imared5

Has anyone taken this tour? I would like some feedback, especially on the hotels in Florence and Venice.

We are supposed to take late December 2008.

I think it sounds pretty good but would like some comments.

Thanks,
Imara

adrienne

And those hotels in Florence and Venice would be ????

And perhaps a link to the tour ???

charnees

5 days to see Renaissance Italy? Am i reading that right?

annhig

hi, adrienne and charness,

i to owas intriuged [aka horrifued] and googled this whirlwind tour of most of northern italy.

DAy 1 - rome, Assisi, siena, o/night in Florence.

Day 2 - florence

Day 3 - florence to Venice via Padua

Day 4 - Venice [strangely very little is scheduled, not even the inside of the Doge's palace, except a trip to a glass shop!]

Day 5 - Back to Rome via San marino.

no hotel names are given - there are two unspecified categories only.

it wouldn't be my idea of a holiday but it may suit the OP.

regards, ann

adrienne

Thanks Ann. I found it on the internet. It's a nightmare tour! The first day in Florence you see everything in the morning and the afternoon is free. I'm sure all they do is walk you by the sights and then you have to go back on your own in the afternoon.

imared5 - please book some other tour that will give you some depth.

charnees

Imara, please don't take that tour!! You cannot possibly see anything worth seeing in 5 days in 6 cities.

Italy is not a theme park, and there is enough in several of those places to take up 5 days by themselves -- especially Rome. You would be doing nothing but drive-bys on this tour.

StCirq

Wow is all I can say.

Day 1 is the equivalent of New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington, overnight in Harrisburg.

Honestly, what are they thinking? (the tour company, that is)

nytraveler

Agree that there is not way you can see anything on this tour.

And since it doesn't list hotels how are we to comment?

Have you contacted them to find out what/where the hotels are?

For a tour like that I would expect the Venice hostel to be in Mestre - and bet the free time (a couple of hours?) they try to sell you an optional tour?

Agree that at a minimum Rome needs 4 nights, Florence/Siena 3 and Venice 3 (although I would ever spend so few). Otherwise the entire trip will be looking at things out of bus windows.

imared5

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I was out of town and did not have time to check fodors for your reply. Sorry about that!
I know it sounds crazy, but I have already been in Rome, Florence, Padova and Venice, so I don't worry about the little time to visit.
I will be in Rome 3 days before the tour anyway.
The main reason for thinking of taking this tour, is because our group has 11 people, and getting them organized is kind of hectic.
Since I hate the idea of taking trains (with luggage, especially my parents who pack heavy) I thought it would be a good idea to take this tour that includes transportation between the cities I want to visit -it would give me the chance to visit some Assisi, Padova and Venice.
As per their email the hotels used for the tour are:
In Florence -Hotel Fleming or the Hotel Columbus
In Venice Mestre it would be the Hotel Il Delfino or the Hotel Sirio.
I looked online, and neither hotel impresses me at all. Has anyone heard of those hotels?
I have not heard from Odyssey in the past week- after many questions I asked.
I have reservations on my own in Venice, to go to Padova from there. I had already planned to go to Assisi from Rome in a sidetrip, but the cost for transportation is too high. I guess we will go by train.
Thanks everyone!