Travel Information in Italia

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:18 pm

Taking a Taxi

1)Always have your hotel address and telephone number written on a piece of paper in case the driver doesn't speak English, your language or doesn't understand your Italian . This way you can give him/her the address.

2)When you arrive in the city by train, just out side the train station you will find many taxi. I recommend that you stand in the Taxi Stand Line and wait your turn. You will save money by walking to it and getting the taxi there.

3)When you call for a taxi, or a taxi is called for you by the hotel clerk, when the taxi gets to you, you will see the meter is already running. The taxi turns on the meter as soon as it is dispatched, so you pay for the miles and time for them to get to you.

**You can also get a quote of the fare from the hotel or the your spot to your destination. Ask the person calling for you to ask. This will give you an idea of the cost. Often the meter may not work. Be sure to get a firm price ahead of time.

Many of the dispatch operators do not speak English so it is best to ask the hotel clerk, the bartender at the bar, etc.to call a taxi for you

4)When you call for a taxi, they give you the number of the taxi dispatched for you. This number is in the form of a placename and a number This name-number is displayed on the outside of the taxi, on the driver side door. Ask the hotel clerk / bartender for the taxi number that is dispatched for you.
Remember that the meter is running from the time the taxi is dispatched.

5) The amount to paid is shown on the meter. Most people tip 5%-10%. You may have to pay extra if you have luggage. Be sure to carry small bills.

If there is a Strike by the taxi drivers:

At the airports in Milan, Rome, and other big cities there places where you can rent a car. However, in most of the big cities there is not enough space and the streets are very narrow and there is really no parking. Then you must worry about a car. So, I would recommend this unless it highly necessary.

Check to see if your hotel has bus service

If you are traveling light, with a backpack or a small suitcase/ trolley, and arriving by train and walking to your hotel can be done.

Check the bus route near your hotel. If you have too many bags, the bus will not be a good choice for you.

All I can say is that many travelers have figured out ways to get to their hotels when there has been a strike by the taxi drivers.

** A GOOD THING TO DO: GO TO MAPQUEST AND GET THE DIRECTIONS FROM THE TRAIN STATION OF THE CITY YOU ARE VISITING TO YOUR HOTEL.

www.mapquest.com

This will also work for getting direction to your hotel from the airport that you fly into.

Important RADIO TAXI NUMBERS

In Milano: Radio Taxi 02 8585 Radio Taxi 02 6767 Radio Taxi 02 5353 Radio Taxi 02 8383 Radio Taxi 02 3100

In Rome:
Radio Taxi 4157: Dial 06-4157
Radio Taxi 3570: Dial 06-3570
Pronto Taxi 6645: Dial 06-6645
Other Taxi companies: 06-5551, 06-4994, 06-4157

Current taxi rates in Rome
www.threemillennia.com/taxi.htm:

Roby

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:38 pm

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:46 pm

http://europeforvisitors.com
Travel Article- Europe
Air Travel
Fly within Europe for only US $99 plus taxes--but read the fine print first.

http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/art ... t_pass.htm

http://www.europebyair.com/efp/index.jsp

Roby

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:40 pm

Telephone Tips for calling from the USA/ Canada to Europe; Within Europe, Europe to the USA/Canada.
Very helpful.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/phonechart.htm

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:54 pm

Avoiding Thieves
Always be careful and be aware of your belonginngs and surroundings

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/theft.htm

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/moneybelt.htm

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:25 pm

Options for Calling Home or Keeping in Touch: Cell Phone/ Calling card/Skype

I think a cell phone would be easier. With a cell phone, you can call home to check on how things are going and your family can call you.

If you have a tri-band or quad-band phone-GSM phone, you can purchase a 20 Euro SIM card :It will give you.10-.29 Euro per minute rates (depending on whether I was calling another cell or a land line.) Buying SIM cards is easy while on the ground in Europe, you can go into many phone shops (they are **everywhere**) and buy one quite cheaply and in a matter of minutes. Incoming calls are FREE with every mobile provider in Europe(When someone phones you, you don't pay when receiving calls)

Here are some sites that will be of help.
Purchasing a cell phone from this site I would highly recommend. It is easy to use.
http://www.ekit.com

You can also purchase a new, unlocked GSM tri-band phone online http://www.myworldphone.com for about $89USD, and a SIM card.

Here are other sites
http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/cell_phon...
http://www.cellhire.com/
http://www.pingo.com/en/mobileusers.do...
http://www.united-mobile.com

For calling cards
Calling cards
http://www.icallabroad.com/international...

Also, purchasing calling cards are easy. You can go to a newstand or a tabacco shop in Italy and purchase them. I would recommend that you purchase one for at least 20 euros. You must specify which country you would like it for.

