[Vihari]

Mayank, Nice Photologue. Wonderful pictures. I dont know much about taking photos but I can say, your photos of the PISA, the cathedral and the one where doves are eating off a hand, are really good.

Those on the plan to visit these places will find your photologue (may need some more 'descriptions' about each photo), very useful.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Do not forget to punch them as otherwise you could be fined. I learned the hard way by paying fine inspite of having tickets

This particular tip is very important for all future travelers so as to avoid a punch on the face and pocket.

- Sai

[mayankjha1806]

How could i being a Team BHPian be in the land of Ferrari and Lamborghini and not talk about Automotive in Italy. We were supposed to visit the Lamborghini factory and Ferrari museum and test track, but because of some undisclosed hurdles it did not happen. Maybe next time i am there in future it will happen, but being a team BHPian did not stop me from shooting some fabulous automotive that saw. I did see some Ferraris and Lamborghini but by the time i got my camera ready they either crossed me or went out of view.

Here are some of the pictures that i was able to take while roaming around on the streets of Milan.




Our very own Royal Enfield Bullet, BTW i did saw a Tata Safari and a XUV 500 as well.















I did ask, why the pink color, and was told this BMW is for Girls. Why should guys have all the fun

[predatorwheelz]

Lovely travelogue. Some nice pics, and useful information on train travel. Just thinking that a little bit of narrative on the places/sights you visited would have been good.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Thanks. I will share hotel options, and more specifically train journey in a separate section in detail. It will include cost of travel as well.

Please complete this. It will give us aspiring travelers a fair idea of costs to expect.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Lovely travelogue. Some nice pics, and useful information on train travel. Just thinking that a little bit of narrative on the places/sights you visited would have been good.

Please complete this. It will give us aspiring travelers a fair idea of costs to expect.

Just a few pointers from my side:

1. You may visit trainitallia site for idea on train fares. The fares are higher if booked a few days before journey.
2. Advance booking gives you decent discounts on train travel.
3. Avoid Raileurope as they are bit expensive and their mails go to span folder most of the times.
4. Hotels are not very expensive if you plan to travel before July. A 3/4* or equivalant hotel will cost you 10-12 k if you are staying in the city center(s)

[reverse_gear]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Lovely travelogue. Some nice pics, and useful information on train travel. Just thinking that a little bit of narrative on the places/sights you visited would have been good.



Please complete this. It will give us aspiring travelers a fair idea of costs to expect.

Me and my wife did a road trip for 13 days in Italy last year. Mosltly the northern parts of Italy; did not go to Rome or the south. I have been thinking of doing a detailed travelogue, but not got down to it as yet. But a few short points:

- if you are comfortable driving and like visiting/ staying in "areas outside the city", Italy is a great place to do it
- Cities like Milan and Rome are relatively expensive - 3* and 4* hotels ~EUR150-175. Venice is prohibitive - even the most basic accommodation will be >EUR200. Other cities are relatively cheaper - you can get good places for EUR 100 - 125
- If you are planning to visit museums, plan in advance. The Uffizi in Florence should not be missed. Same for Da Vinci's Last Supper in Milan. These places as well as sites like Leaning Tower of Pisa have limited entry on any given day and entry slots are sold out days in advance. So, you would be well advised to book online. Cannot comment on St. Peter's as we did not go to Rome.
- Renting a car was surprisingly not very expensive (again pre-booked). We rented a mid-range 5-door hatchback for 13 days. Rental was about EUR 245, including the insurance. Diesel was EUR3 /ltr (may have come down now), car gave a mileage ~20km/ltr. We ended up doing ~2400 km. All inter-city highways have tolls. While you cannot drive in city centres, we had a good chance to stay in beautiful countryside resorts, especially in Tuscany. This would not have been possible if we did not have our own ride.

Overall, one of the most friendly places to visit and people really go out of their way to help you. Food is unbelievably good - and I am saying this even though both of us were vegetarians and my wife is also gluten-intolerant.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by reverse_gear

- if you are comfortable driving and like visiting/ staying in "areas outside the city", Italy is a great place to do it
- Cities like Milan and Rome are relatively expensive - 3* and 4* hotels ~EUR150-175. Venice is prohibitive - even the most basic accommodation will be >EUR200. Other cities are relatively cheaper - you can get good places for EUR 100 - 125

Overall, one of the most friendly places to visit and people really go out of their way to help you. Food is unbelievably good - and I am saying this even though both of us were vegetarians and my wife is also gluten-intolerant.

Just putting different perspective to this thought - I love driving, but I will not want to waste my time in driving when I can utilize that time in enjoying the place and its experience.


European cities are beautiful with amazing history and they are nowhere as crowded as cities in India. We visited Paris, Milan, Venice, Florence & Pisa and Rome.

We booked hotels three months in advance and we did not pay more than 150 euros for 3-4 star hotels in the heart of the city. We paid less than 150 euro for a four star hotel in Venice. City transport is all cities was great and walking through the cities is very convenient.

[shadows123]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Lovely travelogue. Some nice pics, and useful information on train travel. Just thinking that a little bit of narrative on the places/sights you visited would have been good.



