Fantastic tour guide Paola and driver Carmine, both were excellent.
Vatican city tour could have been planned better by Topdeck as there was a strike planned by public transport which was well in advance. Topdeck could have organised a small tour bus to take us rather than us having to frantically organise on the day - which our tour guide did try to help us all with.
Other than that, quite happy with the trip overall.
The trip visited so many amazing places, our trip leader was fantastic and we had such a beautiful group of people. Whenever we stopped Paola gave us recommendations of things to see, places to eat, and specific foods to try. We didn’t have any issues but I know she sorted out others on the trip quickly.
I loved all the stops, the rooms were basic but nothing to complain about. The only thing I didn’t love was how fast paced the tour was, I would’ve loved more time to explore each place, but that’s the nature of a tour!
Highly recommend this trip! For 2 weeks, you're able to see a lot of Italy and experience a lot of different experiences. It is on the pricier side, however this is reflective of prices in Italy currently. Our trip leader, Helio, was brilliant and made the trip what it was - he genuinely cared about the group - our safety, made sure we were enjoying ourselves and always helped out in organising additional activities for us as desired.
A great experience and a taste of some of Italy’s most iconic locations. Plenty of extra activities you can choose to do by the base tour also provides so many great activities that are included in the price
A great opportunity to see more of Italy compared to many of the usual Euro trips, exploring amazing places like Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Venice, Rome and Cinque Terre. Our guide, Helio, was knowledgeable, so friendly and helpful and great fun too. While some of the hotels were definitely a bit older, it was all part of the experience.
Had the most amazing time! Great people and the best tour guide!
Absolutely LOVED this tour! Would do it again in a heartbeat ❤️ amazing tour guide with the best recommendations, incredible sites and experiences. I am eternally in love with Italy 🇮🇹
Tour guide Pa La was amazing!
The itinerary of the tour was perfect
I recently went on the Delve Deep Italy tour and it exceeded all my expectations. As a first-time traveler to Italy, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
I definitely recommend doing the additional activities on offer, they are well worth it - the Food and Wine tour in Rome was fantastic, the food was delicious and we visited family-owned businesses so it felt nice supporting the local families. Visiting Pompeii with the tour guide was incredible because I learned so much about the history and significance of the ancient city.
A special mention and thank you to our trip leader Paola - not only was she an incredible leader and Italian herself, she truly cared about our enjoyment and experience in every location we visited. As a foodie myself, her food recommendations were spot on! She knew all the best places to eat and the origins of the cuisines for where we went which made the experience all the more authentic. Her kind personality and care made me feel safe and well looked after. She organised all our train and bus tickets which made getting around so much easier than navigating ourselves. Thank you Paola!!
If you’re dreaming of an authentic Italian adventure, this tour is the way to go. Thanks Topdeck!
This trip was the perfect first experience of Italy. Made all the more better by our tour leader Paola. She ensured everyone had a great trip and had all the best food recommendations. Definitely recommend the optional extras, especially the food tour in Rome. I had a great time and had given me a good plan for what I would love to come back and see more of.
What an amazing tour with an amazing tour leader Paola. The trip was a perfect balance of in depth & informative but fun with great socialising. This was my first tour so I didn’t know what to expect but Paola made the whole trip one to remember.
All the stops were amazing. Breakfast at the hotels is sub par however that is the only small fault I could list.
Thank you Paola & Topdeck ❤️
Pa La is the BEST oh and I met cool people
Really great coverage of Italy. Saw all the major sites and locations, plus more. Accomodation was mostly good and the included meals were a bonus, showcasing the specific cuisine of the area. Absolutely fantastic trip leader - Paola, a local, new everything there was to know about the different locations, best places to eat and the best activities to do/scenic photos to take.
This was my first tour, my first time in Europe/Italy, and this tour overall was amazing. It's the "I've never been to Italy and want to see all the tourist things" tour. And it does it well.
The biggest compliment I can give Topdeck is hiring Paola. If you are going on this tour and are lucky enough to have her as your tour leader, you will enjoy this tour more. She's passionate, genuinely enjoys what she does, knowledgable and her food recommendations are on point.
A Rome walking tour to start things off was a good way to introduce the tour/Rome as well as a good start to get to know your fellow group members. It was a little rushed as we all met and then had to leave shortly afterwards however the walk to the starting point lets you meet others.
I'd do some research/book beforehand if you want to see/do something in Rome (if you are not staying in Rome after the tour), or the free day can be a way to walk around and see things/get to know others.
I did the optional food tour which was very good. The amount of food and drinks you get was enough to feed an army but all delicious. The public transport bus ride there was a little chaotic but getting through adversity together made the group bond faster for sure.
The vineyard we visited before Pompeii was probably in the top 3 meals. Don't forget to buy some wine/olive oil after the meal!
Pompeii walking tour (optional) was amazing. The history of the place and seeing the city if you haven't already was such a good experience.
Sorrento was a nice chill city. Was a bit disappointing that we didn't stay in Sorrento (hotel was in Meta) as it would have made the day more seamless, but the hotel (and restaurant Tico Tico) was good. We caught a bus to Positano and hung out there for most of the day. Would have been even better if we could of had got a lift on the Topdeck bus to Positano (as the majority of the group went there), but the public bus there and back was easy enough. During peak summer I'm sure it would be even better with the beaches (was slightly rainy when we were there) and boat rides you can take.
