THE BEST OF ITALY in 15 days
THE BEST OF ITALY TOUR visits favorite destinations situated north of Rome. Beginning in Rome, you’ll visit the essential tourist sights and classic destinations. Then, travel to the delightful villages of the Cinque Terre where you’ll enjoy two days exploring this coastal region where the mountains literally fall into the sea. Volterra, my choice for the quintessential Tuscan hilltown, is sure to win you over to the “la dolce vita” lifestyle. Florence, the “cradle of the Renaissance,” will have you walking in the steps of Michelangelo, DaVinci, and the Medici’s. Venice, the romantic canal-laced city, rounds out the big three tourist sites. Finally, we will cap off the tour by relaxing on beautiful Lake Como in addition to taking a quick look at Milan’s bustling city center. Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $5389 + air | Apr 30-May 14, 2026 |  |
| $5489 + air | Jun 4-18, 2026 | |
| $5489 + air | Sep 3-17, 2026 | |
| $5389 + air | Oct 15-29, 2026 | |
Rome – 2 nights
Cinque Terre – 2 nights
Volterra – 2 nights
Siena – 1 night
Florence – 2 nights
Venice – 2 nights
Lake Como – 2 nights
Milan – 1 night
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Single Room Additional Cost ~$960
ITINERARY
DAY 1: BUON GIORNO A ROMA! – Let’s plan to meet in our hotel lobby at 2:00 p.m. for introductions and a welcome drink. Then, we will set off to explore the sites of ancient Rome. Enjoy a walk through the Colosseum and Forum, assisted by David’s audio-guided walking tour. Later, we will enjoy a grand “welcome to Italy” dinner at a favorite restaurant. Sleep for 2 nights in Rome. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 2: THE VATICAN AND HEART OF ROME– We’ll get an early start to join our local guide at the Vatican Museum. Enjoy an in-depth tour of this vast treasure trove of the world’s finest works of art, capped off with an awe-inspiring look at Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Then, enjoy a visit to the massive St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest Christian church. After lunch, we’ll begin our walking tour of Rome’s historic central core seeing the Pantheon and several other sights in the area. You’ll have the remainder of the afternoon and evening to do a little exploring on your own. Walking: strenuous.
The Holy Jubilee Year will bring millions of visitors to Rome and The Vatican in 2025. We expect overcrowded attractions, long wait times in queues, and restricted availability for group reservations. Visiting the Colosseum, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica are essential elements of our tours in Rome, and we will make every effort to book these attractions for our groups. However, it may not be possible. If this is the case, we will notify you at least three weeks before your tour begins and suggest booking these destinations as individual entrances. See here for our independent booking suggestions. Thank you for understanding as we manuver the unprecedented crowds in Rome.
DAY 3: BULLET TRAIN TO THE CINQUE TERRE – We’ll get an early start this morning on our way up to the Ligurian coast. Train travel in Italy is fun and mostly worry-free, so enjoy the ride. The Cinque Terre is a delightful collection of five little villages spilling from the mountains into the sea. After settling in, we’ll get you oriented to the region and set up with walking and transportation passes. Then, head out on your own to explore! We’ll meet later tonight for dinner featuring fresh food from the region. Sleep for 2 nights in the Cinque Terre. Walking: light. Train: 4 hours. Dinner.
DAY 4: THE CINQUE TERRE –You’ll have the entire day on your own to explore the Cinque Terre. Traveling to and from the “five villages” in the region is easy by train, boat, or foot. The National Park is loaded with scenic trails providing endless opportunities to get out and explore the outdoors. You may wish to stake your claim on one of the many beaches to catch some sun. Each village has its own character, decor, and ambiance, as well as plenty of shopping and dining options. Walking: your choice.
DAY 5: VOLTERRA – It will take about an hour by train to get away from the coast and meet up with our driver. Then we’ll travel the backroads of Tuscany en route to my favorite little hilltown. Volterra has become “famous” in recent years for The Lair of the Vampires in the Twilight book series. It has long been known as a quaint and off-the-beaten-path destination for savvy travelers. After settling in, enjoy a walking tour of the historic town followed by a guided wine tasting at my favorite wine cave. By now, you’ll be well on your way to knowing the town, so enjoy dinner on your own and an event-free evening. Sleep for 2 nights in Volterra. Train: 1 hour. Driving: 1.5 hours. Walking: moderate.
DAY 6: VOLTERRA – You will have the entire day to explore more of Volterra independently. Consider visiting the shops devoted to handmade items such as leather, alabaster, jewelry, and more. The town offers several fine museums dedicated to art and the Etruscans. Alternatively, join a multi-course cooking class at a countryside farmhouse (see below). Later, we will head out into the countryside for dinner at a local winery and farmhouse. Walking: your choice. Dinner.
