Southern Italy Tour

1) Small group size – 8-10 people, is a fraction of the size of many tour company tours, but is designed to feel like a family vacation and allow you to truly experience the Italian culture.

2) Guides – Full-Time service of Adventure On Tour guide and local experts.

3) All tours and admission at no extra cost – more than 13 activities

Ischia walking tour, Ischia Island tour, Argonese Castle, La Mortella Gardens, Sorrento walking tour, Sorrento train tour, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, Capri Island tour, Amalfi Coast Drive, Ravello walking tour, Cimbrone Villa and Gardens, Amalfi walking tour and more.

4) Group transportation – train, bus, boat, private car tour

5) 11 nights accommodations – in memorable small hotels and B&B’s located in the heart of each town. These locations make it easy to step out your door and into a walkable city of adventure, culture and fun!

6) Most Meals – Meal time is a very important time in Italy, for conversation, pleasure and culinary delights. Although we offer most meals, there are times when we are not together as a group during meal time. We did this to minimize interruption to your free time and maximize your time to see the amazing sites you don’t want to miss, so we leave these few meals up to you (with recommendations of course).

7) Tips and Gratuities – All of our tours include tips and gratuities for drivers and other activities. This is done on purpose to remove any conflict of interest for our local guides so they don’t feel compelled to take you to shops where they may get a kick back.  This happens quite often on many tours, so we hire only the best to avoid the problem.

8 ) Free Gifts – Each tour participant will receive a European power converter and group luncheon before the trip date. Power converters are a necessary part of travel in Italy because they use a different electrical system than in the U.S., so just for signing up for our trips we give you one for free to take on the tour. Also, because there are many details to go over before the trip, we provide the opportunity to get together for a group lunch for anyone who is able to attend.  Past tour attendees have found this lunch a great way to get personal questions answered, hear additional details about the tour and get to know others going on the trip including your guide.

9) Tour Price – You will have a guaranteed tour price as soon as you have placed your deposit. Even if the tour price goes up, you will not have to pay the additional amount.

10) Single Supplement – For some of the tours, a single supplement is offered. If you would like to make sure you have a room all to yourself, you can pay an additional fee.

11) Travel Agent Referral – Because you may want to extend your vacation on either end of the tour we will offer you a discount on a consulting appointment to put this together. OR we will get you in contact with a AAA travel agent to help with flights and accommodations before or after the tour.

12) You are responsible for your drinks and free time sightseeing. Please see our terms and conditions for important details about the above information.

Day 1) Welcome to Italy

As a welcome to Italy and Ischia we will meet at 5pm and embark on a walking orientation of the town of Ischia. Our walk will end with a group welcome dinner to get to know each other and get ready for an amazing tour. Sleep 2 nights in Ischia.  Activity level – Light

Day 2) The Whole Island

After breakfast we will be picked up in two cars and given a driving tour of the Island of Ischia with a stop at Soccorso Church in Forio and a delectable lunch with amazing water views and lemoncello. After the driving tour we will stop at the Castello Argonese. Activity level – Moderate

Day 3) La Mortella Gardens

Today is a short day as a group. We head out to La Mortella Gardens on the bus for a couple hours followed by free time to see the Island on your own. We end the day taking the boat to our next location; Sorrento. Sleep 4 nights in Sorrent. Activity level – Moderate

Day 4) Exploring Sorrento

We will be spending half the day together, taking a tour around the town on a fun “train” and then a walking orientation tour of the area with stops at key churches and more. You will be free after lunch to explore the remainder of the day. Activity level – Moderate

Day 5) Pompeii and Vesuvius

This morning we will be catch the Circumvesuviana train and head out to visit the archeological site Pompeii. After a few hours at Pompeii we catch the bus that takes us up Mt. Vesuvius for some amazing views and a close up look at the infamous volcano. We will end the day back in Sorrento at a wonderful place called a “fruit bar” for a drink. Activity Level – Heavy

Day 6) Free Day

Today you will be left up to your own devices until Dinner. A handy list of places to check out on your own will be provided in advance of the trip as well as during the trip. Activity level – Up to you.

