We're thinking about doing a 14 day Italy tour with Trafalger Tours.
We've never traveled this way, we usually book ourselves and rent a car. It appears to be fairly leisurely, with a couple of days in each spot, not just pack and go.
Any opinions or thoughts would be appreciated.
thanks
Carol

Grand European Tours

Recommend these folks - have used them for Italy, ireland and the USA, very satisfied with their service.

Have heard of Trafalger - around for many years

Suggest you compare them for the best deals.

I think Insight Tours are much BETTER. Try Globus if not. We did Globus and we would not do it again due to the hotels. Out of the way---could not get into town easy AT NIGHT which revented us and the class of hotels. Not GREAT.

Trafalgar has been around for years! Back in the day when I was in the travel biz....over 25 yrs....and they had a fine reputation then. So, if that's any consolation. I'd use them if they had what I wanted.
Personally, I like a tour that keeps you in a hotel and with doing day trips. Nothing as unsettling as packing and moving every other day. This all takes a toll on you.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Contessa

I took a Trafalgar tour of Italy and Sicily back in 2006 and loved every minute of it however I would NOT call it leisurely at all - in fact of the 14 days there were only 2 of them where I spent a few hrs on a beach or near a pool "relaxing", at all other times it was go go go. I'm not telling you this to discourage you at all, there are deff bonuses to tour traveling but if you're looking for leisurely then coach touring will disapoint you. Have you visited the message boards at Trafalgar yet? (I do every day) I highly recommend you do visit (Globus and Insight also have message boards). Just so you know your average day will be up between 6:30 and 7:00 am (if it's a travel day then bags out in the hallway usually by 7:00 am) breakfast is served btw 7:00 and 8:00 then on the bus bt 8:00 and 8:30 am and on to your next destination, comfort stop every 2 hrs (use toilet, grab a snack or lunch), may be a city tour stop on the way, arrive at the next hotel bt 3:00 ish to 6:00 ish pm, check in, go on an optional that may or may not include dinner or dinner at the hotel then off to sleep and repeat the next day. On a non travel day then no bags out but still up early to go on a city/church/monument tour. Now you can always skip optionals then you have a bit more time to hang out and relax but then your missing something...I use the same screen name at the other message board so feel free to ask me any questions here or there.

Personally I LOVE coach touring but my DH has figured out he HATES them so....

Thanks everyone......well we've chosen, <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />it's Insight Vacation and the tour is called Italian Elegance. Great itinerary and we're two nights in each town/village.
I really wanted to make sure that Cinque Terre was on the itinerary. That looks spectacular, will do a cruise drive by.
Temery, I'll have many questions, I hope you won't mind me asking them of you.

I don't mind at all <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" /> and Insight is a sister company w/Trafalgar so hopefully my answers will still apply for the most part.

You've already done the best thing - chose a tour based on Itinerary - so you will go to the places that you want to see. LUCKY wish I was going back.

We just did the European Splendor tour with Trafalgar and it was fantastic. Can't say enough good about it. We are considering using their "sister" tour company Insight next year to Italy.

No matter how acclaimed, there is NO WAY to get a feel for a country on a tour! Continue to do your independent thing, it's cheaper, you can sleep later, and you can see Italy and experience it like a local can.

actually that's exactly what you get on a coach tour - a feel for the country. Yes independent is cheaper and you can sleep in BUT you don't do or see as much (and IMO I can sleep when I'm dead or here at work). Just for an example if you want to go into the Vatican - well as an independent you get to line up outside and then WAIT until AFTER all of the tour groups have gone in (with our guide and wisper system included in our entry price) and that's just the Vatican... I can go on and on with examples. If you don't really want to see very much, sleep in late, party at bars in the evening then Coach touring is not for you (there is 1 tour company that actually caters to this type of touring but you have to be under 35 yrs old to go), if you want to pack as much sightseeing into 14 days as possible, not worry about driving/parking/hotel reservations/language barriers then Coach touring is for you.

With the internet and the wealth of information available, we get to our destination airport, rent a car, and off we go at our own pace. We mingle with Italians, talk to Italians, linger at caffes, and get a feel for what they do. Just the time getting on and off buses with tours can add up to hours in a day! And all you know is the tourist group you are with, and the places the tour company made a deal with. NOT.

Just an FYI on the Vatican tours; just 2 years ago, you could fax in a ticket request and no line...now you can now email them and get a reservation...you go to the head of the line to the right of the entrance while a
very long line waits on the left.

We have just come home from our Italian Elegance tour. Fantastic ! We weren't too sure about this 'planned tour' kind of vacation because we usually do our own thing. So glad we did though. Italy has a lot of odd rules/laws that would have got us in trouble and fined. There were 24 people in total on the brand new coach, including our guide, so there was plenty of room and getting on and off took mere minutes. We started in Rome then on to Florence, a couple of days in a Tuscan villa and then the Cinque Terre. Fantastic.
A couple days in the St.Margerita/Portofino area... just beautiful then onto the lake area. Very restful and some fabulous food. Sunday we drove up to Cortina for lots of fresh air and beautiful sites before finishing in Venice. With the tour, all the water taxis, a gondola ride and other water rides were planned so no need to line up and hope you get on the boat. The food and the shopping was amazing. The prices were not like I expected at all. Everything was less than here at home, imagine and you're in Venice for goodness sakes. San Marco was busy but once the cruise ship folk go back to the ship it's a lot quieter. In fact if you wander just a little lane away from the piazza it's quieter and the restaurants great, the kind where the Venetians frequent.
All in all, it was a great way to see what we wanted to see without the stress of driving and buying permits to enter certain towns. Our travelling companions were a lot of fun too. I don't want to write a novel here but if anyone has questions please feel free to ask me. A special thanks to TEMERY for answering many questions for me.
<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

well you're very welcome, my only price is to please take me w/you next time! (j/k) <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

so glad you had a good time and could stand up to the touring pace. Venice was/is magical esp if as you say you can get just a little bit away from San Marco, it's one of my "if I can ever afford it again I'm going again" places.