Road to Rome
From CAD $7,705
Guarantee
Group Tour
Easy
Rating
(10 reviews)
Experience Overview
Take the road to Rome through the cobbled streets of Paris and across the Alps of Innsbruck. Journey through the vineyards of Burgundy and slip across the Swiss border for an indulgent Dine Around meal in Lucerne. Enjoy a feast of local delicacies at a selection of hand-picked restaurants, set along the beautiful lakeside vistas. Voyage across the Dolomites to Venice and bear witness to the ancient skill of glassblowing. Practiced by precious few, this almost extinct artform is led by local craftsmen, intent on keeping the 15th-century tradition alive. In ancient Rome, enjoy fast-track access to the Vatican Museums and see Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 11 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
Additional Included Highlights
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
- Paris: Join your Travel Director and fellow guests at a local restaurant in the heart of the city for a delightful dinner.
- Paris: Join an avid local food lover on a walk through the streets of Paris. Visit a variety of patisseries, boulangeries and chocolatiers and sample local treats and delicacies along the way.
- Lucerne: Choose from a selection of restaurants on your Dine-Around Evening and hand-pick your preferred ambience, cuisine and drinks for an intimate culinary experience.
- Conegliano: Visit a local winery and delight in a tasting of their magnificent prosecco. Meet the vignerons and learn how this local drink has come to rival its well-known counterpart in France.
- Tuscany: Visit Il Poggio and discover Tuscany's organic olive and grape farming traditions when you sit down to enjoy lunch complimented by stunning views.
- Rome: Savor a four-course dinner complete with wine, to the rich tremolo of some of Italy's best-loved opera.
Insight Experiences
- Vatican City: Visit the Vatican Museums, witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and see St. Peter's Basilica.
- Rome: Enjoy exclusive access to the Basilica of Saint Praxedes during an after-hours visit. This 9th-century basilica’s simple facade guards the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics. The history of the church springs to life as you admire the interior’s treasured collection, including Bernini's first sculpture and the renowned mosaics, illuminated for your visit. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is a rare and unforgettable insight into Rome and its religious history.
Make Travel Matter
- Stanserhorn: Journey to the top of Mount Stanserhorn on a panoramic, open-top cable car powered by solar energy, and enjoy spectacular views from the summit. Walk along beautiful scenic pathways, keeping an eye out for marmots and other native animals, with the chance to hear a conservation talk by a Swiss ranger, to learn about local wildlife and flora. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 7 & 15: Affordable and Clean Energy & Life on Land.
- Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop's master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft. This workshop directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Summary
- Visit the Basilica of St. Francis with a Local Expert in Assisi.
Top Rated Highlights
- Stanserhorn: Journey to the top of Mount Stanserhorn on a panoramic, open-top cable car powered by solar energy, and enjoy spectacular views from the summit.
- Lucerne: See the emotive Lion Monument, Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge.
- Vaduz: Admire the Royal family's residence, Vaduz Castle, which overlooks the capital and is surrounded by year-round snow-peaked mountains.
- Innsbruck: Nestled amidst majestic mountains, Innsbruck is a beautiful city offering a unique combination of nature, history, and culture. Stroll the streets of the picturesque Old Town, with your Travel Director, learn about its history and admire the Baroque and Gothic architecture.
- Venice: Join your Travel Director for an introduction to Venice, exploring its canals, lively squares, and historic landmarks. Discover the city’s unique charm as you navigate its maze of streets and take in iconic sights like St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge.
- Pisa: Your Local Expert will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, and the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th-century cathedral - the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles.
- Florence: Join a Local Expert to view the multi-colored marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square. See the Santa Croce Basilica, the final resting place of great Florentines like Michelangelo.
- Assisi: With a Local Expert, find out why the Basilica of St. Francis is considered one of the crowning achievements of Europe.
- Rome: During your orientation with your Travel Director see the medieval buildings, including Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches, scattered throughout the city.
