Italy With Kids ? Seven Ways To Get The Most From Your Family Travel In Italy
|
Italy is a popular vacation destination for families because it offers something of interest for everyone. The land of gelato welcomes children in general and, more specifically, has sights and foods that most kids love. Whether your family is visiting monuments or relaxing in the Italian sun, here are some ideas on how to organize your vacation for fun and savings, too.
1. Rent an Apartment or Villa
For less than the cost of a hotel room you can rent a comparably comfortable and well-located apartment or villa in Italy. You will get more room for people to spread out and keep out of each other's way. You won't have adjust your schedule to hotel restaurant hours and maid service, either. You will have to make your own beds and settle for a weekly change of towels.
You can save on restaurant costs by eating 'at home' in your villa or apartment. We suggest having breakfast and dinner at home and dine in a nice restaurant for lunch. For your home meals, elaborate preparation isn't necessary, you will find excellent pre-prepared selections in supermarkets, small grocery stores, snack bars, pizzerias and "tavola caldas," cafeteria-style restaurants. Shopping for your food in Italian grocery stores and open air markets is a super cultural experience for the whole family, too.
2. Get the Best from Restaurants
The fixed-price menu of the day, often called the tourist menu, offers a full meal with savings over a' la carte. Menus are always posted outside the restaurant door so you can browse the price and selection. To choose your restaurant, use Michelin's Red Guide (restaurant guide) that profiles even moderately priced establishments. Few American tourists carry the Red guide, so the restaurants don't become mobbed with consequent price increases.
When ordering, request the house wine and tap water "aqua naturale." The tap water in Italy is drinkable.
A $15 plate of pasta for a small (or not very hungry) child may be hard to swallow, so ask for a half-portion or an extra plate to split big portions. Italians love children and waiters are usually happy to indulge their appetites. And when the children finish, promise them an ice cream at snack bar around the corner where you can also get an after dinner drink and enjoy people watching at a fraction of the restaurant price for coffee and dessert.
You can spend $20 for a coke on Piazza San Marco in Venice or on the Via Veneto in Rome and find the people-watching worth every bit of it. Or, if refreshment and budget prevail, wander a few piazzas removed from these famous spots and order your coke or, better yet, a typical Italian beverage made with flavored syrups and fizzy water.
Tip Wait for the waiter to collect your signed credit receipt from the table. Don't just sign it, get up and walk away because in most Italian restaurants, your credit card number is printed IN FULL on the ticket -- an easy way for someone to cruise by the unoccupied table and snag your receipt and obtain your credit card number.
3. Laundry
Stay in an apartment with a washing machine to do your own, but don't expect a clothes dryer, so allow enough time for clothes to air dry. If you're at a hotel, don't pay for the expensive hotel's laundry service; instead, find a local laundromat and people-watch while you wash. Always bring a travel laundry line and, whenever you spend more than one night in one spot, hand wash easy-care clothes.
4. Exchanging Currency
Buy your local currency at ATM machines, called Bancomats, using your debit or ATM card. The exchange rate will be the most favorable and the transaction fees the lowest. Save on transaction fees by withdrawing larger amounts each time. Don't use your credit card for withdrawing local currency -- big fees. Before traveling, check with your bank on the fees they charge for overseas transactions; a few have exorbitant charges.
Tip Make sure your PIN code is only four numbers; that's all Italian machines will take.
5. Telephone Calls
Buy local phone cards for making calls which is cheaper than investing in a rental phone, or bringing one from the States. They are a terrific value for calling back home, too.
Check in at home and reconfirm future reservations by stopping in an internet point where you can surf and pay by the hour at, usually, a very reasonable rate.
6. Strike a Bargain
In Italy, many stores now have fixed prices "prezzi fissi" which you'll often see on a little sign near the cash register. The days of negotiating the price of everything are gone. But, if you're buying directly from the proprietor and are selecting multiples of something, or investing in high ticket items such as antiques or jewelry, you can politely ask if there is anything that can be done to help you with your decision, like, ahem, a discount. Then you must pay in cash! Don't dicker over the price and then pull out your plastic. It is understood that the discount depends on saving on the credit card transaction fee and, possibly, discreetly keeping this cash sale off the books.
7. Museums & Monuments
Research free days at museums and, thinking of the children, consider smaller museums for shorter attention spans.
Reserve your tickets for popular spots ahead of time; the fee is worth it. Nothing dampens a visit to a popular site like standing in line for an hour and a half in the blazing sun. For any attraction, find an up-to-date schedule; even call ahead; hours change. Please remember that you are in Italy where punctuality is sometimes sacrificed for more important things, so be prepared to wait a few minutes for something to open. Adjust to "dolce vita" time.
Some sights are best seen with a guide who can whisk you past lines and bring history and art alive, for example, the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, the catacombs in Rome, and the Uffizi in Florence.
Enjoy your travels in Italy with your family. When in doubt, have a gelato or a glass of wine and stop doing anything, just relax and let Italy come to you.
