If you like the idea of exploring the major highlights secret gems of Italy, while leaving the driving and the luggage handling to someone else, the answer is probably ‘yes’. Reaching places where a train and plane cannot, coach tours allow you to sit back and relax while travelling through a country. But aside from soaking up the beautiful scenery, there are plenty of other great reasons to take an escorted tour that you might not have considered.
Cosmos, the experts in escorted touring, have over 50 years’ experience of leading trips to the planet’s most captivating places: they do all the hard graft behind the scenes, simply leaving you free to discover the natural beauties and sightseeing Italy has to offer.
There’s the view
It’s probably the first thing you think about when you imagine yourself on a coach. Your elevated position above the cars, and huge windows surrounding you, means you get a first-class view wherever you travel. Other bonuses of coach travel include being able to charge your smartphone from a USB hub in your seat, using the onboard WiFi to find out about the destination you’re heading for and being able to indulge in the odd limoncello, should the mood take you. With an experienced driver taking care of the transport, you won't need to miss a thing while travelling.
You’ll learn, and laugh
You’re accompanied at all times by a genuine expert in Italy: an experience Tour Director. One of the best things about this is his or her encyclopaedic knowledge of the country you’re in. Anecdotes, interesting facts and fun stories will bring each destination to life so that you’ll remember it long after you’ve visited. Want to know the Italian for ‘Does it contain nuts?’ Your Tour Director can help you out. This is balanced, of course, with quiet time for contemplation.
You get to meet Italians
Anyone can wander round key sites and read the leaflets, but to really feel like you’re experiencing a place, you want to meet a native. On Cosmos tours, you’ll often be shown round by a Local Guide – someone who lives and breathes the area you’re in. Want to try some cold cuts in Parma? Your guide will direct you to the best deli in town. Interested in the history of Turin’s unusual Museum of Cinema building? He or she will fill you in. They’re passionate about their area – and they want you to be, too.
You don’t have to queue
Sure you might feel a pang of guilt as you stroll past the long line of tourists waiting to get into the Castellana di Grotte caves in Puglia. If it makes you feel better, you can always tell them all that next time, they should consider booking an escorted tour of Italy where entrance to all excursions – both included and optional – are prearranged to avoid this very situation. Of course, you may not make any friends that way.
You’ll get off the beaten path
If you’ve already stood in front of the Colosseum in Rome and travelled down the waterways of Venice, chances are you’re looking to get into the ‘real’ Italy. Cosmos tours introduce you to tucked-away towns, such as Alberobello in the south – famous for its medieval trulli houses and unique artisan bread – and fishing villages, such as the beautiful Cinque Terre in the north. All you need do is charge your cameraphone.
You extend your family
No – you don’t have to remarry your fellow travellers. We just mean that it’s impossible not to make new friends on a coach tour. There’s a perfect balance of group activities and free time, and you’ll soon find out who shares your interests. So you can choose whether to hang out together on tour, or even stay in touch afterwards.
Book a 2019 Italy tour and Cosmos will fly you to Italy and home again for free. Offer ends on 31 Jan 19.
About the Author / Gareth Hargreaves
Gareth looks after all editorial content on 50connect. He is the Swiss Army knife of content ideas and production.
