Introduction to Italy
SMALL GROUP TOURS
Destination: Croatia • Duration: 13 days / 12 nights • Dates: January 31 - February 9, 2025 • Destination: Italy • Duration: 10 days / 9 nights • Dates: January 31 - February 9, 2025 • Destination: Italy
Destination: Italy
Dates: Jan 31 - Feb 9, 2025
Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
Arrive Venice
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2025
DAY 1
Arrive Venice airport, meet your assistant and enjoy the water transfer to our hotel on Venice Island. Get settled and relax, recuperate from your flights.
Meet your host and the group in the hotel lobby in the later afternoon hours and head out all together for an amazing welcome dinner and introduction into the local gastronomy.
Hotel: Santa Chiara 4*
Today we enjoy exploring Venice! We will meet our local licensed guide in the morning and explore the most beautiful and significant areas of Venice. As part of this tour we will also enjoy the visit the Dodge’s Palace and St. Marc’s Basilica. At the end of our walking tour, we will also enjoy a gondola ride through the canals. The afternoon and evening are free for you to enjoy and explore Venice at your own pace. Join your host for dinner and drinks in the evening (not mandatory).
Hotel: Santa Chiara 4*
Venice
DAY 2
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2025
DAY 3
After breakfast today, we’ll meet our guide and board our private boat and sail through the lagoon to the islands of Murano and Burano. We’ll enjoy discovering these amazing, off the beaten path islands that belong to Venice, but have their own distinct charm.
We’ll return to our hotel in the afternoon hours.
Tonight, join your host and head out for a street food and wine tour of Venice – it will be a fun evening!
Hotel: Santa Chiara 4*
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025
Venice
DAY 4
We’ll have breakfast in Venice and then we’ll bid farewell to the city on water as we board our high-speed train to Florence. We will enjoy the ride in business class, and arrive Florence is just a bit over 2 hours. Upon arrival in Florence, we will transfer to our hotel, with some free time to check in and freshen up. In the afternoon, we’ll meet up in the lobby and head out with our licensed local guide to experience an amazing rooftop tour of Florence. We will visit some of the most amazing rooftops, enjoy an aperitivo and wine tasting. The rest of the evening is yours to enjoy Florence. Join your host for dinner and drinks – optional.
Hotel: Degli Orafi 4*
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2025
Venice - Florence
DAY 5
Today you can sleep in! We’ll meet in the later morning hours and enjoy a short historical tour of Florence to understand how this amazing city has prospered throughout the centuries and why. As part of this tour, we’ll also visit the amazing Accademia Gallery that houses one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, the David. The afternoon is yours to enjoy and explore Florence at your own pace. You may want to visit the Uffizi Gallery, or walk across the old bridge to Oltrarno and climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo for amazing views of the city. Enjoy discovering Florence on own, or with your fellow travelers.
Hotel: Degli Orafi 4*
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Florence
DAY 6
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2025
A Trip To The Tuscan Countryside
A driver will come pick us up from the hotel in the morning and we’ll head into the Chianti area of the countryside. First, we’ll stop in Siena, an amazing Tuscan hilltop town. We will meet our guide and enjoy a short walking tour of the UNESCO protected historic center. As part of this tour, we will also enjoy visiting the Siena Cathedral from the inside, it is stunning! Then, we’ll proceed to an amazing family owned, 300-year old winery where we’ll have fun tasting 8 different Tuscan wines paired to perfection with staple Tuscan dishes. This is a fun and delicious experience to have!
After lunch, we’ll have some free time in the town of San Gimignano. Enjoy the many interesting shops and definitely grab gelato from one of the few amazing gelato places on the main square. The return to Florence is planned for the late afternoon hours, and your evening in Florence is at leisure.
Hotels: Degli Orafi 4*
DAY 7
In the morning hours we will transfer to the train station and we will board our high speed train to Rome. Sit back and enjoy the business class seats. We will arrive Rome in less than 2 hours, we’ll meet our driver and transfer to our hotel in Rome. Enjoy some time to settle in and freshen up, and then we’ll gather in the lobby and head out for a tour of Ancient Roman sights! We will visit the Colosseum and learn of its amazing history, then, we’ll proceed to the Roman Forum and enjoy the view of it from a hill above that will take us to the square of Campiglio, projected by Michelangelo.
From here, we’ll part way with our local guide, but continue to the city with your host. Enjoy free time, do your own thing, go for an aperitivo or for dinner.
