Northern Europe Budget Tours and Affordable Trip Packages

Our tour guide was fantastic she was friendly helpful and very knowledgeable! Accommodations were for the most part very nice. In Venice the hotel was just ok alittle disappointing! The AC was not sufficient to pcool down the rooms.

Our tour was exceptional. After speaking with others who have done tours, I have to agree, it is up to the guide. Clarissa was amazing. She is a real gem. Her knowledge and the way she explained details was fascinating. Never boring. I would look specifically for tours with her or someone that she would recommend.

Our journey began in Rome; we landed at the airport in the mid-morning. After a very long immigration and passport control experience, we made our way to the high-speed train station and loaded onto a train that took us .5 miles from our first hotel stay of our trip-Bettoja Mediterraneo Hotel right in the middle of town. We rested for a bit, then took a tour of our hotel and the surrounding area. Later that night we met our other 42 guests of our trip, had a brief introduction to our tour manager, Paola, and got our whispers. We headed to a local restaurant, for our first taste of Italian cuisine! The next day, we all met for breakfast, and set out with our tour manager, and met 2 local tour guides. We passed by the Baths of Caracalla and Circus Maximus. We visited the Colosseum and had an in-depth tour and history lesson. We headed to the pantheon and Piazza Navona on the way back to our bus. We had the remainder of the afternoon and evening to ourselves. My husband and I booked a private nighttime golf cart tour of all of Rome’s iconic attractions, HIGHLY recommend it was beautiful! The next day we had the entire day to ourselves, we set out on an adventure on the Hop on and Hop off bus, and took it to all the stops, and ended at the Vatican, where we didn’t go to the Basilica or any of the museums but explored the shops, and had some lunch. That evening we did a food tour with local guides and our group to the Trastevere District and had some of the most amazing food we’ve ever tried! The next day we said goodbye to our first hotel and headed to Sorrento! We stopped on the way at a small, family-owned pasta factory and had lunch, and got a tour of their facility and learned the ancient way of making pasta. We arrived in Sorrento, and checked into our next hotel, Hotel Michelangelo –which was beautiful! We had dinner at a local pizza restaurant- which ruined all other pizza for us, lol. The next day we sailed to the Isle of Capri, hopped on another ferry to tour around the Isle of Capri and it was beautiful! Once we returned to the Isle, we explored the lower part of the Island and then took a standing elevator to the top for some lunch. This wasn’t my favorite part of the tour; it was extremely crowded but the views from the top of the Island were incredible. The next day we left Sorrento and headed to Pompeii! We loved that tour; it was such an fascinating experience. We got back on the bus and continued to Florence, and had dinner as a group at a small, family-owned restaurant. The next day we met our local guides, and explored Florence, and the Piazza del Duomo and the Baptistery, Florence was my FAVORITE. Everywhere you turn there’s beauty and history and I'm definitely a Renaissance fan. That night we did an optional excursion to a 14th century Certosa Monastery where we got a private, one-of-a-kind tour inside and around this now empty Monastery and it was beautiful. I loved that it was just our group, and a local guide – it made for a really unique experience. We then went to a local restaurant, where our local guide turned out to be an opera singer! We were seranaded and had some fantastic italian cuisine and Tuscan wine. The following day we said goodbye to what was my favorite hotel of all, Grand Hotel Baglioni. It was previously a palace, and the decor, flooring, woodwork, windows were beyond compare. The hospitality and breakfast were also the best of the 5 hotels. We hopped on our bus and headed to Pisa for a short stop for pictures, and we all took turns pretending we were holding the leaning tower up! For a group of 44, it really didnt feel like it, we all became fast friends, and had the best time at each stop together! We made our way to Venice, but made a special stop at a very small, and very beautiful Tuscan Winery where a son has taken over the operations, and the mom and dad made us a traditional farm to table lunch with the best wine of the trip! We arrived at our next hotel in Venice, NH Venezia which was right on the grand canal! It was a fantastic location to go explore the different bridges and stores. We had dinner on the grand canal where we got to watch Gondola’s, and water taxis go by and it was imprinted in my mind forever. The next day we took a ferry to the Island of Murano where despite the 93-degree temperatures we watched a glass blowing demonstration and then toured the many glass stores in the area. That was a very unique experience as well. Once we returned to Venice, we met a local guide for a tour of St. Mark’s square and toured the Basillica and admired Doge’s palace. That evening we took a gondola ride through the small canals and enjoyed talking to our Gondolier- He had some fascinating stories. The next day we departed Venice and headed for a short stop in Verona to see the balcony of Juliet, which inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet. We shopped and explored before heading to our final stop of our journey- Stresa. I know I said Florence was my favorite, but Stresa is a close second. Stresa is BEAUTIFUL, and our hotel overlooks Lake Maggiore. Once we arrived at Reginal Palace Hotel, we took a boat ride over to Isola dei Pescatori for dinner at a very small, and very quaint restaurant, and then took a ride around the lake before heading back to our hotel. The next day there was an option to go on a ride to the Simplon Pass towards Switzerland or take a boat to Isola Bella and tour the Borromeo Palace, which is what we chose to do. The Borromeo Palace is absolutely a must see! Jaw dropping beauty and history. Our tour concluded the next day, when we took a private car arranged by Collette to Milan airport and headed home. I absolutely fell in love with Italy and Collette on this trip. Our tour manager Paola was incredible. The places she chose for us to visit, and restaurants, and stops were all family-owned, friendly businesses who needed the business and were so kind and patient with us. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this experience, and I can’t wait for my next tour with Collette!

Our tour guide, Clarissa, was well versed in the culture, history and art of Italy. As we travelled she provided helpful insights as to what we were seeing and experiencing. I would travel again with her as the guide.

We had an amazing tour manager Clarissa knowledge was beyond anything we expected we just love her . Our favorite was renting a boat and seeing cinque terra By the sea everything I had ever imagined. All the hotels were clean and comfortable.

The Italy tour was fantastic! Very much enjoyed the cooking class at the Villa IL Leccio in Strada in the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy. The tour also included a 4 night stay at the Villa Godenano. Both villas were beautiful and the scenery was spectacular. Traveling through the small towns and stopping to experience the lifestyle was memorable. It was like going back in time.