Why is there a set cost for gratuity, I thought gratuity means voluntary.

Awesome tour highlighting all of sites in Italy.

Our tour guide, made this vacation. He took wonderful care of us. I would book again.

The trip was wonderful. We travelled as a party of eight and never had a problem.

We saw and experienced a lot on this Globus Best of Italy tour. The accommodations were for the most part very nice. The tour guides very knowledgeable. Excellent bus driver on some OMG roads! Was so happy the tour included the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, Michelangelo's "David', the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pompeii, Sorrento and the Isle of Capri. Be prepared for a lot of walking and up and down steps. Bring cooling neck wraps May/June--Oct

It was a fabulous tour and we were able to experience so much in the time we had in each city, the tour director had so much experience traveling throughout Italy.

Best vacation I've ever had. The Tour Guide was phenomenal.

The trip was amazing. Lots of wonderful sites and places to eat. Our trip leader was great.

my wife and i just got back from the 11 day tour of Italy. Absolutely the best trip ever and we travel a lot. Aida was our tour guide she is fantastic. she is always the last one of the bus to make sure everyone is traveling. she counts the luggage to make sure all pieces are in place and accounted for. they move your luggage for you. they pick up from your room and delivered to your next destination. Aida knows Italy! very, very knowledgeable! i would highly recommend her specifically. she knows all the tour specialist as you will have detailed guided tour at each destination. She takes personal interest in every participant. Globus has crown jewel in her skill set!

Globus exceeded our expectations again! Nicholas was extremely professional and making sure everything was better than expected. there is no way we could have done and seen half as much of Italy as we did on this tour

The tour went extremely well. It was fast paced and we saw all of the sights that we wanted to see. We had very nice travel companions. The tour guide and driver were professional and offered help to anyone who needed it.

The tour guides, staff, drivers were of uttermost politeness, courteous and knowledgeable. I was pleasantly surprised by their professionalism and language skills. I will recommend more people to take trips with Globus and my uncle and aunt are on a trip as I am writing this.

Excellent tour with a lot of walking. Saw a lot of different sights and learned the history of each area.

This was really a great tour and you get to see some amazing sites, however, there is a lot of walking involved on uneven surfaces.

Wonderful tour. Great price. Excellent customer service by Grant and anyone who answered the phone when I called with a question. I will highly recommend affordable tours. Went on a Globus tour at a discount price . Fantastic tour.

All I can say about this trip is WOW! Exceeded expectations 90% of time. Tour guide and driver were exceptional in every way. Saw all I'd hoped to see and more. Food was outstanding. Prepare to walk more than you are used to, as it will get you in shape!

Our first trip of this kind, it was incredible. Staff was knowledgeable and charming, rooms exceeded expectations. Wow!

I would recommend this tour for the first time travelers to Italy. The Best of Italy 2019 is a must see destinations as noted. Must be in good shape to travel to all locations. All hotels were excellent.

very good.

Globus Tours organizes a busy itinerary and a variety of exciting cultural, scenic experiences. I would book with them again!!

We really enjoyed the trip. We saw a lot of different places and experienced more than I thought possible in 10 days. The tour guide was wonderful! Globus does a great job.

The trip went very smoothly. Beyond my expectations.

It was our first trip overseas and it was excellent!

Everything was Fabulous ! The only thing I would change would be that I would have some input on scheduling the flights. There were other flights available that I could have taken that would have eliminated the long layover and would have gotten me home earlier. Other than that one thing, everything was perfect ! I have already shared this with 2 other couples planning to go next spring.

I was looking for a tour that provided a high quality experience, but at a reasonable cost. The "Best of Italy" tour turned out to be much more than I expected! The tour director was really awesome, the bus was new and comfortable, and we saw a lot of the things in Italy that I'd always wanted to see. Globus added extras, such as spending two nights on Capri, that the cruise ships don't do. They send everyone over the ferry for one day. The location of the hotels was also very good--close to the city centers and we stayed in Venice, instead of the mainland. The included dinners were excellent--my husband and I had a really good time.

Older travelers might find parts of the planned activities strenuous. There are stretches of uphill and downhill walking, even though undertaken in a leisurely manner. Even those who generally think of themselves as being stable on their feet should consider bringing a walking stick. Hotel rooms tend to be on the smaller side than one would expect coming from the US, with water pressure and temperature at times uncomfortably low. The daily schedule of activities is packed, so be prepared! Wi-Fi is poor to non-existent on the bus, so if you plan to tend to work or connect with family and friends while on the move, it will be challenging! Otherwise, one of the best tours I have been on!!

