<p>We are finally planning, again, for a trip to Italy next summer. Our first trip there never happened due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland about 5 years ago. Time of year is non-negotiable as I am a teacher and cannot go during April vacation. Yes, I know it will be hot and crowded.
We are going with another couple with the possibility of a third couple coming, as well. We are leaning toward a tour group rather than trying to plan it ourselves. Our interests are Rome, Tuscany, Florence, maybe the Amalfi Coast. Not sure. We prefer not to try to cram too much in and want some free time to explore, if possible, and may add a day to the front of the trip to arrive early in Rome. We have looked at and are considering: Globus Tours, Trafalgar Tours (have some that are billed as a leisurely pace) and Rick Steve’s tours.
Has anyone used any of them or does anyone have an alternative idea worth considering?</p>
<p>We did the Rick Steves Heart of Italy in 9 days tour in May of 2012. It was our first trip to Italy and we were very pleased with the experience. What I especially like about the Rick Steves approach is that there are no shopping stops (although you generally have some free time each afternoon, and could shop then if you wished.) I especially enjoyed Volterra and Lucca (in Tuscany, the latter where Puccini was born) as well as Florence. We also made an unscheduled stop in Vinci, which was lovely and has a small Leonardo da Vinci museum.
Yes, going in the summer will likely be hot and crowded though. If I were going then I might want to put Rome off for another trip during a cooler, less crowded season, and focus on the more rural areas. Your preferences may vary, of course.</p>
<p>Coastal Italy is best in the summer, but the cities are crowded. The heat doesn’t bother me, and it’s really not that bad. I would never do a tour…prefer to spend extended amounts of time walking and experiencing for myself. Italy is so easy to navigate and so friendly to tourists that an organized tour is not necessary. There are plenty of great guides in the cities and around cultural sites that you can use use locally.</p>
<p>We also did the Rick Steves Heart of Italy tour, but we did it in July. Kind of hot in Rome, but we just sucked it up and drank a lot of water. Not a tour for people who don’t like to walk, but they are the most awesome tours. Adventurous people, but they plan every single thing for you to optimize your time. They have it figured out so you don’t have to deal with crowds much or waiting in line, see the best of everything. Busses only half full, smaller groups. I wouldn’t even put them in the same category as Trafalgar and Globus. Awesome guides, and in each city they hire local guides who are fascinating. We liked Francesca in Rome so much we hired her on another trip. My kids actually listened to her, in rapt attention, which is shocking. We only paid for about one meal a day and whatever souvenirs we bought, so it was a very reasonable price.</p>
<p>Busdriver,
One of the things that gave us pause about Rick Steves tours was a disclaimer on their website that says that some hotels may not have AC available. Yikes! Did you experience that?</p>
<p>Gourmetmom,
One of the things that is appealing about the tour is that it sort of equalizes any discord about what to do and where to go and how long to stay in one place that might occur with our small group of friends. It’s just kinda gonna happen the way the tour planned it. Since it is our first trip there, it might give us an idea of areas we would like to go back to to spend more time, etc. The other advantage is that my H is a nervous traveler and by nervous I mean cranky and impatient. It comes from his anxiety about making everything perfect for everyone but it results in nothing being perfect for anyone. A tour would take the heat off him and therefore off of me.</p>
<p>No EPTR, every hotel had air conditioning, and they were all nicer than we’d expected. I guess since many hotels in Europe don’t have AC, they can’t guarantee it will always be there or working. But I’ll bet if you get a specific tour in mind, you can call their office and ask what the likelihood is. They know what hotels they use.</p>
<p>One thing I loved about the tour is that I didn’t have to look into a single thing before I left. I didn’t have to research anything, it was all done. I should have read up a bit about it, and learned a few words, but I didn’t and it was fine.</p>
<p>I think the best way to do a Rick Steves tour is to stack it with a bunch of friends. Since they only have 20-28 people, you can put plenty of your friends on it and have people you know you like. I would not choose a family tour, to make sure there are no kids. YAY! No kids! Just because I think most people with kids go on the family tours.</p>
<p>I was not a tour kind of person, but recently I have been doing day tours, especially private tour guide, once I arrived at destination. I am in London with D2 now. I booked a day trip to see Stonehenge and it only had 8 people. Pros- we didn’t have to plan anything and the guide spoon fed us on all infos. Cons - the schedule was very tight, even with such a small group, we had to wait for others who may want to stay longer. </p>
<p>When we were in Rome and Granada we hired a private tour guide for few days and we were on our own other times. It worked out a lot better for us because we could stay as long as we wanted at any site and we were able to skip over long lines at some very popular sites. </p>
<p>We did a large bus day tour to a canyon when we were in Sydney. The only thing I could say about it was hell. We ended up waiting for 4 people who decided to hike further in than they were supposed to. They kept the whole bus of people waiting, and after an hour, the bus driver finally decided to leave them behind. We also did a small bus wine tour while we were in Sydney, and that was lovely.</p>
<p>It is very easy to get around Italy via train and there are a lot of nice airbnb houses/apartments you could rent. They would be a lot less expensive than staying at hotels. I would opt for planning the trip myself than going with a tour group.</p>
<p>You could be lucky to end up with a nice group of people to travel with, but what if they turned out to be jerks and you had to wait around for them the entire time you are on vacation. It may not bother others, but it would ruin my vacation.</p>
<p>We used Context Travel for walking tours in Rome after reading a review in the New York Times. We wanted the freedom to choose our own hotels and itinerary, but the in-depth experience of visiting sites with a guide. We booked private walking tours, but group walks are also available at a lower price per person. Our three guides were all PhD candidates and professors living in Rome.
