As budgetary relax in Italy
Travels / / December 19, 2019
Anna Strukov, Marina Sorokoumova
Authors of the project WOW Italy.
Flights with numerous transfers, hitchhiking, kauchsorfing, haussitting and the food from supermarkets - all this cheap but damn tiring. Most just want to relax from everyday life, and not straining for every penny. These tips will help you save on travel, but it is perfect to relax and get a lot of new experiences.
Transport
Railway
It is the most convenient, safe and economical way to travel around the country. In Italy, there is no monopoly on rail passenger transport, so you can compare prices and conditions from various suppliers, for example on websites Trenitalia and Italo.
On the Trenitalia website you can find discounts on hotels and sightseeing, special offers for families with children and couples. Both companies are satisfied with the sales and offers discounted tickets. In Italo, you can buy a train ticket Rome - Venice and Venice - Milan for just 9.90 euros. No catch: at the time of these trains are the same as conventional. We'll have to just adjust to the schedule - trains on certain days and hours.
The ticket price for the same route may be different at 2-3. It depends primarily on the class of the train. Passenger (Regionale), ambulances passenger (Regionale veloce) and long distance (Intercity) train usually cheaper than brand-name high-speed (Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, Frecciaargento), but also they are slower. If an extra hour on the road for you is insignificant, but savings of 15-20 euros - yes, feel free to choose a more attractive option for the price.
On the ticket price effect and the date of purchase. The sooner you will gain it, so it will be cheaper.
If you buy a ticket at the train station in the self-service terminal or at the ticket office, do not forget to punch in special green machines located at the station or in the transition to the platform. Remember that travel with nekompostirovannym ticket may result in a fine.
Buying a ticket online, you save time and money, since you have the ability to pre-select the cheapest rate. In addition, this ticket does not need to be composted.
Taxis and scooters
Do not try to catch a taxi in Italy, waving hand or raising thumb up. The maximum that is waiting for you - it's ironic smile. In the taxi (which, incidentally, white) can take the specially designated parking areas in the squares, the famous sights and shopping centers.
Thanks to the powerful trade union of taxi drivers the cost of travel through the Uber will be much more expensive than the official taxi. However, in Italy it acts MyTaxi application through which you can open the car by the usual rates.
Price: Free
Price: Free
There is Scooterino - Italian startup, created by 24-year-old native of Rome. An application running in Rome, Milan, Genoa and Florence, will help to get from point A to point B on a scooter. Scooterino functions similarly BlaBlaCar, then there is probably a way to share the cost of travel between the driver and the passenger, so the price will surprise you. Maneuvering in traffic on a pretty scooter, you will surely feel like a hero of the film "Roman Holiday."
Price: Free
Price: Free
Bus, metro, tram
The cost of a standard ticket to Italy for a single trip (Biglietto semplice) is between 1.2 and 2 euros. And if you no matter going to go one stop or go to the other end of town. Within 90-100 minutes you can a bus transfer to the tram or metro using the same ticket. That is why composting is mandatory.
There is also a 24-, 48-, and 72-hour tickets and travel for a week. If you plan to travel a lot by bus, metro or tram, it will be more profitable to buy travel. And thanks to the program Moovit you can build a movement routes, taking into account the schedule of public transportation. The application works in Milan, Rome and Naples.
Price: Free
Price: Free
It is not necessary to drive the hare. Conductors, of course, does not come across on each route, but if you find that you are traveling without a ticket, will have to pay a fine of 50 euros. If all the machines suddenly composting tickets will be disabled, you have to handle write on the ticket the date and time.
Car
Compare prices at various aggregators for renting a car, for example auto Europe, Economy Car Rentals, Rentalcars. It often happens that one and the same car cheaper to take the local Italian companies (Sicily by Sar, Maggiore, Noleggiare), than the international (Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, Dollar, Europcar). However, you need to carefully read the terms of the lease and reviews.
It is best to rent carIf you want to explore the Italian province. For example, it is ideal for autotravel fields and vineyards of Tuscany, the cozy town of the Amalfi coast, medieval castles and secluded beaches of Sicily. In large cities such as Rome, Florence, Milan, a lot of time, money and nerves will go searching for a parking space and sitting in traffic jams. There is also a rather strict restrictions on the traffic in the historic center.
In order not to get to the money, follow the signs.
The most dangerous in terms of fines - ZTL (Zona traffico limitata - area with limited traffic). It is a white circle with a red border. Such signs are usually installed at the entrance to the historic center of the Italian city. The penalty amounts to an average of 80 euros plus commission for a traffic violation (about 25 euros), which is charged rolling office. Surveillance is conducted by an automatic lock chambers, so do not get caught is almost impossible.
If you are lucky and you find a fine on the windscreen, pay it immediately to the nearest post office in Italy. When you pay the penalty within 5 days of receipt you are entitled to a discount of 30% of the amount of the fine.
Save on the GPS-navigator by downloading offline maps in advance the desired location on a smartphone, for example, by application Maps.me. And do not forget, in this case to take a car charger for your phone.
Price: Free
Price: Free
Food
Cafes and restaurants
on the tourist streets snack in the cafe did not please you with quality or price. You can only order a glass wineTo enjoy a beautiful view of any area or attraction.
If you want a cheap and tasty meal, book a restaurant in the annex The Fork on TripAdvisor. Discounts in it ranges from 20 to 50% depending on the day and time. In addition, you can see the restaurant rating and read independent reviews from TripAdvisor members.
Price: Free
Price: Free
Some Italian restaurants will be charged an additional fee called Coperto. Once you sit down at the table as your account Upon purchase there are additional EUR. If you want a quick bite to eat or just have a cup of coffee, it can be done easily at the bar or tables without a special high seat. So no charges will not be afraid.
