Italy bus tours: how to plan your trip and avoid disappointments

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you are going to spend New Year's holidays in Italy, then be sure to read our article. In it, we will share the opinion of our reader, who will tell you how to properly plan your trip to this amazing country.

Italy is perhaps the most watchable country, as a quarter of the world's cultural heritage is concentrated in it. Even a person far from art is highly recommended to visit it. Architecture, sculpture, painting, cuisine, language …

We went there for all this, and also for the gentle sun, air of the Renaissance and urban European culture.

In this article, you will find tips on how to avoid the frustrations of a bus tour of the Apennines from seasoned and bumpy travel hackers.

Preparation

Firstly, in Italy it is much more profitable to have a rest on the sea in between excursions to seaside cities than to buy a beach tour and order excursions later.

Secondly, bus and sightseeing tours are good NOT in season, but in spring and autumn, otherwise you will be hot and expensive. The fact that in August we did not burn out and did not wear out is due to the abnormally "cold" week with a temperature of +25 ° C.

Voryo

The first thing we heard from the conductor upon arrival was a warning to keep your belongings in plain sight, carry valuables close at hand and DO NOT lock them in the room safe. The latter seemed to us strange and outrageous: either the hotels do not guarantee the safety of things in safes, or they are huddling to buy really burglar-resistant ones, or (what if!) The guests frightened by such a warning will hide valuables under the pillow, where to get them - there is nothing to do, but only the owner is to blame. Bearing in mind the effect of reflexivity (when they tell you to act in a way that is supposedly beneficial to you, but in fact to the one who said so), we have already begun to see this as a conspiracy.

From private conversations, it turned out that Italian burglars often enter the room through the balcony. Having estimated, we have eliminated this vulnerability by simply closing the plastic shutters on the windows before leaving, and calmly went for a walk, locking valuables (and they are more likely to be stuck on the street or on the beach) in the safe. Only an insane burglar will climb in broad daylight to butt with shutters, especially since their closed nature often indicates that the room is not populated. On the other hand, the keys hanging on the shelf are almost not monitored in the waiting room - so we took them unnoticed a couple of times.

If there is such a thieves' situation in the north of Italy, then I can imagine what is happening in the same Rome.

Hotels

Bus and excursion tourists are accommodated in three- and four-star hotels, which can vary greatly in terms of convenience and nutrition. And you recognize your hotel only upon arrival, on the bus, that is, it is unrealistic to somehow tune in, find out the location, read reviews.

Attention: almost all Italian hotels charge accommodation fee, so at check-in, prepare 1–3 euros for each day of your stay in the room.

Our first hotel was miserable, and taking into account the breakfast of coffee and a sandwich, it did not pull more than two stars by modern standards. The second, although four stars, disappointed in the little things. I was lucky only with the third: three stars, but everything is hi-tech design, compact and cozy. A real buffet, tons of travel guides, lounge music in the lobby, in-room LCD TV with satellite channels - everything you need and good quality. Even the broken Wi-Fi, the slow flush and the jammed window didn’t spoil the impression. It was the last hotel that pleased me against the background of the rest.

Bathrooms have bidets all over the place, but there are no shower dividers, so the splashes are scattered on the sink and the towels.

The beaches

Although the coast of Italy is very long, it is not always suitable for a comfortable entry. And taking into account the large population, it becomes "golden", especially in the north of the country. Vacationers from neighboring northern countries also contribute to the overcrowding and, as a result, the commercialization of beaches.

Therefore, almost all Italian beaches are considered paid … Thanks to this, they are tidied up, equipped with sun loungers, umbrellas, sports equipment rental, restaurants and even fenced-in football or volleyball courts. However, the beach-savage hack also works there: we have never observed that those who came with their own towel were driven away. Moreover, despite signs prohibiting hand trade, peddlers of Libyan-Ethiopian appearance scurry about on the beaches in herds.

The Adriatic is muddy and cool, the Tyrrhenian Sea is cleaner, warmer, but more stormy. Tolerable, if not for the super-salinity of both.

Cities

Be sure to stock up by card of each host city. So, even on the plane, you can outline priority places, and already on the spot you can see where you are, how to get to the beach, where is the nearest restaurant, what transport to get through the park, and so on. Although cards are usually issued while still on the bus, once it was done only on the way back from the city. On it, we determined that it was better to go the other way and see twice as many sights.

Buy a bottle of water it is enough once, and then you can replenish it from the pump-rooms with delicious water, which are there everywhere.

