Has anyone used italytours.eu recently? Looking for recommendations

[pjfnme]

On 6/12/2019 at 8:16 AM, Never too young to cruise said:

I went on the Best of Rome tour on 5 June 2019. I had not heard of Italy Tours EU before, but joined an excursion after reading about them on CC.

 

It was a brilliant tour and I would thoroughly recommend them.

 

The email communication when booking was very quick and answered all/any questions I had.

 

We were picked up promptly from the ship, and had a Mercedes 8 seater take our tour of 6 to Rome. The cost was €123, which did not differ depending on the numbers. 

 

Laura the driver dropped us off at various locations around the city to see all the sights, and we saw so much in one day that just could not be seen if we were just walking.

 

We saw ALL the major sites, and had 20 to 40 minutes at each one to walk round.

 

We were then taken to The Vatican, where we met our knowledgeable guide Lia, who gave an excellent tour of Vatican City for a couple of hours. We were then taken back to the ship.

 

It was a long day (got picked up at 7.30am, and we got back to the ship at about 5pm) but I saw so much.

 

I would not hesitate to use Italy Tours again.

Did you have any free time at all during the tour to grab a bite to eat for lunch or purchase a souvenir or is everything really regimented? I know that it has to be to some extent due to the sheer volume of things to see vs available time, but I hate feeling overly rushed.  

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, pjfnme said:

Did you have any free time at all during the tour to grab a bite to eat for lunch or purchase a souvenir or is everything really regimented? I know that it has to be to some extent due to the sheer volume of things to see vs available time, but I hate feeling overly rushed.  

We had time as we stopped at the different area's to pop into a store...use the restroom...and before our Vatican visit stopped in an area to have lunch or shop with a time to meet back at the designated location. We never felt rushed at all....that's one of the great things about being with a small group tour rather than a huge group some book with the cruiseline.

 

We had a great day with this company in Rome May 21st...we would definitely recommend them and use them again.

 

Sorry not who you quoted but I also posted in this thread and thought I could also offer my experience.

Edited July 4, 2019 by Ashland

[pjfnme]

5 minutes ago, Ashland said:

We had time as we stopped at the different area's to pop into a store...use the restroom...and before our Vatican visit stopped in an area to have lunch or shop with a time to meet back at the designated location. We never felt rushed at all....that's one of the great things about being with a small group tour rather than a huge group some book with the cruiseline.

 

We had a great day with this company in Rome May 21st...we would definitely recommend them and use them again.

 

Sorry not who you quoted but I also posted in this thread and thought I could also offer my experience.

Thanks so much Ashland! I really appreciate that information - it makes me feel much better.

[Never too young to cruise]

2 hours ago, pjfnme said:

Did you have any free time at all during the tour to grab a bite to eat for lunch or purchase a souvenir or is everything really regimented? I know that it has to be to some extent due to the sheer volume of things to see vs available time, but I hate feeling overly rushed.  

 

Hi, I agree with the previous comment. It was a busy day but I didn't feel rushed at all. The guide will drop you off at each location and say 'right, meet back here in 25 minutes'. At the Trevi fountain, we had 45 minutes to have a walk round, get some lunch etc. Plenty of time to be honest.  

[pjfnme]

7 minutes ago, Never too young to cruise said:

 

Hi, I agree with the previous comment. It was a busy day but I didn't feel rushed at all. The guide will drop you off at each location and say 'right, meet back here in 25 minutes'. At the Trevi fountain, we had 45 minutes to have a walk round, get some lunch etc. Plenty of time to be honest.  

That sounds great!  Did you happen to use them anywhere else?  I'm looking at one for Florence/Pisa as well as Pompeii.  I wanted to do the one for Mt Etna but I didn't see one on their website.

[Never too young to cruise]

Didn't use them anywhere else tone honest. Enjoy!

[pasiandero]

Hi,

I used them last year and they are fantastic!

Don't worry, they will not leave without you.

They will wait for you.

As the boat docks and its not a tender, it should be easy to get out in time (within 30 minutes of agreed time. (if the boat is delayed docking they will wait longe)r.

Just enjoy your cruise!

 

[mkaalong]

I used this thread to make a decision about whether to use ItalyTours and I would like to post my experience!  

