Venice backstreets

Venice is world-famous for its canals, but walking around the backstreets is what Venice is really about. My stay in an apartment for a week gave me the opportunity to enjoy much more than the “famous” sights. You surely don’t want to miss the views Venice is famous for, but just walking around the city adds so much more.

Go out the door and just start walking, you never know what’s going to show up around the next corner or across the next bridge. In a week of doing this you WILL see all the “don’t miss” places, along with many that become your own “glad you didn’t miss” sights.

Rialto open air Market

Venice Market

Walked for hours and just want to get back to your apartment? You may be interested in the water bus system. Look for a future  post to tell you how to get around on the buses which also go to other nearby Islands like Burano and Murano. Venice itself  is made up of 122 islands with more than 100 canals. The buses serve the main canals but the only way to see most of them is by foot or water taxi. The islands are connected by about 400 bridges. So getting around is the same today as it was for centuries, by water or on foot. In the old center the canals are the roads, and you’ll see water versions of most land based transport, buses, taxis, pickup trucks, and maybe even a water version of the 18 wheeler serve the city bringing supplies and merchandise.

While you’re walking around you may have wanted to try a gondola but didn’t want to pay the $200 or more it can cost. Look for a sign (Or ask around) that says “Traghetto”. The traghetto are gondolas that ferry people from one side of a canal to the other. If you just want the experience of being in a gondola and/or for that photo op, ride a traghetto for just a dollar or two.

While you’ll probably want a washing machine for a long stay, few places will have a dryer. Dryers are not too common in European apartments. In general Europeans are more conscious of saving energy, which may be why many small apartments do not have air-conditioning. If you plan to do any cooking, look for information about pots, pans etc. Most apartments will have a complete kitchen, but the quality and quantity of cooking utensils varies widely. TV’s are common, but usually only local programming is available. Few apartments offer internet or telephones.

If you’re traveling by car be sure to check if parking is available. When you are close to reserving make sure you verify the total cost includes cleaning, taxes, etc.

While all I’ve covered in these posts may seem complicated, that’s just one way of looking at it. Most listings include all the information you need to make a decision and the owners are usually very responsive to emails if you have any questions. I enjoyed discovering a new way to find accommodations. It was a great learning experience and well worth it. This is the first time I traveled using apartments for my stays and it was one of my most enjoyable trips. Take your time, enjoy researching and finding new places and have a wonderful trip.

Below are some of the websites I found useful for my searches and as I suggested in the previous post, just do a search for “europe vacation rentals” and you’ll find many more. These sites have loads of listings, and some include B & B’s, homes, villas, etc. IHA for example has 8,880 listings for Spain – France 19,818 – Hungary 329 …

• vrbo.com
• IHA.com
• homeaway.com
• ownersdirect.com

In upcoming posts I’ll examine the individual locations I stayed.  I’ll also be doing a series of posts on traveling by train.

As I had booked a cruise from Miami to Barcelona Spain, the first location, Barcelona, was my starting point. After that I had to decide where else I wanted to go. This part is really wide open. In my case another decision I made was to do all my travel in Europe by train and not to do any long overnight trips. So even with high speed trains I chose places that were within a few hundred miles (or less) of each other. I’ll have lots of details in other posts about booking and traveling by train.

The beach in Barcelona

Here are the places I chose for my trip. Starting from Barcelona,

I went to Montpellier France where I made an overnight stay in a hotel. From there I went on to apartments in:

• Antibes, France
• Italy
•  Cinque Terre
• Florence
• Rome
• Venice
• Milan

The first place to look of course, is Google (or your favorite search engine if you prefer another). A search term like “vacation rentals europe ” will bring up many of the companies that offer short term rentals. While you may find an individual offering rentals, you will probably want to stick with companies like VRBO.com that list rentals for individual condo/home/apartment owners. VRBO.com is one of the biggest and covers most of the world, but you will find many others that compete favorably. I’ll list the ones I used at the end of this series of posts on apartments.

