Travel for Rookies has selected the top travel sites below for your travel needs.
After a lot of my own travels in Italy, I found these to be the most competitive and user-friendly sites. Pay close attention to the Rookie Hints & Savings Tips!
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CheapOair
Pros: Book online or call their toll-free number; they have a great multi-city flight search function for multiple legs; and they usually have an immediate discount off already cheap airfares.
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Vayama
Vayama specializes in international flight searches and can include alternative methods of transportation like bus/train rides to save some bucks but be sure to look closely at the itinerary. However their discounted int’l flight specials can save you around $50-$100 buckaroos!
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Hipmunk
Simplest interface, almost elementary actually, and their colorful design makes it super easy differentiate the airlines. It’s Rookie proof and makes comparing flights a joy!
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Airlines to Venice
Click on the image to get the list of the various airlines that go to Venice, Italy. Some may even be offering Rookie Savings for you!
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Airfare.com
Airfare.com has a great calendar function as soon as you enter your destination cities and the month, so you can quickly decipher what day is cheaper to fly on! When doing my price comparison they have usually come in at $10 less than other competing aggregator sites.
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Trenitalia
Find train fare throughout Italy in a few clicks. This is the Italy’s official railway site. Rookie Hint: Be sure to click on “All Solutions” to see the cheaper fares, since they like to only show the most expensive ones first!
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Rail Europe
This takes you to the latest promotions by Rail Europe. You can get a Eurail pass or unlimited Italy train pass at a discounted rate!
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CarhireVenice
This aggregator site particularly catered to Venice tourists includes car rental companies such as Avis, Budget, Hertz and Thrifty. It’s a quick one stop shop when looking to rent your car in Venice or Marco Polo airport.
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Cruises and Ferries
Find out which cruise lines come and leave from Venice’s dock; which cruise lines go to Sicily, Croatia, and Greece; and the easiest system to book those cruises. Rookie Savings: Find an inexpensive and scenic way to get to Sardinia and Elba Island!
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Holiday Velvet
Apartment hunting made easy! The interface rocks, the apartments are high-end, centrally located, but with rates as low as €100/nt for 4 ppl! I’m talking Grand Canal, St.Mark’s square and San Polo district locations!
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HostelsClub
HostelsClub.com is a Venice-born company with over 25,000 properties worldwide for budget travelers, and no membership required. This includes apartments, B&Bs, guest houses and more, so don’t be fooled by the name. Rookie Tip: Become a facebook fan so you can get their membership card for free which allows you to get additional discounts at Venice’s restaurants and bars!
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Rentalia
This site has few, but well-picked apartment rentals which aren’t sketchy and have good pictures. You can book apartments in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Their map feature is helpful and the prices start from $100-$120/nt! Perfect for a couple or families.
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SleepingVenice
Where else can you find an apartment for 30€ a person in Venice’s city center? They have awesome apartments and great service. A Rookie Recommendation since it’s all about living like a local even during your short stay! They also have SleepingRome.com if you’re headed there too!
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HostelsConnections.com
Book a bed from over 1,000 hostels worldwide. Get cheap beds and there are no booking fees! The site is in 6 different languages.
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Groupon – Venezia
Find out how you can get the latest Groupon deal for a cheap stay in Venice for Two! Or you could really find out how to stay for $30 for Two with the Venice for Rookies guidebook.
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Charisma Communication Program
This unique school just 20 minutes outside Venice is perfect for people who want to enter the EU-Italian workforce. They take care of visas for the 2-8 week programs, Italian schooling, accommodation in a villa, and help you network. If you want to just take in the culture, they also have cultural programs including painting, culinary, and architecture courses! Tell ‘em Bianca sent you so they can take even better care of you.
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Venicetravelitaly.com
Find some great restaurants, hostels and attraction information on Venice from this site that Paul and his Italian wife maintain.
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Select Italy
This site is a one-stop shop for Italy travel. Buy your Trenitalia train tickets or reserve seats of musical and opera events hassle-free!
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Skyscanner
I heart Skyscanner! It has a really easy search engine which includes most major lost cost airlines within Europe and you can also easily search for the best price with their calendar view!
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Bravofly
Bravofly is a search engine for European airlines, but the best part is their low cost map which automatically points you in the right direction if you’re looking for cheap getaways last minute!
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European Low Cost Airlines
Check out the low-cost airlines that leave VCE everyday and where they get you to!
Hand-picked them myself.

