Sunday, August 26, 2007

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Tourist Offices
The privately owned Enjoy Rome and the official APT and PIT are the best places to turn when you have questions about Rome.
Italian Government Tourist Board (ENIT), 630 5th Ave., #1565, New York, NY 10111 (212-245-5618; www.italiantourism.com). Write or call 212-245-4822 for a free copy of Italia: General Information for Travelers to Italy. Branch offices: 12400 Wilshire Blvd., #550, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310-820-1898; fax: 820-6357; enitla@earthlink.net); 175 E. Bloor St., #907 South Tower, Toronto, ON M4W 3R8 (416-925-4882; enit.canada@on.aibn.com); 1 Princess St., London W1R 2AY (020-7355 1557 or 7355 1439; www.italiantouristboard.co.uk). Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Australia, Level 26, 44 Market St., Sydney NSW 2000 Australia (02 9262 1666; enitour@ihug.com.au).
Italian Cultural Institute, 2025 M Street NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036, USA (202 223 98 00; http://www.italcultusa.org/). Often more prompt than ENIT. Has useful links about Italian culture and sites.
Enjoy Rome, V. Marghera, 8a (06 445 18 43; www.enjoyrome.com). From the middle concourse of Termini (between the trains and the ticket booths), exit right, with the trains behind you. Cross V. Marsala. The office is 3 blocks down V. Marghera. Owners Fulvia and Pierluigi answer questions and offer indispensable tidbits about the city free of charge and in perfect English. Enjoy Rome arranges hotel accommodations (as well as short-term apartments), walking and bicycle tours (see p. 328), and bus service to Pompeii (see p. 279). Additionally, Enjoy Rome offers a full-service travel agency, booking transportation worldwide and lodgings throughout Italy. Open Apr.-Oct. M-F 8:30am-7pm, Sa 8:30am-2pm, Nov.-Mar. M-F 9:30am-6:30pm, Sa 9am-2pm.
PIT (Tourist Information Point) (06 489 063 00), at track #4 in Termini. Run by the city, this English-speaking office provides limited information on events, hotels, restaurants, and transportation, as well as countless brochures and a serviceable map of Rome with sights listed on the back. Open daily 8am-9pm. PIT kiosks offer the same services at various spots around Rome. Kiosks are located at Castel Sant’Angelo (P. Pia; 06 688 097 07), Fori Imperiali (V.d. Tempio della Pace; 06 699 243 07), P.d. Spagna (Largo Goldoni; 06 681 360 61), P. Navona (P. delle Cinque Lune; 06 688 092 40), Trastevere (P. Sonnino; 06 583 334 57), San Giovanni (P.S. Giovanni in Laterano; 06 772 035 35), Santa Maria Maggiore (V.d. Olmata; 06 478 802 94), V.d. Corso (V. Minghetti; 06 678 29 88), V. Nazionale (Palazzo delle Espozioni; 06 478 245 25), and Termini (P. del Cinquecento; 06 478 251 94). You can get the same info from the Call Center Comune di Roma (06 360 043 99), which operates daily 9am-7pm.
APT (Azienda di Promozione Turistica), V. Parigi, 5 (06 360 04 399). Similar to PIT. Walk from the station diagonally to the left across P. del Cinquecento (filled with buses) and go straight across P. della Repubblica. Turn right onto V. Parigi, which starts on the other side of the church, at the Grand Hotel. English spoken, but not very well. Alberghi di Roma lists all hotels and pensioni around Rome registered with the APT. Open daily 9am-7pm.
Centro Turistico Studentesco (CTS), V. Genova, 16 (06 462 04 31; general info 06 441 111; fax 06 467 92 07; www.cts.it). Open M-F 9:30am-1pm and 2:30-6:30pm. Branch offices: V.d. Ausoni, 5 (06 445 01 41); V. Appia Nuova, 434 (06 785 79 06); C. Vittorio Emanuele II, 297 (06 687 26 72); Terminal Ostiense (06 574 79 50); P. Irnerio 43 (06 662 85 97).