Almost every Italian city has something to see, be it a town hall, a market, a cathedral, a court, an arch, a wall, a bridge … Cleaner than our provincial cities, but there is enough rubbish. Bicycle and motorcycle culture is developed, but rental is not massive, expensive.

Rimini. Like our Sochi, a bustling port resort with a historical core. Shows and entertainment for every taste - a little pop.

Florence. A city of contrasts, medieval splendor in the midst of post-industrial poverty. The annoying beggars and traders are a bit shocking.

Rome. The super-greatness of the city-museum. From almost anywhere you can get to the center in half an hour, and in the same amount - from there to the beach. And all this for one ticket for an hour and a half. A huge diverse space with a crowded center and half-empty outskirts. Great!

Lido di Ostia. Seaside resort near Rome. Despite the good infrastructure, it is the same and depressing.

Vatican. An endless string of museums and crowds visiting them. Half a day on my feet and with my head up - I would not recommend it.

Venice. Apotheosis of the Italian Middle Ages. One boat trip along the Grand Canal is worth a lot, not to mention the gondola (with the accent on the first syllable) and the workshop of multi-colored and hard Murano glass. Mastkhevno! At the same time, everything is expensive, and toilets are paid.

Bellaria. A pleasant place for a measured family and retirement vacation. And no collection at check-in.

San Marino. Shopping on the rock. Stunning views down, serpentine streets and roads. Famous duty free prices. Like ours, mostly non-locals do the dirty work.

Tour guides

More often those who get a young guide are lucky. For the older he is and the longer he tasted Italian bliss, the more arrogance. Such a person can be late for a meeting, and forget documents, and speak under his breath. From the latest guide chips - radio set with headphones, through which speech is spoken without raising the voice and unnecessary energy consumption for the broadcaster and listeners. If the "toad" does not give 15 euros for headphones, then it is quite possible to settle closer to the conductor - if you do not hear, then certainly do not miss his facial expressions and gestures indicating interestingness.

Be sure to write down the number mobile phone of the current guide (yes, every city is new). So you will warn him about being late or, even worse, "delusion" (in a geographical sense), and without you they will not leave.

Bus

It is better to sit in front (to the left or behind the guide), so as not to miss important information, ask a question (especially an intimate one), and in general it is better to contemplate the view from the windshield. The bus (especially on a pre-excursion) may turn out to be with a non-working air conditioner, so you need to have a drink with you. It is forbidden to eat in the cabin, but "if you really want to", then away from the eyes of the guide or the driver and no rubbish. Do not delay the bus after the travel stops - this way you will have more time in the city, perhaps even go for a swim in the evening.

Kitchen

Yes, Italian cuisine is delicious (especially to the south), but a little dry and poor for breakfast. Therefore, our people go to public catering to eat properly in the morning. You still have to look for soups, but a feast awaits you for dinner. When pizza becomes boring with its mealy, an alternative (including mobile) will serve piadina - a flatbread with vegetables inside. Also, do not miss the spaghetti with grated cheese and mussels … Lasagna and ice cream of all kinds. After a generous order, don't leave right away - you're supposed to have some more complimentary aperitif or liqueur (usually limoncello). A pleasant surprise will be the facelift for table olive oil. The half-eaten pizza is easily wrapped up with you. There are many wines, but dry.

Eating is not very expensive (in some places you can meet a 10 euro coupon). But keep in mind that trattorias charge a couple more euros for service, which they write about at the bottom of the sign menus (something like SERVIZZIO). So the local catering legalized a rare tip, imposing it on everyone.

In the Italian service sector there is a cult of the client, but not the principle of "the client is always right". Institutions avoid dissatisfied and "upvoters". Even if you have a rejection or a complaint, bring a smile and goodness - other clients will fall for them, and the owner will serve you as his friend. It is in restaurants that you will learn the habits of real Italians - exclamations, gestures, and so on.

In Italy I have visited the best in my travels tastings: a variety of wines (chocolate, strawberry, apple), pickled tomatoes, aromatic cheeses …

Purchases

According to my observations, the cheapness of duty free shops is mythologized. Having succumbed to this enticement, even a rational tourist will judge that there will be continuous discounts and all the more there is no need to buy for future use, carrying heavy suitcases with purchases. But in vain. Prices in Italian airports differ from street prices only in a big way. So it is more profitable to shop in supermarkets, which you pass by anyway.

What to bring from Italy? For profitable haberdashery, footwear and leather clothes, you need to go especially during the discount season and know the places. I would advise a non-shopping traveler to bring photographs from there, magnets (from each city) and a bottle of wine.