Well-being
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
Trip Details
Product Code: 28140
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+, Luxury
Tour Operator:
Insight Vacations (CA)
Supplier Code: 141.907B
Starts: Paris, France
Finishes: Rome, Italy
Duration: 12 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $7,705 ($642 /day)
Itinerary
Welcome to Paris, enjoy time at leisure to settle into your hotel. During your time here you will see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe. In the evening, join your Travel Director for a fabulous welcome dinner at a local brasserie.
Accommodation: Marriott Rive Gauche, Paris
Meals: Dinner
Join an avid foodie, as you head into areas where Parisians go about their daily lives to explore small shops and sample local treats and delicacies. With the rest of the afternoon free, there are countless opportunities to enjoy the lively atmosphere of this glittering city, perhaps join an Optional Experience to see the Paris cabaret?
Accommodation: Marriott Rive Gauche, Paris
Meals: Breakfast
Journey through the rural French countryside of Burgundy, famous for its vineyards and wines, pass the Jura Mountains crossing into Switzerland. Arrive in glorious lakeside Lucerne. A range of enticing options are available for your Dine-Around Evening. Choose from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants.
Accommodation: Astoria Lucerne
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Explore Mount Stanserhorn on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, as an open-top cable car powered by solar panels takes you up to the summit. Walk along beautiful scenic pathways, keeping an eye out for marmots and other native animals, with the chance to hear a conservation talk by a Swiss ranger, to learn about local wildlife and flora. Take in the pristine mountain air and, on a clear day, witness views as far as Alsace and the Black Forest in Germany. Upon return to Lucerne, see the town's proud Lion Monument, carved into a limestone cliff and dedicated to the heroic Swiss Guards who died defending King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Then, take some time to stroll across the covered Chapel Bridge to the baroque Jesuit Church. The rest of the day is at leisure to shop for delectable chocolate and glamorous Swiss watches in the traffic-free Old Town.
Accommodation: Astoria Lucerne
Meals: Breakfast
Start the day with a journey to the heart of the Alps passing through the Principality of Liechtenstein. See its tiny capital, Vaduz, with its castle located on a hillside overlooking the city. Drive into Austria and continue to mountain-ringed Innsbruck. Your Travel Director will show you the 14th century houses of the old town, the impressive Imperial Palace and the delightful Golden Roof.
Accommodation: AC, Innsbruck
Meals: Breakfast
Leave Innsbruck to travel across the impressive Europa Bridge and through the Dolomites. Cross into Italy and the romantic city of Venice, Queen of the Adriatic. Long after the day-trippers have returned to their mainland hotels, enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the islands with dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: BW Premier Collection CHC Continental, Venice
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
In the morning, prepare to embrace this most romantic city. See the immense Campanile and Doge's Palace on St. Mark's Square, connected to the ancient prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you witness the skill of glassblowers on a visit to a traditional arts center. The rest of the day is at leisure. Perhaps shop in the small arcades or why not cruise the Venetian lagoon to the island of Burano for a meal of local specialties and wine?
Accommodation: BW Premier Collection CHC Continental, Venice
Meals: Breakfast
Take in beautiful views of the rolling Tuscan hills, as you enjoy lunch on the veranda when you visit Il Poggio for lunch. Taste the farm's wines and freshly produced olive oil. Enjoy an authentic Italian meal prepared with locally sourced ingredients. Explore the nearby town of Pisa with a Local Expert and see the baptistery with its intricate marble facade, the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the cathedral and of course the famous Leaning Tower. Afterwards, travel to Florence.
Accommodation: Ambasciatori, Florence
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Walk with your Local Expert to the marble-clad cathedral and baptistery, where Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise have been recreated in all their glory. The next stop is Piazza della Signoria, still the political heart of Florence and an open-air gallery of Renaissance masterpieces. Spend time gazing at statues such as Neptune and David along the front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The area around Santa Croce Basilica is famous for the quality of its luxury goods of gold and leather and there's free time to shop or continue exploring.
