Hi folks,

Well.. ..with everyone's help I think I've narrowed down to the Best of Italy tour (even though the Italian Mosaic now sounds great too-but I think I want to travel more south than north!)

Anyways, how do I pick these "optionals" or "excursions". . Can anyone tell me what to narrow down to or what they felt was worth it on the Best of Italy? Also, does Globus send you a whole packet of tips, clothing suggestions, optional choices before you leave?

As you can tell.. .. ..a first time Italy & Globus traveler.

Thanks,
Danielle

I'm sure if you tell us which optionals you are considering most of us will have taken several of them and be able to give you our opinion. The optionals are all the same no matter which Italy tour you are on with Globus.You can get more free time by not doing all the optionals but it is also fun to go with the group. You will make some good friends and want to be with them.

Clothing is casual. No shorts but capris are fine as are shorts that are at or below the knee. For the Vatican and St Peters you cannot wear anything above the knee or sleeveless or to low cut.The rest Of Italy is not so particular.Definitely save the the halter tops and short shorts for the beach or you will attract some unwanted comments from those super macho Italian men. Have shoes that are comfortable to walk in. I usually bring sandals, athletic shoes or comfortable walking shoes and something a little dressier for going out.Do not wear white gym shoes as the Europeons refer to those shoes as the Americans marshmellows. I guess the only ones who wear those shoes are the American tourists and from what I have seen that is probably true.Skirts are cool and comfortable and it will be hot!
No matter what you do it is not possible to pull off the look of the Italian women,they are amazing and you will see what I am talking about when you see them.What style!!!They wear a lot of black,always scarfs and high high heels! No matter how old they just have a certain something about them!

This is your first time in Italy and if I recall correctly, you're travelling alone? The optional excursions are listed on the Globus website. Not all of them will be made available to your particular tour group. Your tour director will give you a list of the ones being offered to you and will take time to tell the group about each of the different offerings.

From what's listed on the website, I'd advise you to budget for all of them. You're not going to want to miss out on any opportunities. Whether or not you decide to take all the optionals, it would be a shame to make the decision solely for money reasons. The meal optionals are often a disappointment - foodwise - but they are located at unusual venues and often include entertainment. And, the tour group almost always has a very good time together especially since for these dinners the wine flows and people are "in good spirits". .

Your hotel at Venice will not be in Venice proper but on the mainland (Mestre), outside the city. The advantage of the night out optional is it provides you with transportation into Venice and back to the hotel. If you really have your mind set on doing Venice on your own, I'd advise you to have a discussion with your tour director about getting there and back from your hotel.

The tour brochure refers to the optional excursion to Burano. You might want to check out some tour books about Italy and Venice because Burano and Murano are both on the waterbus route. People who want to do Venice independently often choose to take the bus out there on their own - if there are enough hours allocated for that. However, I've heard positive comments about the Burano lunch optional if you choose to let the tour company do the work for you and be less adventurous on your first trip. That's the beauty of coach touring.. .. .

Once you're on the tour, you may want to chat with other tour members to discuss what they are signing up for and why. Sometimes, rather than go out for the group dinner, couples and individual tour members get together to go out at a local restaurant.

Finally, if you haven't already checked it, I recommend looking at the Trafalgar Tours website. (www.trafalgar.com > message boards) Whether you're travelling with them or another company, this is a very active website with lots of good input from the members. You can use the search (Find) feature to look for specific information.

We , family, did the Mosaic with Sorrento ext. last July. It was the best vacation of my life I must say.
Did most of the excursions, the dinners except for a couple were not that good. The dinner in Venice was great, the dinner in Sorrento was great too. Being alone might cause some uncomfortable moments because most everyone has a partner or family. In fact the families are excluded because cause they think you want to be together which is not necessarily true.
Venice is hard to navigate, you can get lost VERY easily, taking the excursion allows transportation from the hotel.
Rome is busy but easy, Florence wonderful.