Italy: Tuscany, the Alps & the Riviera (2012)

Rome • Florence • Santa Margherita • Bolzano • Venice
  • 14 days
  • from only:
  • $2395
  • $172 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 15 days
  • from only:
  • $3045
  • $203 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
NIT 2012 Map
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
What Makes This Trip Unique
It's Included
Featured Accommodations
Pre- & Post-Trip Extensions
Rome, Italy
Venice, Italy
Optional Tours
Know Before You Go
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your vacation, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two vacations to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the Grand Circle vacation that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your vacation
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your vacation with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of Grand Circle vacations to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Chicago, Miami

10hrs

Minneapolis, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, DC (Dulles)

13hrs

New York (JFK)

9hrs

Boston, Los Angeles

12hrs

Phoenix, San Francisco

17hrs

Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Seattle

14hrs

Tampa

15hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Rome, Italy. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the Grand Circle family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on a Grand Circle trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-221-2610
or click here.

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Pre-Trip: Rome, Italy

3 nights from only $595

Rome, the "Eternal City", is one of the great centers of Western civilization and the civic and historic heart of Italy. Here, the ancient monuments of the vast Roman Empire stand side-by-side with the more recent wonders of the Renaissance. We think you’ll agree with us that this additional time to explore the Eternal City in depth is an opportunity not to be missed—and an exceptional value.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension may not be available on all departures. Ask your Travel Counselor for details.

It's Included

  • Accommodations for 3 nights at the First-Class Victoria Hotel, Rome
  • 4 meals: 3 breakfasts, 1 dinner
  • Included tours: Rome orientation walk, Rome by Night tour & dinner
  • Exclusive services of a Hospitality Desk representative


Optional Tours

Rome of the Caesars ($85 per person); Vatican Museums & St. Peter's Basilica ($100 per person)

Day 1
Depart U.S.

Depart the U.S. for your flight to Rome. Please refer to your individual itinerary for exact flight times.
Day 2
Arrive in Rome, Italy

After arriving in Rome, you’ll be met at the airport and assisted to your hotel. Then you’ll join your fellow travelers for a Welcome Drink. You can inquire at the Hospitality Desk for suggestions on where to enjoy dinner on your own this evening.

Day 3
Rome/Rome by Night tour & dinner

After breakfast, join us for an informative briefing about your upcoming days in Rome. Your Hospitality Desk representative will answer any questions you may have about your stay. Then join the hospitality desk representative for an included Discovery Walk in the neighborhood around the hotel. The remainder of your day is at leisure.

Tonight, join us for a Rome by Night tour of the city. You'll enjoy dinner and live entertainment at a local restaurant, followed by a panoramic drive by some of Rome's most famous sites.
Day 4
Rome/Optional Rome of the Caesars tour

Explore Rome's treasures on your own today. You might stroll along Via del Corso, an almost mile-long stretch of palaces and shops, or spend time in the beautiful gardens of the Villa Borghese. Or you could visit the magnificent Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps, or the Pantheon, one of the most remarkable structures from Ancient Rome. You might also marvel at the stunning mosaics of the church in the Trastevere district, or sip an espresso in a local cafe in this colorful neighborhood. Or stroll the Campo dei Fiori and explore the piazza with its booksellers, inns, small shops, and colorful morning markets (except Sundays). It is a lively spot by day and night.

Or join our optional Rome of the Caesars tour this morning, which includes a visit to the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. Though it's only a shell of its former glory, the Coliseum remains the greatest architectural heritage from ancient Rome. It was here in this massive structure, capable of holding 80,000 people, that the fabled and bloody gladiatorial combats took place. In the Middle Ages, the structure was used as a fortress and later sustained damage from several earthquakes.

The ancient Roman Forum was the political and commercial center of Rome when Rome was at its greatest power. The Forum was constructed over some 900 years with various emperors adding and extending temples, monuments, and buildings. Here the emperors, Roman senators, and consuls met to plan and pass the laws that governed Rome. The Forum remains one of the most powerful monuments to the grandeur that was Rome. You will view the Basilica Aemilia (the site of the great meeting hall) and the Curia (the Senate house), as well as other historic sites.

Tonight, have dinner on your own in one of Rome's exquisite restaurants.
Day 5
Rome/Optional Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour/Join main tour

Enjoy a day to make your own discoveries.

Or, join us today for an optional half-day tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. You’ll go beyond the costumed Swiss Guards in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica to explore the museums of the world’s smallest independent sovereign state, Vatican City. Started in 1506 by Pope Julius II, the Vatican Museums contain one of the finest art collections in the world. Although it’s impossible to see all of the vast collection, you’ll witness many of the priceless treasures acquired by the church over centuries. Following the grand corridors of the museum, you’ll continue to the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel, which contains the world’s most famous frescoes on its ceiling and one of its walls. Inside, you can admire Michelangelo’s most famous and dramatic masterpieces, including The Creation and The Last Judgment, both of which have been restored to fully reveal their majestic glory.

This evening, you'll join your fellow travelers and begin your Northern Italy: Tuscany, the Alps & the Riviera Escorted Tour.