Our tour guide Karl was amazing, very knowledgeable, caring and very thorough and precise. He was by far the highlight of the experience with Globus tours.

The highlights were indeed wonderful and varied making our stops always something to look forward to....

Two problem areas. My wife has a hearing problem and Globus didn't make any effort to help her with the headset for the hearing impaired. The seating on the airplanes could have been better. Next trip I'll specify the seating area.

Very organized, well planned tours and accommodating tour guide

Bathroom in some hotels could use a little help

One hotel ( in Florence) was poor-- It seemed one got punished for being a single traveler, even though we singles pay more! The tour leader was excellent and the group of people very compatible.

The hotels were not as helpful as expected. The tours were great but we had to walk for miles to get to the places we were to be. Why couldn't the bus get closer or mini vans be provided?

The only complaint I have about the entire trip was the size of the hotel rooms. When traveling for over a week most people use a large suitcase. In all the rooms we stayed in only one had space enough to keep both suitcases off the floor. The room we had in Assisi was so small that in order to move around in the room we had to put both suitcases on the floor with one blocking the door.

I thought the trip was beautiful. We saw a lot of the main attractions in Italy. The trip was a little fast paced. We had to get up early most mornings. There was not much time for relaxing and wish we had a little more time for shopping. We traveled a lot. The food didn't meet my expectations. The breakfasts were not to my expectations. When I traveled to Canada with Globus the food was wonderful. I'm Italian and know Italian foods and was not impressed with some of the dinners. We were told up front from the tour director that Italians don't really do breakfasts. I wish we were told that when we were booking the trip. The added excursions we paid for were nice but regarding the Uffizi Museum the tour guide spent too much time on some of the artwork. The tour Director was very knowledgeable but she got sick and so 1/2 the people on the bus got sick including myself. The last few days I started getting sick so I was able to enjoy most of the trip.

The tour guide was lovely but very sick. She should have been replaced,. Unfortunately we are now all sick I feel that I should have been made aware how vigorous this tour was. I had alot of difficulty keeping up. I had a much more enjoyable time with CIE tours. I know they had alot to show us in Italy but the pace was to fast. The breakfasts were terrible as was the meals at the hotel. The meals we had in restaurants were good and enjoyable. The accomodations were ok but the people very unfriendly and not at all helpful. Overall, I would never go back and would hesitate to use Globus again.

Our bus group of kind of large - 36, making it difficult at times to stay together in crowded places. I would have preferred a smaller group and smaller bus. On the positive side, every detail was carefully planned ahead for us - skip-the line tours, buses, boats, luggage handling, meals, etc. so we had nothing to worry about. The schedule was full - we got our money's worth. We had breakfast at the hotel every morning and were on the bus at 7:15-7:50 depending on the day, beating the crowds in many places. Most days we toured until late afternoon, sometimes having 7:30 supper together, and then being able to go to our hotel rooms. The only day that gave me trouble was the night we didn't get back to the motel until 10:20 but had to be on the bus by 7:30. After that short night I was tired. Overall, the trip was amazing.

The farm visit and dinner was very agriculture and more about eating in a rustic setting We had three nights where the bath only had a 2'x2' shower. The rooms and baths were always clean it just was hard for us to get clean if you dropped the soap in the shower. The tour guide and local guides were fantastic and very knowledgeable

Had a great time on this trip! Great value for all the activities, accommodation and food! Lots of good food. Pace was active but not overwhelming. Aldo, our tour director was excellent. Giuseppe, the bus driver had amazing skills and got us where we needed to be on time and sometimes ahead of schedule.

Don't know if I ever return to Italy that I would tour with Globus. Having done a Perilllo prior to this, there is no comparison between the two companies. Even though I know that the Perilllo tours are more money, I feel it is better this way than to have all the extra $$$$ for the excursions.

Exceptional value. Our family of 8, had a vacation we will never forget. Everything was taken care of. All we did was relax and enjoy.

It was a great trip and the tour director worked extra hard to make sure everyone had an excellent experience.

