Fran2020

What a shame. This is NOT a policy we expect in a situation on uncertainty we are currently experiencing. I hope your situation was resolved but even if you finally managed to get a refund I can imagine it cost you some time. Enough to blacklist a company acting like this.

Not the first time I see posts on this forum about tipping - to tip or not to tip :). I personally think the European model is much better than the one we are used to in the US, it always gives you a choice - if you like the service, you can always give some extra coins, but this is not a must.  

I have been to Italy not just once, and I have never noticed anyone got insulted when I left 1-2 euros extra for a dinner, but on the other hand it was always clear they never made a big deal of it, I am pretty sure the service would have been same even if I just 'd paid my bill and that's it.

On ‎6‎/‎5‎/‎2020 at 6:44 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I heartily second this suggestion. The best way to see Rome is to stay in Rome, in one of the hotels in the historic center. That way you can make best use of the time you have, including enjoying dinner IN Rome and the pleasant atmosphere in the evening when everyone is out for a stroll.

 

Getting from your hotel to the airport in the morning, the easiest option is to arrange a taxi (hotel can assist); the cost should be a fixed rate of 48 euro. There are cheaper options, but if your flight is early, I feel this is the easiest/most reliable overall.

Agree, to enjoy Rome you need to be IN Rome. A taxi from the city center to Fiumicino should take around 30 min.

Took a look at the hotel page. Looks great indeed, but from the price point is a little over my budget . But if I could afford it I would not hesitate a second!

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 5:54 AM, -Lew- said:

 

We booked a Superior Double Room for a room facing the Pantheon.   The hotel is on the Piazza della Rotonda...Piazza Navona is about a ten minutes walk to the west.

A Superior Double seems to be an ideal choice and if it has a balcony I think I could relocate there for ever :)

On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 11:23 PM, Travlin grrl said:

Agree with arlodog. Go to your roll call and see if one is already organized. Otherwise you can start the tour. Rome in Limo is a really good one. You can customize your tour. I did the Statue of Michelangelo and climbed the Tower of Pisa. I purchased my tickets ahead of time because they limit the amount of tickets and they sell out. Rome in Limo does the small tours up to 8 people? Maybe in some cases 10 , but we did 8. They can pull up really close and drop you off. They save a lot of time so you really get to see a lot in one day.

 

Here's a link to my blog about going to Florence and Pisa. 

https://travlintheworld.blogspot.com/search/label/Greek Mediterranean 2016?updated-max=2016-08-02T20:33:00-07:00&max-results=20&start=16&by-date=false

What a lovely blog, brought me back memories of my Italian wine-tasting tours, Tuscany is unforgettable!

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2020 at 11:04 PM, bennybear said:

You’re welcome,  sadly we often don’t get the European news.  It’s sad when it had escaped the devastating earthquake that damaged so much of the island many years ago.     People still don’t realize how damaged the cinque terre is from landslides several years ago.   

Yes, true, when was it? 2016? 2017? Very sad, such a picturesque area, all these small villages, I wonder if they ever managed to recover

On ‎10‎/‎30‎/‎2020 at 5:51 AM, napoxoguk said:

 

As small and medium businesses, Russian tour companies qualify for a pretty comprehensive stimulus package (off the top of my head, I can think of tax breaks and deferrals, moratoriums on ad-hoc fiscal and safety audits and creditor-initiated bankruptcies, as well as direct support, but I'm sure there's more to it). In addition, there was a substantial injection of cash to support domestic tourism (afaik, the government compensates 15 to 25 percent of domestic tour costs as instant cash back for consumers, provided that tours are  purchased from qualifying providers and via a qualifying payment system). 

 

Even with these measures in place, tourism industry has suffered a substantial blow, and there is little doubt the market will see some major reshuffling before things are back to normal. Frankly, I hope this reshuffling will lead to a more transparent and accountable market (remember recurring advice on these boards to pay with crisp US cash? How much of that cash do you think has ever made it into those companies' official books?)