Rome in a Day Tour

We should consider this tour, to avoid the lines and limit stress.
http://www.tours-italy.com/rome-city_tours-rome_day_tour.htm

Amalfi Coast Tour

I found an inexpensive tour to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast

http://www.tours-italy.com/rome-day_tours-pompeii_amalfi_coast_tour.htm#full_price_list

pompeii amalfi day tour

For a great Amalfi Coast tour, contact Francesco Marrapese. You can go on his website at www.francescomarrapese.com. He will take you in a very nice van all over the area; wherever you want to go. He's delightful, speaks excellent English and is very punctual. The great thing about a driver is that he'll take you to places that others don't know about. The cost is about 200 Euro for all day for up to 4 people. We did this with him last year and are taking another tour with him this April. He's also very flexible: you can stay in different places as long or as little as you like, and if you see somewhere you want to stop, he's happy to pull over and take you there.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Preliminary Cost Analysis

Flights (per person)
Boston to Istanbul $656
Athens to Rome $150
Rome to Boston $939

Hotels
Istanbul €45/night (1 night)
Rome $125/night (4 nights)
Greek Islands/Turkey/Egypt/Italy/Vatican
April, 2008

Day 1 (April 10, 2008)

Flight to Istanbul, Turkey

Grand Bazaar

Check-in at Istanbul Hotel

Day 2 (April 11, 2008)

Check-in to Norwegian Jade cruise ship – port Istanbul

Blue Mosque
Hippodrome
Hagia Sophia
Byzantine Cistern
Grand Bazaar

Norwegian Jade – Istanbul

Day 3 (April 12, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Istanbul

Bosphorus Cruise
St. Sophia Museum
Spice Market

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Istanbul

Day 4 (April 13, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Ephesis, Turkey

Magnificent Ephesis Tour
Amphitheater
Library of Celsius
Temple of Hadrian
Scholastic Baths
Lower Agora
State Agora
Odeon

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Ephesis

Day 5 (April 14, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Mykonos


Magnificent Delos Tour
Avenue of Lions
Mt. Kynthos
Mykonnos Cafés and Nightlife

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Mykonos



Day 6 (April 15, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Santorini

Fira Museum and Oia Tour

Fira
Museum of Prehistoric Thera
Oia

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Santorini

Day 7 (April 16, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Iraklion, Crete

Knossos and Village Life Tour
Knossos
Arolithus Traditional Village

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Iraklion

Day 8 (April 17, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – At Sea

Day 9 (April 18, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Alexandria, Egypt

Best of Cairo Tour Day 1
Citadel of Saladin
City of the Dead
Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali
Liberty Square
National Archaeological Museum
Nile Cruise
Papyrus Institute
Giza Plateau
Son et Lumiere Show

Cairo Hotel

Day 10 (April 19, 2008)

Cairo Hotel

Best of Cairo Tour Day 2
Memphis
Temple of Ptah
King Ramses the 2nd Statue
Alabaster Sphinx of King Amenophis the 2nd
Sakkara
Step Pyramid of King Zoser
Mastabas
Giza Plateau
Great Pyramids
Sphinx

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Alexandria

Day 11 (April 20, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – At Sea

Day 12 (April 21, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Corfu

Timeless Villages Tour
Paleokrastritsa
Monastery of the Virgin
Lakones
Kassiopi
Nissaki
Barbati, Ipsos, Dassia, Gouria, Kontokali
Old Town of Corfu


Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Corfu

Day 13 (April 22, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Katakolon

Birthplace of the Olympics Tour
Olympia
Archaeological Site
Village of Olympia

Norwegian Jade – Sailing from Katakolon

Day 14 (April 23, 2008)

Norwegian Jade – Arriving Athens

Ancient Treasures Tour
Acropolis
Scenic Drive of Athens
National Archaeological Museum

Flight to Rome

Roman Hotel

Day 15 (April 24, 2008)

Roman Hotel

The Colosseum
Pantheon
Roman Forum
Circus Maximus
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps

Roman Hotel

Day 16 (April 25, 2008)

Roman Hotel

Pompeii and Amalfi Coast by private car
Pompeii
Positano
Amalfi Coast Cruise
Amalfi
Ravello
Villa Cimbrone

Roman Hotel

Day 17 (April 26, 2008)

Roman Hotel

Vatican City (Skip the Line Private Vatican Walking Tour {Viatour})
Vatican Museums
Sistine Chapel
Saint Peter’s Basilica
Michelangelo’s La Pieta
Saint Peter’s Square
Afternoon Free

Roman Hotel


Day 18 (April 27, 2008)
Roman Hotel

Last minute exploration and shopping Rome, Italy

Flight Home

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Istanbul Hotel

A hotel in old section of Istanbul for only 45 euros!!

http://www.ilkayhotel.com/?do=rooms

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

check out this one


http://visitgreekislands2008.blogspot.com/

More changes

The step pyramid of King Zoser should be indented under Sakkara.