OPTIONAL COOKING CLASS ($155) Enjoy the morning in Volterra on your own. Mid-afternoon, we will travel 15 minutes to nearby Podere Marcampo, a vineyard and farmhouse in the countryside. Our host will teach you to prepare traditional Tuscan foods such as ravioli, fresh tomato sauce, vegetable tart, stuffed guinea fowl, bread, dessert, and more. After your hands-on cooking lesson, we’ll sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labor with a grand dinner feast. Please sign up for this class online when booking your tour or contact us should you choose to participate in the optional cooking class.
DAY 7: SIENA – It is a short drive through the hills of Tuscany to Siena. Upon arrival, join an informative walking tour lacing together its famous sites such as the Basilica of San Domenico, the Cathedral, and Il Campo. Then, you’ll have the remainder of the day and evening to savor Siena. Consider assembling a picnic and camping out on Il Campo for dinner, walking with the locals on their passigiata, or visiting the Duomo and its museum. Sleep 1 night in Siena. Driving: 1.5 hours. Walking: moderate.
DAY 8: FLORENCE –Join a walking tour linking together Florence’s famous historical sights, followed by a visit to the Galleria Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the statue of David. Then, enjoy more of Florence on your own. Sleep 2 nights in Florence. Walking: moderate. Driving: 1.5 hours.
DAY 9: FLORENCE – You’ll have the entire day to explore more of Florence on your own. Visit another of the city’s museums, check out the Pitti Palace, get in some shopping, visit the market, or simply soak up the local ambiance. Tonight, join your group for a farewell to Tuscany dinner at a favorite ristorante. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 10: VENICE – We will hop on the train for a quick and easy ride up to Venice. After settling into our hotel and taking a break for lunch, let’s visit St. Mark’s Square and its famed church. Then, we will spend some time on a walking tour, lacing together several piazzi e ponti. After some free time to poke around on your own, we will meet for a canal-side pizza dinner. Sleep 2 nights in Venice. Train: 2 hours. Boat: 1 hour. Walking: Moderate. Dinner.
DAY 11: VENICE – Enjoy a free day on your own in Venice. Your guide will assist with customizing activities to fit your needs. Consider visiting a museum, boating to a nearby island, exploring the many interesting churches, taking a gondola ride on the Grand Canal, or simply wandering and experiencing all Venice has to offer. Walking is your choice.
DAY 12: LAKE COMO – Most of the morning will be spent getting first to Milan and then to Lake Como. Once set up at our hotel, enjoy an orientation and walking tour of your “home” village, followed by independent time on your own. Sleep 2 nights at Lake Como. Train: 2.5 hours. Driving: 2 hours. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 13: LAKE COMO – The day is free for you to enjoy elegant Bellagio, Varenna, and its charming villa, or take a hike in the foothills of the Alps for beautiful vistas. Walking is your choice.
DAY 14: MILAN – We will return to central Milan after breakfast and get set up at our hotel. Then, let’s head downtown for a look at the famous cathedral, shopping district, and opera house. After some free time, we will meet for a grand farewell dinner to recall tour memories and toast new friends. Train or bus: 1.5 hours. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
NOTE: The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece fresco, is not included in our tour program. Tickets are hard to come by for groups. However, individual tickets may be available on the web by visiting the official ticket site, https://cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it/, or at outlets such as Viator. If you decide to book on your own, please schedule your entrance at 14:00 or later.
DAY 15: THE TOUR CONCLUDES AFTER BREAKFAST – It is easy to reach Milan’s airports by taxi or bus. Your guide will be happy to assist with your post-tour travel needs. Ciao e buon viaggio!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation is provided by coach, minibus, and train from your Rome hotel to your Milan hotel.
14 nights accommodations in centrally located hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs. All rooms have private en-suite baths.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurants, and hotel staff.
Guaranteed Small Group of 6-18 travelers
All breakfasts and seven of your dinners or lunches.
Traditional dining experiences at some of David’s favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority, and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best each locale has to offer.
Water is included with all group meals. Sodas, wine, beer, and other drinks are your responsibility.
All tours and admissions at no extra cost: Guided walking tours in Rome, Volterra, Siena, and Florence; Entrance and tours of the Colosseum, Forum, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome; Cinque Terre orientation and a train and trail pass; Guided wine tasting in Tuscany; Guided tour of the Galleria Accademia in Florence (Michelangelo’s David); Artistic and historical overview of the Piazza San Marco and exterior of the Basilica San Marco in Venice; A two-day Vaperetto water bus pass in Venice; David’s signature piazzi e ponti walking tour in Venice; Lake Como area orientation; Milan orientation and sightseeing suggestions and much more (itinerary specifics are subject to change).
PLEASE NOTE: The Holy Jubilee Year will bring millions of visitors to Rome and The Vatican in 2025. We expect overcrowded attractions, long wait times in queues, and restricted availability for group reservations. Visiting the Colosseum, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica are essential elements of our tours in Rome, and we will make every effort to book these attractions for our groups. However, it may not be possible. If this is the case, we will notify you at least three weeks before your tour begins and suggest booking these destinations as individual entrances. See here for our independent booking suggestions. Thank you for understanding as we manuver the unprecedented crowds in Rome.
