The Best of Italy

tour only from
$2,899
8 days
with flights from
$4,099
9 days
average review

VENICE, MURANO, FLORENCE, PISA, TUSCANY, ASSISI, VATICAN, AND ROME

Iconic landmarks. Glorious museums. Archaeological, historically significant and religious sites. Not to mention divine cuisine. This escorted Best of Italy tour package from the U.S. with airfare included encompasses exactly that: this incredible country’s most desired destinations. You’ll truly be living “la dolce vita” as you roam the postcard-perfect streets of its enchanting cities and towns. Plus, consider lingering a little longer with our spectacular Sorrento & Amalfi Coast Extension. As you surrender to Italy’s spell, allow your wise smarTours® guide to handle the details, including recommendations for your dining and free time sightseeing.

Extend Your Trip! Enjoy our Best of Italy with Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast tour visiting Italy’s highlights from Venice to the Amalfi Coast.

Did you know you can make this tour private? Find out about pricing and options for groups of 15 or more travelers.

Itinerary at
a Glance

Tour Itinerary:

  • 2 nights in Venice
  • 2 nights in Florence
  • 3 nights in Rome

Tour Highlights

  • Murano boat tour
  • Venice walking tour – St. Mark’s Square, Saint Mark’s Basilica, Bridge of Sighs
  • Pisa – Square of Miracles, Leaning Tower of Pisa
  • Tuscan wine tasting with local food specialties
  • Dinner at a Tuscan Villa
  • Florence city tour – Michelangelo Square, Galleria dell’Accademia with Michelangelo’s David, Signoria Square, Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio (“Old Bridge”)
  • Assisi – Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
  • Vatican tour – St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
  • Ancient Rome tour – Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Roman Forum
  • Culinary walking tour in Trastevere (Rome)

Your Tour Includes

  • Optional round-trip airfare from the New York area (varies by departure) including taxes, fees & fuel surcharges
  • Accommodations at first-class hotels
  • 11 meals: 7 breakfasts, 4 dinners, 1 wine tasting with local food specialties
  • A glass of wine with included dinners
  • Comprehensive sightseeing tours including admission fees
  • Professional English-speaking Tour Director throughout
  • All intra-Italy transportation via air-conditioned motor coach

What to Expect

Max Group Size: 30 travelers

Activity Level: Level 2

Expect most included touring to require walking and standing periods up to 4 hours at a time (up to 2 times per day). Included touring may feature light hiking, and/or stairs on some hilly and/or uneven terrain. Learn More

Pacing Level: Moderate

Expect full-day tours most days with some limited free time at specific sites, for meals, and/or in the evenings. You can expect several early mornings and/or long travel days by bus (don’t worry—there are always comfort stops!), and you may expect to stay in most accommodations for 2+ nights (with limited 1-night stays). Learn More

New in 2024: ETIAS Visa Waiver Required for U.S. Passport Holders

A valid passport is required for international tours. Effective for travel in 2024, U.S. passport holders are required to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver. Please visit our Passports & Visas page to learn more about any required actions, next steps, and additional costs.

Good balance is required in order to get on water taxis and boats. This tour has limited free time.

For more detailed information about this tour and destination, visit our Before You Depart section.

Tour Itinerary

Flights

Day 1: Arrive in Venice

Day 2: Venice

Day 3: Venice – Pisa – Florence

Day 4: Florence

Day 5: Florence – Assisi – Rome

Day 6: Rome

Day 7: Vatican City

Day 8: Depart Rome

Guided Tour Pricing

Instant Savings of up to $400 per person for a handful of spots on select dates. While supplies lasts, ends Sep 29.

Prices listed as “with flights” below include round-trip airfare from one or more airports in the USA. Travelers may choose to purchase the tour only, and arrange their own arrival in destination. Please note this may change your tour start date.

2024 Tours With Flights Tour Only  
Mon–Tue
Apr 8–16
From
$4,099
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Tue–Tue
Apr 9–16
From
$2,899
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Mon–Tue
May 6–14
Flights not available Sold Out
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Tue–Tue
May 7–14
From
$3,199
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Mon–Tue
May 20–28
From
$4,199
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Tue–Tue
May 21–28
From
$2,999
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Mon–Tue
Jun 10–18
From
$4,949 $4,599
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Tue–Tue
Jun 11–18
From
$3,349 $2,999
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Mon–Tue
Sep 2–10
From
$4,599
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Tue–Tue
Sep 3–10
From
$2,999
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Mon–Tue
Sep 16–24
Flights not available Sold Out
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Tue–Tue
Sep 17–24
From
$3,199
Sold Out
Join Waitlist
Mon–Tue
Sep 30–Oct 8
From
$4,199
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Tue–Tue
Oct 1–8
From
$2,999
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Mon–Tue
Oct 14–22
From
$4,199
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Tue–Tue
Oct 15–22
From
$2,999
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Rates are per person based on double occupancy.
Single supplement applies when not sharing a room. Select a date above to see the rates for that specific departure.

For more information on this tour, please contact us here or call us during business hours (Monday-Friday from 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Eastern) at 1.800.337.7773.

