Extensions: Italy
Italy is home to an incredible number of amazing sights to see and unique places to discover. We'll be experiencing several of these together as we travel from Rome to our private castle and surrounding areas but, if you've got the time, why not explore even more while you're here?! We've put together a few pre-trip and post-trip options for you to consider adding onto your 8-day Italian castle adventure with us. Check them out, then let us know if you'd like us to add these to your account...
Please note, these are "self-guided" extensions. While each include a walking tour with a local guide leading fellow Detours travelers who have chosen the same extension, a Detours trip leader will not be leading these extensions.
PRE-TRIP
ROME: VATICAN CITY TOUR
Available: 2024: June 14, September 6
Only open to Detours travelers, this local tour of Vatican City begins at 2:00pm with a pickup at our hotel by a local guide who will take you by van to Vatican City for a 3-hour walking tour of the museums of the Vatican, with a unique gay perspective. View masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael and learn about this significant, but geographically tiny, part of the world. At 5:50pm you'll return to our hotel, then the tour will resume at 8:30pm with your local guide who will lead you on a walk to the iconic Colosseum for a unique 1-hour exterior-only nighttime perspective, along with stories of ancient Rome and gladiators. You'll have the option of staying in this area (also the gay area), or returning to the hotel with your guide.
Cost: $95 USD per person
Included: roundtrip transport to/from hotel/Vatican City, "skip the line" Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel tickets, expert English-speaking local guide (3 hours at Vatican City, plus 1 hour evening Colosseum walk)
Not included: Food/drinks or gratuities
Please note: No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed
ROME: GENERAL TOUR
Available: 2024: June 15, September 7
Only open to Detours travelers, this walking tour of Rome will take place on the morning of the starting day of your trip with us - prior to your 4:00pm official first meeting together as a group. Beginning at 9:00am with a pickup at our hotel by your local guide, you'll experience the highlights of this fascinating city. Overflowing with history and sites that fill our history books, this walking tour will visit the famous Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spagna Square among many others. Your local guide will lead you on an informative walk giving you the history and a uniquely gay perspective along the way before returning you to our hotel at 2:00pm to give you some time to get ready for our 4:00pm meeting together.
Cost: $110 USD per person
Included: Transport from hotel to starting point of walking tour, 6-hour walking tour with expert English-speaking local guide.
Not included: Food/drinks or gratuities
POST-TRIP
MILAN: 3 nights in "The Fashionable City"
Milan is one of the great Italian cities where you can find rich history, art and culture through grand landmarks which include the majestic Duomo and a grand collection of basilicas. Once the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Duchy of Milan and the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, Milan is now the second-most populous Italian city after Rome. It's recognized as one of the world's fashion capitals in addition to being a hub of art, culture, and commerce. If you're a lover of museums and galleries, you'll find endless options here, in addition to the iconic sites such as the Piazza del Duomo.
Cost: $1260 USD per person in double-occupancy room. $1890 USD per person in single-occupancy room.
Included: Bus transport from our Tuscan castle to Florence train station (1hr 30m duration), "Smart Class" train ticket from Florence to Milan (2hr duration), 3 nights at Hotel Galles, all breakfasts, half-day walking tour with local guide including sites such as the Cathedral, Brera, and Fashion district.
Not included: Lunches/dinners, and gratuities
Learn more about visiting Milan here.
VENICE: 3 nights in "The Floating City"
This historically significant and beautiful city hardly needs an introduction. Built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, it has no roads, just canals, lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. Beautiful narrow lanes meander through the historic centre, while gondolas paddle their way through the canals past incredible architecture in a city that was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto.
Cost: $1280 USD per person in double-occupancy room. $1750 USD per person in single-occupancy room.
Included: Bus transport from our Tuscan castle to Florence train station (1h 30m duration), "Smart Class" train ticket from Florence to Venice (2h 20m duration), 3 nights hotel in the historic centre at Duodo Palace Hotel, all breakfasts, half-day walking tour with local guide including Palazzo Grimani tickets, half-day tour of Burano, Murano and Torcello by boat.
Not included: Lunches/dinners, and gratuities
Learn more about visiting Venice here.
FLORENCE: 3 nights in "The Cradle of the Renaissance"
Home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture, Florence (or "Firenze" in Italian) is home to the iconic Duomo cathedral, Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture at the Galleria dell'Accademia, and the Uffizi Gallery which exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation... just to name a few. It's a fascinating city full of unforgettable beauty, not just inside their museums and galleries, but also out in the streets of the historic centre. While we will spend an afternoon here with our group visit on the 7th day of the trip, another 3 nights here would not be wasted as the list of impressive sites is seemingly endless. Your walking tour as part of this extension makes sure to include sites not visited during our group visit.
Cost: $1280 USD per person in double-occupancy room. $1990 USD per person in single-occupancy room.
Included: Bus transport from our Tuscan castle to Florence hotel (1hr 30m duration), 3 nights hotel near the historic centre at Grand Hotel Adriatico, all breakfasts, half-day walking tour with local guide including the Uffizi, Bargello, including entrance tickets.
Not included: Lunches/dinners, and gratuities
Learn more about visiting Florence here.
Want to add any of these extensions to your trip? Or any additional nights of hotel in Rome? Just let us know!
Extension booking/cancellation policy: No payment required until 60 days prior to your trip. Any changes or cancellations prior to that 60-day mark are fully refundable and transferrable. Within 60 days of the start of the trip, extensions are non-refundable.