 

That said, in the case of St. Petersburg, I believe the two most important components (world-class attractions and world-class talent and knowledge of individual guides) are still in place. Even if some companies go, there will be no shortage of others willing to take their spot - and no shortage of highly qualified guides to make it all work.

 

Thanks for a comprehensive reply, Napoxoguk,

good to hear these companies are compensated by the state. I was not really sure about Russian social security system, if it is good enough to support local businesses. If this is the case then you are right - even if some of the players go away, the most reputable and reliable should be able to survive. And yes, every problem can become an opportunity, and developing domestic tourism can be treated as an extra benefit.

My sister-in-law highly recommended Hotel Grande Bretagne. Quite pricey but as they were there on low season it was still affordable. 

On 10/25/2020 at 7:47 PM, bennybear said:

Yes,  maybe a month ago.   

Thanks, googled it now, looks horrible 😪

On 10/25/2020 at 5:48 PM, dogs4fun said:

Yes, I wonder this as well.

I suspect that this is highly unlikely. You could ask your contact at best guides but I don't think that Russia offers any financial support to these local businesses.

This is my guess too, unfortunately. I did not want to ask directly, I understand it might be quite sensitive for them, but from what I heard I got the same impression, and it is very sad. I am not an expert but I feel these people are really passionate about what they do. 

Thanks Iancal, I already checked locally and found out to my big surprise it was much easier than I thought. Worth doing it anyway, even if it is "just in case". 

On 10/13/2020 at 8:43 PM, dogs4fun said:

Like gnome12, we have enjoyed our stays in Copenhagen and found plenty to see and do. We are not into clubbing or visiting bars (although there are plenty of these) - we are more into the history & culture of the places that we visit.

Copenhagen is a very accessible city to those with mobility limitations. Note that in most of the palaces you can ask for a wheelchair (free) if you don't feel like much walking.

I would recommend a canal cruise (we usually catch our cruises from Nyhavn) - the cruise takes about an hour and is very relaxing and enjoyable. Another option is the HOHO bus - you can do the full route to get your bearings and a feel for the city as well as a brief overview of the must see tourist highlights.

Copenhagen also has an excellent metro & S train system - it is easy to get around without too much walking.

Some of the sights we have enjoyed:

National Museum of Denmark - Danish culture & history (excellent)

Amalienborg Palace (changing of the guard at noon daily)

Rosenborg Castle (crown jewels)

Copenhagen is famous for its open faced sandwiches and there are many excellent restaurants in the city. One of our favorite restaurants is in Tivoli Gardens - Groften (reservations are a must). We love to go in the evening when the lights of Tivoli make the place seem magical. 

https://www.tivoligardens.com/en/mad+og+drikke/spisesteder/groeften

Christianborg Palace

And, the Danes are delightful - we found them friendly and helpful. Hope you enjoy your stay!

Another vote for Groften, it is terrific! 

On 10/12/2020 at 2:00 AM, bennybear said:

 

We enjoyed it,  but depending how much time in port you could rent a car and do that and see more of the island.   Unfortunately Fiskardo got hit hard by the medicane, Mediterranean Hurricane. 

Oh really? I didn't know. Was it this year? Fiskardo was also on my wish list. 

We do hope we can make our Baltic cruise next summer  but have decided to put all bookings on hold until Feb-March. Right now it is very hard to predict if life will be back to normal by that time. 

Such an unfortunate situation for the tour companies! I try to review the websites regularly, to see if they are still alive, a it is quite obvious that cruise groups formed a significant share of their business. We try to stay in touch with the managers at Best Guides where we planned to book our private tour, and they still sound quite optimistic and full of new ideas, but I wonder if their passion can withstand another "empty" year. 

Does anyone know if they get any support from the government? Is it sufficient enough? 

I've seen some beautiful pics of a lake called Melisani - it is located on Kefalonia, right? Any feedback from the frequenters? Is it worth buying a guided tour there? 

