First time to Italy, NO tour group??
 

My husband and 2 adult sons and I are going to Italy in May for the first time. We think we do not want to be part of a tour group and that we just want to wing it for sight seeing are we fooling ourselves? We are taking an Italian language class before we go.

No, you are not fooling yourself---we all do that--I have 13 times now.
But, it does take time and work--which is really part of the fun. You can get tons of good help here and also at www.slowtrav.com Good luck !

Many Italians, especially in the tourist cities, speak some English--you will be fine. Do take your lessons, as they will appreciate your efforts.

You certainly DON'T need a tour group to see Italy. Actually, I couldn't think of anything worse. Italy is a well trodden path for tourists and as such handles non Italian speaking tourists very well. You'll find english speakers at all the major sites, hotels and most restaurants within major cities and even in small towns. Have no fear. A good guide book and a phrasebook is all you need.

Hi Vern!

No, you certainly don't need a tour. You can make all your arrangement easily with the help of the Fodorites and the internet!

However, if you are going in May, you better get hustling on reservations. May is a perfect time to visit Italy.

Also, you can wing it sightseeing, but do your research and know in advance closing days and hours!

Plus, there are some museums that you really MUST have advance res for, or else be willing to stand in line for 2 - 3 hours or even more, the Uffizi and Accademia in Florence, the Borghese in Rome (by res ONLY), etc.

Vern:

I suppose these are the answers you probably expected from this wild group of independent traveling enthusiasts... DW and me included.

When I've compared noted with friends who lean toward group travel, they usually have a look of awe when they hear our tales and see our pix of places no group would ever go, etc...all you guys above know the drill, I'm sure.

Go, Vern , Go...have no fear..just have a great experience. Don't worry about the language, with all the times we've been to most parts of that marvelous country, my Italian is still far less than the grade school variety I picked up from school mates in the Italian enclave in my hometown of Quincy, Mass.
(minus the wicked words and hand gestures, of course)...sure we've gotten lost in the Italian hinterlands...but that's part of the adventure I'm referring to.

Best wishes for a great trip!

Stu T.

I agree 100 percent, do it on your own. I have a lot of fun doing the planning. However, I did enjoy a day trip with a guide, Roberto from the Tuscany area. We did not have a car in Tuscany so this allowed us to get out into the countryside and visit small wineries. Once it was only my husband and myself in the group and the other time there was one other couple. You can specify if you want a private tour.
Anyway, it is much more fun being on your own. Also, we did not know Italian and got along very well, although a little Italian would have been good.

Agree with everyone above. However DH and I always hire our own private guide when visiting historical sites; it really does a much job than a guidebook. But would never would want to be on a large group tour.

The only other instance that I think a group tour can work is a small specialty firm specializing in specific activities such as culinary or adventure. And only if the group were no more than 12-14 people.

But take your language course to get your few basics down and think about what you wish to see and fill inthe blanks if you feel you need a private guide for any outings you wish for a deeper understanding and explanation.

Book your own hotels and restaurants; use the resources here.

Have a ball

I agree with the others BUT it is a lot easier to "do it on your own" after you've done it the first time and a lot of people seem to forget that.

I agree you don't need to do an organized tour but you will need to be somewhat "organized" and that's where the folks here come in.

I would strongly advise you to <b>do some research on your own first</b> and consider what places and sights/sites seem the most appealing. Consulting a MAP of the country will help if you aren't very clear as to where (how far from each other) places are located. (&quot;Can we do something in Bari and in Milan on the same day?&quot;...Uhhhh, probably not)

THEN I would start asking questions here.

Please do NOT start out with, &quot;Where should we go?&quot;(without any clue as to what you like, etc.) Why? because if you do, by the time all the posts are finished you'll have to go to italy and stay for MONTHS trying to hit all of the recommended spots.

Have fun planning.

Never fear. This is easier than you think. As others have said, you just have to do your research and be a little organized yourself.

My husband and I went to Europe (Germany and Austria) last summer. It was my first trip to Europe and my husband's first trip since he was stationed in Germany for a year when he was 19. Other than a few words of German and some memory of using the trains, he was basically as much of a newbie as I was. I took German in high school and promptly forgot everything I learned, but in the months leading up to the trip we listened to language CDs and I picked a fair amount back up.

We had an absolute blast on our trip. It was so much fun. If finances would allow, I would go every year, but they don't, so I am settling with every other year :) Already thinking about where to go next time around.

Our planning went like this:

* We got our plane tickets (using FF miles, so we needed to figure out where we could even go first - ended up with flights in and out of Munich 2 weeks apart).

* Then we got guidebooks from the library and listed all the places we wanted to go - LONG list so the next thing was to prioritize so as to make a reasonable itinerary - used some good maps to help decide as well as advice from this board about logistics of getting from point A to point B and the relative interest of different areas.

* Once we had our general itinerary, I bought a couple guide books so we could mark them up and started researching more on the web to decide what to do, where to stay, and where to eat when we got there.

* I made all our hotel reservations before leaving home. This way, no matter what, we always had a place to sleep :)

* As the trip grew closer, I panicked a few times, but then decided that if all these other people can do it, I can too.

* About a week before the trip, I made a folder (the type you can affix pages in, not just have them loose) with all pertinent information: our flight info, our itinerary with hotel addresses and phone numbers, lists of restaurants, lists of sights and attractions, etc.

And off we went. It was great. The bit of German that I had relearned served me well. We ran into a lot of people who spoke English, but a few who did not.

Our itinerary wasn't too rigid, but we had some structure and we had done enough research ahead of time to know what were the main sites and some lesser-known ones to seek out. We had a few things reserved ahead of time - really popular attractions so we didn't have to wait in long lines and that sort of thing.

So bottom line - you can absolutely do this and I totally recommend independent travel.

One day in Munich, it was really hot and we just didn't want to do the side trip to another town that we had planned - just too hot. We actually got to the other town, but were just miserable. So we hopped a train back to Munich, went to a store to buy some beach towels, and went to the river we had gone past a couple days before on a half-day bike tour. We swam, sat out, and relaxed. Turned a miserable day into a really nice one. Having that flexibility was wonderful.

Absolutely you can do it yourselves. It helps however if one or more people like to plan trips i.e. does not consider it a chore to compare hotels and invesitgate sites. I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of regular posters on this board are these kinds of persons. I find that planning a trip is part of the excitement of travel. If there is no one in your group like this and the planning is left to one less than willing soul, it may be better to do a tour. If you and your family look at planning the trip together as part of the adventure, it will be much more fun than a tour.

You're going to be just fine. In fact, I think the added flexibility you have as a small group will more than offset the fact that you don't speak the language.

I don't speak a lick of Italian, but it didn't cause any problems for me when I went a few years ago.