I am planning a trip for my 5th anniversary to Italy. I am looking inton Brendan tours' Glimpse of Italy. We are a young couple and are going without our 2 year old! We want to go on a nice trip, not a budget trip, however we dont want to spend too much.
Here is the itenerary
Day 1, Sun.
Travel

Day 2, Mon. Arrival in Venice, Italy.
The day is free. Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Dinner. (D)

Day 3, Tue. VENICE.
Meet your local expert and start your walking tour in St. Mark's Square. Visit St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, and view the Bell Tower and Bridge of Sighs. Also visit a glass blowing factory where you will see a demonstration of traditional Venetian glass blowing. The balance of the day is at leisure to enjoy Venice at your own pace, shop, relax in a café, or join an optional gondola ride. (B)

Day 4, Wed. VENICE / FERRARA / Pisa / FLORENCE.
Drive to Ferrara, a Renaissance gem in the Emilia-Romagna region, standing on the banks of the Po River. An orientation tour shows you the highlights of this attractive town. Then, on to Pisa to view the famous Piazza del Miracoli with its Leaning Tower, the Baptistery and Duomo. End your day in Florence with dinner at your hotel. (B,D)

Day 5, Thu. Florence.
Today's morning city tour begins at the majestic Piazza del Duomo to see the Cathedral crowned by Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, and the Baptistery with Ghiberti's bronze “Gates of Paradise.” Then, visit the Academy of Fine Arts, where Michelangelo's David is displayed. Your tour ends at the Piazzale Michelangelo with a spectacular view over Florence. The remainder of the day is at leisure to savor the Renaissance splendor of the Tuscan capital on your own. (B)

Day 6, Fri. Florence / SIENA / ASSISI / ROME.
Traveling through Tuscany, stop in the beautiful city of Siena for a stroll to the Piazza del Campo and St. Dominic's Church. Afterwards, drive through Umbria to Assisi for a walking tour of the main square and a visit to the Basilica of St. Francis. Continue on to the splendid “Eternal City.” (B,D)

Day 7, Sat. Rome.
A full day sightseeing tour shows you all the highlights of splendid Rome. Visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Then continue on to see the Colosseum, ancient Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. In the evening, take a walking tour to the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps. (B,L)

Day 8, Sun. Rome.
A full day free in spectacular Rome. Your Tour Director will have suggestions on how to spend your time. You might want to visit some of the shops, galleries and museums, or relax in a sidewalk café. For those not taking the Sorrento Extension, an optional excursion to Pompeii is available. Once a prosperous port city, Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Your excursion will bring to life the sights and history of this fascinating town. Tonight, a Farewell Dinner in a local restaurant is the perfect way to celebrate your Glimpse of Italy. (B,D)

Day 9, Mon. DEPART ROME.
Transfer to the airport for your homebound flight. (B)

The hotels are as follows:
Venice is Cavaletto & Doge Orseeolo
Florence is Raffaello
Rome is Tiberio

Does anyone have any thoughts?? I would appreciate any and all help!!!

I have several thoughts about this trip and, please forgive me if I tell you what I really think about it: you will be globetrotters not tourists who can enjoy what you will pretend to visit.
Two are, in my opinion, the unbelievable days: Day 4 when you should visit Ferrara and Pisa in the same day !!!
Ferrara, believe me, deserves at least 1 day including the sunset to appreciate the charme of this ancient town, and Pisa also, of course.
Then, Day 6 when in one day you should visit Siena and Assisi ! But, please, how can it be possible ?
Siena not less than 1 full day, including the evening and the same for Assisi.
I am sorry and I apologize if I am unpolight, but I told you which are really my true opinions.
Ciao.

Vincenzo

hi,

well, Vincenzo's said it all really.

this really will be a glimpse. How much are they charging you for all this rushing about?

you are getting 8 nights, plus how many meals? [excluding breakfasts?]

many people do this sort of trip themselves, pacing it far more sensibly. as you are young and fit, no reason why you shouldn't do teh same, IMO.

there wil be loads of help for you here if that's what you want to do.

regards, ann

Brendan is the same as Globus which I've taken in the past. Yes, it's not a budget tour, meaning most of the others on the bus will be 65 and over. Are you ready for that?

