Italy anyone?

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Ok guys, first off thanks again for all the suggestions here. They have all been very helpful and have given me a lot of good ideas and direction in my searches. Ive narrowed down my trip to Paris - Rome - Florence - Venice - Amsterdam. The only thing set so far is fly into Paris and out of Amsterdam and after tons of research on this I have a few more questions and need some more opinions as I work on finalizing my trip.

1) Paris, the trip is centered around Italy and we are only going here because of the cheap incoming flight along with a desire to see this city. How much time should I allocate for here? Comes down to I fly in on a Wednesday morning, and Im debating on leaving either Sunday afternoon or Monday morning/early afternoon. Im leaning towards Monday to give us some extra leisure time and a whole weekend in the city, good idea or to much time here and Ill be ok leaving Sunday?

2) Easyjet, what are you experiences with them? I used Ryanair last time I was here, and thought it was good for the price but the crazy airport locations put me off them for this trip. Seems easy jet uses more accessible airports but Im a little put off by some of the online horror stories of flights being canceled, extra luggage fees, cattle boarding, and etc. After I add the priority boarding, seat guarantees and luggage its not as huge of a savings as I hoped but still enough to take a good look at them.

3) After Paris my option is to go Rome - Florence/Tuscany - Venice, or reverse Venice - Florence/Tuscany - Rome. This is purely opinion but what would you suggest? My thoughts are to do Rome first to get the Paris Rome big city excitement out of the way then ease into the country side, but Ive heard some opinions to do Venice first because of the wow factor in the city and end in Rome.

Thanks again.
 
I've been fine with EasyJet. They are sticklers on luggage though, they weigh all of them as well as put them all in sizers.
 
EL PRESIDENTE said:
I've been fine with EasyJet. They are sticklers on luggage though, they weigh all of them as well as put them all in sizers.
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Is it enough hassle to not bother if it only saves me $100 a ticket and a few extra hours on a connecting flight or would you feel confident enough with them and their service? The luggage stickler thing could be an issue but I did notice they allow you to pool your flight parties baggage weight allowance.
 
I've only used them a few times, usually do Trains in Europe. I mean to save some cash and time, I'd probably be fine with it, but then again, I pack really light so I don't have to worry about luggage.
 
I'd probably prefer Venice-Florence-Rome. I like Rome the best of teh 3 of those. Although, staying in Rome could put you in a very "La Dolce Vita" state of mind. I think taking in Rome at a relaxing pace is the best.
 
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EL PRESIDENTE said:
I'd probably prefer Venice-Florence-Rome. I like Rome the best of teh 3 of those. Although, staying in Rome could put you in a very "La Dolce Vita" state of mind. I think taking in Rome at a relaxing pace is the best.
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flights work out a little cheaper and more convenient that way also, which is what got me really thinking about it. I can get an airfrance on monday for only $65 a ticket to Venice. I kind of felt Rome would be a good introduction to Italy though, but Ive been there once and know what to expect which is not the case of the other two.
 
Yeah, do AirFrance to Venice, that'd probably be the best.
 
I don't know Italy well, but in Paris I would definitely suggest that you stay behind Notre Dame on The Île Saint-Louis. It's an "island" (but not really) in the Seine with great small hotels, shops, cobblestone streets, restaurants. It is central, walkable, awesome.
 
Stevenson said:
I don't know Italy well, but in Paris I would definitely suggest that you stay behind Notre Dame on The Île Saint-Louis. It's an "island" (but not really) in the Seine with great small hotels, shops, cobblestone streets, restaurants. It is central, walkable, awesome.
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Thanks for the tip, I actually read about this spot. Sounds like a quiet oasis in the middle of the city. I was looking for a place to stay there as I heard they book up early and can be a little pricey. Had to get my exact travel dates nailed down before I could start booking accommodation though. Good to hear from someone that it is as good as it sounds there though, maybe Ill spring for the extra on this. Also been looking at a spot on airbnb that is just across the water from the tower for pretty cheap, with a view. I heard in Paris there isnt really a bad spot to stay as long as your in the 3rd through 7th arrondissements. If you (or anyone) have a specific spot to recommend Im all ears as thats my next agenda item after travel is fully set.
 
Watch La Dolce Vita. All the tour guides will be referencing iy. Also this recent film about Rome called "The Great Beauty".
 
Especially in Rome, the "hop on, hop off" bus is a great way to see most of the toursity shit in one day. They reference La Dolce Vita and Fellini quite a bit.
 
Trip is set. Paris 5 nights, Venice 4 nights, Rome 5 nights, Barcelona 4 nights and Amsterdam for 3 nights. Had to skip Florence because Paris and Rome were must stops, Barcelona is my girls choice so it was up to Florence or Venice and I decided I couldn't not see Venice. One of my goals on this trip is to recreate one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents at St Marks Square, its such a beautiful picture of them when they were young and full of love that I want one with me and my girl to put right next to it. I also have a lot of Italian heritage and my family is from the Venice area, I might even have some distant relatives I could look up there but probably wont.

