Touring style on our escorted tours of Italy

We want our guests to be fully informed of the style of our Viaggio Italia Travel escorted group tours of Italy, and all of the inclusions, when choosing to come along with us (and having a wonderful time of course). Our inclusions are noted in the tour itineraries, which are all found under Our tours.

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We have designed our tours around the way we have enjoyed our own extensive travelling over the past three decades: quality experiences that provide great value for money.

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We use a range of forms of transport when both moving between locations and within the larger towns and cities. Sometimes we use small buses and minivans; at other times we use trains - usually the Italian fast trains, which travel at speeds of up to 320 kph - although occasionally for short routes where there is no alternative we do take the regional trains. Train travel is a fast way to traverse long distances in Italy, allowing you to avoid traffic jams and arrive right into the city centre. Italian trains are comfortable and all have toilets, however, can often be quite busy. For this reason, where available we upgrade to First or Business Class, where we'll have plenty of space. It's a fun experience and you usually get a snack and a cup of coffee or tea, and you can relax as the countryside whizzes past. When we get on and off the trains, we all tend to help each other - especially with storing our luggage. 

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In some hotels you may need to walk up steps - very rarely more than a single flight - because in the old palaces that have been converted into hotels in the centres of the major towns and cities, elevators are retro-fitted where possible and sometimes this means from the first floor. You can read more about elevators in Italian hotels here.

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For this reason, we recommend you pack lightly. Smaller or medium-sized bags or backpacks with wheels are convenient and remember there may be times where you may encounter cobbled streets, uneven surfaces, stairs and steps.

 

We travel as lightly as we can. Hotels often have a laundry service, although we often manage our smalls in the room facilities.

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There may be occasions - rare - where our hotel is very close to the railway station and we will walk to the hotel, although usually our transfers will be via minivans, taxis or similar vehicles. In the larger cities, we use a range of transport, including taxis, the Metro in Rome and Milan, trams in Padova, and the Vaporetto in Venice, although usually our hotels are so centrally-located that it's only a short trip to wherever we need to go.

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Accommodation on our tours is twin-share, although a single room supplement is available at an additional charge. Some hotel rooms don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together. We will, of course, try our best to accommodate your preference whenever we can. Just let us know. And we don't add a margin to the single supplement - it is simply the rate charged to us by the hotel.

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We have no age 'caps', however it's unlikely that the activities will suit young children, nor would they be able to manage their own luggage when required. Equally, we don't consider the tours have an upper age limit or require a high level of physical fitness. We do include walking tours that may be of up to 3 or 4 hours in duration, so to make sure you get the most out of your time, it's advisable to take regular walks in the weeks or months preceding your tour. In some locations, there simply is no other way to visit but through walking (think the Vatican, Pompeii, Venice, etc...)

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Remember, the lovely Italian towns and cities are hundreds of years old and, as well as cobblestone streets, you may encounter stone steps and some uneven surfaces, so in addition to some pre-tour walking, we recommend you bring comfortable walking shoes with non-slip soles.

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At the end of the day, we want you to have a great time with us, so if you have any concerns or questions about our small group tours of Italy, please ask.

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