Florence was probably my favourite city we visited. Had the hustle and bustle of a large city expect also had a chill feel about it. The views and food were ridiculous (I'd highly recommend walking around at night/sunrise).
La Spezia was my second favourite. I spent the day on the beach however from what I heard from others, the hike between the towns is well worth it (despite being slightly difficult) and visiting all 5 towns was a good experience.
Venice was fine however for me, didn't live up to the hype. I'd again recommend researching what you want to do beforehand (go to one of the islands, go up the tower, etc) and walking around at night.
The smaller towns we visited were good pit stops to get out of the bus however probably not as memorable as the bigger cities. They all had good food, views and had relaxing vibes to them which were a good change of pace.
As I'm sure with most tours, if you need to get your laundry done there isn't much time and you will have to miss out on spending time with the group/cutting a meal short to rush off to get it done.
Overall, the tour had a range of great inclusions and optional activities. All the hotels were clean and had the necessities. The itinerary hadn't been updated so most travellers were a bit disappointed that the included cooking class was not happening.
Delve Deep: Italy was amazing!! Italy is a stunning country and although it felt a bit rushed, it was a great way to see a large amount of the country in a small amount of time. For what we got, it was pretty cheap too!
The group was like travelling with family. We all made great friends and got along so well! We often had to come together to organise our own activities and it was so much fun (especially the Karaoke bar in Florence)!
I can't fault the itinerary at all. All included activities were fabulous and the included meals were delicious - I definitely ate my way around the country...
Our trip leader although was not great. He was unorganised, made us pay for 'optional extras' that weren't in the itinerary, would disappear to visit his friends without providing any guidance on where we were or things to do in the area - often with our bus driver.
During our included walking tour of Rome, we would arrive at (for example) the Trevi Fountain, and there was no history provided, nothing to say where we were and why, and at the end he left without giving us a tip on how to get back to the hotel - I know we are adults, but this would've been extremely helpful, especially at night and that is what we were paying him for.
We then arrived in Sorrento (would highly recommend going here, it is stunning). Some of us expressed interest in using our free day to go and explore the island of Capri and the Blue Grotto. Our trip leader then sent us a link saying that he could book us a boat tour of the island including the Blue Grotto for 120euros. Unknowingly, we were excited and agreed, thinking it was maybe through a group that TopDeck knew. Turns out, we had to give our cash (we couldn't pay by card or online) straight to our trip leader (there was about 10 of us total). He then told us to wait while he took our money, handed some over to a man on a boat, then we got on. We were then expected to to pay extra to go into the Blue Grotto, even though our trip leader assured us it was included.
In hindsight, we probably should've done some research and checked the optional extras before committing to the 120euros for the boat tour, but we thought we could trust our leader and that it was a TopDeck approved activity - none of us had previously been on a TopDeck trip before, so we didn't know exactly how things were meant to run.
After Sorrento, we headed for Naples, where our trip leader made us pay him 10euros for a walking tour of Naples and ONE slice of pizza. Naples was not included in the trip itinerary.
From there, the group decided to not trust our trip leader when it came to 'optional extras' and would do our own thing. Because of this, he would get visibly annoyed with us and do his own thing.
It wasn't until I went straight to another TopDeck trip in Greece where I realised what he was doing was not normal and we were being ripped off. The final thing he did, was ask us all for a cash tip at the conclusion of our trip.
Would highly recommend this trip, with hopefully a different trip leader.
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.
Everything was well organised and engaging
Yet again, I have to speak to the tour manager's lack of professionalism, and Top Deck's insufficient Trip Notes so that we could better prepare for this trip. I am happy I saw as much as I did, and ate as much as I did, but this trip was seriously physically exerting, fast-paced, largely reliant on us to navigate cities alone (with the assumption we had access to Google Maps) and explore on our own without much guidance as to what to see or prioritize. A good example of this is Sorrento. For what earthly reason wouldn't the trip do a ferry ride to Capri for the day, and then the next day be free, instead of ONE day to explore the whole Amalfi coast with next to no guidance?
It was great to have a tour guide that knew what she was doing and very knowledgeable about the cities.
I was less pleased with the lodging and dining provided. The hotel locations missed the mark often, and were impractical, especially for two people.
Great tour. Good leader and fun activities.
Such a rip off, so expensive and the meal inclusions were terrible.
The hotels are not where they say they are - about 30m out of the main spots and the rooms are DISGUSTING!
the food was pretty average but catered to my gluten free request which was great (and rue was always on top of that which i appreciated)
Awesome experience all around!
The trip was amazing and once I stopped listening to the guide! The tour lets you see so much of Italy.
Same as above, there are a few kinks that need sorting out and that can be done with little to no cost increases.
Loved Italy, loved that we got to see most of it.
Had some bad experiences at the hotel in Rome, the breakfast at all the hotels was very average, same thing every day which at the end of 2 week you get really sick of.
