Here at Holiday Velvet we often get asked about where you can leave your luggage whilst you are waiting to 'check in' to your apartment or after you have 'checked-out'. Whilst you can always ask the owner directly if they are able to look after your bags for a few hours, left luggage facilities still exist at many major train stations and other transport hubs. These days, most of these facilities run on an automated locker system (gone are the days when you checked in your bag in as you would a coat in a nightclub). Remember that they may fill up at peak periods. Rome When arriving at Termini Station on the Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino airport, you can leave your baggage in the ‘piazza’ on the lower-ground floor (follow the ‘Deposito bagagli’ signs). It’s open 6am-midnight, 7 days a week. Venice ‘Deposito bagagli’ is available at Santa Lucia Train Station (open 6am-midnight daily). Cooperative Trasbagagli is a private company that will not only store you luggage for you, but take it by boat to your place of accommodation, saving you schlepping bags over the bridges and canals. They have two offices in Venice; one at the Piazzale ...

The centre of Rome is for walking or travelling by bus or tram. If you are looking to park your rental car in Rome it will probably be much cheaper to hand it back to the rental company and hire another car when you wish to leave your Rome accommodation. But, if that is not an option and you do wish to park your rental car in Rome, it does require a certain amount of advance planning. The historic centre of Rome is out of bounds to all cars that do not have a special pass and there are cameras and police at the entry points waiting to enforce the restriction. If a rental car does enter the historic zone then the fine is at least sixty Euros. If you proceed to park in the forbidden area, your car will receive a second fine, will have its wheel clamped or may even be towed away. Assuming that you are not deterred from driving in Rome, there is on street parking in certain areas but without a resident’s permit, it is necessary to keep buying a parking ticket and that can get very expensive. So, the solution to parking your rental car in ...

All roads lead to Rome and all trains too. Therefore, travelling from Rome for a day trip is usually very easy. For example, fifty minutes by express train from Rome’s Ostiense Station and you are in the fortified town of Tarquinia; 1 hour and a half by train and you will be able to admire the treasures of Florence. ROME TO TARQUINIA Tarquinia sits atop rocky cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean and is a fascinating medieval town, with a swimming beach. Worth visiting here is the Monterozzi: 6,000 graves carved into the rock that are complemented by beautiful frescoes. Also within the town is the Tarquinia National Museum which exhibits a couple of winged horses that were originally part of the town’s temple. ROME TO FLORENCE One of Italy's main art cities, the beautiful Florence, is only 1 and 1/2 hours by train. There are many trains leaving everyday from Termini station straight to Santa Maria Novella station in the center of Florence. Make sure you visit the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries. If you wish to stay longer in Florence Holiday Velvet has many holiday apartments in Florence. ROME TO BRACCIANO About an hour by train from Rome’s Termini Station is the village ...

Holiday Velvet partners up with Viator to offer you exclusive Rome tours. Here are the top 3 Rome tours booked by our guests: Rome Angels & Demons Half-Day TourIn a word: Unravel Rome's secrets on the 'Angels and Demons' morning tour, inspired by the novel by Dan Brown.Customer Review: "I have been in Rome three times since 2003, but I must admit that this was the highlight of my three trips to the city! Our guide made the historic sites and the relevance to the book come alive...." Skip the Line: Vatican Museum TourIn a word: Take a small group walking tour of the Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica, and jump the queue by booking ahead. Customer Review: "I'm so glad we did this tour. There was such a long line to purchase tickets and we were able to bypass the long wait..." Classical Rome Morning TourIn a word: Explore Rome's classical attractions on a morning tour that combines a little walking with relaxed sightseeing by coach. Customer Review: "Worth doing the tour in the morning to miss the crowds that gathered at each site during the day. Mostly a walking tour, but not arduous or too hot even in ...

Did you know that metro transport in Rome is very limited? The reason being that every time the Romans excavates to create a new metro line they bumb into thousand year old ruins! As a result in the historical center of Rome there are only 2 metro stations: Spagna (in the Spanish Steps area) Vittorio Emmanuele (at the top of Via del Corso, Rome's main shopping street). There are two metro station in the Colosseum area: "Colosseo" and "Cavour". Click for a bigger image: Holiday Velvet offers 330+ Rome holiday rentals

Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and Ciampino International Airport are the two main air gateways to Rome. LEONARDO DA VINCI AIRPORT ROME Located in Fiumicino, 34 km from Rome's historic city center, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport is the largest international airport of Italy. Leonardo da Vinci Airport, also known as Rome-Fiumicino International Airport, served over 30 million passengers in 2006. Leonardo da Vinci Airport, hub of the Italian flag carrier, Alitalia, receives most of the international flights. The airport has well organized and connected public transportation network. From Fiumincino Airport to the Vatican the journey by car takes 45 minutes »Driving Directions from Fiumincino to the Vatican CIAMPINO AIRPORT ROME Situated 15 km southeast of central Rome at Ciampino, the Ciampino International Airport is a joint civilian, commercial and military airport near Rome in Italy. The Ciampino Airport is small, but one of the busiest airports in Italy. Most of the discount airlines in Europe, such as Easyjet, Ryanair and Wizzair flights, offer flights to the Ciampino Airport, Rome. The airport is slightly closer to the city center, but it has no direct train connection. To get the train to Rome central train station Termini visitors need to first catch a bus. ...