Accommodation: Indigo, Florence
Meals: Breakfast
Journey through the vineyards of the Chianti region, passing Lake Trasimeno, one of the Italian Peninsula’s largest lakes and the site of a great battle in ancient times against Hannibal and his war elephants. Continue up the foothills of the Apennine Mountains to reach the delightful town of Assisi, built from stone and spilling over the steep hillside. With a Local Expert, visit the tomb of St. Francis and admire the beautiful frescoes by Giotto in the great basilica, before continuing along the valley of the River Tiber towards the Eternal City of Rome.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu GHR, Rome
Meals: Breakfast
Visit the Sistine Chapel to admire Michelangelo’s famous ceiling. Cross the River Tiber to see the Colosseum, still echoing with the ghostly cries of gladiatorial combat, and view the Circus Maximus, the ancient chariot-racing stadium. Enjoy a private visit to the Basilica of Saint Praxedes, welcomed by the Rector of the basilica. Celebrate your incredible journey through Europe in the vibrant atmosphere of the Eternal City as you indulge in dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu GHR, Rome
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Bid farewell to the glories of Italy, savoring the memories of its enchanting cities, historic landmarks and stunning landscapes. Italy's unique allure will linger in your heart long after you leave.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Insight Vacations (CA)
Part of The Travel Company (TTC) family of brands, Insight Vacations began operations in 1978 and is based in Cypress, CA. Journeys are featured to destinations, such as the U.S. and Canada, Europe, Latin America, North Africa, Asia, the UK and Ireland. The company offers are a variety of tours under the classifications of Regional Journeys, Country Roads, Discovery Journeys, Easy Pace trips, and Special Interest tours. Insight is the ideal name for the tour operator, as the journeys provided by Insight Vacations allow travelers to gain further insight into whatever destination they wish to explore. For example, Discovery Journeys are the ideal choice for first-time visitors to Europe. Itineraries include Dine-at-Home or Farm-to-Table experiences so travelers can learn more about how locals live and dine. Regional Journeys allow trip-goers to see a specific location in Europe that they have always wanted to see – Poland, Switzerland, Italy, etc. The carefully planned trips enable customers to immerse themselves in one specific region or country and to become acquainted with its culture, traditions, and people. For anyone seeking travel off the beaten track, Insight Vacations offers Country Roads – trips that lead travelers off the well-tread tourist trail to explore hidden gems where visitors can savor the local produce with Farm-to-Table dining. Some trips are offered under the Easy Pace travel style – the ideal trip choice for trip-goers who wish to slow their pace during their vacation. During these tours, vacationers stay at least 3 nights at each destination, giving them some additional time to explore a place and enjoy it. Regardless of the travel style, many of the vacations offered by Insight Vacations begin with Relaxed Starts – giving travelers time to sleep in a little, spend more time at breakfast, or explore an area on their own. The tour company prides itself on providing business class tours that features luxury coaches with 40 seats. While most coach touring operators provide vehicles with 53 seats, Insight Vacations has re-configured its motor coaches to hold up to 40 guests. This gives passengers extra leg room while traveling and offers them more space and privacy.