Saw so much, some things would’ve liked to stay longer, others shorter but all in all a great time!
The whole trip was amazing and it was quite the experience. Nothing went wrong and I had a great time with the tour guide and the rest of the people that came along.
Reasonably priced, inclusions were great and made everything so worth it.
It was a full on trip filled with early mornings but it was beautiful and invigorating. Definitely a good taste of Italy for future trips
We visited so many places in a short amount of time. I got to see everything I wanted to and some other places I didn’t even think of. The trip leader and driver were great, and the local guides really knew their stuff! We also got so many cool group options like karaoke and fun bars etc. I had a great time!
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
Ideal tour for anyone looking to spend more time exploring Italy in depth. Amazing food, places and a great group of people to travel with!
I had a wonderful holiday with Top Deck Bravo Italia (summer), which pretty much covered the whole of Italy except Milan. My favourite parts were the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre!
Beautiful locations on this trip. Great included things like a wine tasting session in Tuscany.
The price is worth it.
Would recommend this trip to anyone who hasng experienced Europe before or who has experienced but wants to experience one country alone. It was absolutely amazing, Gabi our bus driver was absolutely amazing and ensured we were all comfortable!
Would have liked more time in Rome or Venice, otherwise they were very inclusive. Accomodation was good, food was good, transport was good, and tour leader very good.
This trip was excellently organised and run by the tour leader.
Overall the experience of the groups was positive, and the envents organised were clearly explained and acecesable.
Particularly considering the heatwave we walked through Rome in.
Great starter tour for first time travellers. You get to experience the main areas you’d want to see, and you get guided tours as well, along with some free time.
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 *****
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 *****
We got to have an authentic Italian experience on the Bravo Italia tour. The food was great, the hotels were lovely (except the one in Assisi where they turn off all the air conditioners even when it's 30+ degrees outside! The optionals were stellar and it was a truly wonderful time!
Extremely well organised with one of the best tour leaders you could ask for. Shantel had great knowledge of all the locations and their history, and was such a joy to be around. All of the places we visited were absolutely amazing. So many incredible memories made on this trip.
Would have also been great to have more than one day along the amalfi coast.
It was a great experience and for me it was the people i met along the way which made the experience so great. I normally am fairly conservative socially but this got me out of my comfort zone and i really appreciated the change of pace.
Tour leader was lacklustre. Towards the end the trip felt a bit rushed - some of the places we were in for longer could have been shorter and vice versa. Didn't get enough time in Assisi, too much time in Pisa etc. Maybe a longer tour would solve this? Would have been great to get more local interaction - possibly a cooking lesson or agritourismo experience? More information about local attractions would also have been helpful.
Great balance between tour time and free time. We had a great group and trip leader.
Had so much fun and saw so much of Italy
This trip had a range of exciting and unique opertunities that we were greeted with on our tour, Florence was a particular favourite.
Loved this trip, would have liked to spend a bit more time in Florence. Not as long in Pisa, Verona. Time of my life.
Good value for money and you see alot
What a beautiful country! Great way to see Italia in just a cuple weeks with topdecj organising everything from accommodation to activities and group dinners. Highly recommend for anyone!
The Bravo Italia tour is a fantastic tour to go on to see the main sites in Italy, as well as a lot of little stops along the way. Italy has always been near the top of my bucket list and I couldn't have imagined it being as wonderful a trip as it was if I hadn't gone on this tour.
I'm unsure why your asking me to rate my customer experience and my purchase separately? As they are one and the same thing
Topdeck was a great way to see so many cities in such a short amount of time. Having a bus take you to so many locations isgreat and very comfortable
I was disappointed that majority of the tours of historical sites were not included, except for the gondola in Venice. I felt the way the tour was worded gave the impression that these things would be included for example the Colosseum. Top deck merely dropped us off at the sites and it was up to us to pay for tours and entry fees. I wish this had of been explained clearly, as many of us on the tour were shocked as we were all under the impression these were included and not an extra.
Well priced a lot of inclusions. Thankfully TAX was included in our hotels and we did not have to pay hotel tax!
Fuer una visita pequeña, pero enriquecedora, conocimos lo mejor de Italia.
Very convenient to be bused around to all the major locations in Italy. To have everything laid out in terms of hotels and city walking tours, since there was a lot of spots to hit up!
Great value for money. Ideal for first time travelers.
easy to book online. we originially booked a different tour and were able to straight swap the deposit which was great
Great trip leader and driver. Good hotels and coach. Itinerary worked out very well with the right amount of free time, tours, optional tours and group activity. Included meals were good value.
So easy and the customer service person was really helpful.
Covered everything I wanted
The value for money was excellent however, although I understand this isn't a company decision and is at each hotels discretion, the breakfast at each hotel could have been a little bit better.
Lived every minute of it!
We had a really good trip!
It was a brilliant way to see a large amount of Italy, we were able to see things we never would have discovered on our own!
I was happy with the purchase amount with what i got in response. Would have been excellent if given more time in some locations
AMAZING!! Went to so many fantastic places; not just the main tourist traps. Beautiful country and would recommend this tour in a heartbeat
Some of the food that was pre paid for was really average and not all that great.