 

We had a delightful time in Rome with ItalyTours with Valerio! He was prompt, courteous and helpful. He did a great job getting us around quickly to the sights to see so many of them. I also loved that he seemed to know the area very well and dropped us off very close to most of the sights, which was appreciated in the heat. Our van was clean, nice and had great A/C!

And a big THANKS to Deborah, our tour guide in the Vatican City, who was AMAZING! She was able to navigate us past all the ticket lines with hardly ANY wait!! The heat and crowds were horrible, but she did her best to make it a pleasant and an informative time :) She was delightful, knowledgeable and super fun!

In addition to the driver and tour guide...the experience with booking with Italy Tours was pretty easy. The VERY thorough emails were great with knowing what to expect. For example, we wanted to see the Colosseum and the email with details on HOW to book it and also HOW to get through the very long lines was SO helpful! After we followed all the instructions to shoot past the lines and make it in, my husband was like...nice job :)  We chose the semi-private tour and I thought it was a great value for what we received!  

[jodiedennis]

We have just returned from our cruise during which time we used Italy Tours... they were faultless... excellent tour guide, careful driver and comfortable coach 

Highly recommended 

[Chocolate Teapot]

I used Italy Tours for a day trip from Naples to Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. It was an excellent day, and Luca, the driver was terrific. We also had free time in Sorrento for lunch and stopped for photos (and fresh lemon slushies) overlooking Positano. I would certainly use them again.

[Mike45LC]

I tried to book a tour through ItalyTours.eu, but they said that they did not have enough people to run the "small group tour" that I wanted, and they wanted to upsell me to a private tour for about $500 more for a one day tour.  Thanks, but no thanks!!

 

I think my experience is not the norm, because so many people on here praise them.

 

[Eorr]

9 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

I tried to book a tour through ItalyTours.eu, but they said that they did not have enough people to run the "small group tour" that I wanted, and they wanted to upsell me to a private tour for about $500 more for a one day tour.  Thanks, but no thanks!!

 

I think my experience is not the norm, because so many people on here praise them.

 

 

Mike, I just received the same type of response from them today.  I was hoping to book a Rome tour with them after our cruise ended.  They would pick us up at our hotel for the day, like you the cost was considerably higher as it was a private tour.  We do have 3 tours booked with them for our cruise in September and the communication has been excellent.  Sadly, the cost of the Rome tour is considerably more than we are willing to pay so may be on our own!

 

is your cruise in the near furores?  If not, you could post in your ships Roll Call to see if other passengers are interested in the same tour?  Our 3 tours with them were all from posts in our ship Roll Call.

 Our Rome tour would be after we had disembarked so no opportunity to book with fellow passengers. 

Edited July 14, 2019 by Eorr

[erby2283]

3 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

I tried to book a tour through ItalyTours.eu, but they said that they did not have enough people to run the "small group tour" that I wanted, and they wanted to upsell me to a private tour for about $500 more for a one day tour.  Thanks, but no thanks!!

 

I think my experience is not the norm, because so many people on here praise them.

 

I think it really depends on how active your roll call is. Also, try other social media sites for your sailing date to find others to join you.  I have a couple tours booked with them for my cruise in Aug but two other tours don't have enough to run as of today (Florence and Nice). 

[Mike45LC]

15 hours ago, erby2283 said:

I think it really depends on how active your roll call is. Also, try other social media sites for your sailing date to find others to join you.  I have a couple tours booked with them for my cruise in Aug but two other tours don't have enough to run as of today (Florence and Nice). 

 

Erby and Eorr, I am not in the business of selling tours.   That is ItalyTour's business.  So if they can't accommodate me, my attitude is "forget about it!"

 

And my Roll Call is completely dead!

 

[Garrae]

I’m considering using this tour company to help book for my parents anniversary. Would you recommend this company for senior citizen travelers- late 60s?

[No Bananas]

11 hours ago, Garrae said:

I’m considering using this tour company to help book for my parents anniversary. Would you recommend this company for senior citizen travelers- late 60s?