In Business Since 1978
Reviews
Anonymous - Traveled, November 2024
It was fabulous he made the holiday a pleasure. Great places we visited Hotels were good Meals included were fabulous Lots of extras offered to do Fabulous vacation.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/13/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, November 2024
We had excellent service with our travel agent, who gave us excellent information. Our tour director was fabulous, he made sure everyone was safe and well informed. Our bus driver got us to and from each adventure safely an always a hand to help you on and off the bus. All hotels had remarkable service. A very busy itinerary with lots to see and enjoy. Two night stays are great, as you don’t have to pack every day. I feel it is busier than a leisure trip if you do all the optionals.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/13/2024
Robyn - Traveled, October 2024
Comfortable bus, excellent accommodation, knowledgeable tour guides, excellent all round trip. The Road to Rome tour was wonderful, accommodation was very good. I did all the optional extras and enjoyed every one of them. Our tour guide, was a font of information and checked in with everyone to see they were okay. At the end of the tour he made sure everyone was set for their transfer, either by plane, train or bus was organised . I would highly recommend Insight and this tour.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2024
Kim - Traveled, October 2024
It was very organized. Our guide was amazing letting us know details for each day as well as being so knowledgeable about each area, the food, the culture and how to get around each place. He and our bus driver made this trip so easy. It was great seeing each different area. It would allow anyone to see which place they would like to come back to for a longer stay. I highly recommend for a traveler who has never been to Europe or had limited exposure. It is a great sampler of Europe. It is fast moving and relaxing at the same time not having to worry about the logistics. The optional experiences were all really amazing.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, October 2024
Service during the tour was great. Our tour director, was top notch! The only thing lacking was scant contact from Insight leading up to the tour. A great itinerary, covering varied counties, environments and experiences. The only potential downside for some is the amount of walking involved.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, October 2024
They were amazing! Felt very supported and knowledge was second to none.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, August 2024
We REALLY enjoyed the entire trip. We saw so many amazing sights and learned so much, it was terrific! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and he went above and beyond to ensure that our needs were met. Just a couple suggestions: 1) NAME TAGS! It was difficult for us to learn each other’s names. Having simple name tags that we were even for just the first couple days would have helped. 2)It would be nice to allow time once arriving in a new city for guests to unpack and unwind. In many locations, we arrived and had maybe an hour before we went sightseeing. It was made clear that we could skip these sessions, but that means missing sights we wanted to see. It just would have been nice to have that first evening in at least a few cities to just relax during what is a jam packed itinerary. Thank you for everything that was done to make our vacation one that we will remember for a lifetime!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/13/2024
Noelle - Traveled, August 2024
This was a trip of a lifetime. We got to see so many wonderful things in each of the countries we were in. Our tour went the extra mile and helped everyone have the best experience possible. Was an amazing driver and had fun with us on the journey. I would definitely recommend this tour and these 2 great insight members!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/13/2024
Joanne - Traveled, August 2024
I had this tour booked in 2020 and then Covid happened. Insight took care of us with vouchering the entire tour so that once the borders were open we were able to book the tour again and there was no hassle whatsoever! This was an action packed vacation and we loved it ! We had enough free time to do the things we wanted to do that weren't included in the itinerary so it worked out perfectly! We loved meeting all the others on the tour and had a lot of laughs with them! What a fabulous vacation!!! It was the trip of a lifetime! We got to Paris 3 days early as there were a few tours we wanted to take that weren't on the Insight itinerary and we stayed in Rome for 2 extra days to do the same. I would highly recommend this as we wanted to go up the Eiffle Tower, visit the Louvre and take a cooking class in Rome. Our tour director was amazing ! He was very helpful with anything we needed and had endless energy and patience ! We couldn't have asked for a better tour director! Our bus driver was absolutely THE best!! He was not only a lot of fun and accommodating but he got our huge motorcoach in and out of the tightest spots! We knew we were in good hands with him behind the wheel!were always on time and so very helpful!! Thank you Insight for your fabulous employees who treated us like friends!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/13/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, September 2024
The tour was extremely well organised & everything went well without a glitches. The tour Director really knew everything about what he was showing us. This tour was my 5th tour in 10 years with Insight & each & every tour has been very well organised & totally ran without any glitches, such a pleasurable way to holiday with Insight Vacations. Thank you. This tour is an excellent tour & is a good way to visit most of the top icons of Europe on the one holiday. Starting in London with Buckingham Palace, Paris with the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Lucerne Switzerland with its lovely tranquil lake & mountains surrounding, Innsbruck Austria surrounded by lovely Alps & an authentic Austrian dinner evening with show in traditional costume clothes of the era, complete with yodelling, Venice such a fairy tale icon of the world with its boats instead of cars & houses built on the water & gondola rides to complete your stop. Off to Pisa next with its famous Leaning tower, another icon of the world, followed by Florence another amazing city famous for its gold & leather products & Rome with its crowning glory of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon & Vatican. I highly recommend this tour to anyone as it includes so many valuable icons of the world in the one tour. Thank you.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/13/2024
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