I'm going with 4 other people to Madrid, Rome, and Florence in March and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on where to stay. We're on a budget and trying to keep it to ~$40-50/person/night.

As much as I would love to stay in the center of Rome near the Campo de Fiori, etc it's looking like I'm leaning more towards around the train station. Most of the cheaper hotels/hostels are in that area. It's not as nice but still very walkable and we won't have to carry any luggage when we get off the train. I'm leaning towards one of these (sister hotels):

http://www.yellowhostel.com/

http://www.hotelromae.com/en/

Hotel Romae has a ensuite room that can fit 5 people and would end up being about $40/night per person.

A friend of mine also suggested looking into apartments for rent but I wasn't able to find too many for 5 people.

Suggestions?

2/1/2011 4:24:28 PM

Around the train station in Rome is nasty. Thats where I stayed. I would recomend anywhere else. Trastevere (sp?) would be a better area.

2/1/2011 4:43:09 PM

Luna Rossa in Florence is my favorite hostel in all of Europe. Its about a block away from the train station in a great part of town. They have organized 'bar crawls' almost every night, $1 pints available in the lobby, as well as tuscan countryside tours that are a lot of fun run by one of the owners. Check out FunInTuscany for Tuscany day-trip tours that are worth every penny. You can travel in a group with your tour guide driving a van or even hop on some vespas and dash around the Tuscan vineyards together.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187895-d577715-Reviews-Luna_Rossa-Florence_Tuscany.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187895-d1168689-Reviews-Fun_in_Tuscany-Florence_Tuscany.html

2/1/2011 4:51:18 PM

^^Yeah I looked all around the Trastevere and north of there. Nothing for even double the price we're looking to spend. Most of the places around there are $$$ hotels. I looked around the area of Rome where the Hotel Romae is on Google street view and it looks decent. Only a 30-40 minute walk west to the cooler parts of Rome. It's not like we'll be spending that much time there.

^Thanks. I haven't started looking for Florence hotels yet but I'll get that in mind!

[Edited on February 1, 2011 at 4:53 PM. Reason : s]

2/1/2011 4:53:01 PM

^ be sure to eat lunch at the city square in Sienna when you're on your Tuscan tour, its where they have had the yearly bareback horse race, Palio di Siena, since the 1600s. It is also the home of the world's best hot chocolate.

2/1/2011 4:58:14 PM

i stayed in the yellow when i was in rome. its pretty cool, had a bar at the bottom a very good restaurant right next door (they will give you coupons if you are outside drinking in front of yellow) a good pizza place right down the corner, a laundromat nearby, and a grocery store. and yes, its very close to the train station so it is easy to get to the sites further out, but it is still close enough to the center to walk to the closer sites like trevi fountain, spanish stairs, and pantheon. i only took the train a handful of times during the week i was there.

2/1/2011 5:06:44 PM

^awesome. I reserved a room at the Hotel Romae (Yellow's sister hotel across the street). The Yellow's private rooms were booked and a little more pricey.

2/1/2011 5:22:41 PM

look for the irish bar in madrid, i think its called Moore's or something, its right off of Plaza Mayor.

2/2/2011 2:42:12 PM

I live in Pisa, if you have any specific questions about that are or Tuscany in general let me know.

http://www.ryanair.com/en also has apt/villas for rent

[Edited on February 2, 2011 at 2:46 PM. Reason : a]

2/2/2011 2:45:19 PM

Found this place for Madrid:

http://www.h-plazamayor.com/

Might pull the plug. Seems pretty decent.

2/2/2011 4:06:17 PM

I think you said you booked a place in Rome, but Funny Palace is pretty cool. The guy that runs it is really friendly and hospitable. I forget his name, but we called him shades because he was always wearing these slightly dimmed Dior sunglasses and came across as a little shady, but he was actually awesome! In Florence, I definitely recommend Plus Florence. I was there in Feb 2009 and it was dirt cheap, like 12 Euro/night for a 4 bed room w/ private bathroom. Also featured a rooftop/terrace bar overlooking the city, pool, sauna, and really really clean.

[Edited on February 2, 2011 at 5:50 PM. Reason : /]

2/2/2011 5:49:36 PM

Anyone have any suggestions on sim card providers in Italy? I have an unlocked iPhone 4 and a Verizon Blackberry. My work pays for the BlackBerry so I'll use that for emergencies but I'd like to pick up a 30 day sim card for my iPhone with an unlimited data plan. Or I guess I could do something like this:

http://www.cellularabroad.com/italyRmifi.php

Whenever I go to the UK I just pick up a 30 day sim for Orange or O2 but I've never been to Italy and I know their cell providers have slightly different regulations.

Any advice?

2/6/2011 12:43:47 PM

i've got no hotel advice, but when you are in florence you must see the statue of david. i'm still at a loss for words to describe how amazing it is.

