armando0176

Hello Fellow Fodors - My wife and I are wrapping up our booking for our trip to Italy (first leg is Paris) for mid-September (just over a month away). We have flights and hotels all booked. We are now looking at tours and transfers.

I've heard from "you can see all attractions without any tour guide" to "it's better to have a tour guide for certain attractions to get a better understanding on the history, etc.." We are interested in knowing about the history of attractions that are worth knowing about (For example: I've heard and seen the David in pictures, but don't know the history and I heard taking part in guided tour for that is worth it, but I will wait for your recommendations) Below are destinations and days/nights we are staying.

******early flight from Paris to Venice******
Venice - 2 Full Days (2 nights) ******transfer to Florence******
Florence - 2 Days (2 nights) ******transfer to Positano******
Positano - 3 Days (3 nights, would like to go to Pompeii, etc...******transfer to Rome******
Rome - 4 Days (4 nights)

My wife and I have never been to any of the destinations in Italy mentioned above, so we're looking for recommendations. With that said, what tours/guided tours/audio tours are worth taking part in? If you know the prices and how long the tours are, we would appreciate that information as well, as well as any other information you'd like to provide.

Thank you all! We look forward to your recommendations.

Sassafrass

You might want to lay your trip out so that you show travel times because 2 nights never nets you 2 full days, 3 nights never nets 3 days, etc.
Starting with arrival in Venice.

Don't know what early flight time actually is, but if you have left Paris really early, it means you got up super early to travel from your hotel in Paris to the airport, go through security, etc. It will take an hour or so to get from the airport in Venice to your hotel, altogether, 4-5 hours at best, hotel to hotel. With little sleep the night before, you will likely be tired by time you get to hotel in Venice, so 1/2 day of sightseeing might be enough, though just walking around in Venice is amazing.

Day 1, arrive Venice, 1/2 day
Day 2, Venice, 1 whole day
Day 3, travel to Florence, hotel to hotel, plus train time, arrive mid-morning 3/4 day
Day 4, Florence, 1 whole day
Day 5, travel to Positano, arrive mid-afternoon, 1/4 day
Day 6, Positano, 1 whole day
Day 7, Positano, 1 whole day
Day 8, travel to Rome, 1/2 day
Etc.

armando0176

Thanks Sassafrass. Any recommendations on tours/guided tours?

denisea

In Rome, Walks of Italy does a wonderful job and limits tour group size. We enjoyed the Pristine Sistine tour at the Vatican Museum. We also went them for the Colisseum for the tour that includes the underground and the top tier. If you go to Doria Pamphilj the audio guide there is excellent.

raincitygirl

Walks of Italy has some nice tours and I also like Context. In Rome we did a really good "ancient Rome" tour with Context and also a good Vatican tour with them. Their docents are highly educated and interesting.

It would be helpful if you told us what sorts of things you are mainly interested in seeing/doing in each place.

jubilada

Do you have a guidebook?
This will explain a lot of the history and context of what you will see, helping you to decide if you need tours at all.

HappyTrvlr

We used ArtViva tours in Florence and recommend them.

ElendilPickle

We very much enjoyed the New Rome Free Tour, a tip-based evening walking tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and Mr. Pickle and I enjoyed getting to see some places that we probably would have missed otherwise. www.newromefreetour.com

We also enjoyed the morning Renaissance walking tour done by Florence Free Tour. www.florencefreetour.com It is also tip-based, and we thought we got a fairly good overview of that era.

Lee Ann

kja

Your call. I prefer to use a guidebook to learn about places in advance and then use audioguides on site, as that strategy lets me proceed at my own pace.

Sassafrass

In general, I prefer to read a lot and carry along info because I don't remember much that guides say. I also find that the more I already know about something, the more I enjoy seeing it. That being said, if you don't know about something, a guide can be very helpful.

They are too heavy to carry around, but for the few weeks you still have before your trip, pick up Eyewitness Guides for Florence and Rome. They don't have much writing, but do have good illustrations and point out interesting things to look for. Guide books may seem pricey for such short term use, but think about it in terms of how much they can enhance an expensive trip. Top 10 or Top 25 type guide books for Florence and Rome can also be useful. You could also just pull this info up on the computer.

Venice. Pick up a "Top Ten" or "Top 25" guidebook of some kind. Get tickets for things like the Basilica and Doges Palace, a tour if you want, and walk - a lot. Read ahead of time about the history of Venice and how the buildings were constructed.

For something as major as Michelangelo's David, do pull it up online and do a little reading. Knowing why it is such an important sculpture will enhance your visit. Same for the Duomo, Baptistery and Santa Croce in Florence. For you, A personal guide would really enhance your time in Florence. Others can recommend one.

Rome. Read about some of the more important places like the Pantheon so you know why it is so significant. Take one walking tour of Rome and perhaps a Scavi tour of The Vatican and one of Ancient Rome.

At Pompeii, you could rent an audio or carry a guide book, but there are also guides you can hire right on the spot at the entrance. They are very good. For you, it would be worth the money to hire a guide because it would be an interesting and efficient way to see and understand the site.

kja

When I visited Pompeii, there were free and knowledgeable docents roaming around looking for people to help, as almost everybody seemed to have paid for a guide before entering the site. Maybe that has changed?

denisea

I doubt they can book a Scavi tour if they are going in September.

ekc

I highly recommend Agnes Crawford of Understanding Rome. For me, a tour guide for the Palatine Hill/Forum is a must.

To get to Positano from Florence, your best options are: (i) train to Naples, private driver to Positano, or (ii) train to Salerno and ferry to Positano.

armando0176

Thanks EKC....I will look into Agnes Crawford. I booked a train to Salerno and will ride the Ferry from there. How long is the walk from the Salerno train station to the ferry dock?

kja

The train station and ferry dock in Salerno are very close -- maybe 5 or at most 10 minutes.

ekc

It is a very easy walk - 10 minutes. If you have to wait for the ferry, there are a couple of places at the dock where you can get a refreshment.

Depending on where you are staying in Positano, you may want to hire a porter to take your bags from the ferry dock to your hotel. There usually are porters at the dock, or your hotel can make the arrangements.

HappyTrvlr

Rick Steves has an app for his free audio tours of Europe.