We are taking our 18 year old niece on first trip to Europe and Italy.
I would appreciate insights into:
1. Itinerary
2. Places to stay (4-5 star)
3. Local guides (American ex pats preferred)
4. Places to eat, foods to try
5. Anything else I’ve left out of importance
Unsure but think we may travel in summer months before her college starts or Christmas. We live in CA. Niece in Colorado.
Focus on Italy and don’t add more countries. How long is this trip? Two weeks? Three weeks or more? What are your niece’s interests as far as this trip?
Why would you want to hire American ex-pats as guides? That is not a good idea! Hire local guides with good English skills. How many trips have you taken to Europe yourselves? Have you been to Italy before?
Summer will be hot and crowded. Travel as soon as she graduates from high school. You are giving her an amazing gift!
Christmas will be a totally different experience. It certainly is doable but you will need to have dining and tour reservations in place before leaving home. The temperatures will be better at Christmastime.
This forum is filled with fellow travelers not travel agents. You need to do some research yourselves and then come back here for more specific questions such as dining options near Palazzo Navona, etc.
Get the Rick Steves book, EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR - you can get it here or sometimes it's cheaper on Amazon. You will learn tons.
Also, study the TRAVEL TIPS section here on this site, esp the part about MONEY - how to use Debit Cards.
Study the site seat61.com for train info.
Book train tickets as early as possible for best rates.
I always suggest Venice, Florence, Rome for 1st timers - get MULTICITY airline tickets - it's easier to fly into Venice and out of Rome.
At least 3-4 FULL days in each town.
Get the Rick Steves pocket guide books for each town.
You can PM me if you need suggestions on hotels.
Walks of Italy does good group tours. If you want a private guide - PM me and I can get you names.
In Florence, we did day trips into Tuscany with WalkAboutFlorence - we esp liked THE BEST OF TUSCANY one & THE CHIANTI WINE AND FOOD SAFARI one.
Hi & welcome to the forum. I would suggest buying a Rick Steves guidebook for Italy because there’s so much information in it that will save you a lot of money and also maximize the value of your planning time.
Here’s the trip that was my adult daughter’s first time to Europe & Italy that we did last year for some initial ideas:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/mother-adult-daughter-italy-trip-aug-sept-2022
I think you are beginning your research in the wrong place. This is a great forum for getting answers to travel questions. You'll find most folks here to be very friendly and helpful.
But I don't think you should expect people on this forum to do your research for you.
Start by buying a guidebook, or by searching online. This website actually has great information, including suggested itineraries, recommended hotels, local guides (and I agree 100% with Suki -- a local person is going to give you a much better tourguide experience than an American expat), and more.
Here's a good place to start: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy
When you've got some ideas, maybe two or three possible itineraries you're considering, then come back here and ask specific questions.
Lol, I love these beyond general questions. There aren’t answers to questions like this, just more questions. Folks here will help you sharpen your ideas and provide feedback, but you have to give us something to work with.
Honestly though, if you aren’t sure where to start the answer is simple. Ask your niece what SHE wants to see and do. Having her research this trip will make it that much more meaningful. Plus, as someone growing into adulthood, the agency you give her shows the respect you have for her as an adult, and that she is no longer a child to you. Take it from a former kid, this is the thing that makes you the cool aunt/uncle.
1, I have been to Italy 7-8 times and love it. It is filled with history, art, great food and friendly people. Just protect you wallet (for guys) and purse (for women). Suggest Venice, Florence and Rome. Need about 2-3 days in Venice. 4-5 in Florence and 5-6 in Rome. Add the Naples area, if you have more time. Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast deserves 3-4 days.
For lodgings, check using TripAdvisor and/or Kayak.com
Kayak, includes Booking.com and other sites. You can pick what your budget allows. A four or five star hotel in those three cities will run you from $250-$400 per night. Consider Bed and Breakfasts, they are usually clean and in great locations and you get a free breakfast.
You will not likely find American ex pats as guides. Day tours can be found on TripAdvisor or other websites. Some places like the Sistine Chapel, Coliseum or other tour sites will require advance bookings. Consider a full group guided tour for the country for your first trip there. We love Gate 1 Travel, that has many tours to choose from.