"The balance of the day is at leasure" means you will be hard pressed to buy tour "optionals" so the tour guide can get comissions. Can you (or your husband) say a firm "no"?

If your choice is to go with a tour or stay at home, then take this tour. If not, make your own hotel reservations, rent a car if needed, and off you go!

Or check out for tour companies which only make reservations for you, give you a tour of the city, and the rest is up to you. This might be the best option.

This really is a glimpse for sure. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of escorted tours when they really fit the bill. This is a "9" day tour, which really means six. If that is all the time you have then these 3 cities could easily be done on your own. These are the basic "Tour 3's" so they are easy to get around and from one to another. You can search and book your hotels and any excursions online yourself. Train connections are easy. Once there you'll find plenty of great affordable places to eat. (you probably wouldn't eat the food provided by the tour company anyway, why pay twice for meals?) Lots of great help from people on this site.

everyone above is being very gentle here

IMHO this would be horrible. Nothing wrong w/ Brendan tours as such. But you are a <u>young</u> couple, celebrating your <u>anniversary</u> fer crying out loud.

Do you want to share your romantic vacation w/ a coach load of senior citizens, have to pack and have your luggage in the hallway at 0600 every other morning???

Not the way I'd want to spend an anniversary interlude w/o my toddler. How much is the tour per person? You very likely can do it cheaper - and definitely better - on your own.

Hi id,

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.

Venice, Florence and Rome are probably the easiest cities to plan on your own.

For the amount of time you have, you could easily visit Venice and Florence and really enjoy yourselves.

How much is the tour pp?

Is airfare included.

What hotels are offered?

In your position I cannot imagine anything I would dislike more.

You're young, probably want to go out at night and perhaps don;t want to be up at 6 am every day. And yes, many of the tour group will be the age of your grandparents.

Really - for a fifth anniversary I would plan something romantic and relaxed - not a hysterical scurrying from place to place with hours spent shopping for junk you really don;t want - rather than sitting in a cafe, having a drink and watching/listening to the world go by - and soak up the real atmosphere of Italy.

You time is so limited I would do 2 places - either Rome and Venice or Rome and Florence. That way you can pick a centrally located, romantic litle hotel, actually see some of the sights, enjoy some romantic after dinner strolls through squares with lit fountains and cafes you can sit and have an espresso or a drink. And perhaps actually go out one or two evenings.

Well here comes the old foggey being contrary. I believe a good organized escorted tour is an outstanding way of getting aquainted with Ialy and specific cities and it does prepare you for later independent travel for your 10th and 15th anniversities. While I realize this board is geared to the &quot;independent&quot; traveler, it amazes me how many independent travelers always seem to be looking for local tour guides and/or companies to pick them up and take them back to the airport, take them to this site and that site, etc., where to eat or shop once they arrive. You get so tied up with this, its worse and at times more expensive than a good organized escorted tour. We have been on two escorted tours to Rome, where they set up everything and then we were on our own. We have also been on a 16 day and a 12 day escorted tour taking us throughout Italy north of Rome. They were fantastic tours. We have since been back 5 times on our own to specific cities and very seldom use &quot;local&quot; tour guides or companies.
By the way, what is wrong with young couples traveling with experienced fun loving group from 25 to 80. We met some fantastic, wonderful people on these tours, including a sports writer, the inventor of the Yale prison lock, a scientist from the White Sands laboratories, a world traveling couple who were on their way to visiting each of the 1000 places you must see before you die, with ballons over France being next on their list after seeing &quot;David&quot;, and one couple just married and starting a vinyard in upstate NY. These were just a few of the senior citizens and grandfathers or grandmothers you may have to put up with while on an escorted tour, and this does't include the Americans of Italian descent visiting their ancestral homeland for the first time, who might just invite you to visit their relatives with them.
Unless you really get soured on this particular tour, go and enjoy a beautiful, wonderful country with a group of fellow travelers who are looking for the same enjoyment. Drink a toast to your traveling companions and enjoy the moment.

