Now that many of you are out travelling again, we’re seeing requests for types of trips we haven’t experienced in a while. Mexico and Canada are the two most visited countries by Americans, but when it comes to overseas destinations Italy has long been the favorite.
It’s easy to understand why: fantastic food, world-class historical sites, music, diversity and interesting people. Italy is only a little bit bigger than Arizona, but in that space holds 60 million people. Even in that relatively small space, there is so much to see, you will be forced to make some trade-offs unless you’re able to stay for a few months.
Some of you ask the “best” way to see Italy, and when we do our jobs well, we have to be agnostic in our answer. The best way to visit anywhere depends on what you want to get out of your trip, and the criteria by which you determine that.
With that said, here are the three main ways we send people to Italy, along with some of the trade-offs.
Visit Italy on an Ocean Cruise
Rome is one of the Mediterranean’s major ports, so all the cruise lines have some presence here. Some of those cruises go east or west to other Mediterranean countries, but there are plenty that run between Rome and Venice (for example) featuring several Italian Ports
The upside:
- Cruise vacations are efficient – you travel at night, so you maximize your time.
- Value per dollar, cruise is pretty hard to beat – especially in Europe.
- You only unpack once.
- You often get to visit Croatia and/or Malta as well on Italian ocean cruises.
The trade-off:
- If you’re only in a port for a day, you really only scratch the surface.
- Neither Rome (which is 2 hours from the port), or Florence (about the same) are well seen as an excursion off a cruise ship. You need to do pre/post in these cities.
- There are places in the center of Italy, and in the northern part that are not accessible as a port of call on a cruise ship.
Ocean Cruise to Italy (2022):
- “Opulent Mediterranean” with Oceania Cruises.
- Barcelona to Rome, departing September 26th for 10 nights.
- Verandas start at $4149 (cruise only) or $5149 with flights. We can also get you FREE pre-paid gratuities on this departure, as an exclusive benefit of booking with our agency.
- Visit Barcelona, Palamos, Marseille, Monte Carlo, Saint-Tropez, Livorno (for Pisa, Florence, Tuscany), Messina (Sicily), Valletta, Naples/Pompeii and Rome.
- Insider Tip: Oceania has warned us that their fares are going up on July 1st.
Ocean Cruise to Italy (2023):
- “Italian Sojourn” with Viking Cruises
- Venice to Rome, departing May 15th or May 26th, 2023 (7 nights)
- Verandas start at $3799 per person ($5098 per person with flights)
- Multiple departure dates offered (prices vary with date of travel).
Visit Italy on a River Ship
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises operates a one-week cruise round-trip from Venice through the Venetian Lagoon, and up to Po River towards Bologna. You can also add-on Milan for 2-days pre-cruise, and/or a rail journey finishing in either Zurich or Istanbul.
The upside
- The ship is docked right on the Grand Canal, leaving you steps from all that Venice has to offer. With the ocean-going ships no longer docking in Venice, this makes the river ship that much more unique.
- Venice and its surrounding areas have far more to offer than simply streets of water (what you experience when you’re there for a day on an ocean shore excursion), so you get to explore this corner of northern Italy in depth.
- Milan and Lake Como are common add-ons to this cruise – neither of which is easy to access from an ocean ship.
- The upsides to cruise ships noted above, apply here as well.
The trade-off
- You really don’t travel that far in the week, so it wins for “immersive”, but ocean cruises would have more diversity of experience because they visit different regions in Italy.
River Cruise in Italy (2022)
- Venice (round-trip), departing October 2nd for one week.
- Window room $2199. (French Balconies and Suites sold out)
- Includes transfers, open bar, daily excursions, Wi-Fi.
- Visit Venice (dock in 2 different locations around the city), Chioggia, Bologna, Porto Viro, Burano, Torcello, Mazzorbo.
River Cruise in Italy (2023)
- Venice (round-trip), departing July 11th for one week.
- Window room $3399. French Balcony $5099
- SAVE 10% off the above pricing as an early booking bonus for those willing to pay in fulls at time of booking.
Visit Italy on a Guided Land Tour
There are an infinite number of land tour providers that offer tours of varying lengths to every corner of Italy. Your challenge will be narrowing your choices down!
The Upside:
- We sometimes refer to such land tours as “land-cruises” for our clients that have mostly done cruise vacations. These land tours are structured very similarly, so the people that like the structure of a cruise will be comfortable.
- Most of these land-tours include a local guide, so you will be much more informed and immersed in local culture than you would be on your own.
The Trade-offs
- Much like a cruise, you are operating on a pre-determined itinerary, so you lose the flexibility of staying somewhere for a while longer if it appeals to you.
- Unlike a cruise, you’ll be packing and unpacking every night, or every other night, and you will be on trains and motorcoaches during the day to get between destinations.
- These land tours are typically not as inclusive as cruises are, so you’ll be paying as you go for meals, drinks, and entry fees to museums or other attractions.
A couple of other thoughts:
- Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t properly visit it in one day (especially when it’s 2 hours each way to the ship). This is the biggest mistake we see people make when planning trips to Italy. If you’re a museum person, then the same applies to Florence.
- A combination of a cruise and land tour might be best if you have time.
Guided Land Tour in Italy (2022)
- “Ultimate Italy” – Luxury Gold’s best-selling tour of Italy
- Rome to Venice (12 days)
- Prices from $8995 per person
- Includes VIP experiences, exceptional dining, elegant hotels and a Traveling Concierge who’s there to tailor everything to your desires.
- Luxury Gold and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises are sister companies, owned by the same parent corporation.
- Consider choosing “Make Travel Matter” experiences on both Luxury Gold and Uniworld trips. Learn more here: https://youtu.be/HjVlx0q1tC8
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