Day 10 changes

On day 10, The temple of Ptah, statue of Ramses and alabaster sphinx should be indented under Memphis. Zoser and the mastabas should be indented under Sakkara.

Day 1 & 2 changes

Add the Topkapi palace to day two, eliminate two cities tour and move grand bazaar to day 1 and 2.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

I prefer this site for the Egyptian museum

http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/museum.htm

Istanbul Day 1

I like the idea of doing Turkey day one on our own. The attractions seem to be close and the Hagia Sophia is on the Bosphorus tour so we do not have to have any duplication. We can spend extra time sampling the strange food at the bizaare.

Monday, August 6, 2007

ISTANBUL

TOPKAPI PALACE - ISTANBUL

BAZAAR - ISTANBUL

BOSPHORUS CRUISE

HAGIA SOPHIA

BLUE MOSQUE - ISTANBUL

ISTANBUL

Alternative to Amalfi Tour

http://www.tours-italy.com/rome-day_tours-pompeii_amalfi_coast_tour.htm http://www.gianpierofiorentino.com/index.htm http://www.tours-italy.com/rome-private_tours-pompeii_amalfi_day_tour.htm http://affiliate.isango.com/ViewProductDetails.aspx?ServiceID=3879 http://www.vaticantoursinc.com/tours/tour.php?id=17

Agora - best I could find

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agora

?

what else am I supposed to research?

arolithos village

http://www.magicaljourneys.com/Crete/Arolithos/arolithos-village.html

ephesus scholastic bath picture

http://summer-abroad.ucdavis.edu/graphics/Ephesus.jpg

new roman forum link

http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/4_Forum_Romanum.html

hagia sophia

you're right, good catch
I don't like the website chosen for the Roman Forum

Sunday, August 5, 2007

skip the line vatican tour

http://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Skip-the-Line-Private-Vatican-Museums-Walking-Tour/d511-3731VATICAN_P

mykonos

There was a link to Delos but not one for Mykonos

http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/mykonos/index.htm

spanish steps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Steps

st peters square

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter's_Square

st peters basilica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Basilica

la pieta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0_(Michelangelo)

sistine chapel ceiling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel_ceiling

sistine chapel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel

vatican museums

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

villa cimbrone

http://www.villacimbrone.com/en/

villa cimbrone

http://www.villacimbrone.com/en/

ravello

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravello

village of amalfi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalfi

amalfi coast

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalfi_Coast

positano

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positano

pompeii

http://touritaly.org/pompeii/pompeii-main.htm

limoncello

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limoncello

trevi fountain

http://www.romeguide.it/MONUM/STORICI/trevi/trevi.htm

roman forum

http://www.vroma.org/~forum/forum.html

pantheon

http://www.monolithic.com/thedome/pantheon/

colosseum

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Roman_Colosseum.html

circus maximus

http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/circus_maximus/

Monastery of the Virgin Paleokrastritsa

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Greece/photo642955.htm

Ancient Olympic Games

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/

modern village of Olympia

http://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/olympia/olympia-villages.htm

Village of Olympia Modern

http://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/olympia/olympia-villages.htm

Hagia Sophia Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

Great Pyramid Son et Lumiere Show

http://www.egyptsandl.com/shows.asp?show=1

Changes - Aug 5 2007

1) We should add arrival and departure times for each port.
2) Change day 2 tour to Capital of Two Cities Tour: Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, St. Sophia Museum, Hagia Sophia, Byzantine Cistern, Grand Bazaar
3) Day 7 - change Iraklion tour to "Knossos & Village Life" tour: Knossos - Royal Palace, Small Palace, House of the High Priest, Caravanserai. Village of Arolithos: Greek snacks
4) Could we add links to the archaeological site as well as the village and also a link to the ancient olympic games
5) Day 15 Rome - The Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps
6) Day 16 Pompeii and Amalfi Coast Day Tour - Pompeii, Positano, Amalfi Coast Cruise, Amalfi, Ravello, Villa Cimbrone (lemoncello)
7) Day 17 Vatican City "Skip the Line Private Vatican Walking Tour" - Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter's Basilica, Michelangelo's La Pieta, St. Peter's Square - Afternoon free

New Crete Tour

There are two possibilities: "Knossos and Village Life" or "Knossos and the Minotaur". I prefer the first one it is the same as the second but has an extra hour added along with a visit to a traditional village.
Minoan Treasures tour no longer availabl e (DAY 7 - Iraklion, Crete)

Minoan Treasures TourKnossos
***Royal PalaceSmall
***PalaceHouse of the High PriestCaravanserai
***Heraklion Archaeological Museum