PS: I would not take any on the optional tours on your last day in Rome. Just walk the streets, sit in a Piazza or two, watch Rome go by and eat a gallon or two of gelato.
Regarless of what you decide, have a great trip and may you have many, many more anniversaries.
Lee

To tour or not to tour. We have taken at least 12 tours, with various companies and have always found that it was possible to go off on our own and do our own thing, using the tour/and bus as a means of transportation. I specifically remember a day in Paris when all the trains and busses were on strike--but our tour bus took us to Versailles, with no problem.

I think that the name of the tour says it all--a &quot;glimpse.&quot; Sometimes that all you want, for a first time. On our most recent tour, there were some in their 20, 30, 40, etc. and even some old foggys like us, who were celebrating our 50th anniversary.

We've done many trips &quot;on our own&quot; and gone back to places we first saw on a tour. Not everyone is prepared to &quot;wing it&quot; and it is possible to keep an open-mind about which type of travel is the best.
Cost can be a factor and &quot;winging it&quot; s not always the least expensive way.

This is, of course, just my opinion. Italy, where we've traveled five times--on tours--is a wonderful destination, no matter how one gets there. Ciao!!mhm

Mercy, I want to tell you how nice it was to see a sensible reply to this post. I have taken tours and traveled independently and believe there are positives and negatives for both.

Of course there are pro's to both -- and there are legitimate reasons for some tours. But IMHO a young couple taking taking a Brendan tour for an anniversary celebration is not a great idea - plus if they are on a limited budget it will cost more.

I agree that there are some good reasons to take guided tours, and I've taken some myself in the past.

But the worst thing about guided tours is that you have to get up 0-dark-thirty every freaking morning to be on that bus by 6am sharp.

If you have a 2 year old child and are taking an ANNIVERSARY trip, do you really want to get up at 5 AM every morning??? I would think a young couple with a toddler would value their romantic evenings together and especially their SLEEP more than that. There will be no time for a leisurely after-dinner walk at midnight, that's for sure. Just something to consider.

I'd save the guided tours for another trip. They can be great when you really want to pack in a lot of sightseeing in a short time, but they don't allow for much leisurely sleeping in or private couple time.

It's funny, but it's one of the things I like about escorted tours. They get me up at zerofreekin o'clock AM. Of course I'm not happy at all at zerofreekin o'clock AM, but I am later.

I can't imagine a two year old would be very happy on this sight seeing intensive tour. Does the tour company allow a child so young to participate in this tour? The tour companies I've dealt with required a child to be at least eight years old.

No - the OP is leaving the child at home. This is an anniversary trip for just the two of them . . . .

I think cheryllj's point was - would a young couple who usually have erratic sleep due to the little one, relish a regimented tour where they can't sleep in, relax and enjoy . . . . .

My personal opinion is too much in too little time. With 9 days total, maximum 3 destinations (although I would prefer 2).

There are companies out there who will customize your vacation to your travel wishes but without racing you around the country. Please look into a few more, specialized companies.

Buona fortuna!

I concur regarding escorted tours. This is so easy to do yourself. See a good local travel agent who will have lots of resources for helping you plan your trip. Companies such as Central Holidays, Avanti Destinations and many others offer hotels, rail tickets, airport transfers, museum passes and daytrips in and from each city so you can plan your own schedule rather than be confined by the tour operator's schedule. In other words, immerse yourself in fewer places so that you really get the flavor of each place rather than just a &quot;glimpse.&quot; A few polite phrases and a good Italian phrase book will get you through the language barrier. Better yet, try Rosetta Stone or other language program. Enjoy the adventure-you're young!

Well, I'm an old fogey, and this sounds like torture to me.

At your age, and given that this is a break from parenting, I'd sure want to be able to move around at a fairly relaxed pace, not be herded, have plenty of time with my spouse just enjoying each other, and most of all...sleep!

Italy's an easy destination to plan by yourself. And there's a good chance you can save money doing so, and even stay in better hotels, eat better meals, etc.

I just booked the same tour yesterday with no regrets. While the decision to &quot;tour&quot; or travel independently is a personal preference, my recent experience with Brendan was on a trip to Ireland last August. While there were a number of older travelers, it was the trip of a lifetime. My wife and I are in our mid 50's and there were much younger and older folks on the tour. I've traveled to Europe 6 times in the past 7 years, both on a tour and independently and both have their strong points. My advice is relax and have a wonderful time.