It depends on which Italy tour you choose. Shorter tours starting in Rome depart the city early on day 1, so if you would like to explore the historic Italian capital then we recommend arriving in Italy a day or two before your tour starts.

On our Rome, Florence & Venice, La Dolce Vita and Rome, Naples & Sicily Highlights, an evening walking tour of Rome is included. And on Italy Encompassed, Rome, Florence & Venice and La Dolce Vita, you will also visit the Vatican and Vatican museums on a guided tour.

Make sure to check the itineraries before booking so you know exactly where you will visit on each tour, and contact us if you need more information!

Many of our Italy tours visit Venice in northern Italy, and those that do all include a guided tour of the canal city, with the exception of our short 4-day Venice to Split tour which departs on day 1. Trips to consider if you would like to tour Venice are Rome, Florence & Venice, La Dolce Vita, Italy Encompassed and Gondolas, Lakes & Split.

Our Italy tours are quite fast-moving. You will see lots of different places but we often visit two or three destinations (including major cities) in a day, stopping for a couple of hours at a time. There is plenty of free time in which to further sightsee independently, and optional excursions to places like the Amalfi Coast can be booked at your leisure.

If it is your first time visiting Italy and you want to experience as much of the country as possible, then these tours are a great option. If you'd like a more in-depth, slower-paced visit to Rome, Venice or elsewhere then perhaps these tours aren't quite right for you. Second time visitors are recommended to check out our slower-paced tours of Sicily and Puglia instead.

Find out what other travelers thought with our Italy tour reviews here.

The summer months from June - August are high season in Italy, with the best weather. But attractions are busy and prices higher at these times. The shoulder seasons from March - May and September - October offer a nice compromise, with fewer crowds and still pleasant temperatures. Check out our guide on when to visit Italy for more information.

In Italy we travel by coach, as this is the most efficient way to get around, and it means we can stop often in lesser-known destinations like Assisi and Montepulciano.

Our deluxe coaches offer comfortable seating, free Wi-Fi, and audio headsets. The coaches are 45-seater, so a sold-out tour will mean the coach is full. Outside high season groups are often closer to the 30-person mark. Please note that our small-group Perfect Puglia Italy tour operates with a maximum of 15 passengers.

The size of the group varies depending on the season, but as a guide you can expect a group size of 30 - 50 on the majority of our Italy coach tours. There is lots of free time on all of our tours, so you will have plenty of opportunities to explore destinations with your partner, friends, or relatives in between our guided sightseeing excursions. And there are some optional excursions, to the Amalfi Coast and to see the Leaning Tower in Pisa - not everyone on the tour will join these excursions so groups will be smaller.

We also offer some smaller group tours, with a maximum size of 15-20 passengers. Tours include Milan to Cinque Terre & Rome, Best of Northern Italy, Lake Como & the Swiss Alps, Scenic Switzerland & Northern Italy and Puglia, Pompeii and Amalfi. The maximum group size on our Milan, Lakes & Alps by Train tour is also smaller, at 25.

Yes - in Italy we offer escorted tours. Your English-speaking Italian tour leader will travel on the coach with you and will act as the tour guide for your trip.

According to the 2022 LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index, Italy scores a C rating for LGBTQ+ traveler safety, ranking 53rd out of 203 countries.

Same sex civil unions or partnerships are legal, and there are worker protections in place for people of all sexual orientations. 76 - 100% of consulted citizens consider Italy a good place to live for gay and lesbian people. There are no legal punishments for same sex relations and most trips for LGBTQ+ travelers to Italy are trouble-free.

The LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index is designed to provide a good overall picture of attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community in each country and may not reflect the experience of foreign travelers to the country.

Yes, the tap water across Italy is safe for human consumption. There are thousands of public water fountains dotted across the country's towns and cities, so we recommend bringing a reusable water bottle on your Italy tour. This will save you money and is good for the environment, helping you to reduce your plastic footprint.

As a UK-based company, we follow the latest up to date advice from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO). You can see the latest travel advice for Italy here.