Reservations and Payments
Reservations can be made online or by phone (1.800.337.7773) and will be confirmed upon receipt of your non-refundable, non-transferable deposit, which must be received at the time of reservation. Deposits are $300 per person. Full payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Space and prices subject to availability. Please see the smarTours Terms and Conditions for complete booking information.

Optional Tours Customize your trip with these optional tours.

Enhance your trip with our recommended optional tours. Indicated optional tours are available to pre-book when you reserve your trip and can be added to your reservation up to final payment. This is the best option to guarantee your spot on your preferred optional tour! Optional tours require a minimum number of participants. Optional tours are non-refundable unless they do not operate.

Some optional tours can be purchased in-destination and may cost extra. The payment methods and currency information to purchase tours in-destination will be provided on final documentation.

Gondola Ride

Uffizi Gallery

Reviews

Margaret J

The Best of Italy tour was absolutely wonderful. Great itinerary, meals, local guides and ground transportation. Our Tour Director, Claudia Zeni, was fantastic. The best Tour Director we have encountered in years of travel. She is a gem! Was always there for us and truly cared about all the tour participants. Always went above and beyond. We highly recommend this tour if this is your first trip to Italy as it covers much of Italy in a short time and allows you to decide where you would like to spend more time in the future. The Amalfi Coast extension was amazing and well worth the money. For us, the only negative was the connecting flights, which was quite stressful. But otherwise, this tour was awesome and would not hesitate to recommend. Great value for your money.

Mike G

Excellent trip would recommend it it to everyone

James C

This was a life changing experience. All the effort that Smartours covered for us made it nothing but relaxation and enjoyment. Our guide Claudia made it an unforgettable experience.

Lisa

Amazon trip with awesome tour director and guides!!!!

Mary B

The tour was wonderful when i thong of the sites we saw, the tours etc. I would have enjoyed a lot more free time , dinners on our own. Also the number of people on the tour (36) was much higher than we expected or were led to believe. We were told to expect about 20 people on the tour. True, we were not promised it would be that number but based on our past experience wit Smartours that was our expectation.

Darlene S

The best of Italy tour was fantastic. Great locations , knowledgeable tour director. I just wish I didn’t get sick and could have finished the tour . We had to miss Rome. I think it might have been to much togetherness with a large tour group during a pandemic.

Wafa H

The trip was good

Ann

Such a fun trip! Special girls trip with my sister and my mom. Thank you SmarTours for a great time!

Jon M

Great Italy tour

Elinora V

Great tour

Rudolph O

Yea it was a amazing trip!

Zita L

I never joined organized tours until April 2022 in The Best of Italy. Such a wonderful experience opened my eyes. The tour was packed with activities every day. Their accommodations were top-notch. The choice of restaurants and food venues was impeccable. The tour guides were very educated and knowledgeable about practically all subjects on the tour. Most of all, flights and airport connections, transfers and road trips from one town to another were seamlessly organized. All I had to do was show up. What a breeze! Thank you smarTours and most especially to our very calm and organized tour director Claudia!!

TERRI L

Best of Italy was my third trip with SmarTours. I was very impressed with the itinerary/sights/tours/busses. I learned so much of Italy's history, culture, food and people. We were going non-stop with a very full itinerary...Venice, water taxi to hotel and to Murano glass; St. Mark's, Duomo, Michelangelo's 'David' in Florence; Assisi, St Peter Basilica, Sistine, Coliseum, Roman Forum, Pisa, Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast - all so awesome & exceeded expectations! Each hotel was comfortable. Included meals & entertainments were good, nice variety with generous portions of food & wine. Our tour director handled all the complex logistical details of boats, bus, luggage, hotel rooms, included meals, and local tour guides. The group of 38 (all wonderful companions!) was way too large to organize such a complex trip, but thought she could do a better job of explaining/posting details of the day (timing, expectations for next day, miles of walking, meals/driver tipping, directions to hotel, optional tours, shorts/shoulders/backpacks/large umbrellas not allowed, public toilets are 50 or 1 euro). Every one of our local tour guides were very good & knowledgeable. Overall, I truly enjoyed this amazing trip! Some disappointments: SmarTours should ask if double or twin bed desired by couples. Info in packet said casual clothing, however should mention proper dress for churches or the included 'lavish dinner'. They should make air details available and I would have done LAND only. We did not expect additional flights until received email week prior. We spent entire day at JFK; it's filthy & disorganized and Air Italia counter was rude. No seats pre-assigned therefore our seats were often not together & no choices regarding aisle/window. Food & service on all planes were awful. Should have returned us by bus from Sorrento to Rome Airport.

Anonymous

Well organized, fun, knowledgeable, helpful guides(especially AnnaMaria) Great bang for the buck and as advertised. All members of our group of 6 enjoyed it and we look forward to the next one!

Dave

Great time in Italy with Massimo as the tour guide. This was the trip of a lifetime as we saw countless historic and amazing things in Italy. Venice was wonderful with the water traffic and Murano glass factory. Florence had so many artistic scenes and a beautiful background. Rome was spectacular with the Collesseo, Vatican, Forum, and National Monument. The food was incredible, we are not fans of wine but it was excellent. We took advice from Massimo and went to several walking areas on our own - Florence Palace Pitta, and the famous Bascillica; Rome downtown National Monument.
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