Italy Experience

Traveler Reviews

• CK

  Cynthia3.0•October 2023
  This was my first tour with Intrepid. I have done 3 excellent tours with another company, but their Italian tour...
  This was my first tour with Intrepid. I have done 3 excellent tours with another company, but their Italian tour schedule didn't coincide with ours (2 others joined the tour with me). I'd heard good things about Intrepid, so we thought we'd give them a try. First off, for 280 Euro for the airport transfer, we expected to be escorted from the Venice Airport right to our hotel. While we were greeted at the airport by a driver with a very clean Mercedes van and then were transferred to a waiting water taxi, the water taxi just dumped us at the vaporetto stop and said we had to find our way to our hotel. We had no idea where we were or where we were going, plus we had luggage to transport. Fortunately, we had internet access, so we were able to google map the route to our hotel. However, for $470 CAD, we feel we shouldn't have had to "find our own way" to the hotel. At the very least, we should've been provided with a map from the vaporetto stop. Our fellow group members had similar experiences. It was a terrible first impression. I'm not sure if our tour experience was more a reflection of the support provided by Intrepid to its guides, or of the guide herself. However, while we liked our guide, she didn't exude passion for her role. The tour itself didn't seem as "pulled together" as it might have been in terms of the transportation arrangements and the commentary. This is where Intrepid might have provided a better "script" for the guide to follow. Also, one of our group members had his wallet stolen in Rome, but there wasn't a pre-established Intrepid protocol regarding how the guide should handle such a possible situation. Also, if travelers are required to pre-arrange their own tours for certain destinations, that should have been emphasized well in advance. Fortunately, we booked many sights and guides a month in advance, because we'd asked questions of our tour agency and we'd read the "fine print". However, it would have been helpful if Intrepid had either made us more aware at the outset and/or provided choices and booked them for us at additional cost. Finally, on our orientation day, if the guide had asked us all whether we had booked tickets for things we wanted to see and helped those who had not at that time, a better experience would have been had by all. Finally, the fitness level rating was 2. However, there was an included hike that we would rate a 3-4. That was a hike that some members of our tour group of 12 might have skipped in favour of alternatives, had they known the requirements in advance. In fairness, there were planned excursions that were very enjoyable - the pesto cooking class in Levanto and the wine tasting lunch in Spello to name two. Grazie, Cynthia P.S. TourRadar's assistance, responsiveness and online support were very good - thanks!Show more
  Traveled in September 2023
  

  Reply from: Intrepid Travel

  Thank you for providing such a detailed review. We are sorry to learn that you were disappointed with the transfer. Water taxis stop at the Piazzale Roma, as do all buses and taxis. The reason being is that water taxis have specific stops and the one you mentioned is that which is nearest to the hotel. Traffic cannot enter the narrow alleyways of the old town, so the hotel does have to be reached by foot. We do provide directions to the hotel in our trip information, but given your comments, we will do more to make this information clearer for future travellers, so thank you for highlighting this. We are sorry to learn of the theft and I would like to assure you that we do have protocols in place, which your leader will have been aware of . We do recommend that travellers review optional activities ahead of tour time, as this means they can book activities once travellers have arrived into destination with the assistance of their tour leader. This is suggested as there can be limited space. It’s disappointing to learn that although liked your trip leader, you felt she lacked enthusiasm and you also felt further assistance could have been provided. We are always looking to make improvements to our trips and are grateful to you for sharing your experience. We would welcome the chance to discuss your experience in detail, so I have asked our customer care team to reach out to you.

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• KB

  Kathie4.0•October 2023
  Overall I thought the destinations, planned activities and accommodations were very good. But, because this was a...
  Overall I thought the destinations, planned activities and accommodations were very good. But, because this was a “tour package” I felt there should have been assistance in booking the optional activities during the 10 days. This was completely missing as we were to prebook all the tours in the major centres. In addition, upon arrival, although we had paid and made arrangements to be taken from the airport to our meeting hotel we were left at the dock in Venice with no guide or instructions of how to find the hotel which was not an easy task. This was a poor start to the tour.Show more
  Traveled in September 2023
  

  Reply from: Intrepid Travel

  Hi Kathie, thank you for taking the time to post a review. We are pleased to learn that the destinations and planned activities were very good, but note you felt there could have been more assistance on booking the optional activities that were available. We do highlight in our essential trip information that optional activities will be subject to availability, so it may not be possible to do all of those listed as an option. We recommend some pre planning of what would interest our travellers the most, so they can book them in advance when possible and to discuss this with their leader at the welcome meeting. We are sorry to hear you comment around the transfer. Although this service was not booked through Intrepid, we are sorry this caused a poor start to you trip. We would welcome chance to learn more about your experience, so if you are happy to share this, please reach out to our customer care team at cutomercare@intrepidtravel.com.

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• EM

  Elizabeth4.0•October 2022
  Saw and did lots of fascinating things like a pesto making class, wine and olive oil tasting and enjoyed the...
  Saw and did lots of fascinating things like a pesto making class, wine and olive oil tasting and enjoyed the marvellous sculptures and also learning about the history of Italy.Show more
  Traveled in September 2022
  

  Reply from: Intrepid Travel

  Hi Elizabeth! It is wonderful to hear that you had such amazing experiences while on tour with us! Thank you so much for your feedback. We appreciate it.

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• A

  Rhiannon4.2•September 2019
  Itinerary was perfect, and tour leader was excellent.
  Traveled in April 2019
• A

  Kim4.5•September 2019
  We loved the trip!
  Traveled in April 2019
• A

  Steve4.8•September 2019
  Small group, knowledgeable leader and everything is taken care of.
  Traveled in April 2019
• A

  Ruth4.5•September 2019
  Lodovicka was an excellent, well prepared guide with lots of suggestions and an amazing wealth of information.
  Traveled in April 2019
• A

  Marilyn4.5•September 2019
  Great tour which allows for a bit more free time but with options for more guided visits. Experience off the beaten...
  Great tour which allows for a bit more free time but with options for more guided visits. Experience off the beaten track of famous places and also support local businessShow more
  Traveled in April 2019
• A

  Manette4.2•September 2019
  Very well organised. A great introduction to Italy. Takes all the stress and hard work out of travelling to an...
  Very well organised. A great introduction to Italy. Takes all the stress and hard work out of travelling to an unfamiliar place.Show more
  Traveled in April 2019
• A

  Helen4.2•September 2019
  There were definite limits to the physical capability required to fully enjoy this trip, many of those I know...
  There were definite limits to the physical capability required to fully enjoy this trip, many of those I know interested in travel would struggle with the amount of walking.Show more
  Traveled in April 2019