Take your time with this. You need to compare different sites, look at dozens of offerings for each location and the more time you take to do a thorough job, the more likely you’ll have a great experience. When you locate a listing of apartments in the city you’re visiting you’ll want to look for the following:

• Neighborhood, location
• Number of people it sleeps
• Number or bedrooms
• Square feet (often in meters)
• Photos – (I only chose places with lots of photos)
• Availability for the time you need it
• Price (varies with seasons)
• Amenities

If you think you’ve found a reasonable unit, read any reviews by past customers. Next open Google maps ( maps.google.com ) and locate the apartment. Switching to satellite view, in most cases you should be able to navigate down to a street view. Go up and down the nearby streets and see if the neighborhood is one you are OK with. The map will also show points of interest, restaurants, public transportation and more.

Build a list of at least 3 or 4 choices and unless you’re traveling alone, you should discuss the pluses and minuses of each,with your travel companions. If you’re a careful shopper like me, you should now email each one, let them know you’re interested, and ask for a reduced price. Be sure to mention anything that might help the owner feel it could be worthwhile to lower the price. Perhaps you’re a senior, careful homemaker, experienced traveler, etc. Half of the apartments I rented reduced the price at least a little. A discount can help make your decision.

More about choosing an apartment in the next post.

Hotel: Up in the morning, shower, get dressed, go downstairs and have coffee and corn flakes for $15 a person, or a more upscale breakfast for $20 – $30.
Apartment: First one up makes the coffee or tea. Take a few eggs from the refrigerator, and in just a few minutes you can still be in your underwear or robe and having a great breakfast for  just a couple of dollars. .

Hotel: Speaking of that underwear, after a week or two of travel you won’t want to forget to leave it and a few other items with the hotel for cleaning before you go out. For $15 or $20, you should have them back tomorrow.
Apartment: Turn on the washing machine before you go.

These are just a few obvious differences, and it depends on your lifestyle and needs, but short term apartment rentals can be a great alternative especially when you’ll be staying 4 days or more in the same city.

Florence, Italy - The Duomo as seen from Michelangelo's gardens

I’ve lived in Europe and traveled there many times. Years ago I stayed in an apartment or two when traveling, but that was when I stayed with family. My usual way of travel is fly over, rent a car and go from city to city, hotel to hotel. I’ve also done the packaged tour method a few times, where all the travel and tours are pre-packaged and I’ve recommended this in the past for first time travelers and others who want to pack in all of the “must-see” usual tourist spots.

This trip was different in many ways. It was my first trans-Atlantic cruise, the first time all the accommodations were rented apartments, and all the travel was by train. Once the decision was made to make a lengthy trip, the apartment rental became a good option. Thanks to the web this is a reasonable option. You can find many sites specializing in short term rentals throughout Europe. Below I’ll add some suggestions of how to search and find what you need. Generally the cost is less than a hotel, there’s more room, and you have a kitchen. Some apartments will even rent by the day.

Just as with hotels, you will need to make decisions balancing what you want against what will it cost. Do you usually stay at 3 star hotels or 5 star? The same thinking applies to apartments. If you have to have air-conditioning, help with luggage, a concierge, or even an elevator, then many apartments will not be suitable for you. Of the six apartments I rented, only one had air-conditioning, although in only one of the non-conditioned apartments, did I feel the need. Five of the apartments had at least one flight of stairs, so these are the types of infrastructure and amenities you will want to look for when you’re “googling” for a place to stay.

Renting an apartment flight with stairs in Florence Italy, provided a surprise benefit. Many of us travel to places like Florence to see history, and what the artists, scientists and people of the Renaissance did. The worn stone stairs of this apartment were first traveled by the people of that time.   This apartment had been built in the 15th or 16th century! Each time I went up the stairs, I couldn’t help but imagine people from the time of the Renaissance walking these same stairs. The apartment had been updated with modern plumbing and electric but was a fascinating place to stay, and just a short walk to the famous Ponte Vecchia.