Globus provided an exceptional trip full of great sites and wonderful experiences. The Tour of Italy hit on all the must-see spots plus many incredible places off the beaten path. Our tour director did an amazing job keeping everything organized and running smoothly.

The tour itself was very good.

A relaxing trip, saw a lot of Italy!

Some of the hotel rooms were not so good. No hot water at Christina Regiina. The hotel in Rome the bathroom floor overflowed. One hotel had no shower curtain which made showering difficult other rooms had a plastic screen. The blankets in the hotel rooms were never used because they looked dirty. The first day in Rome after flying in at 3 we were expected to meet at 5 and go to dinner next day we were up early. It was exhausting. I would suggest flying into Rome a few days early so you can recuperate before the tour begins, The tour and activities were fine, I prefer more alone time and less joint meals. Too much food at the dinner meals. We had a nice trip and saw many interesting things.

My tour director on my Italy trip was awesome. Knowledgeable, well organized and very personable.

Very good trip. The tour director was exceptionally good. The driver as well. Was not happy with the amount of time inlayover at Brussels. The agent who booked us cost us the refund of our VAt. Taxes, which I think you should refund to us as there was no time to stamp the paperwork because we were literally running from one flight to the other.

My first time to travel with Globus and would say im very satisfied. We took the best of italy and our trip was very organize in regards to transfer , the siteseeings, the meals in different restaurant and all the activities that u can think off. Our tour director Nicolas took really goodcare of us. I will absolutely recommned Globus among friends and will always be my first of choice in all my future group travels. Hotels may not be far excellence but atleast very good locations.

I have been very happy with the itinerary, the tour director (exceptionally good), the driver and the bus. This was my 10th trip with Globus Tours. My first was in 1980 through South America. I also appreciate the work of Affordable Tours.com, where Trena has done a great job to arrange my trip. I am looking forward to the next year when I will take another Globus tour (most likely Austria and Switzerland) through the Affordable Tours.com.

The Best of Italy trip offered by GLOBUS was outstanding. I would recommend taking this tour. The staff was courteous and efficient. The optional excursions were great as well.

This was a fantastic vacation in a beautiful country and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Our tour director was outstanding and all the local guides were very knowledgeable and interesting and the hotels were great!

The trip needs to make customers be aware that this trip is not for anyone who is disabled or has trouble walking, especially up hills and steps. The pavements, especially in Rome, are not flat and there were several people who fell on uneven payments. The rooms were very small and air conditioning did not always work. We were in the older part of one hotel and had to use two different elevators to get to our room.

I loved this trip. Everyday was a surprise and our tour guide was amazing. She had so much knowledge and history of the area.

Rooms were not up to American standards, worn and outdated. Simple accommodations would be acceptable if air conditioning is provided and rooms were cleaner. The only reason I would consider using Globus again is because of our tour director. He took the stress out of touring. He was a wealth of knowledge and helped us appreciate and understand his beautiful country.

Hotel Rooms were older and modest. On 2 occasions we requested different rooms. One request was due to a smoke smell in room. This was in a hotel that claimed to be non-smoking. The hotels were advertised as 4 star accommodations but in our opinion they did not meet our expectations of 4 star hotel. We would rate the accommodations as "adequate" and not 4 stars. A suggestion would be that the Globus hotel literature and the information provided by the travel agent(s) on the hotels be more accurate so that expectations are appropriately set. Please note: staying at an older/less accommodating hotel because of the benefits of having a better location makes sense and is understandable, but this information was not shared with us prior to booking the trip. Overall, this travel experience was outstanding. Globus staff, itinerary, excursions and local guides were excellent. The tour director and bus driver were very service-oriented to insure that we saw everything and that the logistics of the entire trip were executed well (timely travel, no lost luggage, clear information every day, good restaurant recommendations, ease of checking into and out of hotels, head phones used throughout the trip to hear the tour guides commentary, etc.). We had a great time. Aside from the above noted hotel issue (which is not a show stopper) the trip was wonderful.

Our tour director is undoubtedly the BEST at her job! She is always pleasant, always kind, always helpful, and extremely efficient! All tours should have directors like her!

Everything was excellent. We enjoyed every minute!