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts who are dedicated to bringing to life the art, history, and culture of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Anything not listed above in the “inclusions” area is not included in the cost of your tour.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry; we are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S AUDIO & E-PRINT PDF DESTINATION GUIDES
David has a complete PDF and Printable Guidebook for all destinations on his Essence and Best of Italy tours. You’ll also find downloadable AUDIO WALKING TOURS for Rome’s Colosseum and the Roman Forum. https://davidmcguffin.com/dg-italy/
DAVID’S VIDEO SERIES: THE BEST OF ITALY
David and his team have produced an episodic video series detailing many of the destinations on this tour itinerary. They are all neatly organized on his YouTube channel. Watch the complete series or view one episode at a time on his Best of Italy Playlist.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in Italy. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David’s Explore Italy.
DAVID’S TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY ALMOST-WEEKLY BROADCAST AND VIDEO SERIES BLOG.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our ITALY Tours
I’m quite pleased with my first experience with David McGuffin tour company. The itinerary was spot on - from sites (expected tourist highlights to less known treasures) to hotels (especially Barr Na Straide) & restaurants (Rinuccini❣️) to planned time balanced with free time. And our guide David Grey was THE BEST! David is respectful, thorough, flexible, & a wealth of knowledge and all the while just being plain fun. As my late mother would say, “he’s a keeper.”
We were a family of 5 with three adults and two children 7 and 9. In London we had great food, site seeing and special moments like tea at Harrods, seeing Wicked live and a trip to Harry Potter WB studio experience as well as a trip to Abbey Road for a photo moment. We rode The Eye, boats, busses and the subway. John and Audra guided us expertly . On to Paris via train and more wonderful sites and food. We absolutely loved the Eiffel Tower both from the top and from the river. Spectacular experience of seeing the lights coming on at dusk. Took a cooking class and it was fantastic. The macarons were delicious. Lots of walking. This hotel was convenient to transportation but room too small for a family. All the hotels had delicious breakfasts. Flew to Rome and the hotel there was very nice. Very hot here but enjoyed all the sites and food. No water in Trevi Fountain but lots of other things to enjoy. Had a wonderful memorable time. Came home exhausted but with lots of lasting memories. Thanks to David, Leslie John and Audra for a trip of a lifetime.
The trip to Ireland was just GREAT. David McGuffin Exploring Europe really provides a very nice itinerary and very comfortable everything, very nice hotels, great food, highlighted places and experiences. The part I liked best was David the personal full time tour guide, he was exceptional. The company took care of all of the details like where to go, where to stay, all attraction payments, the beautiful motorcoach. All we had to do is relax and enjoy. And what a great group of people. It couldn't have been better!
My wife and I traveled to Italy last month for David’s “Essence of Italy” tour and we had a great time. Traveling with David and Charlotte was so much easier not having to worry about our hotel, food, and transportation arrangements.
Due to the Jubilee and the Pope’s death, Rome was extremely crowded. We missed the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica because of the Conclave. We plan on returning to Rome with David to see these sites.
The train ride to Cinque Terre was fun with a lot to see. Once there, we were able to visit a few of the five villages using local trains. The views of the mountain villages next to the ocean were fantastic.
Our next stop was to the hilltown of Volterra in Tuscany. Now I know why David calls Volterra one of his favorite places. It’s really beautiful and has a lot of history. We would never have thought of visiting some of the locations David took us.
We finished our trip visiting Siena and Florence. The museums, Cathedrals, and famous historical sites were great to see.
Traveling with David, Charlotte and our group was very enjoyable. We have already booked our next trip with David in 2026.
Essence of Italy 10 days our first David McGuffin Tour and we were thankful to have David and Charlotte with us on this tour. Rome was quite the experience 2 full days of site seeing with the Vatican, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain to name a few all so beautiful, but a little over whelming with the crowds.
Our hotels in every location were quaint and lovely! Not having A/C is some of them was an adjustment , I definitely recommend you bring the portable fan that David mentions to bring we used it.
We really enjoyed our small group 10 people including our guides it was perfect. We had so much fun at our group dinners having a guide for the restaurants was definitely a plus, as well as what food to order.
Cinque Terre- Monterosso was my favorite village and Volterra the Tuscany area was also a favorite of ours! The tour guides in Rome (Guilai was amazing) and Volterra were informative and enjoyable as well as David and Charlottes information on each area.
We packed just like David suggested and we didn’t have any issues or problems handling our own luggage but we did do laundry once while there. David’s tour prep instructions were spot on.
We had the most enjoyable time making new friends and seeing beautiful Italy our next adventure is hopefully Greece!
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