Please complete this. It will give us aspiring travelers a fair idea of costs to expect.

Personally, I felt the visa process for Italy was pretty smooth. Ofcourse, you need travel insurance for any european visa. Apart from that, there was no need for me to provide leave letter or anything(Just a letter head doc from company stating you work in so and so company since *** would suffice).

Apart from this Europe(esp Italy) is such a great place to travel. You can travel for a month and still feel you missed out stuff!! And the Freccie series has advanced booking where you can buy tickets off trenitalia for as low as 9 Euros(Milan->Venice) on FrecciaBianca and 18 Euros for Firenze->Roma.

Hotels are expensive esp in Rome and Venice.Airbnb is a cheaper way of staying. You can get reasonable accomodations for very low price(30-*** Euro p.d depending on preference) and its very safe.

As someone mentioned before, buy tickets for museums in advance before going there even though there is a fee for advanced booking(Get a travel card a week in advance and use it to book to save on forex comission on credit cards.). It saves time on having to wait for queues. You can walk right in!!

[reverse_gear]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Just putting different perspective to this thought - I love driving, but I will not want to waste my time in driving when I can utilize that time in enjoying the place and its experience.


European cities are beautiful with amazing history and they are nowhere as crowded as cities in India. We visited Paris, Milan, Venice, Florence & Pisa and Rome.

We booked hotels three months in advance and we did not pay more than 150 euros for 3-4 star hotels in the heart of the city. We paid less than 150 euro for a four star hotel in Venice. City transport is all cities was great and walking through the cities is very convenient.

I agree that car is not much use in cities - in fact most of the city centres do not allow tourist vehicles in. So travel has to be on foot/ public transport. Driving served us well because we did a lot of out-of-city sightseeing and stayed in spectacular B&Bs outside town in places like Lucca, La Spezia, Chamonix (France). This would not have worked if we depended only on train and taxi.

So, if the plan is to visit cities only, I agree that you should stick to train connections which are quite convenient.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Just putting different perspective to this thought - I love driving, but I will not want to waste my time in driving when I can utilize that time in enjoying the place and its experience.

Unless you are exploring only places inside a city, it does make sense to rent a car and drive in Italy. More so if you want to explore the countryside. You'll spend a lot of time waiting for buses/trains. Even going to another city is faster driving than relying on public transportation. On Sundays, things are even worse. Taxis are super-expensive.

[DevilzzzzOwn]

Been there, done that. just took me 20 minutes.

BTW, the pics with the kid in the train has a logo on the Train seats which looks very similar to Qantas Airways. What is that logo for?

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Unless you are exploring only places inside a city, it does make sense to rent a car and drive in Italy. More so if you want to explore the countryside. You'll spend a lot of time waiting for buses/trains. Even going to another city is faster driving than relying on public transportation. On Sundays, things are even worse. Taxis are super-expensive.

I agree.

However, European cities have a lot to offer in terms of experience, specially for architects like me. I would always prefer to stay in the city and see its architectural heritage as well as modern day marvels than to drive down to countryside. As shadows123 mentioned, even month long trip is not enough to experience all of Italy. So in a limited time I would not like to spend time driving a car. This is just my personal preference.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn

What is that logo for?

It is NTV Italo's logo.

[Tjax]

Guys I am in the process of compiling the documents required for applying for the visa to Italy. I'll be travelling to Italy in the second week of may on holiday with my wife.. I wanted to know what was the average time taken to process the visa application if applied for from bangalore? Any other tips on the visa process would also be greatly appreciated.. Thanks.

[reverse_gear]

Originally Posted by Tjax

Guys I am in the process of compiling the documents required for applying for the visa to Italy. I'll be travelling to Italy in the second week of may on holiday with my wife.. I wanted to know what was the average time taken to process the visa application if applied for from bangalore? Any other tips on the visa process would also be greatly appreciated.. Thanks.

Typically within 1 week especially if you have had previous travel to either Schengen, or UK or US. To be on the safer side, would suggest you submit at least 3 weeks before travel date if possible. Please go thru a reliable travel agent if possible. They may charge Rs. 1200 or thereabouts but job gets done without you having to go to the consulate or VFS centre. To the best of my knowledge, visa application centre for bangalore residents is in Mumbai (you can confirm on VFS site). I have never had to personally go to the consulate for any Schengen visa in the past so you should be able to get it without having to visit Mumbai.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by reverse_gear

Typically within 1 week especially if you have had previous travel to either Schengen, or UK or US. To be on the safer side, would suggest you submit at least 3 weeks before travel date if possible. Please go thru a reliable travel agent if possible. They may charge Rs. 1200 or thereabouts but job gets done without you having to go to the consulate or VFS centre. To the best of my knowledge, visa application centre for bangalore residents is in Mumbai (you can confirm on VFS site). I have never had to personally go to the consulate for any Schengen visa in the past so you should be able to get it without having to visit Mumbai.

For first time Schenghen visitors, personal visit to the embassy is required for some countries. I am not very sure of the specifics, but read it somewhere about this rule change in 2014 or late 2013.
This is applicable only for first timers though.