My husband and I LOVED LOVED LOVED this tour!!! We treated ourselves for our 30th wedding anniversary, and we both wondered afterwards why we had waited so long to go to Europe! We enjoyed the food, the accommodations, the itinerary, the tour escort--just a dream come true! If you love art, architecture, and/or history, then The Best of Italy is the tour for you. If you love to shop, you will find exquisite handmade Italian products in a range of prices: jewelry, leather, glass, ceramic, inlaid woodwork, fashion, and more. If you are on the fence about traveling abroad, stop equivocating and get ready for the trip of a lifetime. Such a great value for priceless memories!

What we all saw would not have been possible without doing a tour. The itinerary was perfect, all hotel accommodations were wonderful. They exceeded my expectations. The entire trip was perfect from beginning to end.

This was our first tour and was one of the best vacations we've had. Not untill we actually completed the vacation did we realize that we received our monies worth and more. We saw and visited cities and historical sites that you hear and read about and see on T.V was so exciting. Venice, Capri Island, Pompeii and Amalfi Coast was so exciting in addition to the Vatican and all the Bascilicas. I don't know how the Real Italy tour could have been any better. My hat is off to Globus for being so professional in their approach. The Tour Director and Bus Driver were first class. The majority of the hotels were better than expected and the planned dinners were also excellent.I was not expecting such a great farewell dinner but it was a good way to top off 11 days. We've been back over a week and are still talking about our trip. I'm glad we had Italy on our Bucket List..

Prior to this trip I was informed by friends who had previous tour experience that Globus had the best accomendations ... I would argue that the accomendations were average....

Hotel accomodations average at best!

Wonderful trip great tour director and met our expectations too. Thank you.

It was hot (summer in Italy- to be expected). Italian air conditioning is much, much different than American air conditioning. Fantastic experience. Would definitely do it again.

Rooms were to small. Bathrooms were primitive. Food especially breakfast was inedible.

Globus was fantastic. The bus was clean and the guide was extremely knowledgeable. The hotels were good but the breakfasts were not great (the eggs were horrible at each location).

I loved my trip and it was more than I expected!! Our guides were so professional and I learned so much about Italy from them! The hotels were great and service and food excellant ! I cannot stop talking about beautiful Italy!

Excellent!!!!!

Great trip, great tour operator and great itinerary! Thanks.

Our tour guide was very knowlegable and competent. He attended to every detail and never let any small or large problem slow him down.

I was disappointed with the accommodations as the trip progressed--initially, everything was good, then really tapered off. All of the beds were HARD and in a couple of places the pillows were like rocks. The shower accommodations in Capri were a joke--a 2 foot square is not comfortable for a large person. I only had to experience this once but by brother had it twice.

Affordable Tours/Globus was a great way to visit Italy. I and my wife had a wonderful time and the Globus Tour Director who accompanied us was wonderful, intelligent as well as very informative.

The Best of Italy tour was a dream come true for my husband and myself. Everything exceeded our expectations and we look forward to going back again some day. Our guide and bus driver were excellent and helped us to have a great time and a beautiful experience. This trip was a true blessing and it will be in our hearts and memories forever. Also, thanks to the agent from Affordable Tours for her help and guidance in making this all happen. She is very courteous and answered all of our questions.

The trip actually exceeded my expectations in all areas. Globus and the particular tour director we had ran everything like clockwork. The bus and accommodations were clean and comfortable. Our tour director was something special. Besides being extremely knowledgeable, organized and accommodating, she had a great personality and an indefinable quality that helped bond 44 strangers into a close-knit group who extracted great pleasure out of every moment. It was a trip I and my daughters will always cherish.

Globus tour director was outstanding - the manageable group supported we two octogenarians without patronizing

The tours far exceeded my expectations. It took all the worry out of traveling. Thanks

The food selection was mediocre at best and there should be offerings where we can go buy our own meals. Seems sad that i come back from Italy and am craving pizza and pasta in the US, when it should be amazing in country and I think because our lack of choice when having group meals they were not good, takes away from an amazing tour, especially because of the guide. Extremely knowledgeable and experienced.

The tour leader was excellent and vary knowledgable, The bus driver was great also, very professional

While the trip to Italy was very good. I did not like that Globus eliminated certain important sites, for example, in Rome you had to pay extra to see the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and more. I did not pay the extra $59 Euros, instead I took a taxi from the hotel which cost $7 Euros and walked to see the other main sites. I also had dinner by the Pantheon and it cost less that the tour Globus charged and I believe must more fun. The room is some of the hotels were so small you had to sit your suitcase in the closet. The dinner they planned were not good, one was even uneatable. The tour was great when it came to getting groups into places before the general public and passing the long lines. I was also appalled that each person had to pay the bus driver and tour director a specific minimum tip. Not every one read all the specific in the Globus manual. However, Affordable Tours did an excellent job with booking trip and their employees were excellent.

