Italy: Pasta & Piazzas

Our trip leader, Paola was very friendly and knowledgeable. This trip was a good way to see lots of sites in Italy and I know where I’d like to come back to for a longer period of time in the future.

I really loved this trip. The guide (Paola) was amazing and so energetic. I loved all the activities and the places we went. The only things I didn't like were some of the accomodations (specifically in Sorrento), and the dinner the first night.

Pros: - This tour is fantastic in taking you to all the main areas in Italy that you want to visit. - The Vatican / museums are included in the tour, which is great as it saves time waiting in line to buy a ticket and you learn information about the Vatican that you probably wouldn't know otherwise - especially as there's no real signage anywhere. - There's a lot of free time to do what you want to do. (Make sure you download offline google maps or buy data for your phone as the signage throughout Italy isn't the best and you can get lost easily and plan prior the main attractions you want to see/visit.. e.g. visit the colosseum on the day you arrive as you don't get time on the tour and it's not included). - Paola the team leader is so friendly and helpful, simply tell her if you want to do something specific on the free days, and she will help you with directions, etc as best she can. Cons: - The hotels used throughout the tour are very poor quality (most were dirty / adaptors didn't fit in some sockets / breakfasts were very basic and unappetising / beds were an inch apart - get a single room throughout if you can afford to!). - included meals were all pasta. It would've been nice to have something else.. Or at least given a choice out of 2 options - but you don't get a choice unfortunately, so pasta it is. - Dinners didn't start until 8:00 - 9:00pm (make sure you have lunch so you don't start munching your arm off). It's definitely a culture shock. - In Florence and Venice there were special surprises after dinner (Karaoke bar & a unofficial boozy night tour) - if these are not your thing, then go back to the hotel after dinner as you won't get back to your room until after 12am maybe even 2am depending on the group. It's a very long night, especially if it's not your jam.

Fantastic tour guide Paola and driver Carmine, both were excellent. Vatican city tour could have been planned better by Topdeck as there was a strike planned by public transport which was well in advance. Topdeck could have organised a small tour bus to take us rather than us having to frantically organise on the day - which our tour guide did try to help us all with. Other than that, quite happy with the trip overall.

The trip visited so many amazing places, our trip leader was fantastic and we had such a beautiful group of people. Whenever we stopped Paola gave us recommendations of things to see, places to eat, and specific foods to try. We didn’t have any issues but I know she sorted out others on the trip quickly. I loved all the stops, the rooms were basic but nothing to complain about. The only thing I didn’t love was how fast paced the tour was, I would’ve loved more time to explore each place, but that’s the nature of a tour!

Highly recommend this trip! For 2 weeks, you're able to see a lot of Italy and experience a lot of different experiences. It is on the pricier side, however this is reflective of prices in Italy currently. Our trip leader, Helio, was brilliant and made the trip what it was - he genuinely cared about the group - our safety, made sure we were enjoying ourselves and always helped out in organising additional activities for us as desired.

A great experience and a taste of some of Italy’s most iconic locations. Plenty of extra activities you can choose to do by the base tour also provides so many great activities that are included in the price

A great opportunity to see more of Italy compared to many of the usual Euro trips, exploring amazing places like Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Venice, Rome and Cinque Terre. Our guide, Helio, was knowledgeable, so friendly and helpful and great fun too. While some of the hotels were definitely a bit older, it was all part of the experience.