We have done quite a few trips to Europe, now, mostly concentrating on France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. We have traveled independently and have become fairly proficient at it. We haven't done Italy at all yet. It occurs to me that Rome, especially, is a city where a private guide would help to get a comprehensive understanding of the city and the sights. I am thinking that since we'd probably hire guides anyway, that this would be a time to try a RS tour. This trip isn't planned anytime soon, I'm just organizing a wish list for future travels. We have only done a tour of sorts once in the past (Viking cruise). We liked it well enough and did some additional travel both before and after. So if we do a RS tour in Italy, we'd very likely travel more on our own on each end. So I'm seeing a handful of tours that cover Rome. It looks as tho the Best of Italy covers a lot of ground and nothing really in depth so I'm thinking I'm not too interested in that. The Italy My Way, seems to defeat the purpose of having a guide in Rome. So, that leaves, Best of Rome, Heart of Italy, and Best of Venice, Florence and Rome. I'm interested in hearing from people that took one or more of those tours and their thoughts so I can compare the options. We are very casual people, and tend to stay in 2 star, city center accommodations so the RS tours seem to be well suited to us. Thanks!
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3300 posts
Rome is a city with so much to experience that I would recommend the Best of Rome tour. It takes in the city in depth and allows you sufficient time to explore non-covered sites or take day trips to Tivoli or Orvieto. I have taken that tour twice 7 years apart and could easily do it again. Years ago my first visit to the Eternal City was for 3 nights with a tour company and it just scratched the surface.
Posted by
Atlanta
2518 posts
I've taken both the Best of Italy and the Best of Rome tours. Best of Italy in Oct. 2016 and the Rome tour in late March 2017 because I was determined to experience more of Rome. It was a wonderful in-depth tour with a congenial group of tour mates and a lovely, knowledgeable tour guide. I spent 2 days post-tour in Naples and then back to Rome to fly home. Also a day pre-tour in Rome! I highly recommend the last week of March as the weather is coolish in the mornings and sometimes in the 70's after lunch. Sunny but not blazing hot and lighter crowds. Plus, some flowers will be in bloom.
The RS tours are casual and the hotels for the most part are 3-star, family-owned and run and in the city center. Easy walking to many sights.
I highly recommend the Best of Rome tour!
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14937 posts
I agree with Philip and Judy on recommending Best of Rome if Rome is what you are interested in.
I did Heart of Italy for my first RS tour AND my first return to Europe since the 80's. I had never been to Italy. We went a few days early which was good because there is SO much to see in Rome that you don't see much at all in the 1.5 days you have on Heart of Italy. After that I visited on the 21 day Best of Europe which was 2 nights as well and as you indicate, no time for in depth.
As Judy mentions, RS groups are pretty casual but I generally find very interesting people on them.
I'll add that I did Best of Paris a few years ago and wow, that gave me such a good foundation for independent touring of Paris. I can hardly stay away. The tours are so much more than seeing the sights - it's a way of starting to understand the culture, how to navigate in that culture so you can function better, getting a foundation of history/geography/politics/current events to help you better understand why things work like they work, etc. Wow, I think I might sign up for Rome too, hahaha!
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2316 posts
We did Heart of Italy as our first RS tour and in those days it started in Florence and ended in Rome. We covered substantial ground in a short time: Vatican/Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Forum, Parthenon, Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain and learned how to use the subway and then had time on our own. We also added a day on our own at the end. However, we did not fall in love with Rome. I use to jokingly say that Rome was only city we didn’t want to revisit.
Jump ahead to 2019 and we are taking the Best of Southern Italy tour which starts in Rome. And, we had to add extra days in Rome on both ends. However, this tour covers a completely different area. We’re staying in Trastevere this time (were in the Termini area last time),and we cover things that we didn’t cover last trip. This is something that I love about RS tours - they constantly tweak tours so there is individuality from one tour to the next. We have also learned how to make use of our free time and the resources in the guidebooks. This trip we are using a guide recommendation for a Vatican tour and a local tour company for a gelato/pizza tour and Domus Aurea.
We travel some years with friends who prefer Viking cruises. On our last cruise we tried a number of the extra ($$) excursions they offered. I have to say that I was universally disappointed in the quality as compared to the included local tours that we get on the RS tours. The guides on the RS tours seem to take pride in enabling you to be self-sufficient in each location and we haven’t ever felt that on Viking cruise. You can’t go wrong with whatever you choose.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
If the focus of your trip to Italy is Rome, then the Best of Rome tour may be a good fit. I took it several years ago and enjoyed it, and it was nice to be based in one hotel for a week. You can easily add other destinations before and after the tour. I spent time in Sorrento before the tour, but you can just as easily add destinations to the north.
I've not taken the other tours. While they do cover more ground, one advatage is that they have a different starting and ending point. For VFR, you could spend pre-tour time in or near Venice and add extra days at the end in Rome. For Heart of Italy, you could add extra days in Rome at the beginning and extra time in or near Florence at the end. Lots of good options whichever tour you decide to take.