Italy in March- Group Tour or On our own?

I would think it depends upon your comfort level. We have been to Italy seven times, always on our own. I am at the point where I speak quite a bit of Italian and can carry on a simple conversation, but I couldn't do that the first 3 or 4 times we went and we were fine on our own. I have tried to convince friends to go on their own, but they were more comfortable with a tour (and loved the tour they took.)

Do you have any previous experiences to draw on to help you make a decision? Have you traveled to other countries on your own, or taken tours of other countries, or is this your first trip abroad? Bottom line, I think this is really a question that only you can answer.

It really depends on what kind of traveler you are. Do you like having logistics handled for you or do you like doing your own planning? Do you want to be able to adhere to your own schedule, doing what you want, when you want, or do you like the benefit of a guide who tells you things you probably won't find out on your own? Do you want to go places that are hard to get to by public transportation, stay in big cities, and/or rent a car and drive?

If your only reason for taking a tour is not speaking Italian, don't. Especially in Rome, English is widely spoken and you have time to polish up some more phrases if you want.

I agree with Liz. I have taken a RS tour before and in addition to the benefits she lists I'd add efficiency. It would take most travelers 3 days to do what the RS tour does in 2, because they have reservations made so you walk right into museums and so on, the guide gets you quickly to your destinations, etc. So even though RS tours may seem expensive, if you figure that its really 1.5x days if you tried to duplicate it on your own it seems much more reasonable.

That said, you don't need to speak much Italian to go to touristy places like Rome and Pompeii. You need to be ok with finding your way around a foreign country, but these days its pretty easy; for example you can buy a train ticket at an automated kiosk that has a full english menu. A few polite phrases go far, but its not difficult to travel on your own.

The big decision, really, is whether you want efficiency and to have things arranged for you (in the most part) or figure it out on your own with a guidebook and accepting that there will be some kinks that you'll need to work out when you're there.

Agree with the other posts that it depends on your comfort level. We went for the first time last year and visited Siena, Florence, and Rome in 17 days knowing only as much Italian as we could learn from Living Language CDs and RS phrasebook in two months. We prefer to travel at our own pace and to decide whether we want to spend more or less time at a museum, when and where we want to eat, etc. We used public transportation and had no problem. We loved it so much we're planning another trip next year. If you decide to go on your own, get a guide book, we used Rick Steves', and research what you want to see before you go. You can use Google maps to see the street where your accomodations are so it will look a little familiar when you get there. Rome is really easy to get around in and the hotels give you a map, making it really easy to find the sites. In the end, you have to decide how you want to travel and any way you choose you should have a great time.

Pamela,

The others have provided a good overview of the pros & cons of taking a tour vs. travelling on your own.

The issue of speaking Italian shouldn't be a concern, as most peoople that deal with tourists can speak some English. Knowing a few of the polite words (please, thankyou, etc.) is usually sufficient. I've found that often when I try to practise my Italian, the locals will reply in English as they want practise too.

Although the RS tour dates for 2011 haven't been announced yet, I doubt their tours will start as early as March. Is there any possibility you could travel later in the year? The weather will probably be a bit "cool" in March.

Are there any other parts of Italy that interest you besides Rome and Pompeii?

Cheers!

Pamela,
We were in Rome from March 22 - April 7, 2009.
This was our first visit to Rome, and rented an apartment outside of the Vatican Wall. We did not speak a word of Italian, but got along just fine!
We used Rick's tour books, and downloaded his audio tapes to our Ipods. We toured the Sistene Chapel, St. Peters, and the Collisium, listening to these tapes, stopping and going at our leisure, not trying to catch up with a tour group. We made arrangements for the Pope's Wednesday Audience, and the Scavi Tour before we left home. We even made it down to Sorrento, and up to Siena, with the help of Rick's tour books. We are returning again, on our own, next April.

We were in Italy for 10 days in March. GO ON YOUR OWN!!!

We didn't have to speak Italian, just tried the best we could and it worked. Just be sure to ask if someone speaks English rather than just barging in and speaking it. Much better received (and really much less egocentric and rude!!)

Aromabb.it was a great bargain for us, you might want to give it a try. The flowers suite with it's terrace was delightful.

I would find a tour very limiting and not allowing the kinds of spur of the moment experiences we like. March was not crowded. It was complete bliss.

We did Rome, Vernazza, Venice. And loved every minute.

It depends on your comfort level and how much research you want to do for yourself. Reservations for some sites make a lot of sense as well, a lot depends on when you will be there and what site you are planning to visit. We see more on our own than with tours usually since we can go at our own pace and go faster at sites that are not as interesting to us and linger in places that grab us for some reason and since we are on our own, we don't have to wait for others who are slower in some places or want to hurry us through something we want to spend a little more time. However, if you feel overwhelmed or do not like to do a lot of research ahead of time, a tour may be a better solution.

A warning about his "Self-Defense" article.

Remember, RS makes lots of money selling his tours. Of course he's going to make other tours sound bad.

And having been a tour director, he really insults us. He hasn't had anything to do with other companies tours for over 30 years. Today's tour directors do not fear independent travelers, we actually love them as they don't expect us to entertain them during free time. I'd much rather have a passenger who knows what they want to do because I can help them get to where to want to be and have one, or two, less passengers to worry about.

He also makes it sound as if all tour directors do is stop at places to shop. Far from it. However, know this, any shop where a tour stops is reliable and will stand behind any product they sell. How do you know that little shop down the street with the friendly owner is going to be there for you when the cukoo clock you buy breaks? Or is actually going to ship it when they promise to?

Taking a tour is not for everyone. And there are different types of tours. Some keep you busy all the time while others really just provide transportation, hotels, a few meals, a guide to show you the main sites, and then you are on your own.

Now, if you only wish to visit Rome and Pompeii, I'd suggest doing it on your own. But nothing's stopping you from taking a few local tours. (Even a day bus tour from Rome to Pompeii including guide.) For your plans there's no need to be shuttled around. Have the freedom to do things on your own time. Get the apartment and have a great time.

And, I have to add....guides making $300-400/day? Now I know for sure what he's been smoking.

We took our first trip to Europe in March of this year and we were in Rome for 5 days. The kids were out of school so they were everywhere. The best way to do it on your own is to buy a ROMA pass. 3 days on unlimited bus and subway travel. 2 free entraces and head of the linee 30 percent off of other sites. Do the Colosseum and the Roman forum as one trip. They both count as one entry!