Whether you plan to arrive before the wedding or stay after, you should try and see some of the beauty of Italy and the surrounding countries. Below are some ideas that I can help you with.
There are several that we can plan. However, if you are interested you need to contact me and let me know. I need to have an idea on how many people before I can ask for quotes from Tour Companies about taking us to sites. If enough people are interested in different sites, we can do a couple of tours. If people are there already on Friday, can also plan tours that day.
1. All day trip to Cinque Terre - this area is about 2 hours from the hotel. This would probably have to be on Saturday, September 14th.
2. Half day trip to Pisa. This could be on several days. Could do on Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning.
3. Trip to Southern Tuscany 4 to 6 hours. Visit a town there and a winery and/or olive oil farm. Could do this on Friday, Saturday or Sunday depending. No more than 6 hours on Friday or Sunday.
4. Tour of Florence. For anyone not wanting to take train back in and see the sights. Could include tour and/or visits to see David Statue and other sites.
4. Other tours. If you have an idea for something not mentioned here, let me know and I will add here for people to look at as a possible choice.
Are you arriving early or staying after the wedding and want to see some of sites of Italy?
I can help you package everything together with hotels, transportation, transfers, and activities. I can also just help you plan portions of your stay.
Or if you want to stop in some other countries, I can make that happen too.
If you don't want to travel around on your own but would rather be part of a group, I can help you find the perfect tour for you. I can also make sure you get to the wedding location or help you get to where the tour starts.
If you prefer to cruise on a large ocean cruise ship or on a small ship, I can help you find the perfect cruise for you.
Or maybe you want to head over to another European country and take a River Cruise. The options are endless.
I can help you explore the countryside near the wedding location and take some tours of the region. We can even put together some private group tours to see Florence, Pisa, and other regions nearby if people are interested.
I can recommend some tours and give you links to book them yourselves.
You can also use these links to book tours and I will be your agent to help if you have issues with the tour.
Viator- https://www.viator.com/Italy/d57-ttd?pid=P00003200&uid=U00051328&mcid=58086¤cy=USD
Project Expedition- https://pe.tours/NTkxNzAy/
Although the rules may only require 3 months validity for your passport from end of stay, I recommend your passport be good for at least 6 months after your return. Some airlines require your passport to be valid for six months to allow boarding. You don't want to be denied boarding because you didn't renew your passport.
Right now passports are processing quickly. People are getting passport renewals in 2 to 4 weeks without expediting. Times will probably increase as summer gets closer. Get your expiring passports renewed now. If you need your first passport then start the process promptly.
Here is the state department passport link that has links to the applications and explains how to apply:
I recommend that you register for the State Department's S.T.E.P. (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program). Once you are registered, you can enter information for any trip you make overseas and the State department will send you updates about strikes, unrest, demonstrations, etc... The U.S. embassy will also be able to reach out if there is a natural disaster or other emergency where you are staying.
S.T.E.P. Link: https://step.state.gov/
The State Department lists travel advisory information online for all countries. See link below.
State Department Travel Advisory Link: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/
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If you are flying through a country to get to Italy. Be very careful about transfer times. Less than 2 hours is very rarely enough time to transfer planes. I recommend at least 3 hours. If you transfer in a European country, you may go through Immigration there. That could take longer. If your luggage is checked through to end of trip, then usually you will go through customs in the final country. However, you will need to check the policy of the airport you are going through.
When you return to the United States, if you transfer in the United States, remember you will go through Immigration and Customs at the first city you visit. Then you will re-check your bags. Allow plenty of time.
Check to see if you will be switching gates or sometimes even airports (this can happen in Paris). Read everything very carefully for the flights.
Most foreign airlines will make you pay for your seats, even in regular economy and business class. If you want to sit together, and know were you are sitting on the plane, you will need to pay for the seats in advance. These costs are usually refundable if your flight is cancelled, but you will need to write to the airline about the seats to get your refund.