Rick Steves Tour Choices - Where to Begin?As I said, deciding on the tour company was easy. Deciding on which tour, was not. Rick Steves offers so many choices it makes it difficult to pick. We ended up on the Heart of Italy in 9 Days tour because we had friends who had been on this tour a few years back and raved about it. And Wayne and I both love history, so the appeal of seeing the ancient ruins of Rome was simply irresistible. And besides, as we told ourselves, this is merely our first trip to Europe. More tours are in our future. Click here to see the complete list of Rick Steves tours.
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Rick Steves Tour Guides are the Best!Rick Steves prides himself on selecting only the best people to serve as tour guides. His are head and shoulders above the others. Sometimes literally. Our guide, Ben, was very tall and while it was not necessarily his best feature, it came in very handy when we were in crowds! Ben had a great sense of humor, was energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate about sharing the country he loved. He was the perfect guide!
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Rick Steves' Helpful TipsThe Rick Steves website has lots of helpful tips to educate you and help you prepare for your trip. Whether you're going on a group-led tour, or an un-guided "My Way" tour that includes just the city-to-city transportation and hotels, you'll find information about what to pack (and what to leave home), traveling safely, health and money matters (yes it does!), train schedules, and much, much more. Click here to see Rick Steves travel tips.
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Rick Steves Helped in the Efforts to Save VernazzaWe were so impressed when the woman (co-founder of the non-profit organization, Save Vernazza) who led us on the tour of her town, told us of the efforts that Rick Steves has made to help their town recover from the devastating flood which hit in Oct. 2011. Because tourism is key to the livelihood of their town, they worked tirelessly to restore it. Once the town was ready, she said that Rick Steves was instrumental in spreading the word that Vernazza was a viable tourist destination again. She was so impressed with him, and we were too.
Click here to go to Save Vernazza's website. Rick Steves Tours Offer Amazing Food ChoicesThe food offerings on a Rick Steves tour are excellent and generous. (Everything I had heard about Italians liking to eat was not exaggerated. Each dinner was multi-course, and each course was multo buono.) All breakfasts, some lunches, and about half the dinners are included in the tour. And the guides know the best places to go so even for the times when you're on your own, you get all the help you need in finding not just a good meal, but a memorable one.
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