At this point we are just looking for recommendations on restaurants and things to do. I already booked the Eiffel Tower dinner for two in Paris and we might take a day trip to Versailles, depending on how we feel about time. Venice, we are considering a day trip to Verona and/or island hopping but not sure where. Rome, doing the underground colosseum tour and maybe a day trip to Pompeii. Barcelona and Amsterdam no real plans, just hang out on the beach and hanging out getting high.
 
Nice, 4 nights in Venice might be a little overkill. Maybe spend a day to hit up Verona or Padua. If you Island Hop, go to Burano. If you're there, go to Da Romano its on the main walkway, I was lucky I saw it, but worth it for their GO risotto:



The good thing is the history, a bunch of writers and poets would go there. Its a bit expensive but pretty interesting, especially how they cook the Rissoto (see the video)

In Venice, wake up before the cruise ships get in. Hang out in St. Mark's Square when its completely empty its really cool. Be sure to hit up the Rialto Market, they have all kinds of strange fish.

The one thing I regret not doing is getting a Belini at Harry's Bar.
 
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Barcelona is fucking awesome, one of my favorite cities in the World. I'm going there in early May again so I'll have some more insights. The Hop off/Hop On bus is pretty good there.

If I were you, I'd go ahead and try to book your dining options right now for certain nights. You should go to Tickets for Tapas. I tried to book 2 MONTHS in advance and it was booked up when I went last time.
http://www.ticketsbar.es/web/en/

Just do the usual, Gaudi buildings, Gaudi Park, Beach, Drink, La Rambla (VERY agressive pick pockets, I had to elbow some gypsies to get away from them), Boqueria Market, Sagrada La Familia, Gothic Quarter. Try to catch a Barca match.

I stayed in this apartment, in the gothic quarter which was pretty fucking sweet:

http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/barcelona/apartment/view/sots-2.htm

Good to have a washing machine, kitchen and a balcony. I loved the Gothic Quarter and the Born Area. Very eclectic, people playing guitar in the streets and stuff, it can get kinda shady at night in some alleys though.


Also really liked Tibidibidao which is a high point in Barcelona with an amusement park and awesome view of everything.

I'm planning to do a trip to the Dali Museum in Figures, its a whole day thing, I'll let you know if its worth it.
 
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depending on how artsy your family is, I'd recommend at least half a day at Montmartre/Sacre Coeur, do the artsy things (lots of artists, both street and gallery, up there), and then walk down the hill past the Moulin Rouge (we did the steps up, but there's the funiculare--like a gondola on the ground--that can take you up as well).
 
Thanks Pres, your recommendation on Barcelona is what put the buzz in my head on it and once I mentioned it to my girl there was no going back. Lol. Im pretty excited about it though, Ive been interested in Barcelona since I hit Rio, and then found out Barcelona is constantly rated as a better beach city. Im not sure how you get much better than Rio but Im going to find out! I figure by that time we will be mostly chilling on the beach so El Born was the area I was looking into and possibly the Gothic quarter. How good is the beach access from there? Im going to check that restaurant link and book something good asap also.

I thought 4 might be much in Venice and considered adding an extra day to Rome, but Ive been to Rome once and I figure Ill day trip out of Venice and explore the area and some of my roots.
 
Beach is like a 5-10 minute walk from the Born and Gothic quarter. The Born is a little better location to the beach since its closer to the main part, its also a lot cleaner.

Regarding the Restaurants, I don't think you need to book everything way in advance, only if you want to try Albert Adria's Tapas. A lot of the better restaurants, especially in Summer, book up there though.

I liked Tapas 24, it was upscale and modern Tapas.
http://www.carlesabellan.es/


The beaches in Barcelona are man made and look like they are, they aren't really natural. Lots of girls though, the girls in Barcelona are fucking hot.
 
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Stevenson said:
I don't know Italy well, but in Paris I would definitely suggest that you stay behind Notre Dame on The Île Saint-Louis. It's an "island" (but not really) in the Seine with great small hotels, shops, cobblestone streets, restaurants. It is central, walkable, awesome.
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I was eyeing this place before you mentioned it, but your recommendation was still helpful. Anyway, booked out here, got the pimp room.

http://www.saintlouisenlisle.com/
 
Thought Id revive this rather than keep hijacking the other France thread.

Mags, you were right the Paris catacombs tour was fucking awesome. Had to wait 3 hours to get in though, but it was worth it. Eiffel tower dinner was a definite high point also. Turns out French food gets better the fancier and more expensive it is. This is our last night in Paris and while we both loved it we are ready to leave. Missed a few things like the Louvre and Versailles that Im bummed about but with the crowds there is only so much you can do.

