day trip tours in Italy

I was really pleased with a Context Travel tour I took last year in Rome. Maximum group size is six, and their tour guides are extremely knowledgeable, often having advanced degrees in the subject of the tour.

All viator tours are provided by third parties. Supposedly, viator does some vetting, and presumably, if they get frequent complaints about someone, they will stop offering their services on their site. Of course, that's no guarantee. It's also not certain that prices on viator are necessarily higher than you could find elsewhere. I assume the tour providers sell their tours to viator at a discount; even with viator's markup, you might actually get a better price than dealing with the tour provider directly.

I say all of this only to point out that reviews of viator are not the same as reviews of individual tours that might have been purchased through viator.

I have booked a few experiences through viator when I couldn't find something comparable elsewhere. I have never had a bad experience doing this. I've had a mix of good and bad experiences booking tours directly with the providers, even when they were recommended in Rick's guidebooks or by people on this site. So you never know. Even things with tons of 5-star ratings always manage to get a few 1-star ratings. Sometimes I wonder how two people can have such vastly different experiences of the same tour or hotel or restaurant.

Anyway, this doesn't answer your question, because I can't recommend a specific tour company. I'd just say shop around and find a tour that (1) meets your interests, (2) fits your budget, and (3) has mostly good recent reviews. I would worry less about who's selling it. If you see something on viator that looks like a good fit, go for it.

I have used Viator several times in Italy and other places and have been very pleased with them.
They are a consolidator and you are actually touring with a company they "hook you up with",
but I have not had any problems
( Mostly in Italy, France, and Greece)

Thanks for the suggestions!

I have booked over a half a dozen tours through Viator and I've never had a problem with them. Just remember, Viator is consolidator - a travel agency for tours. It's actually kind of nice to be able to go to one web site and see a large selection of tours for a given region or city...

That being said, all of the tours you book via Viator will be provided by an actual tour operator. That means - once you purchase through Viator, all the rest of your communications will be with the tour operator. You will get a separate confirmation, contact information and instructions directly from the tour company. Be sure to follow the instructions to a T and print out any vouchers received via email. If you have a local contact number, its also helpful to provide it to them in advance.

You will find discouraging reviews for all the tours and tour companies. Grouchy, grumpy and impossible to please people sign up for tours just like the rest of us. You will also find outlandishly positive comments for a lot of tours or tour companies. The trick is to read them for what they're worth and make up your own mind whether the tour is right for you.

Italy is a big place and you give no clue as to where you are staying. So, here's my take on Italy escorted tours.

• The Accademia (Michelangelo's David) and Uffizi Gallery in Florence are crazy busy and require tickets purchased in advance. The line for walk-up tickets can stretch a block or more during the peak travel season. I would book an escorted tour to avoid lines or hassle AND have a guide on hand to narrate what you are seeing.

• The Vatican is even more crazy busy and an escorted tour is also advisable if not essential.

• The Colosseum in Rome deserves a guide but the Forums are easily seen without one.

• I took an escorted day trip through the Chianti region and this was the highlight of our 2 week trip to Italy. It was a WalkaboutFlorence tour (Chianti Wine and Food Safari?) booked through Viator and it far exceeded my expectations.

• Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli Gardens may justify an escorted tour just because of their distance from central Rome and the complexity of getting there on public transportation.

@work2travel - thanks for your insight. I've been to Mexico with people who speak fluent spanish. But, this is my first trip abroad and no one in our party speaks italian. So I'm a little anxious about getting around, that is why I thought one or two guided tours would be helpful. So I appreciate your suggestions on Florence and Rome area. While I understand not wanting all of our time dictated while we are there but I think a morning or afternoon tour would be helpful.