Italy multi-centre holidays: The dos and don’ts

Italy has so much to offer that a multi-centre holiday is simply a must!

With its iconic cities, enchanting culture, decadent food, and wealth of historic and cultural attractions, it is no surprise that an Italy multi-centre holiday is the vacation to enjoy in 2022/23. But there are a few things that you should consider when planning your vacation for the best experience.

Here are our “dos and don’ts” when it comes to planning an Italy multi-centre holiday.

Dos…

Set a budget and stick to it

When planning your Italy multi-centre holiday, this is the first thing that we recommend considering. Whether you have a tight budget or are planning to splurge, agreeing how much you are happy to spend will help in planning the rest of your vacation.

If you are not planning on relying on the expertise of a specialist multi-centre holidays tour operator, who will be able to manage your budget, we recommend keeping track of your costs using a simple spreadsheet to avoid over-spending – and don’t forget to consider hidden costs, such as flight baggage, taxis and inter-city transport.

Choose two, three or four cities

For the best experience on your multi-centre holiday, we recommend choosing two, three or four cities to visit. Choosing this many resorts means you can enjoy the diversity of Italy, while not giving yourself too much to see and do, allowing for some down-time.

If you are unsure which cities in Italy work well together, check out our Italy travel blog for tips. As we are specialist in creating personalised Italy multi-centre holidays, you can also browse our selection of vacations or call a member of our team to chat about your dream getaway.

Rely on a tour operator

To avoid the stress and hassle of trying to plan your own Italy multi-centre holiday, we recommend replying on the expertise of a specialist multi-centre holidays tour operator. Not only will you enjoy a better experience, but you will also benefit from financial protection if you choose an ATOL-protected company.

Some other benefits of using a tour operator to plan your vacation include:

• Local expertise: If you choose a specialist tour operator, you can benefit from their local knowledge, giving you the best possible experience. For example, all our travel experts were either born and raised in Italy or have lived there, which means that we can give you travel tips and advice that you won’t find elsewhere.
• One-stop travel shop: Instead of struggling to arrange all aspects of your vacation through different companies, when you use a specialist tour operator, they can handle all your travel arrangements, including flights, airport transfers, accommodation, tours and day trips, and added extras such as restaurant reservations and car hire.
• On-site Support: If you have planned your vacation using a specialist multi-centre holidays tour operator, then if you require assistance during your vacation, you can be sure that they will be there to help you – something you don’t get if you plan a holiday yourself.

If you would like to find out more about our specialist travel service, please call a friendly member of our team on 01223 637331 or click here to send us an online message.

Make the most of your time

We highly recommend pre-arranging tours and day trips to enjoy on your Italy multi-centre holiday to make the most of your time. This is especially important if you would like to visit some of the popular attractions, such as the Colosseum or Vatican City in Rome, the art galleries in Florence, or Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Pre-arranging day trips also allows you to enjoy the diversity of Italy. For example, if you are visiting Florence on your multi-centre holiday, why not enjoy a day trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower or a wine-tasting tour of the Chianti wine region? There are plenty of other day trips you can enjoy from other Italian cities too – ask us about our VIP and small-group tours when you book your Italy multi-centre holiday with us.

Don’ts…

Try to do it yourself

While you may believe it is the cheaper option, planning a DIY vacation comes with quite a few risks and disadvantages, such as:

• No financial protection: Without the ATOL protection that you get through booking a holiday through a licensed tour operator, you don’t have any financial protection if things go wrong.
• No support: If you need assistance during your holiday, for example, if the hotel is overbooked or loses your reservation, you have no support if you have arranged things yourself, resulting in added stress.
• Stress when you should be relaxing: Holidays should be a joy, but planning your own multi-centre holiday can be extremely stressful, especially if you are not familiar with the country or regions you are visiting. By planning your 2018 vacation through a tour operator, you can avoid this stress and leave all the planning to them!
• Missing out: If you are not familiar with the cities you’re visiting, you can easily miss out on unique and beautiful attractions. If you choose a specialist tour operator, they can advise you of the top attractions to enjoy and offer additional travel tips.

Do too much

With so much to see and do, it can be tempting to cram as much as possible into your Italy multi-centre holiday. However, for the best experience, we recommend selecting two, three or four resorts to enjoy on each single trip. Trying to do too much can leave you with little time to relax and result in a stressful experience – the opposite of what we want for your Italy multi-centre holiday!

Fall for tourist traps

To avoid falling for tourist traps and paying more for services than you should, we recommend pre-booking the following with a reputable company (if you book with a tour operator, they should be able to make all these arrangements for you):

• Airport transfers: Pre-booking can allow you to agree and pay for an upfront fare instead of falling prey to unlicensed airport taxi cabs. If you have not been able to pre-book a taxi, make sure that you agree a fare before travel and always use the designated taxi rank at the airport.
• Inter-city transfers: Pre-booking car transfers or train tickets can save you time and money. Also note that, during the peak season, the high-speed trains between popular cities in Italy can sell out, meaning that if you don’t pre-book seats you may not be able to travel.
• Tours: As a general rule, we recommend pre-booking tours of the popular attractions. You will find that “tour guides” tend to prey on tourists outside the top attractions, such as the Colosseum in Rome and St Mark’s Square in Venice. These “guides” are not licensed and often charge inflated prices for a sub-standard service.

Miss out on top attractions

As mentioned in the “dos”, we highly recommend pre-arranging tours so that you don’t miss out on the top attractions. Many of the popular sights sell out during peak season, making it imperative to pre-book entry. These include:

• The Colosseum in Rome
• Vatican City in Rome
• The Accademia in Florence (where the original statue of The David is kept)
• The Uffizi in Florence (home to the Medici Family art collection)
• Doge’s Palace in Venice
• St Mark’s Basilica in Venice
• Gondola rides in Venice
• The Leaning Tower in Pisa

If you arrange your Italy multi-centre holiday through a specialist tour operator, they should be able to arrange entry tickets and guided tours for you as a part of their service. If they don’t, we recommend choosing an alternative company!

Booking an Italy multi-centre holiday

If you would like to plan a multi-centre holiday to enjoy in 2018, then check out our selection of holidays, which can each be tailored to your exact needs. We specialise in customised travel to Italy and can create a dream holiday itinerary tailored to you.

To find out more about our multi-centre holidays, please call an expert member of our travel team on 01223 637331 or click here to send an online enquiry – we typically respond within 24 hours with a personalised e-brochure of your Italy holiday.