Do not confuse Coperto with a tip - the service charge, which is also sometimes charged at a rate of 10-20% of the total booking.
street food
Best friend thrifty tourist - this is street food, especially that in Italy it is of high quality and variety. In every Italian city or region, you may want to try their version street foodSoaked in local color and traditions.
In Florence, be sure to try the panino lampredotto (Panino al lampredotto) - chopped boiled tripe in a bun. The taste for the amateur, but more authentic and true Tuscan dish is difficult to imagine.
In Sicily, in general you can only eat street food and it does not make gastritis during the holidays - all made from fresh ingredients right in front of you. Here are a few dishes that are worth a try:
- Arancini (Arancini) - National Sicilian fast food, invented more Arabs. This red balls or cones of rice breaded. Inside the meat, green peas, spices.
- Panino with liver (Panino ca 'meusa or Panino con la milza) - soft roll, sprinkle sesame seeds, pieces with spleen, lung and trachea sometimes veal.
- Sfinchone (Sfincione) - a kind of pizza with tomato sauce on a thick and soft crust.
markets
To learn more about Italian life, as much as possible to plunge into the atmosphere of the city and enjoy fresh farm products at affordable prices, visit the conventional food market:
- In Rome - the market in the Testaccio district near the Roman Museum of Contemporary Art MACRO (via Beniamino Franklin).
- Florence - Mercato Centrale (Piazza del Mercato Centrale - Via dell'Ariento).
- Palermo - Vucciria (Piazza Caracciolo).
Water
You can save money without compromising the health of not only food, but also on the water. In some Italian cities are saving drinking fountains. Buy it once the water bottle and fill it for free. So you can save and not be polluting more than plastic.
If you're in Rome, you can search for drinking fountains using a special application I Nasoni di Roma.
Price: Free
Museums and cultural facilities
Visiting museums - an essential article of each tourist spending. Meanwhile, in Italy, there are many opportunities to enjoy the arts, without spending a single euro.
Many state museums and archaeological sites are free to visit on the first Sunday of the month (the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Colosseum in Rome, the archaeological area of Pompeii). Special offers are also valid: February 14 - two tickets for the price of one, on March 8 - free entry for women. Often in museums have free admission ticket or a significant discount for children.
Many priceless masterpieces of outstanding masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods can be free to look at the Italian church.
In order not to stand in queues, buy museum tickets online at the official sites. This will save time, but not always money, as may be charged a booking fee (1-2 euros).
If you plan to visit the many museums, it is better to buy a special tourist card:
- roma Pass Rome (72 hours - 38.5 euros, 48 hours - 28 euros): free travel on public transport ATAC, free access to one or two sites, the purchase of tickets to other museums with discount.
- venezia Unica Venice (1, 3 or 7 days - from 21.9 euros): depending on the class includes free admission to museums and churches, connected to the city Wi-Fi network, a single ticket for public transport.
- Milan Tourist Museum Card in Milan (3 days - 12 euros): unlimited access to the main Milan museums (permanent exhibitions). The list of museums is available here. Buy and book tickets to see the fresco "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, it is possible in this website. Map on sale at the entrance to the museum.
- Firenzecard Florence (72 hours - 72 euros): allows you to visit any of the 72 museums within three days. It acts as permanent and temporary exposure. It provides priority passage, without queues and waiting at the main museums of Florence (with the exception of the dome of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore). Children (under 18) attend to all museums free when accompanied by an adult holder of the card. Full catalog of all the museums in Florence with hours of work, a brief description and the location on the map can be found in the appendix MuFI: Museums in Firenze.
If you do not want to spend money on museums, more than walk on foot, get lost in the picturesque alleys, explore the parks and viewing platforms, look for hidden from the tourist attractions. To explore the city will help mini-guides service Triposo.
hotels
Large chain hotels are quite expensive. A significant part of the price of the overpayment for the brand. Fortunately, in Italy, a large selection of family hotels, boutique hotels such as B & B and apartment hotels at relatively affordable prices and with friendly hosts.
A word of advice: first look at the cost of the hotel Booking or another popular site for booking, and then try to find the official hotel website and compare prices. It often happens that on the hotel website are below. If you write to representatives of the hotel directly by email and ask them to make a discount, it is a good chance to get it.
Many are encouraged to book apartments and flats, but this approach also has drawbacks, so you need to weigh the pros and cons. Pay attention that there are no additional charges for cleaning the room or collateral for the property (this amount may be frozen on your credit card).
But in the long term (four days) apartment with kitchen and washing machine - the best option. Italians booking of apartments and flats through Airbnb. For longer rental periods (1 month), there are the local Italian sites.
Tours
Those who recommend to save on trips and learn everything on their own, do not value your own time. Yes, you need to walk, explore different historic districts, read guidebooks and articles for expanding horizons. But even if you look at dozens of articles before the trip, without the help of those who live in Italy, you can not 100% know and experience the country.
Modern tours are far removed from the standards of the last century, when the guides were charged tourists a learned history, a pile of dates and do not speak names. For Y and Z generations need a very different approach - live communication, emotions, and interactive element of the game. It is important to get the experience, not just information.
More interesting to chat with a guide like a friend, who will share life hacking, show secret sights and romantic kiss selfie-site for, will tell you where pizza tastes better and better shopping. As a result, by calling at least one tour in a modern format, you'll save time and see a lot more than if walking alone.
see also
- Life hacking for travelers: how to save time, effort and money →
- How to obtain a Schengen visa by yourself →
- The guide is not necessary: how to plan your trip →