We joined 2 hours, Rome and Naples. 8 people in Mercedes Vans. The guides were terrific. Rome is a hard day. We're semi fit late 50s and its a long day. I would caution that if the guide drops your parents group off by the Trevi Fountain all parties including the driver have contact phone numbers. We had 2 people wander from the other 6 and lost an hour looking for them. In our group to Pompeii was several people in their 70s and some mobility difficulty. Again it walking intensive site, but our guide set a pace for everyone. Those that couldn't make a certain space were put in a spot that was comfortable and waited till others came back. No one was asked to do something beyond their capabilities. Everyone commented on the ride back of how our guides accommodated the group as a whole. Your parents will have an awesome time

[pamrose228]

We booked Italytours.eu for Florence Pisa and Rome in a Day when we disembark. Beautiful thing is for an extra 10 euros after full tour they will drop you off at your hotel. No need for a shuttle.

 

Also we are coming in on a Sunday so no VC tour. What will they bring us to instead.

 

I plan on doing a VC skip the lines next day . Any recommendations?

[FLCruiser2019]

We just used Italy Tours for two tours last week.  One to Florence/Pisa and the other to Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano.

Both tours were excellant!  One piece of advice for the Pompeii and Amalfi coast tour would be to skip Positano.  It is just a photo stop and your time would be better used in Sorrento.  The tour guides they hired for both Pompeii and Florence were so knowledgeable.  We purchased the tickets to go into the Galleria Dell'Accademia to see the sculpture of David but this isn't required.  You are given free time during the tours to do what you like also.  They had us back to the ship in plenty of time to board.  I would highly recommend Italy Tours.

[TRMski]

 

July 2019

 

ItalyTours.EU

This tour company was highly recommended for on-shore excursions for our Mediterranean cruise by members of CruiseCritic. Our experience was  very positive!

Many emails were exchanged with the staff at Italy Tours about their packages including cost, availability, timeframes, etc.  First impressions were that they seemed to be a good company to deal with but, when doing so with a business you only know on the internet, you are never entirely sure.

However, after all emails sent to tItaly Tours were responded to in a very timely and pleasant basis, in excellent English, we gained a high level of confidence.

For the tours that we booked, and one that did not take place owing to a lack of interest,  the company gave us a lot of valuable logistical information to ensure that we were well prepared and informed.

At one point, when trying to get on the Cannes/Nice/Monte Carlo tour, the company tried its utmost to ensure it would take place but, eventually, it had to be cancelled. There were simply not enough people to go … and this was at least their second tour of those cities. 

Owing to the cancellation, we had the full amount of our ticket purchase reimbursed within a couple of days without any delays, penalties or questions asked.  We were VERY happy with the way they managed this matter.  It gave us additional confidence that we were in fact dealing with a reputable company.

By the tour ...

July 9^th – Naples

We were picked up promptly by our guide and driver at the Port in a clean, Mercedes touring van, and then driven to Pompeii. From the pick-up spot to Pompeii, the guide gave us valuable insight.  Although we had a bit of a delay in getting our tickets into Pompeii, we enjoyed an incredible tour with our expert.

Our tour group was small enough that our Pompeii expert was able to speak with us in a normal tone of voice but we wonder if having a head-set would make the communications clearer.  The expert was well versed in the rich history of Pompeii and showed us so many things highlighting the architecture and structure of Pompeii. Initially, we were concerned at the short time we had for visiting the site – but again, with extreme heat, 2 hours allowed us to enjoy an overview of the life in Pompeii and then get out of the heat. Make sure you have water bottles for your visit and wear excellent walking shoes because the stone sidewalks/roads are original and uneven, but an amazing part of the experience.

After this great tour, we boarded our bus (comfortably air conditioned!) for a trip to Amalfi Coast, where we visited Sorrento and saw Positano from a road-side lookout, along with a side trip to a Limoncello plant, in this incredible area.  We stopped along the way for photos and souvenir buying.  It was very relaxed enjoyable. 

With all the construction around the Naples port, the journey was slow getting back for disembarking.  Our driver masterfully got us back to the Port in a time that allowed us to board the ship when we needed to.  It was very close, but we made it on time.  Our Guide, Driver and Pompeii expert were extraordinary and well suited to their jobs. 

