Recommendations for an escorted tour operator in italy
 

As an option to travelling italy on our own, we are also considering a 10-14 day escorted tour. Any recommendations? We have visited the kingdom of Rick Steves, not far from our house, but their tours are on the high end of our price range. Perillo tours are very much out of our price range. I have brochures from Gate 1, Cosmos, Tauk and Globus. Is there some other company I should be considering?

Thanks,
Rick

Tauck is higher priced than Rick Steves.
If you do go on a tour, make sure that the hotels are centrally located and not on the outskirts of the cities and towns.

Tauk is by far the most upscale of those you have listed. Perillo is very much moderate but from what I've heard the hotels are at the end of hell and gone and the food very poor.

Are you reading the details in the tour brochures carefully - since you don;t seem to have a good idea of what may be included in each.

I like Globus.

ricklea, I vote for Insight tours, an upscale offering from Trafalgar. Hotels are generally centrally located. I only took one Tauck tour (Canyonlands in US) which was great but their Europen offerings are beyond my budget.

If you feel that the Rick Steves tours are out of your price range, I don't think you'd find a tour at a lower price that would really be worthwhile. They'd most likely have hotels in less than desirable locations, few meals included and lots of "free time" where you'd have to pay extra fees for admissions etc. Thus your "less expensive" tour would probably cost you as much or more than a more expensive tour with a better company and more included.

As in all things, you get what you pay for.

You could look at Intrepid - small groups, more independent, central hotels, often public transport (maybe not at comfort level, but that's getting more expensive). Explore!, Exodus, Imaginative Traveler are similar, Adventures Abroad a bit pricier. But Italy is easy on your own.

An Australian company called Academy Travel in Sydney is excellent.You could arrange your own flight and be met at the airport in Italy. I've been on three of their trips and have just booked for their trip to Florence and surrounds. It starts the end of April 2011 and is for two weeks.
There are other Italy tours in early April and again at the and of May for almost three weeks.These two trips travel Rome,Bevagna,Florence, Venice

www.academytravel.com.au

moonrise

I like Tauck. I have taken a number of tours in Europe with them, two in Italy (Classic Italy and Venice, Rome, Florence). I am a single female, and very nice, centrally-located hotels are very important to me; Tauck has never disappointed. They also don't try and sell you side trips or "extras" or try to herd you to a specific leather, ceramic, etc. shop. I like to explore on my own, and there is also a pretty good balance of group time and free time.

anybody have experience with Collette Vacations?
http://www.collettevacations.com/
We've been hooked up with them through Marriott. Don't know what to expect, though I hope Marriott wouldn't go 'bargain basement'.

Cheers?

John

This what I get for one-handed typing while on the phone.

Cheers!

John

I have not used them, but several friends have recommended Untours: http://www.untours.com/ This is less "escorted" than the options you mention above, but may be worth checking out as a happy medium.

Sorry, this link may be more helpful than their home page:
http://www.untours.com/samplist.asp