Day 7) The Amalfi Coast

We depart Sorrento and travel down the famous cliff-hugging Amalfi coast road to the town of beautiful coastal town of Amalfi. After getting situated in our beach front hotel, we will go on a walking tour of the town and have a group dinner. Sleep 5 nights in Amalfi. Activity level – Moderate

Day 8 ) Ravello

We hop on the bus this morning and head up to the tiny town high above the water, Ravello. While here we will enjoy breathtaking views with a visit to the Cimbrone Gardens and Duomo then finish up with a group lunch. The remainder of the day is yours if you would like to stay in Ravello or head back down to visit other nearby towns or hangout at the beach in Amalfi. Activity level – Moderate

Day 9) Free Day

An entire day for you to see and do whatever you want, take the bus to Positano, shop in Amalfi, lounge on the beach with a book, or take a swim, it’s up to you. hike.  A list of fun things to see and do will be provided.  Activity level – Up to you

Day 10) Island of Capri

A beautiful boat ride up the coast then out to the Island of Capri starts this day off with a bang. While on the Island we will visit both towns, Capri and Anacapri, ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain for grand views and enjoy some free time to explore on our own before we hop back on the boat to Amalfi. Activity level – Moderate

Day 11) Free Day

Your last full day in Italy to do whatever you would like. We will have an optional tour to head out to the archeological site of Paestum if you would like to go there too.  Activity level – Up to you (Paestum tour activity level – Heavy)

Day 12) Depart Italy

After breakfast we will say our goodbyes as everyone heads out to their flight home or to their next stop. Have a wonderful flight home. Arrivederci!

An important part of traveling and having a true Italian experience is getting around the towns, activities and hotels. On this trip you will need to be able to handle the following things, with a smile.

1) Attend to your own luggage in all aspects of the trip. For example, lifting your suitcase onto trains, buses or boats, carrying it up stairs in hotels, and pulling it down streets, sometimes on uneven ground for several blocks at a time. (Hint: Pack light with a small suitcase)

2) Be able to be on your feet for hours at a time. This can mean walking through towns or museums, both moving and standing still. There will, of course, be breaks, but there is a lot of walking in Italy.

3) Sleeping accommodations will always be clean and comfortable with appropriate amenities. Some places will have no (or weak) air conditioning as well as street noise since we are centrally located in each town.  Be prepared for shared room accommodations.  Earplugs may prove to be helpful.

4) For each tour we will be giving a transportation and town orientation after which is it expected you will be able to navigate the city on your own.

Before you go on your tour, here are some things to think about:

1) Sightseeing on Your own

If you are arriving early, use a guide book or an information booth to get acquainted with the town. Try using public transportation and a few words of Italian. You will receive some suggestions when you register for the tour.

You will have plenty of free time on this Tour. Having a plan in advance of what you want to see or do during your free time will help you get the most out of it. Before you leave on your trip either use the suggestions we’ve sent you, head to your local library or search the internet to find out what other things you would like to see while you are in Italy.

2) Transportation

Flying in to Italy for our tours often has you starting in one town and finishing in a another town quite a distance away. The best way to handle this is to talk to your travel agent about an “open-jaw” flight. All this means is flying into one town and out of another. Or if you are purchasing your own flight, you can do this with multi-destination on a travel booking site like Kayak.com. The hassle of having to catch extra trains is not worth the few dollars you might save.

Prior to your departure, you will be receiving detailed directions to the hotel from the airport as well as contact information for the hotel and the guide. This information can also be used for pre or post tour accommodations.

3) Weather

We work very hard to schedule our tours during the most comfortable times of year, but weather in the spring and fall can be somewhat unpredictable. Make sure to pack appropriate clothing and shoes.

For more specific weather information and an expected forecast go to weather.com a few days before your departure.

4) Packing

For ideas on what to pack, check out these downloads (coming soon)

Travel Insurance
The time and expense that you have put into planning and paying for your trip warrant protection through the purchase of travel insurance. Look for a company that has “emergency medical transportation” – this is important when traveling and preparing for the unexpected. Emergency services are very costly. This coverage is very inexpensive in comparison. Nowadays with homeland and foreign security issues, flight cancellations, baggage handling, medical emergencies and other unexpected interruptions, it is wise to purchase travel coverage.

Passports
Learn about the process for obtaining passports from the US Postal Service: Passport Application Information

Visas
Learn about the process for obtaining visas at the US Department of State.

If you prefer to use a visa service to handle your visa applications,
we recommend CIBT Global Visa and Passport Professionals.

Embassies
Get the official list of US Embassies.

Center for Disease Control
Learn what immunizations are needed and how to prepare for travel to specific regions at the CDC Website.