Pat Byrne is the president of Excellent Europe (http://www.ExcellentEurope.com) a company that selects exceptional vacation rentals in Italy with families in mind. She is also the author of the Kids Europe Italy Discovery Journal (http://www.KidsEurope.com) a resource book, journal, and guide just for kids traveling in Italy that has over 500 ideas for free and fun activities in Italy.
|
|
|
Tips To Visit Valencia, A Lovely City Of Spain
Valencia is the third city of Spain, by number of inhabitants. It is located to the east of the Iberian Peninsula, next to the Mediterranean Sea.If you plan to visit this lovely city, read this tips:Which is the best time of the year to visit Valencia?Valencia has a warm climate so you can visit us all the year.If your objective is to enjoy our beaches, I recommend you to visit us from June to September.If you want to know the fallas, you'll have to come between the 15 and the 19 of March.For the rest of activities: visits to monuments, the city of the arts and sciences, routes, etc, any day is good.How many days should I stay in Valencia?
Keys To Contentment
Most of us take vacations for the express purpose of getting away from it all. The desks piled high with paperwork, unmanageable schedules, unbearable bosses, traffic gridlocks and all things necessary but at times unwanted. Cabo San Lucas is the ultimate great escape but it isn't all that easy to find peace and quiet in a town known for it's party atmosphere and large, impersonal hotels and resorts. Or is it?The good news is that a trip to the end of the world's longest peninsula offers the life-weary...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Guide For Selecting A Villa Near Disney In Orlando Florida
This article is meant to be a guide for those who wish to enjoy their holidays in an ideal spot - a villa in or near Orlando. But where does one find something close to the theme parks, in close proximity to fine dining and luxury shopping and around all of your other amenities that your family might need on a vacation? Is there any hard and fast answer to the best price and if so, wh...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Vacation Getaways And Healthy Living Tips
Going away on a vacation brings numerous benefits. It refreshes our enthusiasm, helps us to know ourselves a little better, and makes us, upon our return home, happier, healthier, and much more effective in coping with stress. The key to reaping the benefits of traveling is in the going away. Hardly anyone reaps a benefit from spending a vacation time at home to work around the house.Want a reason or two to go away on vacation? Here are fifteen:1. Relaxation: Vacations break our day-to-day routine.2. Stimulation of new sights: New sights give us new insights.3. Meeting new people: Seeing how other people live broadens our perspective on our own live.4. Fellowship and camaraderie: Shared hardships and good times form long-lasting bonds ...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Owners Dont Be Scammed!
Scam artists pose as potential renters everyday on many different "by owner" websites. Why? Because it works! Learn to spot common warning signs of many rental scams.Everyday individuals approach property owners using the internet via email posing as renters in an attempt to swindle unsuspecting owners out of large sums of money. These scams will continue as long as they fool a small portion of property owners. The best defense against rental schemes is to be informed and remain alert. It is important to know that Cashier's...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Sussex County Delaware Beach Area Towns And Villages Are Unique And Historic
I love Sussex County Delaware. I am native born, multigenerational and proud to be one of those who, as they say; "are from here". In fact the earliest records of our family show we were here well before the Mayflower arrived; some our ancestors were here in the mid 1500's or before. They settled as farmers and missionaries in the areas of what are now Lewes, Milton, Angola, Long Neck, Broadkill and Red Mill Pond.I was raised at what is now Eagle Crest Aerodrome, near Milton and started school at Milton school then went to Lewes School and graduated from Lewes School. Since then I've lived in several areas of what we locals sometimes call "Saltwater Sussex" and what I used to call The Henlopen Quadrant; that is the locations within 25 miles of Cape Henlopen.Cape Henlopen is the anchor po...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Pigeon Forge Hotels
Hotels are a large component of Pigeon Forge lodging. As with any major tourist destination, there is a wide array of hotels to choose from. There are local independent hotels as well as well known national chains. The prices for a night range from under a hundred dollars to several hundred. Budget conscious travelers will be able to meet their needs with more a economical Pigeon Forge lodging and visitors with more money to spend can stay in a lavish hotel like the new Belle Island Village, which features attractions like Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.Several major hotel chains have accommodations...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Town Homes For All Your Pleasure In Orlando, Florida!
Have you ever done something spontaneous? Are you in love with warm weather? Do you have young kids who are dying to be near Walt Disney World? Do you love the beach? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be interested in town homes for sale all over Orlando, Florida.This can be your town home that you live in all year round. Where your kids will grow up, maybe where you'll spend the first few years as newlyweds, or where you'll retire and ask the family to come visit.Or this could be your winter home where you come and crash to get away from the freezing Northern winters. Whatever yo...(related: Vacation Rentals)
Looking For Maui Rental Property?
Maui is one of the islands found in Hawaii. It is known asthe second largest island in Hawaii and it is also calledValley Isle. It is one of the more visited islands ofHawaii because of its favorable weather. Maui rentalproperty is fast becoming a priority with lots ofvisitors. Maui has been ranked several times as "BestIsland in the World" and this is one of the reasons whyMaui has become a popular year-round vacation destination.Other than this, Maui has so many sceneries that it canboast about especially its beautiful beaches. This iscomplimented with the numerous world-class resorts,wonderful restaurants, overwhelming shopping destinationsand the limitless activities that one can do whilevacationing in Maui. These are just some of the reasons whyso many people fall in love with the is...(related: Vacation Rentals)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Vacation Rentals