Where to Stay in Italy

We have slept in hotels, Airbnb's, cruise ships, on trains (the overnight train from Rome to Palermo, which I technically didn't sleep at all on, but I tried), and on ferries (the ferry from Palermo to Sardinia), and there are pros and cons to each option.  

When in Rome, my very favorite place to stay is the Hotel Genova.  I am not being paid anything to say this.  I have stayed in other hotels and Airbnb's in Rome, and I would always choose Hotel Genova now.  

Here is a link to their website:

Hotel Genova in Rome

Here are the reasons I love this hotel:

• It is only a couple blocks from the Roma Termini station, so we walked easily from the train while pulling all of our luggage.  
• It was affordable!  I was surprised, but staying at Hotel Genova cost the same or less than most of the hotels we stay at in the US.
• They have a very good breakfast that is included in the price of your stay.  Lots of options and great, fresh food!  Served in a breakfast area that has plenty of seating for everybody.
• Their staff was very kind and helpful.  A bellhop delivered our luggage to our room (I did pay them a tip each time), and the manager arranged for a parking garage nearby to store our car since they do not have parking onsite.  He also offered to call a taxi for us another time we stayed there without a car.
• They allow you to store your luggage behind their front desk before and after your stay.  This is a BIG deal when in Rome, because the last thing you want to do is try to tour Rome while pulling suitcases all around (plus, you can't bring bags inside most places anyway).  Hopping off at the Termini to drop our luggage at the hotel, then hopping back on to tour Rome was SO convenient!  Then dropping by the hotel to pick it up before grabbing the Leonardo Express back to the airport was just so nice.  And they didn't charge anything at all to store the luggage, unlike the Termini where you have to pay per bag and per hour.
• It is a nice hotel room.  I admit I don't have as high of expectations for hotels in Europe as I do in the US, but it was clean and modern.  You have to put your hotel key in the box by the door to operate any of the electricity, which was a little bit annoying at times, but it makes sense from an energy standpoint.  
• It is in a safe area.  Most of Rome feels pretty safe, but some areas are a little less inviting after dark.  I didn't ever feel unsafe near this hotel, even though it is near the Termini.

inside our hotel room at Hotel Genova in Rome

Airbnb

I have also stayed in Airbnb's, in Rome and throughout Italy.  Most of them were fine, although certainly not 5 Star.  But now let me tell you a horror story.  The first time we went to Rome was with my son and daughter-in-law.  I planned the trip and booked all of our Airbnb's in advance.  I read the reviews of each place, wrote careful notes about each location, and paid for all of them before we arrived.  One of the places I booked in Rome was a few blocks from Roma Termini.  We got off the Termini and started walking in the direction of our Airbnb.  Graffiti is everywhere in Rome, but it was getting heavier and more prominent the farther we walked.  Homeless people were sleeping on sidewalks and one on a random mattress in the middle of the sidewalk.  My son, who served a mission for our church in Italy, became visibly more nervous the longer we walked.  He didn't think we were staying in as nice an area as the Airbnb description made it sound.  We came to the address of the Airbnb and saw that it was situated between two shops, all 3 of the entrances having gates that pulled down when the shop closed at night.  We rang the bell.  Nothing.  I had already tried messaging the host several times and had not heard anything back.  Usually the host of any Airbnb contacted us the night before to give us specific instructions about entry and directions to the location.  Only crickets from this one.  The shop owner next to the place asked what we were doing.  We explained that we had rented the Airbnb for the night.  He said that the day before, the government (I can't remember what entity he said) had come and closed down the place.  I am not sure of the details, but basically we suddenly had no place to stay now.  I called Airbnb.  My cell service was sketchy and my cell phone battery was dying quickly.  We walked back to the Termini and bought a portable charger from a vendor on the street, but it wasn't fully charged.  By this time it was getting close to dark and I was starting to feel frantic.  It was my first time in Italy and, even though my son had lived there for two years, I knew that he was pretty worried about us too.  Airbnb was great to work with, they called another host who had a place nearby and basically forced him to get it cleaned up and ready for us to stay there that night.  I'm not sure what they paid him to have it ready on such short notice, but he had it ready for us by 11 p.m. that night, so we just wandered around Rome until then (we checked our luggage at the train station until it was ready).  I never used Airbnb in Italy after that.  I have used it plenty of times elsewhere, but it was just too nerve-wracking to have that kind of experience when we were in a foreign country.