Hotel: Delle Nazioni 4*
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025
Florence - Rome
DAY 8
After breakfast today, we’ll head to Vatican City and enjoy a visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. After the museums, we’ll head to visit also St Peter’s Church (optional, a wait in line is mandatory for the Church because there is no entrance fee, therefor is not possible to arrange an organized entrance) You will have some free time to explore the area on own, then, we will return all together to our hotel. Enjoy some free time for lunch and to rest and relax. We will gather again at the lobby of the hotel in the later afternoon hours. Meet our licensed local guide, and head out to enjoy a Night tour of famous Baroque areas of Rome. We will learn more about the beautiful the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish steps and Piazza Navona. Then, we’ll stay in the city on our own, maybe grab a bite together or enjoy aperitivo.
Hotel: Delle Nazioni 4*
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2025
Rome
DAY 10
A driver will pick you up and take you to Rome airport for your flight .
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2025
Depart Rome
DAY 9
It’s the last day of the tour, and you have the day to enjoy Rome, do your own thing! We will gather one last time in the afternoon hours for fun and delicious food tour of Rome! We’ll stroll around Trastevere, the Jewish quarter and Campo di Fiori area tasting all the delicious street food. Then, we’ll enjoy a sit-down pasta dish dinner (one of the Roman staple pasta recipes) at a very special and unique a location, not open to masses, very private and special, yet, in the heart of the city! After the tour, return to our hotel, or join your host and head out for a night cap with views of the Trevi Fountain (not mandatory).
Hotel: Delle Nazioni 4*
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2025
Rome
Pricing
Price Per Person In
Double Occupancy Rooms
$940
Single Supplement
$4100
Request To Book
What's Included
Accommodation at listed hotel with breakfast daily, based on double occupancy rooms, with the option for single use at a supplement
Arrival transfer from Venice airport or train station, organized according to your individual arrival time
Departure transfer from hotel in Rome, to Rome airport or train station organized according to your individual departure time time
All high speed train rides, based on business class tickets
Welcome dinner, 3 courses with drinks, at a local restaurant in Venice island
Ancient Rome historic tour with priority access/entrance to the Colosseum, visiting also the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with priority entrance and free time to explore the area on own after the tour
Night walking tour of Baroque Rome, visiting the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona
Street food guided tour of Rome with all tastings included and followed by a pasta dish dinner with drinks at a local, private restaurant (not open for masses)
Walking tour of Venice with priority entrance to St. Marc’s Basilica and Dodge’s Palace
30-minute Gondola ride through the Venice canals (max 5 guests per gondola)
Sunset Rooftops tour of Florence with Aperitivo and wine tasting
Historic walking tour of Florence with priority access entrance to Accademia Gallery
Full day tour of into the Tuscan countryside as per program with an expert local guide in Siena and entrance to Siena Cathedral, lunch with wine tasting at a local winery near San Gimignano, and free time in San Gimignano
Visas, passport, and/or departure taxes
Airfare: international and local
Single use supplement
Meals, drinks and other items not listed above
Expenses of personal nature, including tips to guides and drivers, telephone calls, table drinks, internet, laundry, etc.
Travel insurance – highly recommended! Check out World Nomads.
Not Included
Pricing
Price Per Person In
Double Occupancy Rooms
$940
Single Supplement
$4100
- The Coscia-Mancuso Family, White Plains, NY
We cannot thank Vagabonda Travel enough for custom-designing our family trip to Italy. Memories to last a lifetime. Every detail of our trip was perfectly curated and exceptional. We would have never been able to plan this adventure on our own. Communication with the staff is excellent and we felt secure knowing we had contact number while we were traveling. Cannot wait to book our next trip with you soon!
Trip of a lifetime.
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- Megan and Jerry, Los Angeles, California
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- Pete and Paula, Lindenhurst, New York
When my husband and I started planning our 30th Anniversary trip to Italy we had no idea where to even begin. That’s when I stumbled across Alida’s TikTok videos. I absolutely LOVED her content. To be honest, at first I was skeptical about planning a trip like this off of someone I saw in a TikTok video, but after meeting with her we knew we picked the right travel agency. Our 17-day trip was absolutely incredible. Alida and Vagabonda Travel made our lifetime dream of touring Italy one we will never forget!
Happy 30th Anniversary to Us! A TRIP OF A LIFETIME!
Happy Clients
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