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Colosseum Gladiators Rome
40 Reviews As you walk along outside of the Colosseum, you will see many methods used to take your money – horses wait patiently with their carriages for their next fare, hawkers selling sunglasses, toys, and...
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Gondole Venice
67 Reviews I need to explain something about gondola service in Venice! The Gondola isn't a public transport, but a private traditional tour with "round trip" (alternative routes are almost impossible) , isn't...
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The Duomo Milan
14 Reviews Be very careful with guys who come up to you and thrust corn into your hands to feed the pigeons in from on the Dumo. Even though this makes a fantastic picture with the dones eating from your palm......
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Shopping in touristic areas Pisa
24 Reviews There are small markets everywhere that charge anywhere from two to four times what you would pay for staples in a supermarket. Prices can vary widely for anything from bottles of water and especially...
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House of Christopher Columbus Genoa
3 Reviews Or what is left of it. Says the sign. But it is not. It is the remains of a house from that period. No reason at all to believe CC lived here. He may have, of course. It's very close to the Palazzo...
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Lipari Palermo
1 Review Lipari, you don´t really need to go there, it´s full of tourist and I didn´t really discovered something special ! The famous White Beach: all you can see is a ruin of a house and of corse the beach...
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Eating Out Rome
29 Reviews If you go down the long road in front of St Peter, direction Catel Sant'Angelo, (via della conciliazione) there is a restaurant called Don chichote was Universal bar) (but you cannot see the name from...
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Fake handbags, street sellers Venice
9 Reviews watch out for the African Vendors selling 'Gucci' 'Fendi' and 'Prada' purses. They are not real of course, but if you are willing to spend $50-$100 Euro for a pretty good imitation then go for it. You...
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Shopping Milan
5 Reviews This is a special WARNING for all male visitors of Milan! There are two streets in Milan which you have to AVOID: first one MONTENAPOLEONE, and the second one Via della SPIGA! This two streets are...
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Silly photos Pisa
4 Reviews As soon as you arrive in the Campo dei Miracoli you will spot them. Dotted around the Leaning Tower are pairs of people, one with a camera and one a short distance away. The photographer will be...
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Galeon Genoa
1 Review Well, it's not a "real" tourist trap from any point of view, but better to tell you something about this (looking) old ship. It's not a 17th century galeon, it was built in the 80s fot Roman...
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Taxis Rome
17 Reviews The taxi drivers in Rome are amazing. Look not all of them but some of them really play some tricks on your head. Some are not like that and very friendly.\ Here's some tips to avoid getting...
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Harry's Bar Venice
12 Reviews As a Venetian , really, I tell you Not to go inside Harry's Bar unless you understand before what this place means : Harry's Bar is part of the City's history , the place has an incredible Charme and...
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Galleria Vittorio Emanuele Milan
5 Reviews The souvenir shops in this arcade are too expensive compared to others in the city. Restaurants are also expensive, but for the crowd and the location they deserve that. If you came to Milan for...
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Trevi Fountain Rome
9 Reviews The Trevi Fountain is something that you can't miss when visiting Rome! It's a wonderful sight, and well worth a look. Just beware when you're in the area that there are Asian guys wandering around...
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Pigeons Venice
8 Reviews Watching the pigeons swarm all over the people in the piazza (and how silly they act). One sits at the cafe calmly sipping on a cup of coffee. By far the most expensive cup of coffee i have ever had...
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Street Vendors Rome
8 Reviews Rome of course is a beautiful Romantic Place to visit, so people are playing on your emotions and wallet, when they try to offer /sell couples roses. I am really switched on to these things and call...
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Spanish Steps Rome
7 Reviews TOURIST TRAP YES, BUT IT COST NOTHING TO SEE, IT'S JUST STEPS. Socialize and unwind in the fountain square down below the steps. The water is drinkable also, so have a sip. Take a picture on the steps...
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Piazza Navona Rome
7 Reviews While Piazza Navona may be a beautiful place to sit, eat and people watch, you should be advised that the restaurants in Piazza Navona are expensive and the food is not good at all. Don't eat in...
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Gelati Rome
4 Reviews When first in Rome, it is not out of the ordinary for gelati or ice cream lovers like me, to have a gelati from the first vendor they see. BEWARE! Do not be tempted to buy your gelati from one of the...
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Colosseum Rome
8 Reviews Large crowds and long waiting time. Watch for pickpockets in the crowds. If you are a pensioner, remember to take your passport with you to the pay box as its FREE entrance for pensioners. Show the...
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Souvenir Shops Rome
7 Reviews It happened to us & to many tourists we spoke with. When shopping at the souvenier shops near the Vatican our purchases were deliberately added up wrong and we were deliberately given wrong change...
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Sistine Chapel Rome
6 Reviews We (3 of us) had a nasty experience on our way to visit the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel. As we walked down the street from St. Peter's Basillica towards the Vatican museum to book our tickets, we...
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Tours Rome
8 Reviews DON'T DO IT!!! Although the marketing concept is great, in actuality these tours are miserable and a complete waste of your time. There are several companies that provide these open-top city tours,...
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Water Fountains Rome
4 Reviews On a typical summer day the average person needs to bring at least a couple of bottles of water to view the forum. The vast majority of people don't, and when faced with the desert like reality, they...
