Local Tours
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Day 1 | Arrival at Rome Airport. |
Day 2 | This delicious walking food tour through the trendy neighborhoods will show you everything that’s great about the traditional Roman delicacies. Join your passionate foodie guide for a street an authentic Roman lunch and refreshing gelato. Enjoy an afternoon cooking class during which you will have the chance to enjoy Italian cuisine like a true Roman and make pasta or pizza using traditional recipes. |
Day 3 | Check out of Rome hotel. |
Day 4 | Hike up Mt. Vesuvius and admire the unmatched views of the area from the top. You will stop in one of the vineyards located on the slopes of Vesuvius where the wine making tradition dates back to the Romans. You will taste some of the locally produced wines accompanied by a traditional light lunch. Enjoy a guided tour of Pompeii Ruins, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. |
Day 5 | Discover the Amalfi Coast and its golden treasure, its majesty, the Lemon! You will have a relaxing drive through the breathtaking Amalfi Coast, one of the most scenic drives in the world, where you will have the chance to stop for photos. Visit Ravello, that unlike most of the other towns of the area, is located atop a hill. Stop in Amalfi, where you will have time to stroll around or splurge on shopping of handmade Amalfi paper, bottles of local limoncello, and of course ceramics. Visit one of the oldest lemon groves in the area where, together with a local guide, you will discover everything about this golden treasure! You will learn how Limoncello is made, have a tasty appetizer and a full course lunch where the main ingredient will be lemon! |
Day 6 | Enjoy the legendary Path of the Gods. |
Day 7 | Meet your driver and head onto Paestum, a Greek settlement founded in the 6th century BC in honor of the Sea God Poseidon. You will visit a buffalo mozzarella farm where you will learn the complete process of buffalo mozzarella making and taste freshly made products followed by a light lunch at the farm. |
Day 8 | Today you will visit the hometowns of some of the most famous and most delicious wines of the region, such as Taurasi and Aglianico. Stop at two different local wineries, where you will discover the differing techniques used to produce them. From the grape orchard to the final aged DOP bottles, you will see the entire production chain and taste several wines, only produced here and nowhere else in the world. You will also enjoy a light lunch in a farmhouse in Taurasi area. |
Day 9 | Start your day with a visit at a small, family cheese factory where they will demonstrate how this delicious food is made and taste several freshly produced cheeses. A professional pizza chef will show you how a real pizza is prepared! You will make your own pizza have the pleasure of eating your own masterpiece! Visit at an old mill in the Sorrento area and see how the original olive oil is made. Tickle your taste buds with the famous “Gelato”, enough to make all you sweet tooth lovers go crazy! |
Day 10 | Enjoy your breakfast and meet your driver. Private transfer from Sorrento to Naples Airport or FCO Rome Airport. Departure from Italy 😔 |
The currency in Italy is the Euro (€). You can exchange money at banks, exchange offices ("cambio"), or ATMs. Banks offer competitive rates but may have higher fees. Exchange offices are convenient but compare rates. ATMs are widespread with favorable rates, but watch for bank fees. Major credit cards are accepted, but carrying cash for small purchases and emergencies is advisable.
Whether you need a visa to travel to Italy depends on your nationality and the purpose of your visit. Citizens of many countries, including those in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, can enter Italy visa-free for short stays as tourists
In Italy, hotel taxes, known as "tassa di soggiorno" or tourist tax, are fees charged by local municipalities on guests at accommodations like hotels, B&Bs, and vacation rentals. These taxes vary based on location and accommodation type, usually calculated per person per night. They're not typically included in the room rate and are paid directly to the provider upon check-out, often in cash or added to the final bill. Exemptions may apply for certain guests, such as children or those with disabilities.
Greetings in Italy are typically warm and involve a handshake. It's common to greet people with a friendly "Ciao" or "Buongiorno" (good morning) during the day. In the evening or when meeting someone for the first time, "Buonasera" (good evening) is more appropriate. Italians value politeness, so don't forget to use "Grazie" (thank you) and "Per favore" (please) when appropriate.
