Classic Italy May 2018

Aracelis

Hi!
My husband and I will be joining this tour in a few weeks. Apparently we will be having some free time in Rome and FLorence. Does anyone know, on average, how long is the FREE time? I am trying to decide if to look into additional sightseeing or just sit a a cafe and soak everything around us.
Thanks!

JohnKS

My wife and I were members of the Classic Italy trip in 2016. We had a great time as I'm sure you will too.

You will have some time to visit a few attractions on your own if you choose to do so. I don't recall the exact amount of time but it was enough to venture out for a few hours in each city and have some fun on our own. In 2016 we stayed at the Westin Hotel in both cities. From the Westin in Rome we walked to Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon. Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon are worth a visit. The Spanish Steps, well they are just steps. Both the Fountain and the Pantheon are popular attractions. We visited those two attractions twice as I'm a photography enthusiast and we decided to get up early one morning well before breakfast and had the opportunity to see those two sites again without the crowd. We also ventured into a church or two on our way to the Pantheon. We had time for gelato too.

In Florence we had time to shop at the outdoor markets, mostly leather goods. We both enjoyed visiting the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral as well as the Galileo Museum. The Galileo Museum is along the Arno River as is the Westin and we found it very interesting. One evening we took a cab to the Piazzale Michelangelo on the advice of the concierge at the Westin to see a beautiful view of Florence at sunset.

I'm sure others will chime in as to what they did to help fill your time. So to answer your original question again, yes, you will have time to do some sightseeing on your own. We didn't hire any guides to help us out with our free time as we just tried to do a little pre planning at home before we left after talking with friends that had already visited Rome and Florence. I'm sure you Tauck tour director will be able to offer suggestions as well. We did hire a guide on our first day out of our hotel in Sorrento to help us navigate the Island of Capri.

Have a great trip.

John

HuntNfun

If you call Tauck and ask, a representative will tell you the approximate amount of free time you will have in each city. Before each tour that my husband and I have gone on, I have always called to find this out. Knowing the amount of free time we will have in each city helps us to plan ahead for what we think we might want to do. Of course, we may also change our minds, but we have some good ideas of what we can do in the allotted free time--if we wish to do so.

Aracelis

Thank you so much for the feedback! Much appreciated. I definitely have some planning to do:-)

Patricia Carlson

Are you on the trip which starts 5/27? We are and are looking forward to it. We have traveled with Tauck often and always enjoy it. Pat & Jon Carlson from Michigan