Normally, The Traveling Professor small group tours stay in 3-star or 4-star hotels on his tours to Paris, Italy, and Scandinavia. This time we are with a small group tour and we were able to get a 4-night stay in the luxurious Grand Vittoria Excelsior overlooking the cliffs on the Bay of Naples. Check out my blog post to find out more of our experience in Italy.
The Traveling Professor has been running small group tours to Italy, including Rome, for about 5 years now. Although Rome is one of the most fascinating cities in the world, it has its issues. There was even a recent article in The New York Times (see it on my FB page) describing the problems Rome is facing. For my take on the issues, see my Rome blog post.
We really do something special here at The Traveling Professor.
It is hard to believe that I have been taking people on small group tours since 2009. We started running strictly "budget" trips but as time went by, we kept upgrading and upgrading to the point where we use nothing less than quality 3-star deluxe hotels on all our regular tours, we have professional guides, limo pickup at the airport regardless of time of arrival, VIP no-wait-in-line admission. Our small group size lets us into places where no other tour goes and no guide book will tell you about. For instance, the ancient ruins you can get up close to an personal with in Rome, the restaurants only known by locals, the artisans in Florence that only WE get into to see, in Iceland we go off the beaten path for lunch at a dairy farm, and in Peru we hike the REAL Inca trail, not the one you always see on TV. To find out where The Professor is going in 2016 and to find out how you can come along, read today's blog post.
I ran my first tour back in 1992 to Spain. Since then, I have seen a lot change in the travel business. One thing I could always rely upon was that travel was going to get more and more expensive each year - until now. I can remember traveling to Paris in the 1990's and easily be able to afford luxury hotels. Airfares were dirt cheap. Italy was a bargain for Americans. Then in the 2000's things began to change. But let the good times roll again! It is time to go back to Europe and I will tell you why.
When on tour in Rome, one of the top attractions is the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Therefore, one of the most crowded attractions in Rome (and just about anywhere else The Traveling Professor tours), is the Vatican. It is not unusual to see lines stretching for hundreds of yards that will take visitors hours to wait on. Take a look at my blog post to see how to visit the Vatican while minimizing the crowds and maximizing your enjoyment while on tour in Rome.
I travel to Italy several times a year. On my trip to Italy last April I paid $630 for a R/T ticket between JFK and Milan (MXP). I went again in May and paid under $1,000. I just booked a ticket on American Airlines/British Airways departing on October 19 from JFK and returning a week or so later for $679. What's my secret? Read my blog post for getting cheap airline tickets for your next tour to Italy.
Our small group tour to Italy arrived in Florence on Tuesday night and it has been a great success. We are preparing to leave this morning to travel to Venice by high-speed train. I am sure on our adventure to Venice we will be talking about all we saw in Florence including our countryside wine tour, all the great sites of Florence including the Duomo, the frescoes, the artisan's workshops, the great Italian art, and the wonderful scenery and history of Renaissance Florence, Italy. Please see the blog post to view our photos and comments on this wonderful small group tour to Italy.
We are into our 2nd week on our small group tour to Italy and we have a wonderful group of 12 travelers enjoying the weather, great food, wonderful wine and the history/culture of Italy. In Rome we saw the Colosseum, Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon. A special tour of the Vatican will be remembered for years to come. After taking the high-speed train up to Florence yesterday, we went on a tour into the Italian countryside with a visit to a Tuscan winery. Read more about our small group tour in the blog post.
We have a small group of 11 travelers enjoying the Amalfi Coast this minute! Our tours of Amalfi, Sorrento, Ravello, and Positano have been nothing short of spectacular. And let's not even mention those authentic lunches high in the hills of the Amalfi Coast. They are without question, some of the best meals I have ever had with scenery that is unmatched anywhere. In the blog post I have put a link to my FB page where you can see the photos and video of our trip.
It is one of the most basic questions I get, from people traveling to Rome on their own, or for people on my small group tours to Italy: "How do I get from the airport to my hotel in Rome?". We'll give you all of the Rome airport transfer options in this blog post to make sure you arrive safely and economically. Read the blog post to find out how to get to your hotel in Rome from the airport.