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This material was last updated Saving monyeDecember 2008. All information was accurate at the time.

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Copyright © 2008–2010 by Reid Bramblett. All rights reserved.

Getting around

• By train
  • Top train tips
  • The rail system
  • Railpasses
  • Tickets & reservations
  • Overnight trains
  • Train safety
  • Train stations in Italy
  • Reid's tips for saving money on train travel
• By rental car
  • Top driving/rental tips
  • Car rentals
  • Short-term leases
  • Air-car packages
  • Driving tips
  • Italian road signs
  • Driving metric - kms, liters, and euros
  • Reid's tips for saving money on car travel
• By low-cost airline
  • How no-frills airlines work
  • Booking low-cost airlines
  • Airports in Italy
• By bus
• By crusie ship
  • All about Italian and Mediterranean cruises
  • Saving money on cruises
  • Avoiding the cruising money pits
  • D.I.Y. shore excursions
  • Getting downtown from ports of call
• By ferry
  • Coastal ferries and hydrofoils in Italy
  • Ferries to Sicily
  • Ferries to Sardegna
  • Ferries to Capri
  • Ferries along the Amalfi Coast
  • Ferries to the Aeolian Islands
  • Other popular ferry connections
  • Ferries from Italy to other countries

Hotels in Italy

• Planning
  • The countdown calendar
  • Getting to Italy
    • By plane from North America
    • By tour or package
    • By plane from within Europe
    • By train
    • By cruise
    • By bus
    • By ferry
    • Reid's Tips for saving on transportation
  • Tours & Packages
    • Vacation packages
    • Air-hotel packages
    • Air-car packages
    • Specialty tours
    • Learning vacations
    • Cooking schools
    • Study tours
    • Language schools
    • Active vacations
    • Bike tours
    • Hiking tours
    • Seniors tours
    • Family tours
    • Women's tours
    • Singles' tours
    • Gay tours
    • Disabled tours
    • Religious tours
    • Guided tours
    • Design your own group tour
    • Microtours/single-day tours
    • Private guides
    • Daytrips
  • Getting around Italy
    • By train
    • By rental car
    • By low-cost airline
    • By cruise
    • By bus
    • By ferry
    • Reid's Tips for saving on transportation
  • Find a place to stay
    • Where to stay in Italy
    • Booking hotels
    • Italian hotels 101
    • Alternative accommodations
    •     Agriturismi
    •     Apartments
    •     B&Bs
    •     Campgrounds
    •     Sleep for free
    •     Monasteries
    •     Villa rentals
    •     More lodging options
    • Reid's tips for saving on lodging
  • Getting information & passports
    • Passports & visas
    • Tourist offices
    • Guidebooks & other travel media
    • Maps
    • Fun stuff - Books, movies, & more
  • Packing tips & lists
    • The art of packing light
    • The Ultimate Packing List
    • Luggage
    • Moneybelts
    • Gear & gadgets
    • Electronics & converters
    • Guidebooks
  • Money matters
    • Changing money
    • ATMs
    • Cash (euros)
    • Credit cards
    • Traveler's checks
    • Wiring money
    • Rip-offs & scams
    • Reid's Tips for saving money
  • Shopping & taxes
    • What to buy in Italy
    • Reid's tips for saving on shoppping
    • Metric system sizes
    • The art of bargaining
    • VAT taxes
    • Duty-Free
    • Customs limits
  • Sightseeing tips
    • Planning your days
    • Microtours (city & sights tours)
    • Daytrips
    • Museums 101
    • Theaters & tickets
    • Take only photographs...
    • Reid's Tips for saving on sightseeing
  • Dining tips
    • Dining in Italy
    • Types of Italian eateries
    • The restaurant hunt
    • The Italian meal
    • Typical Italian food
    • Italian wine & liquors
    • Quick Italian dining phrases
    • Picknicking & street food
    • Reid's tips for saving on dining
  • Health & safety
    • Health concerns
    •     Hospitals
    •     Pharmacies
    •     Health insurance
    • Trip insurance
    • Safety concerns
    •     Pickpockets
    •     Gypsies
    •     Losing things
    •     Embassies
    •     Terrorism
    • Issues for women
    • Issues for the handicapped
    • Racial concerns
    • Tips for gay travelers
  • Communications
    • Parla Italiano?
