We had a tour leader who was helpful and knowledgeable about Italy, however when he hosted tour is there was little commentary unless asked for. He was able to connect well with the group and seem more like a part of it than a leader which was perfect for the set up of the tour. I would have expected the leader to come in with more knowledge of the group (eg medical and dietary requirements) and for this to be addressed with restaurants and other facilities pre tour. The leader was great outside of Rome, and once we were on our way and got to see him shine we really enjoyed his company and talking to him about Italy and our home country. Our bus guy was also great, even if his English wasn't. He was always a pleasure to be around and we learnt a lot about Italian body language from him.
We expected the hotels to be of a higher quality- in reality they were a step above a hostel. Many of the beds were uncomfortable and did not provide a good nights sleep. Air conditioning was not working in all either which increased uncomfortably. The breakfasts were often insufficient for the days activities, especially when we were doing morning walking tours that required much energy.
We really enjoyed the stop offs in the small towns along the way, and the walking tours were great to get some context of the city. This is something we would not have got if going by train and really appreciated seeing these hidden gems off the main tourist trail. We would have loved more time in each of them however understand thats not always possible. The guides we had were all so passionate, knowledgeable and engaging which really brought the cities to life.
The fact that day 1 started at 7.30pm and finished at 11pm with a 45 minute walk back to the hotel (after that) wasn't ideal and was not a great first impression for the group. It would have been much better to have a 6pm dinner and finish the walking tour eariler to allow for those of us who would have liked more sleep. It was unfair to call this a day on the tour as it was only a few hours.
On that note, it was also unfair to call the final breakfast a tour day, as many of us had earlier connections to make so were unable to see the group in the morning.
The optional tours were not always optional, and included costs not displayed in the app (such as bus entrance fees). Pompei was described as an optional walking tour for 18euro, and so we made other plans to go into the park without a guide. However, on the day we were all told it was mandatory and had to pay 40euro each. Many of the other options were heavily alcohol related. It would have been good to include more cultural experiences as options. We were looking forward to the cooking class in Sorrento, however this disappeared as an option with no heads up, which was disappointing and left us scrambling to organise a class elsewhere.
It would have been nice to have a few more pieces of guidence on what to do on our free days. Some kind of document to links of places to look at or activites (walks, tours, galleries, viewpoints etc) to book or even places to eat would have been really helpful. Like cheat sheet kind of thing that we could print out and have with us. On that note, it would also be really helpful to get some kind of timetable before we left (as in like 6 weeks before hand) to assist in planning and booking things for our free time. Often these activities were sold out by the time we got there and we missed out so that would have been really handy. It would have also been great to know the tour times so we could book things for after the tour.
A suggestion would be to finish the tour in Venice and let people make their way to the next port from there, saving a 7 hour bus trip. There is a major international airport and train station so its just as easy as Rome. Many of our group arrived early and had done their Rome things already so to go back to Rome just to leave was a bit of a wasted day.
Instead, an extra day somewhere like La Spezia would have been fantastic as by this point people were really starting to get tired, and a extra day by the beach would have been amazing and allowed for more exploring of such a fascinating place.
The group dinners were great, and a fab way to try local specialties. It would have been nice to have something except pasta however understand it is a nice and easy vehicle for different flavours.
The walking the suitcases to the hotel wasn't fantastic. Understand this is what it is, but especially near the end of the trip with suitcases breaking and nerves fraying, other options would have been appreciated by many in the group.
Overall, we had a great time, however I do feel like there are some changes (both smaller and larger) which would really help make the experience that much more amazing.
Good amount of included activities, good length, great locations, good amount of free time. Great age group controlled tour, made for a fun experience with like minded people.
However, the optional activities were overpriced and some were poorly run. The boat trip to Capri cost €120 and was meant to include the blue grotto, but when we got there it ended up costing extra (more than the actual ticket costs). The tipsy tours cost €60 and involved small amounts of food and alcohol for that amount. The pizza tasting cost €10 for one slice and a drink, with nothing else included, which is nearly double the prices displayed at the shop.
Not enough time in Pompeii. Not enough activities to do. We had to pay for each activity on the day to the tour guide
Such an awesome experience! Being able to see so much of Italy in a relatively short period of time was insane, and I didn't feel as though we were rushing between locations. Alex was a top-notch group leader, sorting out any issues immediately as they came up and was highly knowledgeable. I have already started recommending my friends and family to Topdeck!
Good variety of locations visited. Really good food included in the trip, as were the recommendations. Really enjoyed the company of my trip mates.
The trip was fantastic, great locations and a great tour leader. One thing that would've been nice to know was that there was no laundry facilities available.
Considering the current economic climate, I thought the trip was value for money. I loved the trip by the way - I am just pointing out some particulars for those people who go on the trip so you know what to expect :)
The accommodation was quite simple overall, but we were out most of the time so it did the job. There was a hotel where there was no hot water, and there was also no hotels that had laundry service which was a bit frustrating, however the people I toured with were very laid back and we got on with things. Bring detergent with you to handwash your clothes!
Italy is amazing, and this trip gave you a proper taste of the key places. I do strongly suggest doing research for all the places that are listed for recommendations for food (although the guide does help), and if you have particular things you want to do (eg. Colosseum tour), you need to book yourself in advance. We also had free afternoons/days in places, and it's better if you have a plan of what you're going to do before you go. Even if it's bringing a book to the beach! There isn't a lot of downtime though for things like extensive shopping so if you want to do that, I would suggest doing it before or after the tour.
The highlight of the tour were the people I went on the tour with. So friendly, warm and ready for adventure. Italy was all I dreamed and more! Most of us were mid 20's early 30's, and so it was good having everyone with similar mindsets for travel on the trip. It meant we had similar budgets and maximised the opportunities we had in Italy.
I went on a Topdeck Bravo Italia trip it was wonderful. If it wasn’t for their horrible customer service this year than I would’ve gave them 5. They don’t care about you book with another company.
WhenI tried to book another trip at a great rate I found online from Stride Travel. Stride Travel is a reputable website that is new to partnering up with Topdeck. However, I believe that Topdeck didn't want to give me the better rate so they made up all these lies about me on why they couldn't book me. It's either they have something against Americans or they are just money hungry scam artists. Apparently the tour was selling fast at their normal higher rate according to their reps. Therefore, I guess they didn’t want to bother with me. Total false advertisement. I waited 4 to 5 days for someone to respond to my reservation request only to get an excuse like answer with no explanation.
1 Star for Topdeck for this issue
We were treated like school children, the tour leader did not wait for all of us, and yes, we were aware we had to move fast getting from place to place, but the leader was over it, you could tell, apparently this was to be her last trip, and we could all tell she just was not into it, such a *****