Walks of Italy-Rome

I’ve used Through Eternity, but it was in 2019.

This is an ongoing saga. The manner in which tickets are released for the underground colosseum changed. Walks was no longer able to get tickets as they were in the past. They stopped taking new reservations for this tour, but were left with the reservations that they had already taken.

One forum member reported that, after hearing of this issue, he confirmed his tour one week only to receive an email it was cancelled the following week.

I have a reservation for September which customer service has also confirmed. I do not give myself a very good chance of actually making it on that tour and am creating a back up plan……..

I don’t know about the other tour. Staffing issues?

Yes, I had issues too. I called in December to book the underground VIP Colosseum tour for June and they told me it was too early. I called again in April and they told me I was too late. I had a lot of problems getting through to them.

I have three tours booked through Walks of Italy for the week of June 6th; Colosseum-Palentine-Forum, Pristine Sistine, and Borghese. Fingers crossed.

I do know they were bought out and don’t seem to have been as responsive with customers. We took 3 tours in 2015 and just came home last Saturday after 4. I’ve been reading more and more issues and the next time we go will be researching other your companies, too. It’s such a shame S they’ve always been great and I wonder if it’s the new management.

@Lulu. So, are you stating that you just took 4 tours successfully with them without any difficulties? To me, that is a positive.

Yes, it is a positive. However, things have been changing from all the forums I’m on since I’ve been back. Cancelled last minute tours, not responding, tour guides not showing up.

I’ve never heard any complaints ever about WOI before now. I’m starting to just consider myself one that “lucked out” instead of it being the norm the way it used to be,

Yes, same problem here with Walks (last minute) cancellation of our Colosseum tour. They said respond via email to reschedule. I have emailed them multiple times in an attempt to reschedule but they haven't responded. So no tour, no response, no refund, and no reschedule secured. Guess I will have to dispute the charges with my credit card company. I will never use Walks of Italy again.

I have found that doing the online chat during European office hours usually brings one in contact with a customer service agent.

Once again, the underground colosseum tours are where they have been unable to get tickets under the new system.

Experiencing similar issues with walks of Italy, we were supposed to do the colosseum at night tour on Friday 05/27. Went to the meeting spot, no one showed and no one called to let us know it was cancelled. A bit mad about it because if we knew it was cancelled we might have done something else. I emailed them and sent in a negative review and no response yet. Won’t be using them again.

I would encourage everyone to go to the walks website and see if they are currently selling tickets for the tour you have reserved. Any tour, including the Night Tour, that has the underground section has this disclaimer on its website,
"Tickets not available. Tickets are not available for this experience. Please check for other times, dates or experiences to book."

I think you can pretty much assume that any tour that they are no longer selling tickets for that they are also not giving the tour to those with previous reservations. Somewhere, their customer service has completely fallen apart in terms of notifying customers with reservations while they were still taking them. You can save yourself that "stood up" experience by checking the website to see if your tour is one they are currently offering or not.

Live chat during European office hours has been the best way to go.

Another issue I have. We did the Florence Tuscany Tour. They advertise being at a vill farmbluse and showing pictures of a villa with rolling hills and grape vineyards. Learning about the Wine making etc. Our trip was at a farmhouse villa on a farm. No vineyards, no rolling hill scenery, nothing like is advertised on the website, basically flat no scenery. It was a nice day, but not what I had envisioned per their photos or descriptions. I was disappointed. My friend was in Italy overlapping our vacation and I see her pics with another company that exactly what I had dreamed of. I need to find that company. I stand by my theory Walks has changed since they were bought out.

Please post what company that your friend used for Tuscany. Planning a trip for next June and that is also very important to us.

She isn’t back until this week. I’ll ask her an I’ll try to remember to get back.

I hope those of you experiencing problems with Walks of Italy have submitted this in the Feedback section of the Italy Guidebooks.

Sounds like Walks will not be able to come thru on the Colossuem underground tour we have booked-----is there another company everyone would recommend for a similar tour? Or is this issue something all of the tour companies are facing?