    •     Quick Italian phrase sheet
    •     Phrase books & dictionaries
    •     On the polite use of English
    •     Those Italian gestures
    • Best ways to stay in touch
    •     Phones in Italy
    • How to dial Italy or call home from Italy
    •     Cellphones in Italy
    •     Cybercafes in Italy
    •     WiFi in Italy
    •     Skype
    •     Mail in Italy
    • The metric system
  • Reid's money-saving tips
    • Saving on airfares
    • Saving on train travel
    • Saving on car rentals
    • Saving on cruises
    • Saving on lodging
    • Saving on dining
    • Saving on sightseeing
    • Free sightseeing
    • Free lodging (honest)
    • Free dining (seriously)
    • Worst savings tips
• Destinations
  • Rome
    • Hotels in Rome
    • All sights in Rome
    • Top sights in Rome
    • Reid's List: Rome
    • Free sights in Rome
    • Restaurants in Rome
    • How to spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Rome
    • Planning FAQ
  • Venice
    • Hotels in Venice
    • All sights in Venice
    • Top sights in Venice
    • Reid's List: Venice
    • Free sights in Venice
    • Restaurants in Venice
    • How to spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Venice
    • Planning FAQ
  • Florence
    • Hotels in Florence
    • All sights in Florence
    • Top sights in Florence
    • Top 10 lists for Florence
    • Free sights in Florence
    • Restaurants in Florence
    • How to spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Florence
    • Planning FAQ
  • Tuscany
    • Florence
    • Siena
    • Pisa
    • Lucca
    • San Gimignano
    • The Chianti
    • Montepulciano
    • Pienza
    • Tuscan Itineraries
  • Amalfi Coast & Capri
    • Where to stay along the Amalfi Coast
    • Sorrento
    • Positano
    • Amalfi
    • Ravello
    • Vietri sul Mare
    • Salerno
    • Paestum
    • Capri
  • Campania
    • Naples
    • Pompeii
    • Capri
    • Amalfi Coast
    • Mt. Vesuvius
    • Herculaneum
    • Phlagrean Fields
    • Caserta
  • Cinque Terre
    • Getting to the Cinque Terre
    • Hiking between the villages
    • Where to stay in the Cinque Terre
    • Riomaggiore
    • Manarola
    • Corniglia
    • Vernazza
    • Monterosso al Mare
  • Abruzzo
  • Sardegna
• Lodging
  • Booking hotels
  • How Italian hotels work
  • The hotel hunt
  • Hotel scams & rip-offs
  • Reid's tips for lodging savings
  • Hotel alternatives
    • Agriturismi / farm stays
    • Albergo diffuso (diffuse hotel)
    • Apartments
    • B&Bs
    • Campgrounds
    • Castles
    • Chains
    • Convents
    • CouchSurfing
    • Crewing a boat
    • Free options (honest)
    • Historic inns
    • Home swapping
    • Hospitality exchange
    • Hostels
    • Hotels
    • Monasteries
    • Motels
    • Mountain huts
    • Overnight trains
    • Rental rooms
    • Residences
    • RVing
    • Sleeping in airports
    • University dorms
    • Villa rentals
• Itineraries
  • When to go
    • Tourist seasons & weather in Italy
    • Festivals in Italy
    • Time zones
  • Time to budget for each city
  • Daily itinerary tips
    • Planning your days
    • Sights you need to book ahead
  • How far ahead to plan/book everything
  • How to use these itineraries
  • Perfect city & regional itineraries
    • 1, 2, or 3 days in Rome
    • 1, 2, or 3 days in Florence
    • 1, 2, or 3 days in Venice
    • 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days in Tuscany
  • If you have one week...
    • The Big Three
    • The One-Week Whirlwind
    • Rome & The Best of Campania
    • Rome, Florence, & Tuscan Hilltowns
    • Tuscan Itineraries
  • If you have two weeks...
    • Insane Whirlwind: Ultimate Italy in Two Weeks
    • Insane Whirlwind: Italy's Greatest Hits (w/Lakes)
    • Insane Whirlwind: Italy's Greatest Hits (w/Amalfi Coast)
    • Sane Whirlwind: Italy's Greatest Hits (w/Tuscan Hilltowns)
    • Sane Whirlwind: Italy's Greatest Hits (w/Amalfi Coast)
    • Sane Whirlwind: Italy's Greatest Hits (w/Lakes)
• Shop
  • Book airfare
  • Book hotels
  • Book a rental car
  • Book train tickets & railpasses
  • Book a cruise
  • Book tours
  • Get travel gear
  • Choose guidebooks
• Interactive
  • Italy news,tips, & deals
  • Reid's Italy adventures
  • ReidsItaly.com fan page