One of our other Airbnb's was in Venice.  The place was fine, but I didn't understand that you had to turn on the hot water at some place in the house.  My husband and I both took cold showers in the morning before my son found the switch to turn on the hot water.  The language barrier was a minor problem with Airbnb, which we were able to handle since my son speaks Italian.  Our other Airbnb's were fine, although keep in mind that most people do not have dryers in Italy.  Laundry was definitely a problem on our trip because we were there for 10 days and each of us only brought carry-ons on that trip (which I highly recommend -- pulling a large suitcase plus a carry-on around Italy is a huge pain!).  We needed to do laundry, but even if the Airbnb we were staying at had a washer, they never had dryers.  Most people air-dry their clothing, but we didn't have time for that because we were moving from city to city almost every day.  We finally found a laundromat in Palermo and stuffed all 4 of our clothing into one large washer, which the manager of the laundromat moved to the dryer for us, all while we were touring Palermo.  I have found that this laundry issue is not just an Italy issue - on our European road trip we also struggled to find somewhere to do laundry, and finally ended up stopping at a tiny town somewhere in Germany or Austria (I can't remember where) and washing our laundry for a couple hours before continuing our drive.

Bottom line is, I wouldn't personally stay at an Airbnb in Rome again, but I might try it elsewhere in Europe.  We stayed at Airbnb's on our two week European road trip and all of those places were fine.  I think Airbnb has improved their site and their accuracy of reviews.  That Airbnb that I booked in Rome had great reviews and the pictures looked amazing.  But the outside of the location made it clear that those pictures were doctored or just plain stolen from somewhere else, and the reviews were fake.  

Hotels

I already mentioned that the Hotel Genova in Rome is my favorite place to stay.  We have also stayed at the Roma Resort Termini, which is also close to the Roma Termini and was a fine place to stay.  Their website is here:

Roma Resort Termini

One thing to keep in mind when selecting a hotel anywhere in Italy is translation from Italian to English.  We stayed at a hotel in Palermo that claimed to have a hot tub.  It was a beautiful hotel in a terrific location.  We put on our swimsuits and headed up to the roof where the "hot" tub was.  We climbed into the completed freezing cold tub.  The hotel was on the mountain and the roof overlooked all of Palermo with such a spectacular view.  But the water in the hot tub was cold.  We inquired at the front desk.  They said the water is always cold.  We asked them about the description on their website of a hot tub.  I guess when the internet translated the page from Italian to English it assumed that a jacuzzi would be hot, so called it "hot tub."  That was only a minor problem, and kind of a funny story -- lost in translation, right?  Incidentally, I would recommend that hotel as well.  Here is their website:

Hotel Bel 3 in Palermo, Sicily

Cruise Ship

Probably the most affordable sleeping accommodations when touring Italy and other Mediterranean countries is an inexpensive cruise.  Our cruise through the Mediterranean was on Costa Smeralda with Costa Cruises.  It was around $600 per person for a 7 day cruise, which included our cabin and food, but did not include the cost of excursions, drinks, or Wifi.  If you don't mind drinking water all week, and if you can handle not being able to use your phone or computer during the time you're on the boat, you don't have to worry about those expenses.  And some cities you can plan your day without purchasing any of their offered excursions.  It can be a very affordable form of accommodations, and is one of my favorites - as long as you are visiting cities along the coast.  If you're going to waste your time traveling from the coast inland, then you might want to consider just staying on land.  I like doing some of both.  Here is Costa Cruises website:

