Go Ahead Tours: Venice, Florence and Rome June 2007
Written: Jul 04 '07
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Pros: Great value for your money Excellent guides and for me Stuart Harvey
Cons: Air conditioning is not set high in most hotels.
The Bottom Line: Go Ahead is a good value for your money.
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| bsullivan245's Full Review: Go Ahead Tours |
Go Ahead tours is not for students. Go Ahead tours is part of the EF tours company. EF tours is for high school and college students. Go Ahead was established to fill a need for adult travel. (I took students on tours with EF for 12 years, and now I am doing adult tours through Go Ahead.) If you want 5 star hotels, this is not the travel company for you. But of course expect to pay substantially more for your tour. With Go Ahead you will have a knowledgeable guide and a set itinerary with a nice mix of free time. The hotels are generally 3 stars in Italy, and all are air conditioned. We had Stuart Harvey as our tour guide. He is the best!! After four tours with him, Stuart is not only our extremely knowledgeable guide, he is a friend too.
I did the Venice, Florence and Rome trip. I brought a group of 30 and there were 13 more from around the U.S. bring our group size to 43. It was such fun, and we all got along well.
In Venice, it is a short ride on the vaporetto(ferry) to get into Saint Mark's Square where most of the traditional Venice sites are located. Be sure to get a pass for the vaporetto and investigate the Grand Canal. If you depart off the vaporetto at the train station, you can visit the Jewish Ghetto. You will also see cheaper prices the further away you go from St. Mark's square. If you plan to visit Harry's Bar, note there is a dress code. A Peach Bellini is 10 Euros.
In Florence, the hotel is about 1 mile to Ponte Vecchio. Everything in Florence is walking distance. Personally I would skip Uffizi in the summer. It is just too crowded. Instead visit, Galleria Dell' Academia home to Michelangelo's David, probably the most famous sculpture in the world, as well as other sculptures by Michelangelo. You'll also find an interesting collection of musical instruments, begun by the Medici family. The museum is small and can be seen in two hours or less. (Your tour guide can help get tickets.)
In Rome, the hotel is in Piazza de Bologna, a 8-10 Euro cab ride each way. You can also purchase bus or train tickets at 1 Euro per ride. You cannot begin to see everything in 3 days, so pick and choose your favorites. Your city tour of Rome will preview what you can see and do.
Although all the optionals are good, on this trip the must do optionals are: Siena and San Gimignano with wine tasting ****, the Vatican in Rome and Pomeii.
I would highly recommend this tour with Go Ahead.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Tour type: Group
Tour format: Various
Tour length: Over a Week
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bsullivan245
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