Skype would be a great option as well. http://www.skype.com
Most internet cafes have the Skype service. Just ask and it is free to use and they have the headsets. This program allows you to call anyone in the world for free. If I wanted to call my mom's cell phone or land line, it costs 1.2 cents a minute. Translation. That is $1.12 an hour!! This is a good option for her to keep in touch with you , but a cell phone will help in case of emergency etc. So, I would use this option as only another alternative to talking to family when you are writing e-mails to friends.
You must have a high speed internet connection to use Skype.

Here are some Cybercafe links so that you can find the nearest one to you on your travels.

http://www.thenetgate.it/

http://cybercaptive.com/

Note:
Free Internet Access at Libraries
In many places internet access is free at public libraries with, on average, a 30 minute time limit. . Ask the hotel desk where the local library is located. So rather than waste a lot of money in an internet cafe or on an expensive phone card you may want to go to a public library instead. Most likely will not have the Skype capability , but you can write e-mails.

I highly recommend the cell phone as your way as well as your family to keep in touch.It is good for emergencies, making reservations, calling ahead to hotels , etc, If you will be traveling to several countries, you may have to purchase a separate sim card for that country. I would recommend that you ask the clerk at the store where you purchases the sim card in the first country what other countries can you use their card in. Anyway, I have given you some options.

Roby

Keith adds

Some of my friends have used them, and it works well they tell me:

http://www.brightroam.com
http://www.mobalrental.com

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:06 pm

Information for the Malpensa shuttle

http://www.malpensashuttle.it/e-default.htm

http://ticketonline.malpensashuttle.it/ ... efault.cfm

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:03 pm

For host families

You can look into an organization called SERVAS http://www.servas.org which was organized to encourage the sense of peace and goodwill among people by hosting travelers in one's own home; you can be just a traveler or be a traveler AND a Servas host. My farm friends on New Zealand's South Island are SERVAS hosts and seem to enjoy every experience they have with visitors. There is NO CHARGE to stay with a SERVAS host but in order to gain access to the Host guide, one must first be screened by SERVAS (relax, it's not too big a deal and something you would want if you were going to be a HOST, you'd want some assurances about guests) by filling out an application and scheduling an interview. Then, you're off to find Hosts in Ireland and any other place in the world you'd like to go and meet new folks. You'll probably make life-long friends along the way and see all you want to see & more with the insights of folks who live where you are visiting!!

http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/Italian-l ... ation.html
http://www.homestayweb.com/search.cgi?F ... 99&F14=ALL

Travel information
http://www.impariamo.com/forum/viewtopi ... 56&start=0

http://www.impariamo.com/forum/viewtopi ... 00&start=0

http://www.impariamo.com/forum/viewtopi ... 57&start=0

http://www.impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1794

Volunteering in Italy

http://www.volunteerabroad.com/Italy.cfm

http://www.globalvolunteers.org/1main/i ... _italy.htm

Working in Italy
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/public ... taly.shtml
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/public ... taly.shtml
http://www.initaly.com/travel/life/work.htm
http://www.studenttraveler.com/mod-Page ... id-75.html
http://www.anyworkanywhere.com/visas_it.html

Roby

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:09 am

Hostels in Italy

http://impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2068

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:42 pm

Netminder 30 asked about Travel Tips for traveling in December

http://impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2522

Rachel asked about Rome in January
http://impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2501

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:01 am

TIPS ON AIRPLANE FLIGHTS

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-207 ... luZy10aXBz

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:19 pm

Being a tourist

http://impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2545

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:07 pm

Tracking flight status for friends and family

http://www.flightstats.com/go/Home/home.do

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:07 pm

Steve's Questions regarding Rome

http://impariamo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2728

Roby · Post by **Roby** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:31 pm

Hotel ratings in Europe

http://goeurope.about.com/cs/hotels/a/hotel_stars.htm

http://www.superpages.com/supertips/wha ... otels.html

Star ratings in Europe are determined by local government agencies or independent organizations, and they vary greatly from country to country. In fact, star ratings in Europe can also vary from city to city within the same country, and even between hotels in the same city. In other words, there is no uniform measure that determines a hotel's star rating. Each hotel is rated based on details that often don't matter to consumers, such as the amount of tax a hotel pays annually

http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/hotels.htm
Star Ratings of Hotels
Hotels in Europe are rated by the government. In most countries the rating for hotels is from 1 star (basic) to 5 star (luxury). These classifications vary by country and are based on amenities. For example, a one star hotel may not have an elevator and the rooms may not have a TV. Note that these ratings are decided on amenities only, not on location, charm or beauty, so do not assume that a 3 star hotel will be more charming than a 2 star.

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Travel Information in Italia

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