 

July 10^th – Rome

At the appointed time, we were picked up by our driver at the port.  We did not depart right away, the driver waited about 15 or so minutes for what turned out to be a “no show” client.  With the need to get to the Coliseum (for booked tour tickets) by 9:30 AM, we were concerned that we would not arrive in time.

With heavy traffic, construction and an accident - not involving us - on the route, twe arrived at the Coliseum later than we wanted for our one hour tour.  From the time that our driver dropped us off close to the entry, we were able to get into the facility within 10 minutes!!  Fortunately, before the cruise, we purchased skip-the-line tickets directly from the Coliseum ticket office.  This enabled us to by-pass several ticket lines that were easily over 100 metres long.  Without the pre-booked ticket reservation we would not have been able to go into the coliseum. Hint:  for a quick, easy way to get in to this site, buy your tickets in advance DIRECTLY from the Coliseum site: www.coopculture.it. 

The driver took us past major sights in Rome (Caesar’s Palace, Circus Maximus, Roman Forum) and a quick stop in the heart of Rome for a grab and go lunch.  In addition, we had a walking tour to Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. He provided valuable historical information and points of interest as well as navigating the most narrow, crowded streets we have ever seen, with calm expert skill!

Following this tour, we visited the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Square, etc.  Our expert guide was superb. She was very educated and knowledgeable about everything that we saw (history, literature, art, church history).  There were many people in the Vatican on the day we visited, but our expert kept us close and well informed (using audio headsets to ‘whisper in our ears’ as we travelled through the crowded Vatican galleries on our way to the Sistine and St. Peter’s).  We learned a great deal on that special day. 

The expert and driver co-ordinated very well so that drop-offs and pick-ups at the Vatican were smooth in the crowds and busy streets of Rome. Our driver was then able to get us back to the port in time for our departure.  It was a fast-paced, highlight reel of incredible historical sights. The driver and expert really enabled us to see far more than you could possibly cover on your own, and in a short time gain some understanding of the history and richness of the sites we visited.  

This tour required good walking skill! Several seniors who joined us for the Vatican tour had great difficulty walking (stairs!!!) in these old buildings (no elevators/ escalators). The day was very hot (bring water bottles) and amount of walking requires good physical ability to cover distances and stairs. Wheelchairs (impossible!) or those requiring walkers will face extreme difficulty. 

Fantastic experience!!

 

July 11^th – Livorno

Rather than see both Pisa and Florence from Italy Tours, we chose their package to only Florence. While we would have enjoyed seeing Pisa and more of the Tuscan countryside, we were glad in hindsight, that we focused on Florence as there was so much to see in a single day.  Again, we were picked up in a clean, new Mercedes touring van from the port by our driver. The journey to Florence from the port, through the Tuscany country-side, was breath-taking.  

We met our Expert in Florence who walked us into the university to see, among many other artifacts, the glorious Statue of David.  We learned so much from this Expert who had great knowledge (history, art history and artists techniques, literature, mythology, architecture, languages) and a strong, effective way to communicate.

She also worked to ensure that the tour was engaging for several kids (ages 11-15) that were part of our group. She had a marvelous teaching style for the kids and all adults in the group – we could have spent 2 weeks following this lady and listening to her! So gifted! We walked through the Galleria dell’ Accademia to see beautiful medieval and renaissance art works, sculpture and of course, Michelangelo’s David.

Next we ventured through the incredible streets of Florence on a walking tour to see many interesting sites:The Baptistery, Il Duomo – Santa Maria Novella, Ponte Vecchio, Bascilica di San Lorenzo. We also had 90 minutes to explore this amazing city, grab lunch (with a nice gelato!) and shop (Italian leather is the local speciality).    

Getting access to skip-the-line tickets, as a part of our tour package, enabled us to bypass many other tourists waiting to get tickets.  There were many people at the university that day, but we saw everything in a very calm, unrushed way. Our expert used audio headsets, which enabled her to ‘whisper in our ears’ and provide info throughout the gallery and streets.

Our trip back to the Port incorporated a visit to other interesting sites in Florence especially the Piazzale Michangelo (atop a hill overlooking the city and Arno river), courtesy our Driver.  The return trip included this spectacular Tuscany country-side again. It is very obvious now as to why so many people love this part of Italy! It’s on our bucket list to return and spend more time in this lovely city!