 The trip exceeded my expectations, the tour director was patient and knowledgable, and the hotels were all 4 star and the preparation and execution was flawless. Plus the food....

Some of the hotels that were used really need updating - Shower heads - water would come out so fine I couldn't rinse the shampoo out of my short hair - Blow dryers were terrible - I was so haapy I brought mine from home - bathrooms had mold growing which can be removed without alot of effort. Our tour guide was wonderfull!!!

This trip was amazing. We did not expect rooms as nice as those we had, nor did we expect the many kindnesses such as delivering our luggage to our rooms, solving problems with ATMs and lost items, excellent quality meals. We are exhausted as it was a fast paced tour of an entire country - but there are no words to describe how much we enjoyed this trip. It was so much more than a vacation - in many ways it was life changing in all we learned and were able to experience. We made some wonderful friends from our group, and our tour guides were like personal historians of the areas we visited. The added advantages of being first in line to the sites we visited, having tickets pre-paid and waiting, having all boats, trains and other travel set up and smoothly executed, and never having to worry about our luggage was invaluable. For the scheduling and arrangements alone we could never have seen on our own all that we saw in this tour. And the price we paid to see it all was actually very minimal when compared to all of the work and headaches that we saved ourselves had we planned this on our own. We were already planning our next trip on the flight home!! Thank you so very much for an adventure we will take with us the rest of our lives! 

Overall the tour met and exceeded my expectations from reservation to the tour guide. The trip was fantastic with a knowledgeable tour guide, skilled bus driver. Hotels, local guides and food were great. The price was affordable and the trip a great experience. Globus took very good care of me during this trip.

OUr tour director was supberb continually checking to see if we needed anything and offering alternatives when needed. Our bus driver should be inducted in the drivers hall of fame. He must have nerves of steel. The best driver I have every come across. We had the best time. Everything was perfectly organized and the pace allowed us to see the sites while providing us leisure time for siteseeing. We will def. be recommending this tour/company to others.

My Family and myself had a fantastic time in Italy. It was a dream trip come true.

The tour "The Best of Italy" met or exceed our expectations. 

This was one of the most memorable tours we have taken. Globus did an outstanding job. We are very pleased.

I explored many Italy travel options before choosing this tour. I could not have been more pleased. Globus exceeded my expectations. I would travel with them again without hesitation.

truly wonderful trip. Much appreciated!!!!!

The trip was great!! Everything I expected and more. Thanks a Million.

My 11-day Best of Italy tour was FANTASTIC!!! Not only did I stay at great hotels, but I got to see and experience the splendor of Italy in just a few days. The tour was well organized despite being with 41 (fun but interesting) tourists! The tour director was not only professional but courteous, attentive to everyone's needs, energetic, knowledable and a pleasure to be around. (We often would call her Fabulous, which was well deserved...) Our driver was always safe, prompt and maintained a well-kept bus. (He's one of the best-dressed drivers I know!!) My only regret was not being prepared for allergy season and having a severe attack. But my fellow tour group were well prepared and were more than generous with sharing their antihistemines and eye drops (thanks gang!) I highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants to experience the history, art, culture, food and landscape that Italy has to offer. Ciao!

The room was suppose to have twin beds but had a double bed. I think that I received a single room instead of a double room. The shower was also small.

TRIP WAS WONDERFUL... LOTS AND LOTS OF WALKING THRU ALL KINDS OF TERRAINE WHICH MAYBE SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRESSED ALITLE MORE. THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE THAT REALLY STRUGGLED. IT WAS A TRIP I WILL NEVER FORGET !!! NO WORDS COULD EVER EXPLAIN HOW BEAUTIFUL ITALY WAS AND HOW MUCH OF ITALY WE GOT TO EXPLORE.. I HOPE TO DO IT AGAIN !!!

This was my first guided tour. I typcially toured independently in the past. However, my experience was positive and I will consider a guided tour in the future.

It was a great experience overall, both with Affordable Tours and with the Tour Operator. We had a great and unforgettable time.