I'm torn between the My Way Italy in 13 day Tour & the Heart of Italy in 9 Days Tour. This will be my first trip to Italy. I like the idea of having the freedom to do what I want, when I want on the My Way Tour, and it goes to all the towns I want to go to in Italy. But, I also like the idea of everything planned out for me and admissions included, plus having a tour guide giving history and info would be handy. The Heart of Italy Tour does not go to Venice so I would probably go up to Venice on my own after the tour if I choose that one.
I'm wondering what other people's experiences are with each tour.
Posted by
KC, MO
22 posts
We did the My Way Italy tour in September 2014 and it is wonderful and a great opportunity to see the major sites in each city you visit.
The freedom to do the things and see the sights that you choose is really nice. Instead of just following the group along with your guide you can linger over things that interest you or fast forward to the next sight on your list if something proves to be disappointing.
Just as a tip or two, the key to a successful My Way tour is to do plenty of pre trip planning so you make the best use of your time and can be sure to see the sights you want in each city. It helped us to study maps of each location to locate our hotel and then plan our route from there se we could easily find the popular attractions we wanted to see.
Do make reservations beforehand at museums such as the Uffizi and Academia in Florence or the Doges Palace in Venice or the Vatican and Borghese Gallery in Rome, for examples, so you can be sure to fit in those that you want to see. Last minute tickets at some attractions, for the times you want, can be hard to get.
Also, since you will encounter steep hills, plenty of steps and lots of walking be sure to do a little fitness training before the trip. It's much more pleasant to be able to handle the conditions so you can enjoy what you see without all the huffing and puffing if you're not in shape!
We would heartily recommend this tour and all the wonderful sights you will see. We still talk about it frequently.
Enjoy !
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13905 posts
I did the Heart of Italy in May 2013 and really enjoyed it. It was my first time to Italy and I loved the variety between big city and smaller town/village. Volterra was one of my favorites!
I chose Heart of Italy because I was traveling with my brother, SIL and their 2 20-something sons. I did not want to have to plan daily activities for all of us and didn't want to have to try and get the guys going in the mornings. They loved Heart of Italy, loved the guide, loved the other folks on the tour...in short had a wonderful time. It took all the stress off me. My brother and I had traveled to Europe but not since the 70s and 80s and Italy was new to us.
We loved the added benefit of the guide who was able to tailor things to suit interests. The younger nephew said at the first meeting that he had an interest in the Medicis and Trina made sure to point out Medici related stuff to him through out the tour. She was just awesome! I looked around when we were in the Uffizi getting a tour from a local guide and noticed the RS guide had the nephew by the arm taking him to another part of the gallery we were in to discuss a Medici portrait. I loved her bus talks on history, culture, language, customs, food, wine...everything!
We had free time in every city so being able to see things of our choice was easy too.
A couple of people on our tour were heading to Venice after the tour. One of the afternoons in Florence the guide had a lesson for anyone who wanted it on how to buy train tickets so she helped them buy them then altho if it's not a regional trail you will probably do better to purchase ahead if you choose this option.
I have not taken a My Way tour. The itinerary for the Italy one looks very good. I would add at least an extra day in Venice and an extra one in Rome.
Have fun deciding!