Next up Venice. This is the area my family immigrated from so i am very excited to see my roots. Looking for any more advice on islands and restaurants from peeps. El prez, we will be getting that belini at Harrys, ill let you know how it is.

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Stevenson said:
I don't know Italy well, but in Paris I would definitely suggest that you stay behind Notre Dame on The Île Saint-Louis. It's an "island" (but not really) in the Seine with great small hotels, shops, cobblestone streets, restaurants. It is central, walkable, awesome.
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This was great advice by the way. Our hotel location was amazing. Close to everything we wanted, quiet at night, crazy during the day, with daily walks by Notre Dame. Id 2nd this recommendation to anyone going to Paris. If anyone watches the show Vikings, I spent tons of time imagining Ragnar and Loki laying seige to the main island.

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donkiez said:
Thought Id revive this rather than keep hijacking the other France thread.

Mags, you were right the Paris catacombs tour was fucking awesome. Had to wait 3 hours to get in though, but it was worth it. Eiffel tower dinner was a definite high point also. Turns out French food gets better the fancier and more expensive it is. This is our last night in Paris and while we both loved it we are ready to leave. Missed a few things like the Louvre and Versailles that Im bummed about but with the crowds there is only so much you can do.

Next up Venice. This is the area my family immigrated from so i am very excited to see my roots. Looking for any more advice on islands and restaurants from peeps. El prez, we will be getting that belini at Harrys, ill let you know how it is.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
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Probably a bunch of repeats, but I haven't been back to venice since then so its mainly the same advice. I had a few bad meals there, the main area is super touristy with crappy shit. You really need to use tripadvisor and find restaurants although its hard to navigate if you don't have GPS on your phone

Definitely go to Burano. Great photography (brightly colored houses), walking and there's an old restaurant there called "Da Romano" where Hemmingway would eat at. I got a few embroidered handkerchiefs with my initials on it, which are the local speciality.

Apparently its the only place allowed in those islands to have wood burning oven. The "Go Rissotto" was great, it was on Anthony Bourdain so that's how I knew of it. Also try the little baby octopus and stay away from anywhere with a menu turistico.

I wasn't too big on Murano to be honest, really over commercialized or just kind of boring.

I think I said this, just get lost in the part of Venice for a few hours. Go around the little back alleys, nooks and crannies and go to the little shops and hang out. The cemetary island looked trippy, but too freaked to go out there. actually not enough time.
 
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Did you go to Barcelona already? I just came back from there about a month or two ago, so a few fresh recos.

I did the Salvador Dali museum in Figures which was fucking amazing. Also went inside Sagrada Familia which was also insane. Ate at "Pinxoto Bar" with the infamous Juan in La Boqueria market. VERY highly recommended. No menus, he just brings you plates of proteins and asks what you want to eat.
 
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Haven't been to Barcelona yet, be there in 12 days, after Venice and Rome. So fresh reco up plz. In the airport now so ill have to look up the others in a bit.

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Oh yeah,

Definitely go to Antoni Gaudi's Parc Guell. Its really great. Its a little outside the center part of the city, but its a beautiful park with gaudi's architecture, sculputres, etc, try to go towards the end of the day/sunset as its really nice and the crowds go down a little bit. You may want to spend longer there though.
http://www.parkguell.cat/en/

Dali Museum. There's a tour I took which was pretty good. We went to Girona at first and then the Dali Museum. Honestly, I thought Girona was a little boring but the #1 restaurant in the world is currently there. We booked on Viator. They just resell packages from this company called Julia Travel. They have an office a few blocks from Placa Catalunya. http://juliatravel.com/destinations/barcelona/

Sagrada Familia. You have to get something with front of line tickets, the queue is long as FUCK. Its also not really walking distance to the main part of the city.

I thought La Rambla kinda sucks. A bunch of pickpockets, hucksters, etc. Gothic Quarter is very cool.

Go to the beach. Chill. The Port Olympic has nicer restaurants with views.

The famous drink is the gin and tonic there, they do it differently with aromatics in a large cup. really great since its so hot/humid.

This is the Pinoxto Bar. http://www.yelp.com/biz/pinotxo-barcelona It gets SUPER crowded you just have to be patient, wait behind someone eating at the bar and one of the waiters will tell you you're next.

The things to eat in Barcelona:

Seafood- especially razor clams. Also see if you can find Percebes somewhere. They are barnacles from Galicia and they are really fucking good. Octopus is really good as well.

Tapas- a given. Find some good spots.

The Turkish kabobs are really good. The Doner kebaps and stuff like that.
 
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Looks like we will have an extra day in Venice for a day trip. Verona or Lido for anyone who knows. We are leaning towards Verona.

Also I might have found the family tomb on the cemetery island. Its like my great grandmas maiden name so who knows for sure, still cool though.

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I went to Padua, it was ok. I think Verona would probably be more interesting based on TV shows I saw.
 
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