Bus tours to Italy: how to plan your trip and avoid disappointment

We present you a guest post authored by Konstantin Zaitsev. Layfhakera readers are already familiar with Constantine for his article "Translation freelance: libertines or serfdom?"And"How to hack into English without textbooks: a short but difficult option».

Italy - this is probably the most watchable country, because it focuses quarter of the world's cultural heritage. Even a man distant from art, her visit is highly recommended. Architecture, sculpture, painting, food, language ...

We went there after all this, and more of the warm sun, air and the urban renaissance of European culture.

This article offers tips on how to avoid frustration in a bus tour of the Apennines, from the seasoned and nabivshih cones travel-hacking.

cooking

First, in Italy it is much more favorable to rest on the sea in between excursions to the coastal cities, than to buy a beach tour and then ordered excursions.

Second, the bus-tours are good off-season, and in the spring and fall, otherwise you will find a thick and expensive. The fact that in August we did not burn and not get tired, it's because of abnormally "cold" week with a temperature of +25 ° C.

Voro

The first thing we heard from the conductor on arrival - this is a warning to keep your things in mind, to carry valuables on hand and do not lock them in the safe room. The latter seemed to us strange and outrageous: whether the hotel do not guarantee safety items in the vaults, or huddle for the purchase of real burglar, or (what if!) so frightened warning guests will hide valuables under your pillow, where to get them - have nothing to do, and the guilty will Only the owner. Bearing in mind the effect of reflexivity (when you are told to do so, as it is beneficial supposedly you, but in fact the one who said so), we have already started to see this as a conspiracy.

From private conversations it turned out that the Italian burglar often penetrate into the room through the balcony. Having estimated, we have eliminated this vulnerability, just plastic covering shutters on the windows before you leave, and went to walk safely locked value (and they are more likely to be styrennye on the street or on the beach) in a safe. Only insane burglar climb in broad daylight butting with shutters, especially because of their closeness often speaks of uninhabited rooms. On the other hand, for hanging keys on a shelf in the waiting room almost do not watch - so we took them a couple of times unnoticed.

If we are such thieves situation in the north of Italy, then I imagine what is happening in the same Rome.

Hotels

Bus-excursion tourists lodge in the triple and Four-Star hotel, which can vary greatly in terms of convenience and nutrition. And do you know your hotel Only on arrival, On the bus, that is unreal somehow tune in to find out the location, read the reviews.

Note: almost all the Italian hotels charge fee payableSo that at the front cook 1-3 euros for each day of stay in the room.

Our first hotel was ubogenkim, and taking into account of a breakfast of coffee and a sandwich is more than nothing by today's standards is not pulled on the two stars. Second, although four-star, I disappointed in the details. Lucky only with the third: three stars, but everything consortium, design, compact and cozy. This buffet, lots of guides on hand, lounge music in the lobby, an LCD TV in the room with satellite TV - all that is needed, and of good quality. The impression is not spoiled even broken Wi-Fi, a slow erosion and window seized. It is the last hotel pleased the rest.

The bathrooms everywhere bidet but no shower partitions, so that the spray fly on the sink and towels.

beaches

Although the coast of Italy is very of extended, it is not always suitable for a comfortable approach. And given the considerable population, it becomes a "gold", especially in the north. Oppression, and, consequently, contribute to the commercialization of the beaches are also tourists from the neighboring Nordic countries.

Therefore, almost all the Italian beaches are considered pay. Because of this, they gathered, and equipped with sun beds, umbrellas, sporting equipment rental, restaurants and even a fenced grid football or volleyball courts. However, beach-savage hack works, and there we have never seen, to those who came with his towel around anyway. Moreover, in spite of the signs of the trade ban with hands on beaches herds scurry peddlers Libyan-Ethiopian appearance.

Adriatic cloudy and cool, Tyrrhenian Sea cleaner, warmer, but more rapid. Tolerant, if not sverhsolonost both.

Cities

Be sure to stock up card each host city. Thus, even on the plane you can identify priority locationsAnd is already in place to see where you are, how to get to the beach, where the nearest restaurant, what transport to get around the park, and so on. Although usually give more cards on the bus once it is done only on the way back from the city. On it we found that it was better to go the other way and see twice as many attractions.

Buy bottle of water just once, and then you can replenish it from the pump room with delicious water, which stand there everywhere.

Almost every Italian city is something to see, whether it is the town hall, market, cathedral, court, arch, walls, bridges... cleaned our provincial cities, but grabs debris. Developed cycling and motokultura, but rental is not massive, expensive.

Rimini. Like our Sochi, a resort with a bustling harbor historic core. Spectacle and entertainment to suit every taste - a little kitsch.