Italian food is great. They have pizza and pasta, of course, but there is much more and the dining varies from the region. We have found that you can get great seafood in Italy, if you like that. Coffee in the morning is great.
And to add: please use local guides who actually live in Italy and are passionate about sharing their knowledge with visitors.
Why on earth would you want an American guide in a non-American country?
I don’t understand that.
Also, it’s a good idea to learn some basic phrases in Italian before the trip.
Oh…and get your 18 year old to help with the planning as much as possible!
If you go to Florence, Todd Bolton, the owner of Tuscan Trails, is an American expat married to an Italian.
As much as I loved his Chianti tour, I couldn't help but think that he would have been the most wonderful history. teacher. Check out his website, and book early.
Welcome to the forum. :O)
Italy is a big place.
Europe is an even bigger place.
Many of us here travel independently because it gives us the freedom to arrange our own itineraries according to our individual interests; to go where we want to, when we want to, and for the amount of days/weeks we have available or can afford. It isn't necessarily everyone's style as it involves a LOT of research to choose and book hotels, buy advance attraction tickets for those which mandate reservations, figure out public transit systems, and get a handle on some of the cultural differences we'll likely encounter.
Some travelers - especially 1st-timers to the continent - prefer escorted group tours that handle a lot of the details for them. They provide the hotels, some of the meals, some guided tours + tickets to some of the attractions, transport from place-to-place, and general support. That doesn't mean just signing up, and showing up, without any prior reading about what they'll be seeing and experiencing; time with a guidebook(s) is still a requirement to get the most of the tour.
Looking at your questions, which are much too broad to be tackled when we know virtually nothing about you, you might look at some of the RS tours offered on this site and see if any appeal to your interests and budget? For instance, here's a good intro to the "Holy Trinity" of most-visited Italian cities.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/venice-florence-rome
Willing to do a bit more of the work yourselves but have your hotels and place-to-place transport handled for you plus some general support? You might be interested in a "My Way" tour. You do need to arrange your own daily sightseeing tickets, in-city transport (if needed) and most meals yourselves.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/my-way-italy
So think about how much you are or are not willing and/or comfortable to take on yourselves? Speaking only for Italy, much of the country is not difficult to travel, and basic-to-fluent English is not uncommon in the tourism industry so no, you don't need American ex-pat guides! As you've expressed specific interest in "The Boot", I'd echo the advice above to limit this trip only to this country so as not to become overwhelmed. It's a fascinating place one could take a lifetime to digest! Same with other European countries.
Yes, do involve your niece in the plan, This is an opportunity for her to learn and experience what it takes to travel efficiently/effectively; research, booking, packing, etc. Honestly, if she's not showing a reasonable level of interest and willingness to get involved, I'd put the trip on the back burner. As well, the more you can tell us about yourselves, the better people can help you.
So with the hotels, are you wanting US style 4-5 star hotels or European style 4-5 star, because the US style ones are rated on service + amenities, but European style are rated on facilities/amenities.....like having an elevator in the building makes it jump a star (can't remember which one, but you can't be a ____ star without having an elevator). If you are looking for the service, I have been to the bar at the Four Seasons Firenze and its SO WONDERFUL and it has its own private gardens (I think the largest private inside Florence?).
As others have said, its way easier to come up with what you and your niece want to do, or at least what types of things you want to do, (if someone loves Milan but nothing there interests you, then its not helpful) and then start narrowing it down to locations and nights.
(4) Gelato.
As a general comment on the food front, I agree with a comment Rick has made (probably in the Italy guidebook--which I recommend): In Italy the antipasti and pastas are usually the most interesting things on the menu. There's nothing wrong with the main courses (secondi) and side dishes (contorni), but they tend to be rather plain. You'll see all sorts of lovely vegetables in the markets, but the menu may not take advantage of many of them. My go-to is the almost-always-available grilled vegetables, a mixed plate that varies a bit from restaurant to restaurant and by season but may include sweet peppers, onions, tomato, summer squash and eggplant. I like broccoli and cauliflower but have never had a chance to eat them in an Italian restaurant.
Italian cuisine is highly regional. Folks will be able to give you better suggestions after you decide where you're going.
Anything else I’ve left out of importance
How long ( how many days) is the trip?
