Multi day bus tours that begin/end in Rome, Oct 2020

Have you looked at RS tours?
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours
Some begin in Rome, some end in Rome- but either way- you can always get to Rome for cruise departure if you add a night at end.

I've never done any kind of tour either than DIY but have never heard a bad review of RS tours.

I have no personal experience, but a quick look at online reviews would raise red flags for me. Although it may not market itself as such, Globerouter appears to be a company that serves predominantly Chinese-speaking tourists. Non-Chinese speaking tourists have complained about having difficulty understanding the guide and the majority of the amenities (movies on the bus dubbed in Chinese; stops primarily at Chinese restaurant buffets) designed for Chinese tourists.

In addition to Rick Steves' tours, Odyssey and Road Scholar tours have generally good reviews. One of the three companies might offer something of interest to your mom. She also might want to consider a tour like the RS 7-day Rome tour prior to her cruise. Since I'm assuming she's only have a brief opportunity to explore any of the locations on the cruise, it might be nice to have the luxury to really dig deep into one city at the beginning of her trip.

Good luck with your decision.

That tour itinerary is insane: Rome - Arezzo - Florence - Pisa - Genoa - Monaco - Nice - Cannes - Avignon - Paris - Lucerne - Milan - Venice - Vatican - Rome. In 8 days.

https://www.globerouter.com/tour/view/13182

Oh no....please don't do this!

Remember that two nights in a location gives you ONE full day to tour that location. Any less and you've got 1/2 a day or less depending on where you are coming from/going to.

I agree this is an insane itinerary. They drive all the way to Paris for ONE night near ORLY Airport (not even in Paris) so no time to see Paris at all. In fact they are moving so fast they spend every night in a different location - so no time to see any of the cities. I see they are seeing Florence and Pisa in the same day and staying in Genoa.

In the About Us section it says "Globerouter.com was born on New Year’s Day in 2016. Globerouter.com is a sister website to Lulutrip.com market’s leading travel service, dedicated to Asian Chinese-speaking clients. Now Lulutrip’s new brand Globerouter.com is dedicated to serving all international clients."

This is similar to the awful tour companies of TAKE Tours and Tours4Fun. I visit Yellowstone a lot and see lots of reviews from these last 2 companies on Trip Advisor. I've also been sitting at a geyser watching an eruption when one of tour groups marches by at a trot (at an elevation of 8,000') without even stopping to see it go off. Literally people are running and panting to keep up with the guide. I've seen complaints from folks who don't speak one of the Chinese languages that all instructions and information are given in Chinese and they had trouble getting the guides to give it in English. They also strong-arm people for tips and "admission fees" - asking for money even when admission to a site is free. If you need links to see reviews I'm happy to give them to you.

I looked at this company's Yellowstone tours since I'm familiar with that area and see they stay 45 miles from the West entrance - a good hour's drive, so they can get cheaper lodging. Nuts.

Run fast. Run Far.

I'd agree to look at one of the RS tours. She could easily do the Best of Rome week and learn so much from the guide! I loved the Heart of Italy trip which ends in Florence but the guide will help her buy a train ticket back to Rome. Even Venice, Florence and Rome would work well!

YIKES!!! 13 cities/3 countries in 8 days? She'd see the inside of the bus and not much more.

Please. Do not even think about that tour. I could pretty much promise you that the majority of us here would be miserable on a nightmare itinerary such as the one described, no matter HOW well-traveled one is. Shoot, we've spent a week in JUST Paris, another JUST in Rome, and the lion's share of a week JUST in Florence and felt as if we'd simply scratched the surfaces.

I'm not a tour taker (although put a few more years on me and that might change) but do look at the RS tours? While some of the itineraries are more aggressive than I'd personally be happy with, they'll be a VAST improvement over Globerouter's marathon. I mean, gosh, they pull into Paris in the evening and leave the next morning? That's like saying, "Quick, take a whiff of this gourmet dish before we yank it away. That'll be $100 please."

To echo Pam, run fast; run far!!!! 🏃‍♀️

Editing to add: I see from a prior post that your family, including your mother, who was 73 at the time, spent 7-8 days in Rome back in 2012 so at least that city isn't new to her.

Thank you for all of the feedback! She has been to Europe many times, spending several weeks in Paris over the years, a week in Rome, and then tours of Italy, etc. This is more about trying to see a few new places but traveling on her own at this age. She is very fit, but she is thinking of a tour so that she doesn't need to transition with her bags or deal with transportation too many times. She also seems to like the idea of touring with a group at this age versus spending a week totally on her own in Europe. The RS tours are fairly expensive and she has already traveled extensively in Italy. Her cruise leaves from Rome so that's why she thought of a tour going out of and returning to Rome.

But she is now thinking of maybe going on a tour somewhere else in Europe (maybe British Isles) and then flying to Rome when it's over to start her cruise. She did a Trafalgar tour of Italy a few years ago and enjoyed that. Really appreciate the help!