2/6/2011 1:01:20 PM

^sweet. Yeah we were planning on it.

Might just not worry about it and walk into a store and ask for a microsim card. Looks like most stores offer the microsims with a cash only data plan:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=994991

2/6/2011 1:44:35 PM

Your verizon CMDA blackberry is NOT going to work in IT and in EU in general unless it is a global phone with GSM 900/1800 spectrum. Even a GSM ATT phone that is not unlocked and does not support 900/1800 will not work in EU.

I do not know much about Iphones, but I imagine it will have to be unlocked to use a european sim.

vodafone, tim, wind are all cellular providers in IT, they can get you up to speed. Vodafone is the juggernaut (it owns 45% of VZW here, very large footprint in EU), TIM is T-Mobile & Orange partner in IT, Wind is the Sprint of Italy.

2/6/2011 2:32:05 PM

I stayed at Yellow Hostel when I was in Rome (summer '05)...definitely a good place.

2/6/2011 2:41:33 PM

^^I forget I'm not in tech talk and thus should preface my posts. Yes it's a BlackBerry Bold world edition with both radios. It'll just switch over to GSM when I'm over there. I'd use it as my primary phone but BB's suck.

Quote :

"Even a GSM ATT phone that is not unlocked and does not support 900/1800 will not work in EU."

A locked AT&T iPhone WILL work anywhere GSM is offered but you pay AT&T global rates (assuming it supports 900/1800 which almost all GSM phones do). Incoming texts are free but calling is $$$ and data is even more $$$ (little less if you get the international data roaming plan).

But my iPhone 4 is unlocked and typically I just walk into an Orange/O2/Vodaphone store and pick up a pre-paid cash SIM card with unlimited data. I just want to know if the Vodophone stores all carry the micro sim cards now which apparently they all should. Last time I was overseas I had the older iPhone with the regular SIM so it wasn't an issue walking into a store and getting a cash SIM.

From what I've read it shouldn't be an issue finding a microSIM to use for the week. It'll be nice being able to tether too.

^place we're staying is right across the street. I'm sure we'll be over there.

2/6/2011 3:02:19 PM

We're flying out of Milan and need a place to stay for one night. Has anyone been there and could recommend a place?

2/16/2011 11:01:19 AM

I stayed at the Pensionne Ottaviano which you could see the walls of the Vatican and St. Peters from. Was pretty cool, really clean and it's ran by Americans that were very helpful. I'd stay there again. Not noisy or on club/party streets but there are bars, restaurants, etc. around

2/17/2011 4:53:42 AM

decided to splurge the last night. Staying at the Lancaster Hotel in Milan.

http://www.hotellancaster.it/inglese/home.html

Came out to about $90/person which is still cheap but twice what we're paying for hotels the rest of the trip.

2/17/2011 9:08:58 AM

leaving tomorrow!!!

3/3/2011 1:32:30 PM

enjoy

3/3/2011 1:58:16 PM

where are you staying in florence?

3/3/2011 2:11:58 PM

Luna Rossa!! Thanks for the recommendation!!

3/3/2011 2:30:10 PM

awesome, those guys are cool, let us know how the trip turns out

3/3/2011 3:20:02 PM

Our hotel in Madrid literally looks right into Plaza Mayor. It's sweet. I have never eaten this much ham in my life. haha.

3/6/2011 1:44:06 PM

Any more ideas primarily around Florence or Rome?

2/24/2013 10:54:24 PM

Cinque Terra?

2/24/2013 11:09:23 PM

Siena. Thank me later.

2/25/2013 2:05:13 AM

^^ i freaking loved cinque terre...i want to go back so bad

buy the rick steves book for the area(s)...he'll set you right

[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 9:20 AM. Reason : .]

2/25/2013 9:19:31 AM

+1 for rick steves for anywhere in europe.

2/25/2013 10:57:48 AM

^ seriously...his books were definitely worth it...the walking tours and suggestions were ALWAYS spot on

i love that man [nohomo]

2/25/2013 11:03:31 AM

^you can actually download a ton of his tours by audio for free on his website. They are great for walking around and being told what you're seeing.

smcain and I used them all the time when we were in Europe. They were great.

[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 11:25 AM. Reason : smcainengine]

2/25/2013 11:13:22 AM

Completely forgot that I made this. If you're doing the Vatican get tickets online and show up early. We were like the first 100 people in and it was empty. By noon it was shoulder to shoulder.

Only thing I'd do differently is skip the cities and go into the alps. I'm getting sick of people. Now I just want to see snow capped peaks and visit small mountain towns.

2/25/2013 1:10:35 PM

^Even better, on Fridays the Vatican opens up at night between like 8 and 11pm (Rome time).

