grand tour takes you away

Going from Milan and Como to Verona, Venice, Asissi, Sorento and Pompeii, Capri and Rome was an experience I will not soon forget. It clarified history and brought together the people and places into a memory that is warm. Our tour guide, Stephania, was super! She was always available, and was so knowledgeable about the areas we traveled. Thank you for a tour that will help me as I teach history.

Grand Tour of Italy

There wasn't much "grand" about this tour. It had too many people--43 is an impossible number untless it is broken down into groups of 25. The hotels, for the most part, were second rate. The local guide in Rome was outstanding! Our tour guide was excellent. I would not take another trip with Go Ahead Tours. Perhaps if I had nothing to compare this trip to I would have like it.

Fantastic Trip!

The Southbound Tour of Italy with this company was absolutely amazing! We had a wonderful time. The hotels were great, the restaurants were great and our tour guide was superb! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see a lot of different places in Italy. It is a beautiful country and this trip gives you a great chance to see so much of the country.

Italy with a large group

The group tour was too large most of the time. This was evident immediately when our plane landed in Milan at 7:15 in the morning and we did not leave the airport until almost 11:00. The city tours with accompanying guide used "whispers" that had too low of a range to encompass the entire group. Anyone who was more than six feet away from the person speaking could not hear. With a group of 43, this meant more than 30% of the group could not hear. When pointing out something, the tour leader pointed it out to those closest to him/her and then moved on, leaving those towards the back racing to catch up and/or not seeing the object of interest. The add on excursions were mainly not worth it. A "six hour" excursion meant and hour or two of tour and three hours or so of "on your own" time. Many of the guided tours seemed to be rushed, then you were left on your own in an area with little to see. I would have liked to have toured the Vatican by myself, but was not given an opportunity, although the guide in Rome, Giancarlo, was the most outstanding guide I've ever met. His passion and love of his city was clearly evident and his talks educational and delightful. In Rome, after the included guided tour of Vatican City, we were appalled to learn that transportation back to the hotel was NOT included for those not taking the optional tour to the catacombs. How could a tour group leave people stranded and left to their own devises?? This was "fixed" by our tour director, but only after some serious conflict with those not taking the optional tour. And after all that, the catacomb tour seemed to last 15 minutes and was not worth it, although the side tour to St. Paul's was delightful. The hotels left much to be desired in most. The rooms were small and cramped, with no place for luggage and the bathrooms were miniscule. The air conditioning was a joke and I spent most nights sweltering in the room as much as I had been on the tour. The exception was the hotel in Florence. Most of the restaurants were wonderful, but as a vegetarian, I was disappointed that every meal seemed to be mozzarella and tomato as a second course. Thank God the first course of pasta was usually more than enough. The restaurant in Florence was outstanding as was the family restaurant in Assisi. Overall, I was happy with the quantity of towns and sites we were able to see, but I felt rushed through many of them, and I believe this was in part due to the size of the group. I think I probably got what I paid for, but I was not very happy overall with many of the "little" things.

perfect nanny

I travel a lot but this time i wasn't bored . i was excited too see what the next day would bring .the food was excellent . the hotels were beautiful. but the beds were very very hard. i would tell everyone who is thinking of traveling TRY GO AHEAD TOURS . It was very organized. I am planning another trip soon with them . I really really had a good time

Grand Tour of Italy

There is so much to see and do and learn in Italy

Italian tour

It was a great trip. The pace was very active--lots of walking sometimes up and down cobblestone streets. Well organized--we never had to wait for the included tours--Pompei, Vatican, Doge's Palace, etc. Tour director, Stephania Arena, was fantastic. We learned so much about culture and history from her. City tour guides were very knowledgeable and interesting. Hotels were okay--some were less than okay. We would prefer paying more for the trip and having better hotels.

Our tour director, Stephania

Our tour director was Stephania Arena. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than she did. She was so well organized and very knowledgeable and very patient. She felt like a member of the family.

Our trip to Italy

This was our first tour ever and all in all it was great, it was interesting, it was educational, and most of all it was fun. Jim DeSalvo and Cynthia Hoiriis

Unforgettable Trip

My wife and I had a wonderful time! We went with close friends, we have been making trips for the last ten years together and we all agree this was trip of a lifetime. Everything was so well planned, organized, no waiting in line for tickets, we did several of the add on tours and they were all excellent and worth it. Our Tour Director Stefania Arena, was fabulous, she was super organized, very patient with everyone, answered all our questions, gave us lots of good advice, like places to go to eat or visit. We learned a lot about the history and culture of Italy. Our bus driver Enzo was polite, professional and fun. I would definitely recommend this trip to everyone. Go Ahead is a very well organized and professional tour company. We will definitely use them again.