sorobles

Hello everyone,

My name is So, a teacher in Dallas who is eager to get some great advice and suggestions for my trip to Rome this summer. I decided to book a trip with Cosmos for the simple fact of security and peace of mind. I've been to Europe 8 years ago with a combination of independant and giuded tours. I prefer someone else make the arrangement as long as I can have some wiggle room to include my own itinerary. My group will consist of four people, my husband, sister, and brother in-law.

Has anyone taken this particular tour with Cosmos? I'd like to get an idea of what to expect...excursion I should do on my own instead of with the group....helpful information on where to get public transportation around the designated hotels. I know that its a budget trip and most hotel are far away from central location. If there are any great reasonable priced restaurants along the way, it would be great to know.

adrienne

Please give a link to the particular trip so people can easily look at the itinerary and comment.

Most people on this board plan their own trips rather than taking escorted tours. Even if no one has taken the Cosmos trip people can give helpful advice.

adrienne

For public transportation you can ask at the hotel when you get there. Hotel staff are always helpful and knowledgeable - that's their job.

nytraveler

I can't imagine a guided tour to just those places - typically they haul you all over the whole country. Agree we need to see the tour to know how to advise you.

tom18

sorobles - We did that tour four years ago as part of a longer tour through Italy. I'm in a rush right now, but I'll get back to you tomorrow and tell you what I can. However, it's possible that the tour has changed (a little or a lot) in four years.

sorobles

My itinerary is 3 nights in Rome at Residenza Parco Tirreno, 2 nights in Capri at Villa San Michele, and 2 nights in Sorrento at Ascot, lastly 1 night inRome at Pineta Palace.

sorobles

Here is the website to the tour
http://www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?t..._Product_Italy

adrienne

You can take a Vatican museum tour for less than the E55 offered by Cosmos. There are a number of tour companies and the Vatican has its own tour guides. You would need to find out what time Cosmos offers this tour and what else is on the agenda the same day. Plan on having information for several tour companies on hand to make a last minute decision.

I would also see St. Peter's basilica with a tour as there are lots of interesting facts about this church. I notice that the church is not included in the Cosmos itinerary.

On Capri be sure to see the beautiful majolica floor in the San Michele church (in Anacapri, I believe).

I would not take any of the optional dinners as they are going to be in tourist type places geared to large groups and you will be eating mediocre mass produced dinners.

valtor

For the time you have, for then fact that you prefer to have the arrangements made by somebody else, I think that the Cosmos trip is not so bad.
On your own, you need more time to visit the same places. So this will add the price of hotels and meals for at least 3 more days.

Of course you have to visit Basilica St. Petro.
In Anacapri visit museum Casa San Michele (of the writer Axel Munte).

sorobles

Thanks for the advice Adrienne and Valtor.

iris1745

I think but not sure. Have you already booked this trip?

sorobles

Yes I already booked it. I wanted to make payments each month so it will be payed off in May.

iris1745

OK, Enjoy, you will have a great trip.

worldinabag

Hi

We did this tour in May 2013 and continued with the Sicily option. It was fantastic. Your knowledgeable tour director will gladly answer any queries including transport options. The Residenza Parco Tirreno is a short walk from a metro stop. The Pineta Palace is less well placed and needed a bus trip to the metro. Both these hotels were barebones but quite adequate although the neighbourhood wasn't particularly attractive. The Villa San Michele was really special. Good room, excellent food and views to die for as they say. In Sorrento we stayed in the centre but not at the Ascot. I highly recommend the optional Tivoli tour - incredible gardens and fountains followed by a superb lunch and the Villa San Michele tour on Capri. I also recommend visiting the Foreigners Club - http://www.circolodeiforestieri.com/en/ - for incredible Sorrento views.

sorobles

worldinabag, you provided some great bits of information. I truly appreciate anything you can remember. Did you book the Tivoli/w lunch with the tour company? Is there an option to go to Positano during the trip?

We are actually arriving one day early to sleep off the jetlag. My group and I are in our late 40's and need some time to recharge our batteries. Was the tour relaxed or did you feel rushed?

Thanks!!

tom18

sorobles -

Your itinerary was the same as ours except that we spent three days (instead of two) in Sorrento, the last of which was totally at leisure, which is perhaps why it has been eliminated in your tour. We stayed at different hotels than you did in Rome and Sorrento, but did stay at the San Michele in Capri, which, as Worldinabag has said, was special. (One of the pictures we took looking down from San Michele to the sea now decorates our family room wall.) Overall, we were very happy with the tour and would recommend it.

The optionals which we took (with prices in euros per person - they’re probably higher now) were: Rome by night and dinner (52); Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (52); Tour of Capri (38); Naples City Excursion (40); Sorrento Special Dinner (26); and Sorrento Musical Show (27). I would certainly do the first four again. If you talk to the concierge at the hotel in Sorrento, you could probably do the equivalent of the other two for less money. But we enjoyed all of the optionals. Our tour did not offer Tivoli, the Catacombs, or the Blue Cruise on Capri.

We thought we got good value for the money for the tour. The weekend we were in Rome was a holiday weekend and a lot of areas were closed or blocked off, so having someone to transport us who knew the city was a plus.

The second day in Rome was totally free and we ended up going to the Pope’s outdoor Mass in St. Peter’s Square that day. We then walked to the Piazza Navona and had a great outdoor dinner at one of the restaurants there. The tourist areas of Rome can be navigated well by walking, bus, or the metro.

On the way to Capri we stopped at Pompeii and had a good guided tour there. Capri and the waters around it were gorgeous, as was Sorrento and the included drive up the Almafi Coast and the few hours we were able to explore Amalfi. It was particularly helpful to have a tour guide to point out things about the places along the Amalfi Coast that we wouldn’t have known on our own.

If you would like additional details about the tour, you can contact me privately at [email protected].

hollywoodsc

I did a European tour many years ago and it gave me an overview to build on with later trips.
Having everything planned takes a lot of stress off and let's you just enjoy your vacation.

Your next trip you'll be able to focus on places you'd like to see more of.

worldinabag

Hi again

Hope the following helps:

Tivoli: Yes booked with the tour company.

Positano: Easy to do on your own. From Sorrento take the bus from the depot near the train station. TIP: Take as early as possible. You'll note that there will be a queue. We were puzzled by the fact that there was standing room on the bus but no one from the queue went on board. Turned out that people weren't prepared to stand. Didn't bother us. Better than waiting a long time. From memory it's a 40 minute journey. I highly recommend lunch at Restaurant Pizzeria "Da Costantino" - http://www.dacostantino.com/inglese.htm. We have eaten there twice now. It has breathtaking views and inexpensive, good food. Pre book to secure a window seat. Get off at the "Chiesa Nuova" stop and make your way up to the restaurant. Then make your way back to the Chiesa Nuova stop and take the local bus down to the seafront and town. From there you can take the bus back to Sorrento.

"Was the tour relaxed or did you feel rushed?": The Rome to Sorrento tour was relaxed. Our Sicily extension was a bit hectic but excellent nonetheless.

sorobles

Tom18, thank you for taking the time to write you experiences down. This will greatly help me navigate through my tour. I hope to one day not depend on guided tours and venture out on my own. Everyone on the website seems so confident to travel on their own. If you think of anything, I will definetly email you. thanks you again.

sorobles

worldinabag,
Great advice on getting the bus in Sorrento. The websites helped me get an idea of where I am going. Thank you