Walks of ItalyReviews of walksofitaly.com

I am not a 'tour' person. Not big on someone else deciding my routes, times, etc, that being said, I was traveling with two friends and they wanted to do the tours. They did a total of 6 tours with WOI, I did 4. First off, ALL of the tour guides were good. They were well informed, enthusiastic, had a sense of humor, and provided all sorts of info that we otherwise would not have been privy to. Our Colosseum guide, David, even went over the allotted time to give us a complete description of Palantine Hill and the Forum. He gets, 6 stars.****** Pompei would have simply been ruins without a guide, dramatic and interesting ruins, but just ruins nonetheless.. Our Intro To Rome guide, provided us with an overview of the heart of the city which allowed us to get acclimated to Rome. I recommend Walks of Italy. I do think that doing the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and The Forum in one afternoon is a bit much. It would be nice to break these up, of course, time is a factor. It is also great that there is a ceiling of 12 people. We viewed sooooo many tours that were huge. No time for individual questions, (and I had many), and very difficult to keep track of everyone. Bottom line: All tours are not created equal. Walks of Italy are good, they are not inexpensive, but they are good.

When my husband and I were thinking about how to see the many museums in our first trip to Italy(and I was dreading the prospect as I am ADD), we asked my brother's advice as he always does copious research as a sophisticated global traveler. So without any further consideration, we immediately signed on for 5 tours: Colliseum/Palatine Hill/Forum, Vatican, Borgese, Academia/Florence and St. Mark's square/Venice. At the end of the week, we both were delighted at the quality experience that we had with our tour and their outstanding guides. When it was just us and a guide, it was incredible, but even with others(a max of 8 others at the Colliseum) it was still just fine. I really like the idea of having ear inserts hooked up to a mic with the guide so that we don't miss any of the conversation, in particular because my husband is hard of hearing but I loved that too. That way you don't have to push close to the guide to catch the information. Although it is not cheap, every tour felt well worth it. The tour guides,especially those native to the towns they worked in, shared the information in a passionate way that held our interest so that we really felt like we learned a lot and it was enjoyable. Their English was great, and they were knowledgeable, often studying art history in college. We developed an appreciation for both art and history(ok, my husband already had considerable interest in history but I didn't) that we will enjoy the rest of our lives. I would recommend this company to all my friends unreservedly. I know that if I had been on one of those tours with the 50 old folks trailing behind a guide with a stick and a feather that I would have just left the building after 15 minutes...

So informative, great tour guide, perfect day in Ancient Rome!

Getting there early, we were able to experience the Sistine Chapel in a more intimate way. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. It was a great time!

Our guide made the day the best of our entire trip. I realized how much I've missed by trying to see the sites on my own or with a guide book. The stories are what bring sites to life...and our guide hit the cover off the ball.

We booked "Best of Florence - City Stroll, David & Duomo Underground" in Florence (Great guide, funny and so full of great information and stories!); "Crypts & Bones & Catacombs - Underground Tour of Rome" (Also a great guide, very knowledgeable and really enjoyed the places we toured" and "Morning VIP Access Colosseum Underground & Ancient Rome Tour" (Also a very knowledgeable and patient guide) in Rome. Of the three, if I had to pick, the VIP Colosseum tour was one of the highlights of our 2 week trip. In no way should this diminish the other tours or the guides, but to walk underground in the Colosseum and go where the other tourists couldnt was really spectacular. And I need to mention the customer service when I had a question - they answered my questions quickly and with a very satisfactory solution! Do not hesitate to book with Walks of Italy - you will not be disappointed!

Our tour guide was a born and raised Venetian, which makes a difference because she was not able to simply recite facts and figures, but provide color to what we were seeing and how things are now versus when she was a child and to retell stories passed along from her family. It also rained almost the entire length of our walk but it didn't at dampen the spirits of our guide not the spirits of us in tow. Also, while we did the "orientation" tour we did it midway through our visit in Venice, so don't feel like you have to do this tour on day 1. We had a great time and would recommend the tour to our friends and family without reservation!

Getting up is the hardest part but once you're out the door, it's thrill to be out and about before most of the city (and very few other tourists) has woken up. The walk meets at 7:30, allowing you to get a jump on the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel. Our tour guide, David, was remarkable----full of knowledge, but just as fully engaged with his surroundings, not reading from a script or reciting strings of facts he memorized. Most will say that getting into the Sistine Chapel ahead of the crowds is worth the price of admission all by itself. I would agree but also add that there were so many other gems pointed out to me that were similarly breathtaking…things I would never have noticed on my own. This tour was no small investment for me and I have not once regretted investing in such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Which is a kind of miracle considering I sometimes get buyers remorse when I buy the more expensive dish soap instead of the bargain stuff.