Welcome
to Affordable Italy, your one-stop shop for all things Italian.
Whatever
you are looking for in Italy we can help.
Our pages are full of ideas - places see and stay, holiday homes,
hotels and apartments, flights, car hire, language courses,
plus many special offers, all designed for you, the independent
traveller.
Our regular newsletters bring you stories and insider tips such
as where to get a glass of wine and a snack for a euro! We’ll
introduce you to local customs and festivals, and take you to
truck stop cafes in the mountains that serve simple but mouth-watering
dishes on tables that are adorned with linen tablecloths and
napkins.
We will show you real Italy, and not just the normal three-city
excursion of Rome, Florence and Venice.
In a short while you could be cruising
on Lake Garda and enjoying a two-course lunch including
wine and coffee, that has only cost you €15!
Lake
Garda is beautiful in Springtime.
For a perfect Spring break. Your choice must be
Lake Garda |
|
City
breaks and short holidays |
| |
City
breaks and short holidays are an excellent way to discover
Italy, as there are so many interesting places to visit, and
most of them easily accessible from regional UK airports.
Travelling mid-week can save you money, but an early-bird
flight on a Friday morning returning Sunday, booked ahead
of time will sometimes astound you. So shop around for fares.
If you want a budget flight Wegolo
will search for the lowest price budget flight with a large
selection of European airlines including Ryanair
and EasyJet.
For flights and onward connections within Italy we recommend
Meridiana
Volareweb
and Vueling.com.
For scheduled flights Opodo
is a consortium of nine European airlines including British
Airways and Alitalia
that will give you a great selection of flights to
all the major Italian airports. With the scheduled airlines
you usually get an allocated seat, plus a snack and a drink.
But a major consideration is no mad rush to board the flight!
Taking all that into consideration, and not having to buy
a drink and a sandwich, you could find yourself saving money!
|
|
Hotels |
|
|
For
a choice of over 6,000 hotels in Italy, check out our
hotel directory where you will find a wide selection
of hotels to suit all budgets. You can read customer reviews
before you book, and get a confirmed booking reservation.
The great thing is you only pay for the hotel on departure.
So no hassle with payments coming off your credit card before
your holiday begins!
Choosing a location for your city break is important. You
can find hotels in Italy from as little as €45 a night.
Sometimes they’re basic, but they are usually very clean
and accessible to all of the attractions.The
Hotel Regina is a small, quiet property situated
in Florence's historical centre, in the San Lorenzo district,
close to the San Lorenzo church, and the San Lorenzo market.
Plus, the Santa Maria Novella railway station is only a 7-minute
walk away. |
|
Car
hire |
|
Hiring
a car is usually cheaper to book before you leave home. Carhire3000
will find you a car at your chosen destination. They check
all of the major rental companies to find you the best and
most affordable prices from a snazzy Fiat Punto at less than
£20/day to a classy Mercedes C220 CDI at less than £50/day |
|
Arriving
in Italy |
|
All
major Italian airports have a bus into town. These generally
terminate near the main railway station. With most airport
buses your ticket must be purchased before getting on. Airport
news kiosks and information stands will sell them. Always
make sure you validate your ticket on the bus.
If you are travelling with friends, it will be probably be
cheaper to get a taxi. Make sure you agree a fare before getting
in. But if you want a bit of extra comfort you can always
pre-book your destination taxi with Holiday
Taxis before leaving home. This way you won’t
be queuing for ages when you’re probably tired and hungry,
and your driver will be waiting in arrivals to whisk you away
to your hotel.
Unfamiliar cities can sometimes feel hostile at night. But
when the morning comes, the shadows melt away with the promise
of an exciting day ahead. So unless you have a pre-arranged
transfer, try and arrive at your hotel before dark. There’s
nothing worse than arriving late at night in a town that you
don’t know. |
|
Learning
Italian |
| |
For
beginners, Italian is a relatively easy language to learn.
But like any language the more you find out, the more complex
it becomes.
We have developed a short guide called Three
days in Italy. It is free to download and is
packed full of information. It can turn questions into commands,
giving you enough Italian to state what you want, without
expecting long and complicated answers. It is also full of
short cuts and enough information to get you through three
days in Italy. However, if you want to develop your Italian
further we can recommend
Linkword, a simple fun introduction to
speaking Italian. If you are keen to really get into the language
then the Michel
Thomas guides are excellent. Michel Thomas is
a very competent linguist and will soon get you into building
sentences that make sense. The Michel Thomas course just requires
listening skills, no memory drills or writing! If you are
already a competent linguist and want to take your Italian
to even greater heights, then we can thoroughly recommend
the Acquerello
italiano advanced Italian audio language programme.
Above all, learning a foreign language should be fun, and
you can’t beat Magic
Poetry a fantastic game using magnetic words
that is highly addictive. Good luck and good learning!
|
|
|
|