Corner of the kitchen in Florence

On the plus side of apartments, most are far larger than a hotel room, have a washing machine, and at least a small kitchen. We used the kitchens extensively. Sometimes it was just for heating “Take-out”, but a kind of take-out you won’t find in the US. (I’ll have aseparate post or two on the subject of food in the coming weeks). If you like a lot of room, you’ll find even upscale European hotel rooms are quite small by American standards.

One aspect of apartment travel had more of an impact than I expected. Being away from hotel lobbies and fellow tourists is somehow more relaxed.  I enjoyed more of the lifestyle of the local people, even in places I had visited several times before. In the large cities as well as the villages there were many of the small shops that America once enjoyed. Butchers, bakers, (there was probably even a candlestick maker) and little grocery stores were everywhere. After just a day or two the owner or a family member behind the counter would remember you, and welcome you back. Street markets with fresh farm produce, fish, and meats. The bakers would be up long before you, preparing breads and pastries for your early arrival. Well I guessI’m drifting off topic somewhat, but not entirely. I miss those shops and all I found by living in an apartment. It was a surprising and rewarding experience for an old time traveler.

This type of travel is also suited to those who like to walk. We walked to all the usual tourist locations, occasionally using the subway in larger cities. For restaurants or supplies it was rarely more than a block or two to find whatever we needed, although we didn’t mind walking much further to explore different bakeries and stores.

Like almost everything in life, there are pluses and minuses on both sides of the Apartment vs. Hotel decision. If you’re not the adventurous type you may want to give it try for just one of your stops. If you read the whole series about this 6 week trip you will learn a few more things about using apartments for travel.

So how do you get started finding an apartment in the city you want to travel to? Well this post is already over a thousand words, so lets put that in the next post.

Video clip of views from both the blue and high (mule) paths.  (Press the “play” button)

click on the photo and see some of the sights in Cinque Terra. Later I’ll describe how to get around.

From Cinque Terre

This video clip of the Trevi fountain in Rome was made on about the 5th week. While the movie “Three Coins in a Fountain” helped popularize the fountain, the old legend of throwing a coin in the fountain has morphed to throwing three coins in the fountain. The newer legend coin continues the original idea that throwing a coin in the Trevi fountain will bring you back to Rome someday but goes on to a 2nd coin leading to a new romance, and the third brings on a marriage or divorce. Be careful what you wish for!

But that wouldn’t help anyway, because on this trip I will be leaving and returning from two different cities. There are several solutions so here’s one you might check. I have a one-way car rental for less than $40. Considering I have a 3 or 4 hour drive to the cruise ship, this is a great deal. I drop the car at the Miami airport and they have a free shuttle to the ship. Again this needs to be a part of your planning. Sometimes the cost of dropping a car off on a one-way can add $100 – $200 or even more. In this case there was NO drop off charge. I got an even better deal on a one-way rental for the return.

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The Epic is NCL’s newest ship, and with its great entertainment options, dining venues and great size, it should overcome any fears of spending endless days with nothing to do. The Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, The Second City, and Cirque Dreams are all on board. If that’s not enough, there’s always the Jazz and Blues Club, Comedy Club, and the usual cruise stuff like pools, spa, casino, exercise and more. I’m also looking forward to dancing a few nights away in the Ibiza style, Adults only Beach Club.

What does a 12 day vacation with entertainment, food and lodging cost? To find this level of Entertainment and dining you would have to visit a place like NYC, Vegas, etc. The last time I was in Vegas, Blue Man Group was about a $100 a ticket, dinner for two about $75, $150 a night at the Rio, throw in taxis or rental car, other meals etc, you could be looking at $400-$500 a day. Well if you did your homework you and booked early this 12 day trip could be had for as little as $565 each including the port fees and taxes. That’s less than $50pp a day for food, lodging and entertainment, and while you’re having all this fun don’t forget to add in what amounts to a free trip to Europe!

Travel expert Antonio Grogan will detail his upcoming trip (May 9 – June 18)  through Spain, France and Italy, starting with a trans-Atlantic cruise aboard the NCL “Epic”.  Antonio will share details of how he prepares for extended travel and ways to enjoy a quality vacation without breaking the bank.