You can get tickets for it online, show up whenever and it's MUCH less crowded. The sistine chapel is still going to be fuckin packed, but even it's not as bad as I've heard it gets during the day.

And take the Rick Steve's audio tour... It's fuckin awesome at explaining every aspect of the art in the room.

[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 1:28 PM. Reason : english failure]

2/25/2013 1:18:52 PM

No Barcelona?

It's pretty much my favorite city in the world. You should reconsider

2/25/2013 5:46:37 PM

Woops forgot I made this thread. In Madrid for 2 weeks for work and going to Barcelona this weekend. Can't wait!

10/21/2013 12:45:01 PM

I freaking LOVED Barcelona. Stayed there at least two weeks.

Where are you staying?

10/21/2013 1:28:14 PM

Just for one night. Probably the Hotel Arts Barcelona. It's right on the water and the building looks cool. I'm going to just want to sit by the pool and drink all weekend after these last few weeks of work. Been working like 100 hour weeks on this project. I'm sure my gf will drag me to check out the city though (I obviously want to see it too).

Taking the train up early Saturday morning and back late Sunday night. Our flight back to the US is Monday morning. I've been in Madrid since the 14th.

10/21/2013 1:36:19 PM

Make sure you walk up and down La Rambla a couple times, preferably early evening.

10/21/2013 1:45:40 PM

We will! One reason we picked that hotel as it's near there.

10/21/2013 1:53:37 PM

i just booked flights (in/out of genoa) to visit the cinque terre over easter

i'm thinking about staying in one of the towns north (bonassola) and just venturing down on foot and by train

or would staying in one of the five villages (say monterosso) be better? i'm trying to avoid crowds, though it's not high season yet (but it will be a holiday weekend)

any other advice/suggestions? booked on a whim but have a few weeks to research a bit...

3/10/2015 10:53:35 AM

Genoa itself is actually very awesome and highly underrated. Definitely plan to spend some time there.

3/10/2015 11:38:14 AM

I stayed in Riomaggiore for a few days when I was there....pretty sure it's the most Southern village. Don't know your situation, but I was 25 and was hostel hopping and I stayed in a pretty decent hostel for about $25-$30 a night. I like Riomaggiore as a town to stay in as it was big enough that there was enough to do for a night there (couple restaurants, shops, and markets), but small enough to where I definitely felt the need to get out and explore the other towns. There was definitely one or two places that were bigger, but there were also a couple towns that were teeny tiny, and lacked stuff to do within walking distance.

Regardless...Cinque Terre was awesome. Definitely get one of the passes that lets you go from town to town on the train. Definitely do the cliff hike/trail that spans all of the towns (although I heard recently that they've closed it for good because it's too dangerous). I was only there for three days, but wish I had spent at least a week. There were some vineyard tours/walks that I wish I could have done, and just overall spent more time in each city.

If you want to do the hostel route, I can go back and figure out where I stayed.

3/10/2015 11:39:55 AM

http://www.airbnb.com

welcome

3/10/2015 8:00:48 PM

thanks guys

i have an early morning return flight out of genoa so i might get there early enough the day before to check out the city some

otherwise i have three full days in the cinque terre -- mostly planning to hike around, drink wine, and relax/stare at the sea... been looking at hotels/apartments ~€100/night so not high end but not hostels this trip

3/11/2015 4:56:07 AM

Genoa isn't very big, but you should def check out the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Bocadesse if you can. There's also this really awesome deli with a crazy selection of meats/cheeses and you can get a sandwich and glass of wine for less than 5 euros. It's by the waterfront and there's a crazy line out the door, but it moves quickly. Look it up on TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187823-d1101747-Reviews-Gran_Ristoro-Genoa_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

Oh and stay at the Hotel Continental Genova- very cool/cheap hotel in the middle of the city. IIRC it was like 70 Euros a night when I stayed there.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/savoia-genova.en-gb.html?sid=b111961f44446ca70cb6e0056ef7d371;dcid=2

Personally, I thought Genoa was the most underrated city I've been to in Europe- very Italian, not very touristy, and cool art/architecture. Have a great time!



[Edited on March 11, 2015 at 5:47 PM. Reason : .]

3/11/2015 5:40:47 PM

uhostels Madrid.

Great hostel, almost feels like a hotel and an even better crowd. Ran into some aussies and brazilians here and had a blast.

3/13/2015 12:25:45 PM

On my way to cinque Terra in 2 days, myself. In Nice now

Staying here:



[Edited on March 13, 2015 at 5:05 PM. Reason : .]

3/13/2015 5:02:30 PM

somewhat serious question that I'm sure will be shunned, but:

is anyone worried about ISIS across the Mediterranean in Libya, and their threat to overthrow Rome, and Easter? Not that they'll actually overthrow Rome, but that it may be dangerous for foreign travelers?

3/13/2015 5:28:41 PM