Our enjoyment for this day was punctuated by the skill and talent of our driver Expert; both were first class.

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by TRMski
Adding month and year for clarity

[Maleficent's Dad]

Our trip was on the NCL Epic, out of Barcelona, from July 14 -21.  We were in Naples on July 16, Civitavecchia on the 17th, and Livorno on the 18th.  For all three ports, we used italytours.eu and had private tours.  This was the BEST thing we could have done.  I HIGHLY recommend their services.  Each driver was professional, waited on the pier/parking area for us with a sign up having my name on it.  We were in comfortable Mercedes vans each day.

 

Naples - “Pompeii, Sorrento, & Positano” tour:

Our driver Nicholas, who was outstanding all day long, was waiting for us as we left the pier area to the parking lot.  5 of us boarded a Mercedes van, and off we went.  He spoke excellent English, and talked to us about the area of Naples.  He lived close by and gave us a lot of insight.  He brought us to Pompeii first, where we met out Pompeii tour guide Enza.  We separated from Nicholas and walked Pompeii with Enza, learning a lot about the ruins.  She was an outstanding guide.  Knowledgeable, well-spoken, and very professional.  She knew all the ins & outs of the place, and really made the tour enjoyable.  Back to Nicholas after Pompeii, we were off to Sorrento.  A truly breathtaking drive down the coast, we learned much about the area as Nicholas spoke.  In Sorrento, he brought us to one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had - “Donna Sofia.”  It’s an impossible place to find, and you have to take a shuttle from the town’s center to get there.  The drive up to the restaurant is quite the experience.  It’s probably the most memorable part of the day!!!  After some free time in Sorrento, we were off to Positano.  We basically took some pictures of the quaint town and left for Naples - we wanted good Naples pizza.  Nicholas delivered!  We were in Naples and eating pizza before being back on the ship.  It was a truly excellent day.  Note:  Nicholas, the amazing tour guide, bought the pizza for our group.  Something we protested but he insisted upon.

 

Civitavecchia - “Best of Rome” tour:

Again, our guide was waiting for us as we got off the ship.  Laura would be our guide.  This tour would prove a little different.  Laura spoke good English, but not quite like Nicholas (we were spoiled our first day).  She would bring us (via back roads and alleyways) to landmark spots in Rome and send us on our way.  In this manner, we saw the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum (we didn’t enter), the Roman Forum and more.  We got to Vatican City (the Vatican Museum) after a casual lunch, and met our Vatican guide, Isabella.  She was just an incredible guide.  She knew the Vatican Museum and every detail intimately.  It was extremely impressive.  She pointed out a ton of things we would have NEVER known without her guidance.  Of course, in the Sistine Chapel, there is to be no talking.  And while the hordes of people chatted away ignoring the security’s warnings to be silent, our guide Isabella followed the rules like a professional.  She had pointed out much of the chapel’s details BEFORE we entered, so we knew what we were looking at.  And of course, we got lesson after lesson after lesson from her in St. Peter’s Basilica and Square.  We learned more about the Pope than I ever needed to know - and that’s coming from someone who spend the better part of his life in Catholic Schools!  We re-met Laura afterwards for the drive to the ship.

Something to note:  They drive VERY VERY FAST on the highways in Italy.  We were doing 145 kmh, which was actually moving along nicely with the pace of the traffic!

 

Livorno - “Best of Florence & Pisa” tour:

We had two of our friends join us on this tour, so we were up to 7 people today (friends who traveled with us and didn’t want to do the other tours).  For the third day in a row, our driver Carlo picked us up as we got off the ship and whisked us away in the Mercedes.  Carlo was an extremely knowledgeable guide, but his accent made him the most difficult to understand.  It wasn’t a huge issue, but definitely had to listen closer.  He drove us to Florence - in our opinions, the BEST city that we visited.  Our Florence museum guide was Pia, and she was excellent!  She was knowledgeable and well-spoken.  We had skip-the-line tickets to the Museum Academia.  The David statue was breath-taking and worth the effort.  She also brought us to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Palazzo Vecchio, and more.  A really great city.  We had some down time and many in our group went shopping for leather goods at a factory outlet store (recommended by Carlo).  On the subsequent drive to Pisa, we stopped along a road in Tuscany and walked around a vineyard - took pictures of the vineyard and some olive trees as well.  Just a unique experience that we would not have otherwise had.  In Pisa, we basically took pictures at the tower.  Good fun, but alas, not much to see there.  Carlo did bring us to the lesser known town square where there was a university and some other sites.  He was very informative, and once again, we learned a lot that we would have otherwise missed out on.  He had us back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

