Italy & Switzerland Lakes Tour Companies

Marie was great. Would recommend!

Our guide, Ned, was great. The hotel Meininger was clean and comfortable in a college dormitory way, but not very friendly. I asked to reduce the centrally controlled thermostat because I sleep better when it’s cooler, and they said no. The hallways are not air conditioned at all. The rooms get hot during the day and the air conditioning won’t stay on without the key in the slot. I’d rather pay a few dollars more and adjust the temperature to my own needs. The tour has lots of walking but it was enjoyable to see Milan’s highlights. Lake Como was gorgeous scenery, perfect weather, and we had enough time for a nice meal in Bellagio and a drink in Varenna. The train ride back to Milan was standing room only, and hot and stuffy, followed by a long wait in line at the taxi stand. I’d rate the tour guide higher than the accommodations. I suppose that the name of the tour agency (Italy on a Budget) should give a warning that all is not going to be first class.

Best tour I have ever done. Luca and Rici were outstanding. I will book with them in the future. Great value. Impeccable service.

We were a family of four on this trip, made up of parents ages 58 and 72 and two adult children; joined by Paul, an energetic 82 year old Australian gentleman who had just come from a week of cycling in Tuscany. Of the five guests I was the only one on a road bike; the others opted for electric bikes. I found two of the days challenging with fairly long and steep climbs, but a breeze if you're on an electric. The trip was a lot of fun. The weather was great, the scenery magnificent, the food and accommodations excellent. Luca and Richi our driver/mechanic could not have been more accommodating or gracious. They are both quasi professional cyclists in addition to which Luca is a mountain rescue expert. You had the impression they could each take apart and reassemble a bike blindfolded. During the long ascents Luca stuck with me , making occasional forays ahead to check on the others. He and Richi are like jackrabbits on bicycles. Richi drove the van , and was always in the vicinity ready to offer up water and whatever other assistance we might need. He would sometimes go for rides in the evening. Both Luca and Richi speak English, so communication was easy. During our rides and mealtimes we shared a lot of laughter and camaraderie. We felt like they were old friends. They also helped us plan the remainder of our two weeks in Italy and stayed in touch with us via text messaging after the cycling tour was over.

Love the location of the hotel and lake front view. The hikes, the views, and our guide were simply amazing!

We saw some magical secluded places such as the Abbey Santa Maria di Piona

Was amazing! Our first time in Switzerland and loved it. Hotel was perfect and the service man Chif gave amazing service and was a perfect interpreter for our poor Italian skillet. Want to go back next year!

The self guided tour was quite good BUT it is REALLY important to read the directions with care and follow the suggestions regarding transport options as one days walk on a Sunday left us without transport as buses were not running that day. Some of the directions were a little ambiguous which probably resulted form minor interpretation differences between different English language speakers. For example us Australians have specific idea of what a "track" is which was not the same has the that used by the author of the instructions. A GPS also helps to accurately measure distances to turns and so on. Overall an enjoyable trip.