Pre-packaged tours of Italy

Jay_Gatsby

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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Well folks, I've decided that I need a vacation. :) I'm looking at going to Italy.

Although it would be an interesting experience to plan every little step of the way, I would far prefer not to reinvent the wheel. Accordingly, I would welcome any suggestions as to companies from which I can purchase a pre-packaged Italy trip for 7-days, with a choice of various itineraries (e.g., 2-3 cities, airfare, transportation, etc...) Essentially, I don't want to do any planning except when I want to go (late-April), and what package I want.

Can anyone help?
 
I've been looking at some of the friendlyplanet.com packages for a few years. Haven't gone on any, but I did due diligence on the company, and they seem legitimate, reputable, and customers seemed happy (do your own DD, of course, counsel ;) ).

$700 plus tax and tip for 7 days in Athens and around there. Probably the cost from new york.

http://www.friendlyplanet.com/athens.asp

I think they are all sold out right now on the Athens trip. Maybe they'll have more later? Dunno.

I've been eyeing the $900 Amazing Thailand deal from LAX for 14 days.
 
justin said:
I've been looking at some of the friendlyplanet.com packages for a few years.  Haven't gone on any, but I did due diligence on the company, and they seem legitimate, reputable, and customers seemed happy (do your own DD, of course, counsel ;) ).

$700 plus tax and tip for 7 days in Athens and around there.  Probably the cost from new york. 

http://www.friendlyplanet.com/athens.asp

I think they are all sold out right now on the Athens trip.  Maybe they'll have more later? Dunno.

I've been eyeing the $900 Amazing Thailand deal from LAX for 14 days. 

Unfortunately, Friendlyplanet doesn't seem to have anything for Italy.  However, I did like the menu feature that allows you to search by length and total cost.
 
Brain fart. :) I hate to admit that I temporarily thought Athens was in Italy. Sorry! I now know it is in Greece. Goes to show what hurried browsing of their site can do to you. They do have some good deals though. And I think they are a little bit less planned than some package deals - ie - you can take off during the day and do your thing, or sign up for their optional excursions/events and pick from their menu of activities. I'm not really the package tour type, but having them preplan excursions takes some of the googling, legwork and stress out of vacationing.
 
justin said:
I'm not really the package tour type, but having them preplan excursions takes some of the googling, legwork and stress out of vacationing.

I'm not normally one for the package tours either, but since I'm not going alone I thought that a packaged tour might make it less stressful for the both of us. I've browsed Expedia and a few other travel sites, but none of them seem to offer a pre-packaged Italy trip (e.g., 3-nights Rome, 2-nights Florence, etc...) For many years, travel agents had dozens of brochures for such trips, but I guess times have changed.
 
Maybe call up a local travel agent and see what's up. Get em to mail you some glossy color brochures. I'm sure these type of trips are out there. Somewhere.
 
justin said:
Maybe call up a local travel agent and see what's up.  Get em to mail you some glossy color brochures.  I'm sure these type of trips are out there.  Somewhere.

That might be a decent place to start. There are plenty of travel guides to Rome and Italy in general, but I don't want to start with them. Once I've determined the general itinerary and the cost, then I'll delve into exactly what I want to see in each particular city.
 
Take a look at ricksteves.com

He has tours you can book and lots of info on how you can do it yourself.
His travel books on Europe are great.  They are usually in the library
along with his videos.
 
Rome, The Vatican, Florence, Venice, Tuscany,Naples, etc, so much to see, so little time.
 
skipper said:
Take a look at ricksteves.com

I second RickSteves.  We (DW DD) took his week in Rome and then added a week on our own.  Our guide was first cabin and got us into places you would spend a lot of time in line to see.  One of our best day of the trip was when we went to Atria (sp?), which was Rome's ancient seaport. 
Rick Steves makes his name at showing people how locals live.  Hotels are good 3 stars but you would not spend much time in them.
Read the comments on his website from other travelers.
After Rome we went on our own via train to Sienna, Florence, Venice, and Ravena. The eastern coast offers a lot and generally does not get the tourist attention.
If you are there over Easter, do NOT plan to use public transportation.
Our two weeks in Italy rank as our all time favorite---just phenomenal wine, food, and sights.
nwsteve
 
Just here to second Cut-Throat. You will have a much more relaxing time if you pick one or two places and settle in. If you try to "do" Italy with a package tour I imagine you will spend a good part of the time in a bus, or scuttling around trying to hear what the lady with the umbrella is telling you about painting X or monument Y. You rush out of the bus for about long enough to take a snapshot of something that there's a better postcard of, anyway..

The problem with Rick Steves is that, having established his "off the beaten track" system with enormous success, his tracks are now pretty-well beaten, i.e., I have heard tell of little out-of-the-way trattorias where there aren't any locals anymore, just a bunch of foreigners clutching Rick Steves' books....

