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17 days in Italy tour or Heart of Italy with an extra week planned by me

Posted by (Ohio) on

Hi everyone,
I’ve been scanning the Rick Steve’s website daily for months. Researching our Italy trip. I’ve been putting a lot of thought into this, and would love your feedback. I am planning a trip with my husband in September 2020 and perhaps another couple. I have visited Italy many times for business and some long weekends for pleasure. So excited to return. I see that that the 17 days “best of Italy, “ along with the 9 days “Heart of Italy” September 2020 dates have been posted.
This trip will be the first time for my husband and our friends (another couple) they have not done the “big cities” Rome, Florence and Venice. I have.

I am thinking of either scheduling the 17 days best of Italy... or the Heart of Italy in 9 days with a week and a half of my own planning added on. I haven’t been to Italy in about 10 years, but feel not too uncomfortable with taking trains again.
Not crazy about too much structured planning. But want my husband and friends to see the big cities that you can’t miss..
I’m leaning towards doing the 9 days “Heart of Italy” with my own extra planning of Tuscany, Dolomites, and either Varenna (Lake Como) or Venice.
I am leaning toward 9 days “heart of Italy” with my own next week of post trip travel.
But- it seems that the 17 day covers more of the locations I want to visit, much more economical, too...however I’m leery of that much time with a scheduled group tour.
Has anyone struggled with this in the past? What are your thoughts?
We are easy going and no particular agenda. I have mixed feelings because I like both of my plans but am unsure which route to take. More destinations and value with the 17 days best of Italy. More relaxation and upscale hotels with my itinerary and the 9 day “heart of Italy”

Again- my own post tour after “heart of Italy” would be 3 more days in Tuscany, 3 days in the Dolomites and 2 days in either Venice or Lake Como(Varenna)
Thanks so much for your input, travelers! Take care,

Posted by
10 posts

My husband and I took the Best of Italy tour last September and it was fantastic. First time ever with a tour and we are so happy we chose it. Such a great selection of cities with other towns on the way to the destinations. We met a great group of people on our tour and Marianna, our guide, was excellent. We loved it so much that we are hoping to go back with some of our group to the South Italy Tour in September 2020.

I don’t think you can go wrong with either tour but it’s nice not to have to plan any of the transportation or hotels. And the bus time wasn’t excessive either which I liked. Breaks every two hours. Have fun planning!

Posted by
330 posts

gmillergang
Thanks for the reply. That helps quite a bit. I did see how many people gave positive replies to the “17 day best of Italy” it sounds amazing.

Posted by
7943 posts

We’ve taken the Best of Italy trip, and we felt like each city on that tour was a wow moment.

We enjoyed being in the tour, yet also having lots of free time to do what we wanted.

Since that trip, we’ve returned to Italy several times on our own. If you’re traveling by train during your own itinerary, I will say that the Dolomites are less handy to see by train, although doable.

One advantage of going the tour group route with your friends is that you won’t feel the need to be their tour guide so you can enjoy yourself. Also, if you’re doing the planning, there’s always the feeling of hoping you’ve met unspoken expectations for experiences, hotels, etc.

Posted by
330 posts

That is a good point! I would hate to plan something and feel responsible for others happiness if they didn’t like my choices...where if we were on the “17 days” tour, I wouldn’t feel so responsible if they didn’t like an activity or hotel etc...

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