Costa Cruise Line

Sleeper Train

We traveled from Rome to Palermo on an overnight train in a cabin that had 4 beds - 2 sets of bunk beds.  The really exciting thing about this train is that it travels across the water between Italy's mainland and Sicily.  They take the train cars apart and carry them across the Straights of Messina on a ferry.  I thought I would sleep really well, but I didn't sleep a wink the whole night!  I think I was just so excited to ride a train across the water, and to finally be traveling in a sleeper train, that my mind couldn't get to sleep.  The beds are not made, but linens are provided for them.  Here is the website to book a night train:

Italia Rail Night Trains

You can choose between the amount of beds you want in your sleeper car and how much privacy you want.  Couchettes are not segregated by gender.  When we traveled on the night train, my husband and I, and my son and his wife were all in the same train cabin.  It was worth it for the experience, even if I didn't sleep.  It's around $82 per person and the train ride from Rome to Palermo is about 12 hours.

Overnight Ferry

Grimaldi offers an overnight ferry from a variety of Italian destinations.  We slept on an overnight ferry between Palermo and Sardinia.  Here is Grimaldi's website that describes their sleeping accommodations:

Grimaldi Lines Accommodations

We had our own cabin with two beds and a small bathroom and shower.  It was definitely not cruise-boat level of accommodations, but it was fine for an overnight ferry to a different island.  I would use it as an alternative to airplane travel because since you're sleeping, it prevents needing to get a hotel for a night, and also saves daytime travel time.  For two people to sleep in an inside cabin, with breakfast for two, and wifi for one, it costs about 162 euro for a one-way trip between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Cagliari (Sardinia).  

Pravcicka Gate in Czech Republic

  Pravcicka Natural Bridge, Czech Republic

Pravcicka Gate, or Pravcicka Brana is the largest natural bridge in Europe

My son and daughter-in-law took me on a 2 week road trip through Europe.  They know how much I love arches, so they planned hikes to 3 different arches throughout Europe as part of our trip.  The Pravcicka Brana is the largest natural bridge in Europe.

You can watch a video about our hike to this natural bridge at this link:

Pravcicka Gate

In Bohemian Switzerland, Czech Republic stands a magnificent arch that you may have seen before without even realizing it.  The film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" features a scene at just past one hour into the film where for only a moment, Peter, Susan, Lucy, and the beavers cross a large natural bridge.  That bridge actually exists, and is not very difficult to get to if you happen to be visiting the Czech Republic.  The actors did not actually stand on the bridge - no one is allowed to go on top of the bridge because of erosion in recent years.  Additionally, it would have been very dangerous for them to climb on top of the bridge in the winter.  They were digitally added to the top of the bridge.

Although you can't climb on top of this bridge, which is 87 feet tall, you can stand underneath it if you complete a 2.2 mile hike, which is mostly uphill.

Our route from the starting point near Hrensko

My route tracker measured the distance of the hike at 2.22 miles

Park at the waterfall parking lot in Hrensko and head up the road until you see signs for the trailhead.

The trail is busy with plenty of other people hiking.

The trail is developed and easy to walk, although uphill

 

And finally, the natural bridge comes into view...

To actually stand under the bridge, you have to pay an entrance fee of 4 euro at the gate to the left of the bridge.  Once inside, you can explore around the bridge and even purchase a bite to eat.

Under the bridge

Me, my son Micah and daughter-in-law Jancy, and grandsons Krew and Kyden under the bridge

The view from the bridge is amazing!  It is not the same view from the Narnia movie -- that was digitally created or taken somewhere else.  Here is the actual view from the bridge:

See the hiking trail down below?

Under the bridge

Take the trail that begins behind the restaurant to get an even better view of the bridge from above.  It is a little bit scary for heights, but I made it and I'm terrified of heights!  It is worth it!

Notice the small arch on the skyline just to the right of the Pravcicka.  I have not been able to find out what that arch is called!

After exploring and relaxing under the arch and in the beautiful area up there, then it's time to begin the 2.2 mile descent back to the parking lot.  This is quite a bit easier than the hike up!