On 10/1/2020 at 1:42 AM, bennybear said:

 

Again depends what island, most have very good bus service and taxis, unless they’re on strike.   We choose towns near a beach with good restaurants to choose from.   Some islands have water taxis that work great like Skiathos.   We usually rent for about half the time,  except Crete where we prefer a vehicle due to its size.

Public transportation on strike can cause huge problems, it's true. I have seen it a couple of times in Germany where I was about to miss my flight to the US and once in Barcelona airport, a security check took 3 hrs!!!

On 10/1/2020 at 1:38 AM, bennybear said:

Italy also requires an international drivers license,  as long as you aren’t stopped it’s not an issue,  but twice we’ve had spot checks with carabineri  and we are glad we’ve had it as your North American license doesn’t cut it, and they have machine guns! 

 

Don't be scared off,  just be aware it’s different and you need to pay careful attention.

 

 

You are right, forewarned is forearmed 🙂 If you say that Italy requires it as well, they I need it for sure.

But if you don't have a car - how flexible you are in terms of travelling around? I mean like going to a small village nearby for a dinner? Does Uber work? 

OMG. Thanks guys, you managed to convince me against this idea 😁. Tough arguments. And in addition international driving licence, something I never thought about. I have rented cars many times especially in Italy nobody ever asked for this. But who knows, might have changed too. 

Having a car is important, I guess. We also plan to rent one for the trip. Driving around is such a pleasure in Southern Europe, I've done a number of times in Italy and France, I expect same from our Greek trip!

I used to fly in to Sweden on a regular basis several years in a row and I loved the fact I never had to buy cash. All restaurants offered an option to leave tips with credit card, bus/subway tickets - everything could be purchased with no cash at hand. 

However we had one occasion when we used euros in a shoe store. My wife found a pair of heel sandals she fell in love with 🙂 while walking along Biblioteksgatan in Stockholm and discovered she forgot her wallet in the hotel but fortunately she had some euros in her passport and the shop assistant said there was no need to go and change! None of our Swedish friends believed it was true! 

Thank you! Sounds simply perfect - less people but still good weather. This is exactly what we are looking for

On 9/26/2020 at 8:05 PM, bennybear said:

It really depends how long you have.  Crete needs a minimum of two weeks, but offers it all without wasting time  travelling between islands.   We have been going to Greece for many years.   We prefer minimum 5 nights per island, preferably a week or two and really explore that area.  We combined Kefalonia with Zakynthos  for example.  

Five to seven islands would be two or three trips.  

 

You will enjoy the Greek sunshine, food and people wherever you choose.   We’ve learned over many years you see and enjoy the trip more if it isn’t too hectic.   So my best advice pick one general area, you Will return as it is impossible to see it all.  Cruising gives you a taste of many islands, but it’s not the same experience but will provide an overview of where you may wish to go back and explore.

Thank you! I would assume we could spend around two weeks in total or a little less, so if you say combining Kefalonia and Zakynthos works well, definitely could be an option. 

On 11/18/2019 at 9:31 AM, iancal said:

We have done  numerous land and cruise trips in the Med in early -mid Oct over the years.  One of our favourite areas.    The first part of the month has always been good in the Cyclades, on the Turkish coast Bodrum, Antalya, etc, on Crete.  Same for Sicily and Malta in our experience  Good enough to swim and sunbathe.

 

After that it is a crap shoot.  You cannot predict the weather.   We have had beautiful sunny days thought to November.  On one trip we had some cooler days and intermittent rain.  In Sicily mid Oct we  rain in the Aeolean Islands (eastern Sicily) with wind that prevented us from going by boat to other islands.  A week later we were swimming and sunbathing on a beach near Erice on the western side of Sicily.   We have experience similar weather in Crete.

Hi Iancal,

so first half of October should be fine, right? I had a fear it could be already a little chilly for swimming and sunbathing. On the other hand I would prefer October as it seems to be way less crowded, but if there is a big chance for rains and winds it does not make much sense.