It was a bit taxing as we had three VERY full days in a row.  But alas, we knew what we were getting into ahead of time.  We saw some AMAZING places and sites, and would do it again in a heartbeat.  It was well worth the money - took away all the stress and pre-planning needed, as well as the fact that we learned so much more from our private guides.  It really was an awesome experience!

[Ashland]

On 7/16/2019 at 6:30 PM, Garrae said:

I’m considering using this tour company to help book for my parents anniversary. Would you recommend this company for senior citizen travelers- late 60s?

Late 60's !!...That should be no concern at all.

[TRMski]

2 hours ago, Garrae said:

 

Hello Garrae:  Thank-you for kind words.  As per the entry into the colesium, what you have thus far and what you've printed out is all you need at this point.  

(When your parents arrive on site, make sure they go to the pre-purchased ticket line.  I cannot remember the exact wording on the sign, but it's something like that). 

Have your parents give the "Order Confirmation" print-out that you have to the staff in that line.  These folks sit behind a glass wall and will take the Order Confirmation print-out from your parents and then enter the order reference number (PNR), which is the 8 character and number sequence that appears on that print-out, into their computers. When they confirm the PNR,, which takes less than a minute, the actual entry tickets are then printed. The barcode appears on those tickets.  (For posterity, we kept ours ... looking at it right now). 

Have your parents take those tickets to a nearby kiosk manned by another staff member who will then put those tickets into an automatic ticket reader ... they're in!!

It took my wife and I less than 10 minutes to enter the coliseum after we went into the pre-purchased ticket line with our print-out ... during the hustle and bustle of a hot summer day.  

I hope this is all clear.  If not, let me know where you need more info.  I am very happy to help you.  

Like you, and MANY other people, we believe that Italy Tours is a first class, first rate operation.  We recommend them as highly as possible and will, without hesitation, use them again if ever we return to Italy.  We hope your parents have a safe, enjoyable time. 

Edited July 31, 2019 by TRMski

[Moose12345]

1 hour ago, Garrae said:

Thank you so much for your response! You alleviated my stress level. We were thinking about booking Pompeii/Amalfi tour but thought it would be too much for them. That’s the only part of the trip that I haven’t booked for them.

If you think the Pompeii part will be too much for them, you could contact Italytours.EU to see if there are any spots left on our tour. It is the Classic Amalfi Coast tour. It goes to Amalfi Coast, Positano, and Revello. I'm not sure if it's full or if we have room for more. Just a thought! 😄

[Ed2010]

I have 2 excursions through italytours.eu booked and working on a third. Should I get some Euro's on the cruise ship prior to my excursions or is carrying a credit card sufficient?  

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Ed2010 said:

I have 2 excursions through italytours.eu booked and working on a third. Should I get some Euro's on the cruise ship prior to my excursions or is carrying a credit card sufficient?  

I would suggest getting some Euros...no reason to depend only on your credit card for what will only be a few small cash expenses...anything larger you can certainly use your credit card.

 There are several ways of doing this...but what's been easier for us is to just order some Euros from our local bank before we leave home.

Not sure if your ship will have them...some do some don't so why take the chance. Also many people on these boards use an ATM however the time factor might be a consideration because you'll be meeting up with the tour company as soon as you dock....and unlike many I'm not interested in looking for an ATM and assuming there won't be a problem and the fact that I don't care for using an ATM in a foreign location...just my personal choice.

 

Do what works out best for you as you'll get lot's of personal opinions on this subject...so consider them all.

 

Enjoy your tours you've chosen a great provider....we had a great tour with them on our recent May trip to the Med/Greece.