The Italian 'Grande' Reviews

The end of the season tour meant we missed out on boat trips Cinque Terre and Capri because of weather conditions - disappointing but understandable. The alternative train trip seemed ordinary by comparison. I found it difficult to keep up with the walking pace of the group and the tour guide gave me time to return to the coach parking zone at my own read more pace where possible. His estimations of distances was wildly under kms actually covered (one of the group had a step monitor). Thank you Georgie for your prompt attention to my queries and requests. I would be very happy to book again with Global Journeys.

We had a wonderful time. Lovely people in our group and the tour guide was interesting, kind and fun.

This tour was absolutely fabulous. Unlike other tour companies that we have travelled with, there were no 'optional extras' which is an utter pain in the neck as in other companies which we have travelled with, their itineraries of their tours casually gloss over the fact and do not display the cost of these optional extras. Albatross included everything read more and it was a pleasure to be able to spend 2 or 3 days at each place enabling us to get a real feel of the area and actually to remember it better than if we had arrived one night and left the next morning. Although living in Perth, it was probably easier dealing online with Georgie at Global Journeys than going into a local high street agency. I could (and did on occasion) ring Georgie if I needed to clarify anything. We have booked two tours now with Global Journeys and I can thoroughly recommend them. They offer a cheaper price than that advertised by the tour company as well. The service was prompt and at no time did we have to chase Georgie for information about our intended tour. Our next tour is in the pipeline and we will be travelling with Albatross and doing all our bookings through Global Journeys. (GJ. Thanks heaps Antonette!)

We really enjoyed our holiday and so glad you suggested the Italian Grande to us. Having a few days in different locations made it much more relaxing than packing up and moving on every day or second day, though with all the sightseeing that was packed in it was fairly busy. Scenery in Italy is spectacular and we got to see a great cross section of read more the country with a wonderful very experienced guide who kept us organised and well informed all the way. I really liked her and her knowledge and story telling was incredible. The hotels were mostly up to expectations though a couple could be reviewed but we mentioned this in our feedback to Albatross. What was great, was having so much included in the price and very few optional extras. We were lucky to have a very pleasant group of people, all Aussies and only 19 of us so that was nice. Weather too was perfect most of the time. The highlights were the smaller places like the hilltop towns of San Gimingano and Ravaello, wonderful shopping but not enough time in these places!!!! Though of course Florence , Venice and Rome are just fabulous but getting very busy with tourists by June. All and all a wonderful holiday and booking with you at Global Journeys the only way to go. Thank you so much for all your very efficient and kind attention again. Looking forward to planning the next trip after a lazy holiday in Thailand in Sept.

Michelle was great to deal with. She was in contact regularly, things were organised quickly. I believe she gave us the best deals possible. It was easy and all came together beautifully.

The Italian Grande tour exceeded my expectations. The concept of long stays in nearly all locations was wonderful and allowed a little free time to personally explore. It would be difficult to name one particular location as the highlight as each area had its own special memory. The accomadation was excellent along with the dining. The farm visit to read more experience traditional life and food was most interesting. It would be difficult to experience so much of Italy independantly. The fabulous locations from the Italian Lakes down to the Amalfi Coast and so much in between. The atmosphere was enhanced by our amazing Tour Manager Antonia Scetta, warm, considerate, humourous and informative. A wonderful group of fellow travellers who shared and enjoyed our 18 day adventure.

Had a wonderful time. Loved the variety of activities e.g. travelling by train and boat. We both thought our Tour Manager Antonia was excellent.

This was our first ever tour for my husband and I and we are extremely happy to say we hit the jackpot. We booked with Georgie Walpole from Global Journeys the 'Italian Grande' with Albatross Tours. It was the best decision we ever made. Every email I sent to Georgie with multiple questions I had, was answered immediately and very professionally. As read more far as the tour, Albatross go to great lengths to make sure you have the time of your life and everything from the tour manager, the bus driver, the accommodation, meals and of course the places you visit, are just fantastic. I liked the fact that this tour was leisurely paced and just about everything is included which makes it easy to budget for as there is no hidden extras. Also the fact that this tour only had a maximum of 30 people and was geared for Australian and New Zealand people and we had the very best of people on our tour, everyone of them. I would not hesitate to recommend Global Journeys (and in fact did so to the other people on the tour) to book your wonderful adventure with, and as for Albatross Tours, do yourself a huge favour and book, you will be so happy that you did, believe me. Very happy customers.

The tour covered the key tourist locations and sites and provided an excellent appreciation of Italy's culture and history, from the Swiss/Italian lakes down to the Amalfi coast. We particularly enjoyed the multiple night stays in each location (cuts down the packing and unpacking of cases and especially late arrival evenings and early morning starts). read more The tour was well paced and never boring. The included meals were more than adequate. Having never been to Italy before, we had 4 extra nights in Rome at the end of the tour - that was a good decision and I would recommend it to others. We got on well with others in the tour group (all Aussies but us!). Being from a range of locations and backgrounds also made it interesting and there was a very social atmosphere. In fact we are still having email conversations with some of them. The tour leader was first class. She provided information on each location and was very well organised (confirming hotel accommodation, daily timetable of activities etc, arranging transport by boat and train, providing maps). The coach driver was excellent. The tour ran smoothly from start to finish. Despite the arrangements being made remotely with Global Journeys everything went smoothly and worked out well (sorry about the changes in timing and extra nights accommodation requested, but thanks to Frances and Hannah there were no problems). I appreciate the effort of Global Journeys in making the arrangements for us to participate in this very enjoyable tour. This was our first packaged tour and from this experience I would be very happy to go on future tours with Albatross Tours with the help of Global Journeys.

I thought this trip was well balanced. I loved staying in the smaller Italian towns rather than the big cities.

Really enjoyed the tour. Tour guide very knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble for her. Great to have 2/3/4/5 stays at hotels and plenty of free time such as free afternoons and evenings and one whole day in the middle of tour. Our only consideration for Albatross was that at some hotels the standard of rooms differed considerably and we feel read more that all should have same standard. Yvonne at Global Journeys was excellent with her help planning tour.

The tour was well paced staying at accommodation which reflected the distinctive flavour of each region. Tour highlights showcased the natural beauty and culture of Italy. It was a well paced tour with our extremely competent and informative guide, Maritza. As this was our second tour with Albatross, we would highly recommend them to anyone contemplating travel in Europe.

I have booked my first tour with Global Journeys through Frances. The reason I chose Global Journeys to book through was the service and competitive price. Frances was an amazing help and she was able to give us a couple if sites to book internal flights in Italy, which we have now done. She also suggested when we book the internal flight to be choose read more an airline that took international baggage weights. We did this and are still recommending Global Journeys to our friends and family. Thank you Frances and Global Journeys.

The Tour Manager and Driver were delightful and true professionals at their jobs. The hotels were of good 4* quality and the staff generally were pleasant and made us feel welcome (Rome was the exception here). Our tour highlighted many treasures of Italy and local guides at several places provided insights that brought these to life. We particularly read more enjoyed the slower pace of this tour, with two nights the minimum stop-over, and 3, 4 and 5 night stops included. Albatross Tours provided a high quality tour experience - we wouldn't hesitate to recommend the company, and especially the Italian Grande tour.