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DO NOT USE TRENITALIA THEY ARE THE WORST TRAINS IN EUROPEA WEBSITE THAT DOESNT WORKARROGANT STAFFTICKET MACHINES NOT WORKINGCONDUCTORS NOT GIVING CHANCEAlways give the conductor the correct fare. I gave him 50 euros and he wouldnt give me my stinking cha Get a coach if you can or try to find a TGv service that goes through italy get a coach if you can or try to find a tgv service going through italy
Gondolas are perhaps the most "touristy", well known things to do in Venice (or even in all of Italy). We ended up taking a night time gondola ride, and were so glad we did! It was a little bit chilly, but it was quiet and enchanting. Half the time all we could hear was the gentle lapping of the water against the gondola and the gondolier calling out when we rounded corners. Every so often, we would see some of the few tourists crossing bridges who would wave to us. In fact, we caught the gondolier as he was covering the gondola and getting ready to close for the night - he was one of the last four gondolas operating. Seeing the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge at night was breathtaking - the bridge all lit up was beautiful, and the canals were all but empty (none of the congestion you get during the day). The experience was worth every penny, to me.
The idea of private beaches just does not appeal, these beaches are kept very clean and beds and umbrellas all nicely matching and uniform. But really if you are on a budget which most of us travellers are, then who is going to pay £25 or more to lie on a beach. The local municipals have a section of the beach which is available free to all and these were the busiest parts of the beach, although I did notice that these parts were not as "pristine" as the private ones. The Alternative is to find quiet secluded spots that are not frequented by the snob element.
I am well aware that a storm of protest might result now, and even if these women I am referring to here find this, they should look deep into the mirror and maybe they realise that there is a point to what I write now. Maybe, but most probably maybe not.Some time after my trip to Venezia I looked for books about this magic city. That’s how I found “1000 days in Venice”, obviously Marlena di Blasi’s first book of this 1000-day-in-(somewhere Italy) series. I didn’t warm towards it after the first couple of pages and thought it might vanish after a while, but it didn’t. Quite contrary – it got worse with every page. The book was or is about one of these crappy romantic stories “woman goes to Italy, falls in love with a local, marries, and...” In her case I deeply doubt that it was love but more something like an ice-cold calculation to find a way to make business (she collects recipes and...
Easter weekend at the Vatican is a fond memory... Hundreds of tourists waiting to enter the Vatican and people wishing to see the Pope. If you don't mind direct sun, a bursting bladder and lines of people herded like cattle to the slaughter then try to see the Vatican on Easter weekend. Expect a long wait in line and keep conversational skills honed. Chatting with those around you will make the time go by faster and fill you in on things you should and shouldn't see.
Me and my wife went to Rome back in March-2007 and it was great, i've heard winter is one of the best times to go to Rome, all i can say... goto Google maps, search for Rome... the image you'll see there (satellite) will show a lot of brown dusty areas... well that's because that picture was taken in summer time... now imagine all those areas in a nice green color... it's true that it rains a lot... but just live the adventure and i can assure you 100% you'll get the mos beautilful views of the city and gardens in winter time than in summer time. i hope this helps you. One last advice if you decide to go to Rome... when you visit the Spanish Steps... be aware of the gipsys by the main staris... don't stop for any reason... even if they step up right in front of you... keep walking, if you have to push them away from you, do it but dont stop.i'm not trying to scare you but that was the...
You came to Venezia to marvel at their glass manufacturing mastering? And want to bring some glass souvenir back home? Then please understand that this is not a third world country and that the artists’ pieces do cost some money. There are marvellous small pieces for good value (like pendants or bowls, ear rings and small animals, and even “sweets” made of glass), but you just can’t get a set of wine glasses or mirrors or any of the real work for under 50 Euro. So make sure you buy glass art that was made in Murano and NOT in China. By now, Chinese plagiarists also jumped on this train and are trying to copy Murano work. Some dealers in Venezia are (sorry) stupid and betraying enough to buy this crap and sell it as “made in Murano”, but it is not. If I want to buy Chinese crap, I’d go to China but nowhere in Europe or any other continent.The best way to avoid to be taken in on fake “made...
Beware of free-lance tour guides positioned outside St. Peter's Basilica! They attract unsuspecting foreign tourists with their promotion on free guided walking tour of St. Peter's Basilica. They are definitely not sanctioned by St. Peter's Basilica as admission to St. Peter's Basilica is free. Each one of them will lead a group of approximately ten tourists. The tour is usually conducted in English and lasts approximately half an hour. Of course they will explain to you and provide you with all the important details of the various popular attractions inside St. Peter's Basilica. At the end of the tour just outside the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica, they will ask for a small donation for their effort. This is when everyone in the group starts to disperse. A good samaritan may probably donate two or three euros to the tour guide out of pity! Disperse from the walking tour group before...
We consider climbing up the Leaning Tower of Pisa a tourist trap. Most foreign tourists were not satisfied after climbing up the tower! It is certainly not worth the 15.00 euros admission fee to climb up the staircases to the top! During the summer months, the queue to climb up the tower is extraordinarily long. You may have to wait between half an hour and one hour for your turn to climb up the tower. It is because only certain number of persons are allowed at the viewing platform at any one time to avoid congestion and for safety reasons due to the heavier weight! When you reach the viewing platform you are rewarded with only the view of the city of Pisa which doesn't mean anything as the tower is not very high! Furthermore you climb the staircases up the tower at your own risk! Certain parts of the staircases certainly look rather haphazard and in disarray and do not look in...
there are vendors everywhere......shop around...the masks,get the paper mache ones...away from St.Marco's Sqr...it'll be much more economical! Plus..i was informed this is closer to the authenic ones...not the porcelains.
Albergo Del Senato Rome
5 Reviews and 1446 Opinions The Pantheon is my favorite building in Rome and might be my favorite building in the world. The...
Hotel Antiche Figure Venice
6 Reviews and 1571 Opinions Thanks to the hotel tip from fellow-VT'r "Herkbert's" Venice page, we chose the Hotel Antiche Figura...
Hotel David Florence
7 Reviews and 1125 Opinions We have stayed with this establishment many times. Initially, it was because they have free parking...
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