I will be staying at least 6 weeks, 6 or so days in Rome where I will fly into, 4 weeks or so in Florence to take day trips out of, and back to Rome for the last 7 days. Any recommendations on some tours with a group? I'd like to do some on my own with Rick's book. Thanks!
Sunshine
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
If looking for day tours, we have always had good luck with the tours listed by the local TI. Since you will have a lot of time, just hit the TI. We were very pleased with a walking tour of Florence via the TI.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11780 posts
Rick's tours (especially the MP3 audio!) are great, but you can get a more complete picture and a better education for certain sites if you use a guide or a group. I recommend Francesca Caruso in Rome ([email protected]). We took her private tour of the Forum, Palatino and Colosseum. Not inexpensive, but so worth every euro in the insight we gained. It set the stage for many other experiences in Rome. Also used Walks in Italy for the Pristine Sistine tour. Again, fabulous, and the 4 hour tour gave me an appreciation so that I can go back on my own one day and wander about the less-visited rooms of the Vatican Museums. Of course it depends on your budget. You can tour with a group every day and it will cost a fortune. Balance the tours with your own research and Rick's guides. Oh, and another book I found very useful is "24 Great Walks in Rome," published by Frommer's. I think I bought it at Amazon.com. We used this book to guide us into some lesser-known neighborhoods and had a lot of fun getting away from the masses of people in the Centro Storico! 6 weeks, I am envious! Have an amazing trip!
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I've had great experiences in both Rome and Florence with Context Travel. Small groups, well educated and interesting guides.