I'm looking at going to Italy on a ~10 day "guided" tour. I want to go to Rome and Pompeii for sure. Not keen on a bunch of churches but may not have too much choice. Would like to see a bit of the country and not concentrate on those two cities. I'm also looking at going by myself which is a bit intimidating. Can anyone recommend a good tour company and tour?

We went to Italy last year and stayed in Rome but toured all over. We used a company called Rome in Limo. I emailed them prior to our trip and made all the arrangements. They were fabulous to deal with and very reasonably priced. I highly recommend them. https://www.romeinlimo.com

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Trafalgar ... took an Italy tour a few years ago! It was amazing. Guided tour.

Don't know a tour Company but we went up the Almafi Coast - all the little coastal towns and houses built into the hills. was easy to drive in Italy.

The Almafi coast is a must see

I'll go with you
Wendy!!!

Really? Awesome Nora!!

When are you planning on going?

Next year sometime. Got to figure out best time of year/cost etc.

Would you be interested with getting a few ladies together?

Sure!

I love planning trips ! You & I need to sit down & talk!!

Oh count me in!

See how easy that was Wendy!! Now we have 3!

Trafalgar!!

When are you going?
I'd love to go.

Lol

Uhh, Cory I'm thinking Y chromosomes will be not be on this trip....

for some reason I thought had shown up on a buddies post.
(which was actually above this post.)

Rick Steves Village Italy tour.

I suggest going alone. If your in a tour everything is at their discretion. If you fall in love with a place and want to stay longer if your with a guided tour you can't. I went to Portugal, Spain and Italy for almost 6 weeks alone and it was amazing, and very safe. And once there you can decide
To do day tours etc. Check out Viator.

We did italy as a couple on our own. But we used italyonabudgettours.com they were fantastic for wine tours in Tuscany and vatican tour from Rome. I suggest doing a bit of both. Tours give you tons of info and are a good way to meet other people. Going your own let's you see anything you want. Rick Steves italy tour book is a must for going on your own! Every restaurant we ate at out of the recommendations was amazing. You'll love it. Italy is magical. My favourite place hands down!

Been there twice.Do it your self, you can see what you want. Use the trains. Book tour of Pompeii at the train station in Pompeii and book Vesuvius same day. In Rome book tours at the sights or not at all. I suggest one for the Vatican to explain the artwork. Get a Rick Steeves guide book, it explains what you need and has great maps and walking tours....enjoy without the hassle of a tour group.

I went to Italy and planned my own trip . For all the other Day trips like Pompeii + Vesuvius , Lake Como+ Bellagio , etc you can easily go to Viator.com and find some Guided Tour . It's better to do your own and spend as much time as you can on each place than seeing too much and only have 20 min - 1 Hr to explore the place . It's much cheaper to do your own thing too .

Tivoli is an amazing day trip from Rome--the garden's at Villa d'Este are exceptional, I've been all over Europe and these stand out as one of, if not my favourite. Hadrian's villa is also quite good, some feel it rivals Pompeii (if not for its sheer volume).

We did 3 days in Rome this fall. There's simply so much history to see!! We did some guided tours, which can be great due to the stories they can tell. Early entry into the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums was amazing. But, we ditched the tour in the ancient Roman ruins as otherwise we would have missed most of the site!! Instead of 30 minutes, we spent 3 hours. So I learned a mix of guided tour and DIY is great. Pay for and accept the constraints of a guided tour where you would otherwise face a long line or complicated logistics. When seeing public spaces or the countryside, go on your own.

Some friends of mine run this https://www.facebook.com/LiveITaly.journey/?fref=ts. They are wonderful!

Alternatively try toursbylocals.com. You might find they're the perfect way to get exactly what you want

I literally Just got back a few hours ago from a month. I did Iceland, Paris and Geneva, Paris on either end but went to Rome, Pompeii and Vesuvius, Pisa, Florence and Venice. Only used a tour for Vesuvius/Pompeii. I went with viator, they use local guide companies. Trains make getting around easy. Depending on when you're going you don't really need to spend the money buy ahead. Only waited in lines for 10-15 minutes (except catacombs in Paris was 2 hours).
viator was great for Pompeii bc it included transportation but as another traveller said you have to follow the tours schedule. Almost every attraction you go to you can rent an audio guide to assist you with what you're seeing.

I am going with Globus to Italy for 2 weeks next September..all major cities plus Sicily & Capri. I just came back from 3 weeks in UK & Ireland with Cosmos which is same company as Globus. Went by myself and doing the same next fall in Italy. No need to feel intimidated going by yourself, you meet so many nice people on those tours and I've never felt alone on my solo trips! I highly recommend either of those bus tour companies!

How much did it cost you for these trips?!

Have done trafalgar to Italy and Greece. Excellent. Tour guides were amazing, great hotels.

Hi Wendy, I too have been looking into tours, and have found a few good ones. Depending on your age, Contiki has a good one that does a round trip tour of Italy. Contiki is only for those aged 18-35 though, however I would highly reccommend them if you are within those ages. I did a Contiki tour of England/Scotland adn it was the best thing I could have done. Otherwise Cosmos has a really good one that even includes a day trip to Switzerland! Cosmos is a good tour company that has a mix of age ranges and is still a very active tour group (no just sitting on the bus and not getting out to explore)Both are very resonably priced (2500ish for 2 weeks), its just the flights that will get you. Let me know if you want more info, I have brochures and a stockpile of information!

Here is the link to the Cosmos tour I'm considering: http://www.cosmosvacations.ca/product.aspx?trip=76390

Jack Clement toured us for 31/2 weeks this past July was awesome. Company love to travel. You can email him at [email protected].
You won't be disappointed!!! He knows the area you want very well. Is a Canadian who moved to Italy 8 years ago

Going by yourself would be great. I did. Used airbnb and loved it. Trains are great for travelling across country. They really have it together over there. Have fun on your trip!

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