Take a deep breath and head over to the Slow Travel website. It may seem daunting to have to pick and choose, because initially you want to see EVERYthing. Now some type A Americans need to have a checklist to feel like their vacation has been "accomplished".. [Every hear anyone talk about going to Africa without hearing the phrase "Big Five"?? Makes me cringe.] If you can ditch that mentality you will be much happier. If you have to have an organizing theme, pick something that has a personal meaning to you. Are you more interested in the art? The food? Landscapes and long walks? Religious sites? Architecture? History? Fishing? Mountains? Cities?

If you really don't feel up to flying solo, there are smaller focused tours that would probably a better choice, though they are more pricey than the classic "package."

Anyone remember that movie, "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium.."? I wonder if it's as funny as I recall or if it's one of those things that doesn't age well.

Anyway, here's the link: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/. They have message boards and sections about trip planning.

Have fun!
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Unfortunately, nothing that I've seen online resembles what I believe is (or should be) out there in terms of a pre-packaged deal for 2-3 cities in Italy for a week. Every site I've visited deals in separate hotel, airline(s), individual cities, etc... All I'm trying to do is save myself the hassle of researching every city for all of the pertinent details (e.g. quality hotels, how long I should stay in each city, train tickets/rental car, etc...), and also the hassle of booking such details.

Growing up I always saw travel agents handing out brochures with pre-packaged trips to European destinations, varying in price based on the style in which you wanted to travel.

Apologies for the rant, but I'm becoming so frustrated by NOT finding what would be logical that I'm getting to the point of simply resigning myself to the task of handling all of the details myself (with the invariable 1-3 things that can and will go wrong). I thought people took vacations to relax, not get stressed over taking one. :(
 
I clicked on the google link at the bottom of this thread for "Italian Vacation Packages" or something like that. I think I found what you are looking for.

http://www.goaheadtours.com/master/destination/overview.asp?tourcode=NSR

Granted, it's 9 days, but I'm sure there are a dozen more like this out there. The tour goes through Naples, Sorrento and Rome. The company has a bunch of other Italy packages too. Is this the type of deal you are looking for? The kind where they fly you there, put you up in hotels and ride you around in a bus and take you to tours? Looks like some meals are included too.
 
http://tinyurl.com/8kkad

http://www.trafalgartours.com/USA/Home
(this seems to have a good search, including budget, and a number of different 'levels' of tour)

http://www.globusandcosmos.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1394

http://www.abercrombiekent.com/index.cfm?navid=3.6.3.2

http://www.atlastravelweb.com/italytour.shtml

now I found these in about 5 minutes (gee, Jay, you really DO want someone to do all the work for you!) but there are over 5 MILLION Google hits for "italy" "package" "tour"...

Don't stress yourself out! Open up a nice bottle of Chianti, put out a few olives in a little dish, pop in a CD of Andrea Bocelli and start relaxing!

EDIT: Shortened URL
 
Jay_Gatsby said:
...I'm getting to the point of simply resigning myself to the task of handling all of the details myself (with the invariable 1-3 things that can and will go wrong).  I thought people took vacations to relax, not get stressed over taking one. :(

I actually view doing all the planning as a positive.  It gives you the chance to learn a little about the place you will visit.  Even when you look for a hotel to book, many times the hotel websites have a "things to do" link that can guide you to things in which you may be interest.

If you research the location of the place you want to visit, you can learn enough about it so you don't go there cold.

I make my own trip planner whenever I visit a location and use it more like a framework than a strict plan.

To build my own customized vacation planner I use resources like...

http://www.frommers.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Travel agency websites like http://www.collettevacations.com/

Location tourism websites

Library videos and books

Vacation blogs
 
Jay,
Would you consider a Mediterranean Cruise? I don't know what season they go, but it would solve your problem of not wanting to pack up and move around so much, and not having to plan anything.

If you're into that sort of thing.
 
If price is of any concern, the EasyCruise looks pretty interesting. IIRC, it goes in a circle every 7 days, and hits a different port in the french and italian rivieras each night.

http://www.easycruise.com/

The accomodations and atmosphere seems more "spring break" than "cultural and refined". That's at least the impression the marketers gave me from the photos on their website.

Problem is, you'd still be responsible for your own entertainment during the day.
 
Cut-Throat said:
Travel can be exhausting, but those of us that like to do it, are resigned to that fact. I always say that I need a vacation after my vacation so that I can rest up.

I think there is a distinction between "travel" and "vacation."  Some, like CT is describing, want to travel - plan stuff, see stuff, meet people, explore, wander.   Others, as I think Jay is saying, want to relax.   They want to do it in an interesting place with pleasant weather, but they want not to have to think, plan and worry, as that's what they are trying to get away from.

Both options make sense for different people, or even the same people at different times.
 
Wow, so many great responses.