We also went in July because we did not have a choice about the timing. The hot weather was not a big deal. We did a tour every morning, ate lunch, went back to the hotel to shower and change, then back out again in the late afternoon with dinner outside.</p>
<p>I prefer planning my own trips and hiring private guides similiar to what siliconvalleymom has mentioned. However if the planning part of the trip is unappealing, than I can see joining a small tour would be a good option. When I’ve done this before, the other people in the group were more than happy to let me do the work.</p>
<p>With three couples, you’re in the sweet spot where you can hire a private guide for some things at a reasonable cost but still tour independently (either as a group or individually) for others. </p>
<p>H is just returning from Italy (went there with D who is in school there). IMO it is better to have a planned tour, (nicer with a small group) because if you have to wait in line, pay for things individually there, it can be difficult.( H had problems with credit card, etc. ) Planned and paid in advance sounds like it would be an easier way. H hadn’t been to Italy in awhile and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of tourists–even this time of year. Off season sounds better–if there is one.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of tour guide so I can minimize driving in Italy. Is that a good idea?</p>
<p>We have done 2 Globus tours, and 4 Rick Steves tours. We also, depending on the place, do independent travel. If you have all been to Italy before, you could do independent travel, but I would not choose to travel independently with so many adults. You can’t easily drive cars and stay together. We rented cars in Italy once, and never again. Those people think sidewalks are a third lane, and stop sign shmop sign! If your H takes a lot of responsibility on his shoulders for outcomes, that’s another reason to take a tour. </p>
<p>Between Globus and Rick Steves, it’s not even close for us. If you want to have to tip everyone from driver, guide, and individual guides, and spend a lot of time being taken to cameo stores, go with Globus. If you want a generally more educated tour group, no tipping, and shopping only in your free time, definitely RS. They look more expensive, but when you consider all the extra tipping etc, they’re not much more at all. </p>
<p>We have done both Trafalgar and Rick Steve’s. In general, although we enjoyed both tours, we definitely preferred RS for the reasons already mentioned - no tipping, a well-educated tour group, and the disposition and professionalism of the tour guides. RS now has a tour type called “My Way” where transportation and lodging are taken care of, but your days are completely your own. (They will help you find and facilitate your day tours, but they are not provided as part of the package.) </p>
<p>We’ve done the whole plan-your-own itinerary thing, too, but H doesn’t like to drive in foreign countries any more (…we have stories…) and I don’t really feel like planning the lodging for our next trip. We are thinking of the RS “My Way Italy in 13 Days” trip for 2015. </p>
<p>Great information, thanks! (not the OP, LOL)</p>
<p>". We are thinking of the RS “My Way Italy in 13 Days” trip for 2015. "</p>
<p>I was thinking of one of those My Way RS trips, but I think the very best part of the trip is all the local guides they set you up with. Not having to plan anything or figure out how to do stuff. Though I know they advise you on that, you still aren’t going to get to go on their planned adventures.</p>
<p>We’ve (and when I say we, I mean my husband!) only driven once in Europe but that doesn’t preclude a plan-your-own-trip. You can hire tour guides from the different city’s and travel via train to each one.<a href=“Get on board on Italo - Italotreno.it”>http://www.italotreno.it/EN/discover-italo/Pages/overview.aspx</a> What I’ve found by planning our own trips is substantial savings and the fun of doing what I want to do. When we visited Ireland and Great Britain this past Spring, we did the Free City tours in Dublin, Edinburgh and London and they were excellent - we paid about 20 pounds/euro for each of us. There’s one for Rome - <a href=“http://www.newromefreetour.com/”>http://www.newromefreetour.com/</a> I start by spending a lot of time on tripadvisor. 
<a href=“Italy Forum, Travel Discussion for Italy - Tripadvisor”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g187768-i20-Italy.html</a></p>
<p>I may be biased, busdriver - one of my neighbors took a RS “My Way” tour and raved about it. She said that the tour advice she received from RS allowed her to arrange for local tours that were every bit as good as the tours she took with RS. Her glowing recommendation is one reason why we’re considering this trip to Italy.</p>
<p>We’ve done that, too, walkinghome for our trip to England and Scotland. Ttripadvisor was very helpful, especially in Edinburgh. I just don’t feel like doing it for Italy…</p>
<p>Train travel between cities in Italy is very easy - the stations are usually in the center of the city, close to where you are most likely going to stay. A car isn’t necessary and is probably a liability in most cities (not allowed in parts of Florence). I do think a car is necessary in resort areas such as Lake Como or the Almafi Coast to drive between all of the small villages…the local buses are harrowing on the switch back roads and I prefer to be my own pilot. </p>
<p>We’ve used Context Travel for local tours and have been very happy…very small group tours or private tours. I would never board a bus with sixty other people to see anything, it would ruin the experience…I go away to enjoy the local people, and loaded on a bus full of tourists sounds hellish.</p>