We are departing for our tour in one week! We are so excited. This will be our first Rick Steves tour. We were just wondering can anyone give us an idea of what time the days start? I realize this will be different for each place / activities for the day, but I just wanted to get an idea, are we expected to be ready to head off on a bus or a walking tour at 8a m or more like 11 am? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Wisconsin
454 posts
I haven't taken the Heart of Italy tour, but on our Village Italy tour, our morning gather time on 7 of the 12 days was around 8:45 a.m. On two days, we got a little earlier start, 8:15 a.m. One day had an 11:15 a.m. start. One day we had free time until 2:45 p.m., and another day was free all day. Breakfast was typically available at 7:30.
Posted by
Atlanta
4825 posts
Eight RS Tours and none of them started at the crack of dawn. Yea!! The activities for the day always start after breakfast and generally begin between 8 and 9 a.m. Occasionally between 7:30 and 8:00, but those days were very rare.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2186 posts
This was our first RS tour and we had such a great time. I think most days were 8-8:30ish, but I do know we were the first group in the Uffizi, so that may have been earlier. This tour, when we took it, tried to get us into places ahead or behind the crowds, so that may impact the start. You will be thankful if you have an early start to avoid the crowds. I don't ever remember a late start, but they do try to make the most of your time and adjust accordingly.
Posted by
Kansas, United States
1078 posts
We did the Venice -Florence - Rome tour last year in May and things generally got going around 8:30-9:00 am. Please make the effort to be at the gathering spot on time, it is unfair to have the group be late because of one person's poor planning! We were lucky in that everyone on our tour was considerate of each other and we had a wonderful time, also several sites/experiences had a "timed" entry so being late was not an option.
Posted by
Ohio
2128 posts
Hi, plan to meet the group or get on the bus at about 8:30 a.m. Times may vary based on the scheduled activities, etc. Most RS guides will post the next day's itinerary in the hotel lobby the evening prior. We take a photo so we can refer to it later. Hope you have a great first tour!
Posted by
Austin, TX
7 posts
We did this tour last October and LOVED it. The group usually met around 8:15 - 8:30 in the hotel lobby. The tour guide will post the next day's schedule in the hotel the evening before. Lots of walking on this tour and lots of cool things to see and do, You will enjoy it!