To answer the general question, no, I'm not looking for one of those fully-escorted bus tours.  Rather, what I'd prefer is just simply a package that includes airfare, hotel and options for travel within the cities/between the cities.  Essentially, I want someone to have done the work on determining where I should stay and for how long.  What I don't want to have to do is read dozens of hotel reviews online (with the accompanying "best foot forward" photos/reviews), and then later find myself in a hotel with bad service, bad rooms, etc...  The same goes for restaurants.  I've been down that road more times than I can count, and tell myself each time it happens that I won't let it happen again.

As for liking to travel -- I do like to travel.  However, I don't excuse/tolerate poor service or poor quality (hotel, restaurant, etc...) as simply part of the "experience" of traveling.  Buying a package from a reputable travel agent/company removes much of the guesswork from the planning, and ensures at least some baseline level of quality (assuming you choose the "right" travel agent/company).

Edit: Sheryl hit it right on the head. I want the vacation, not just the travel experience.
 
bleah!  :p  I think you would have to pay me to go on another cruise. We did Venice, Drubrovnik, various Greek Islands, Bari.

Best part: waking up in the AM, looking out the window and seeing the port of a new place gliding into view!

Worst part: almost everything else. The one day you spend in each place means: Get up at 6 or 7 to manage to have breakfast and be off the ship by 8 or 8:30, along with about 1000 of your fellow passengers (mooo!). Clamber onto a fleet of 30 or 40 pullman buses that take you to the spot of interest (never near the port; the port zones are fairly scuzzy). Follow the guide with the umbrella for a while, get a 10 or 15-minute break to buy postcards or have a coffee, then.. back in the bus and back to the ship. You pay extra, BTW, for each on-shore excursion. We were also bused to the obligatory gift shop where the bus driver has an "arrangement" (wink, wink) with the owner--held hostage is more like it--and where you end up buying trinkets for friends back home regardless just because you have no time to shop in any of the more interesting local stores as you are traipsing after the lady with the umbrella.

Since you have paid to eat on the ship you don't get to try the local cuisine. If you choose not to go on the planned excursions, you're on your own getting from the port to any town or beach, so you're no better off than if you were traveling solo. You'd want a map and a guidebook and some idea of how not to get ripped off by the foreign taxi driver. Then you're anxious about being able to get back to the ship before it leaves, 'cause it ain't waiting for you...

After a few days of this, we just didn't even get off the boat one day because we wanted to relax! We just hung out on the deck reading and sunning ourselves. We were "in" Greece, but we could have read books at home!

Then you look at the bill for your "all-inclusive" trip and realize they've been charging you $2 or $3 for eaxh pint of bottled water.

The food was OK, the entertainment was charmingly mediocre, the atmosphere is schizophrenic because on the one hand it's "de-luxe" and on the other it's flip-flops.. The most irritating thing was trying to get out of earshot of the hyperactive "animators", those employees that go around trying to encourage everyone to "have fun", usually by doing some sort of on-deck aerobics with a Madonna-type microphone to a bad techno/disco soundtrack.

--
Sheryl is right. I'm don't want to knock any particular kind of vacation, as long as you know what you are getting into. Some "organized" vacations take the stress out of making plans, but can add stress in other ways afterwards (but if I oversleep I'll miss the Duomo!). If you can manage to book a plane flight, and can get a taxi to a hotel or B&B, the hard part is over. Wander. Sleep in. Go down a tiny street and eat in a tiny restaurant with four tables where the owner serves you. Sit by the Trevi fountain for a whole hour, if you feel like it. You will never see everything worthwhile in Italy even if you live 100 lifetimes, so enjoy what's in front of you!

Jay, I hope you have a chance to review the sites I posted. You can use them as a guideline for planning.. see where they put you up (I've seen them mention hotels by name), see what time frames they use and the points of interest that are included. You may be able to find one that lets you opt out of the daily group activities and gives you a cheaper rate by just hauling you from one place to the next? Why not call or write them and explain what you have in mind? In Italy, if you are not planning to go with the pullman group,  "options for travel" between distant cities are plane, bus (avoid because the bus stations are usually in nasty hard-to-get-to areas outside the center), train (best option, but you'll have to be up for deciphering the timetables and dealing with purchasing tickets), and renting a car (if you don't mind getting lost in traffic in Florence trying to find your hotel). I don't know where you have traveled in the past, but I would say it is pretty impossible to get a "bad" meal in Italy, unless you go to a Chinese restaurant or an Autogrill. Hotels you sound pretty picky about, but I figure I'm out wandering.. I only want the hotel for a place to sleep in. Best of luck, anyway!

--
Better yet.. Just Go Here: http://tinyurl.com/ap6ff.  Take out your Amex card and just do it, today! There! You're done!
 
I don't mind cruises per se, as long as they're not the Carnival family-type ones. I don't want screaming kids or teenagers running around all day/night when I'm trying to relax. Likewise, I hate it when I've gotten up at 10:00 a.m. (I'm on vacation, when else would I get up?) wander down to the pool, only to find that every deck chair is taken. What makes it even worse is when I would look upon the "no vacancy" pool deck and think I'm seeing a colony of fat sea lions/walruses sunning themselves on the beach. :p
 
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