Hi!
So, I've been reading the forums and have come across more neutral/negative than positive reviews for the Italian expresso tour.
I'm booked for the Oct 9th Italian Expresso and have never been outside of Canada, or done any traveling for that matter, so I was really looking forward to it, but am a bit scared now due to the all the negative feedback.

Anyone have any positive points to share regarding this tour?

I realize it will be fast paced / jam-packed given the fact that it is only an 8 day tour, but I'm still hoping to have a great time, see new things, experience new things and meet new people.

Thanks in advance for any info/advice.

Always good to see other Canadians getting out there for their first time!

I'm getting ready to do my first visit to Europe (& Contiki) so please take what I say with a grain of salt. I do have plenty of experience travelling & did some research on the Italian Espresso as it was a tour I'd considered before going with European Spirit (which also does Italy but staying at Contiki Villages yay!). I'll actually be coming home 1 week before you leave.

The best advice I have, is the advice I got from my friend Dino, who just came back from a year abroad, and which I agree with 100%. He said to go into everything with an open mind, and don't let any negative events ruin your vacation.

A lot of people have said that Hotels in Europe do not always compare to those in North America - and this may be especially so with Italy. A lot of the reviews on the Italian Esspresso that I've read listed hotel conditions in Italy as an issue.

Fodors Guide specifically warns that many hotels in Italian cities are going to be smaller & more cramped.

Since Contiki tends to book in budget hotels go in expecting this. Better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. Besides you'll want to be spending most of your time enjoying the sites!

So basically - shrug off the hotels (consider it an experience), go in prepared. You're in Italy to see Italy, not its hotels. It can even act as a bonding experience with your tourmates.

Now hopefully someone who has been to Italy can chime in.

Great advice!
Thanks, I'll definitely keep your points in mind!!

heyy i just got back from that tour, and i was a little nervous before i left because of what i read about it too..i had a blast on the trip, and thought that the hotels werent THAT bad.. i had stayed in worse outside of contiki.. the hotel you stay in in venice is a little far from anything, so you'll have to get creative on the nights there (i suggest a mini party in their lobby, they dont seem to mind! lol)

but other than that, the tour was great, hopefully you get a really good tour manager like us, he was really knowledgable and always put together extra stuff on the nights that we had free! the good thing about italian espresso is that you do have a lot of free time to do what you want, so make sure you do some research before hand if theres anything you want to see that contiki doesnt cover, because you WILL have time to see it!

Go in with an open mind and a positive attitude and i garantee that you will have a blast!

I'm leaving next week. Are there any "must sees" that you would recommend. Any specific museum? Were any of your hotels close to any beaches? Thanks in advance.

Laura how was your trip? I might book Espresso for the Winter. Just got back from Oktoberfest and London Explorer. I've also done London & Paris.

If you want to know about those, ask away, but my review for Oktoberfest is here.

Moderator's Note: OctoberFest review has been moved to the European Travelogue section.

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