not be the best choice for you since parking can be a problem in some places and it can be difficult to drive in an unfamiliar city while making your way around Italy. For popular centers such as Naples, Rome, and Venice, renting a vehicle is discouraged.
• Traveling by train while in Italy is a cost-effective way to travel across the country without spending too much time (and missing out on attractions!) For some, a trip to Italy is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you would not want to miss anything By purchasing a rail pass you can go right from Naples up to Rome and onto Venice without having to rent a vehicle and plan a trip by car.
• Of course the easiest thing to do is to take an organized group trip to Italy!  There are many options, including culinary trips, walking trips, and trips for women.  The group will have all your travel plans pre-arranged, so all you need to do is show up on time.

No matter how you travel to Italy, or get around once you’re there, be sure to do some research and prepare yourself for the difference in culture and lifestyle. Real Italy cuisine is quite different from the North American Italian eateries that we’re used to, and that’s just one of the differences in lifestyle.

There is no place on earth quite like Venice, Italy. It took a tremendous feat of engineering to create a city out of 118 small islands… and nature may someday reclaim this “living museum” of gondolas, bridges and ornate churches and palaces. Venice is sinking and has been for years, and sea levels are rising, and if global warming is as much of a threat as we think it is, they may rise much higher. If you want to see Venice at its best, try to plan a trip soon! Here are a few tips to help in planning your trip to Venice.

When to go

Venice is hot and muggy in summer, and cold in winter. The best time to go is April or May… you’ll get mild spring weather, and miss the worst of the summer crowds. June through August is “high tourist season” in Venice — it seems like half the world is trying to squeeze itself into the small city during these months, and the situation is not helped by the hot and humid weather. After August, the weather is cooler but the crowds subside somewhat – so September and October are also good times to plan a trip to Venice.

Rialto Bridge on a busy day

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If you like festivals, Carnevale is the Venetian answer to Mardi Gras. However, the Carnevale that exists today is a commercial revival of an event that natives actually stopped celebrating in 1797. Other festivals include the Venice Biennale, a modern art exhibition that happens in April, during odd-numbered years only. The Venice Film Festival is an annual event that happens in late August.

You can do Venice in a day if you like…but you really shouldn’t! Why rush? Stick around for a few days or even a week to sample all that this city has to offer.  To pique your interest, check out a leisurely morning in Venice.  Yes, this could be you!

How to get there

If you are arriving in Venice, Italy by plane, the Marco Polo Airport is about 13 km away. From the airport, you can proceed to Venice by either land or water. The most cost-efficient option is simply to take a bus. ATVO buses leave from the airport and will drop you off at the Piazzalle Roma in Venice. If you want to go by water, there is a hydrofoil connecting the airport to Venice and surrounding islands. Speedboats called water taxis are also available, but they are significantly more of a drain on your budget.

Looking for flights to Italy?  My favorite site by far for checking flights and fares is Kayak.com, where you can search the best deals from 100+ sites all in one place.

Getting Around

There are two modes of transportation in Venice – walking and floating. The city is relatively small, so traveling by foot is not a problem. However, it’s easy to get lost. If and when this happens to you, just keep walking and enjoy the experience… you’ll get to see more of what real life is like in Venice that way!

There are several options for water travel in Venice. Your best bet for most transportation needs is the vaporetto, or water bus. You can buy a travel pass to save on ticket costs. Gondolas are expensive and cheesy. They are fine for a one-time photo op after you’ve had a few glasses of wine, but not really a viable means of everyday transportation. Water taxis are also expensive, but less embarrassing than a gondola ride. The exception to the “no gondola rule” is a commuter gondola called a traghetto that ferries people across the Grand Canal.

Where to stay

Historic Venice is divided up into 6 neighborhoods. Of these, lodging in San Marco tends to be the most expensive, but is also the most convenient to the Piazza San Marco. Dorsoduro is primarily residential, but has some hotels that offer better pricing, and are still close to the action. You can also rent an apartment-for longer stays, this is often cheaper than getting a hotel room. San Polo is an excellent neighborhood to stay in if you can-it’s charming and medieval, and convenient to all sorts of shopping, including Venice’s famous fish market. Santa Croce has good bars and pizzerias. Canareggio is the quietest neighborhood, and one of the most picturesque-if you need a retreat from the crowds, this is it. Castello also has some excellent places to stay – if you avoid the border with the Piazza San Marco, that is.

Another option is to stay on the Lido, an island just outside of Venice. There’s a beach, restaurants and nightlife, and the city itself is only a short vaporetto ride away.

You can find information on hundreds of Venice hotels at Venere.com, along with ratings, maps and photos.

What to do

• Basilica di San Marco – Venice’s main cathedral is a feast for the eyes, richly decorated with a Byzantine feel.
• Gallerie dell’Accademia – The best of Venetian art, with work by Giorgone, Titian, and Veronese.
• Peggy Guggenheim Collection – Need a break from Renaissance art? Check out this superb modern art collection, with pieces from Dali, Picasso and others.
• Doge’s Palace – Tour the former headquarters of the Venetian republic-you’ll get a sense of the grandeur and pageantry that characterized old Venice at the height of its power.

And above all? Savor the experience, and have fun in Venice!