In Italy, traditional business hours are observed, with most shops opening around 9:00 am and closing for a few hours in the afternoon (usually between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm). Shops then reopen at around 5:30 pm. Some smaller businesses may close on Sundays, so it's advisable to plan shopping accordingly.
While major credit cards are generally accepted, it's advisable to carry some cash, especially in smaller establishments. Notify your bank of your travel dates to avoid any issues with card transactions.
Gratuities are not mandatory and never included, but if you've been pleased with the service, it's customary to show appreciation, and workers are very thankful. Generally speaking, gratuities can be 100€ full day guides, 50€ half/partial day guides, driver 75-150€ on full day use of vehicle, skipper 150-250€ for full day tours, hotel porters 3-5€ per bag, restaurants 10-20% on the total, guest ambassadors, based on service received, 1-5% on rhe total amount. Gratuities in Italy run anywhere from 10-25% depending on the services and your satisfaction with them.
We took a 21 day private tour of Italy. Everything was perfectly planed and executed: We have traveled the world using tours from A&K and Tauck.The Joe Banana's Tour was better than both. Our travel coordinator Milena and our driver Rafaela were both professional and personable. We were well taken care of for the whole 21 day trip. We would highly recommend them to our family and friends.
Best guided tour in italy: We enjoyed a 10 day private tour of Venice, Florence, Rome with day trips to numerous smaller cities for wonderful experiences like balsamic and wine tasting, cooking classes and gondola rides. Our driver Giuseppe’s was fantastic and the van was very luxurious. All aspects of the trip were delightful with plenty of down time, personal requests attended to and highly knowledgeable guides who enriched our experiences immensely. Our guides ensured we saw all the highlights in the many museums and churches we toured and helped us to understand ancient and Italian history and art. Would definately use Joe Banana again and highly recommend to anyone traveling to Italy. The entire experience was professional and excellently planned and carried out
I highly recommend Joe Banana and his crew for any of your vacation needs in Italy! We booked a 13 day tour with them and it was fantastic. From our first contact with Melana our entire trip was handled without us having to worry. She planned the perfect vacation for the 6 of us. All of our local tour guides were phenomenal and offered the best recommendations. Our driver Giuseppe was great and went above and beyond to make sure everything was taken care of. Wouldn't hesitate to book another trip with them!
Our family of four just finished a three week European vacation which was organized and executed by JBL Tours. This was the best travel experience we have had so far. This was our fourth trip with JBL but first one to include other countries besides Italy. The arrangements were complex but Cindy and Milena were awesome at meeting all of our specific needs including hotels, tours, guides and any thing else we requested. Our trip started in Paris and France, went thru Switzerland and then Italy from Lake Como to the Amalfi coast. Our driver, Antonio, picked us up at the Paris airport and served as our driver and sometimes guide managing all the details with local English speaking guides, tours, restaurant recommendations and multiple cruises over a three week period. Thanks to him and all the JBL staff, we never had to worry about any details. Antonio feels like part of our family now. We had the pleasure of meeting Joe in Sorrento and saw his dedication to individualized travel experience. We will definitely be using JBL in our future European travel.
Our private tour through Italy with Joe Banana was incredible. They arranged a beautiful journey with stays in Rome, Florence and Venice, as well as side trips to Naples, Pompeii, Orvieto and Modena. Milena helped us craft a perfect itinerary and was always readily available, when we wanted to make changes. Our driver, Giulio was an absolute pleasure to be around, and he took such great care of us. The guides in each city were so fun and knowledgeable, that we were always sad to only have a day or two with each. I cannot recommend Joe Banana highly enough. There was always someone there to help us. We wanted for nothing. This was truly a trip of a lifetime!
We built a customized tour with Joe Banana that was centered around Sorento / Amalfi / Pompei / Rome / Vatican City. It was an INCREDIBLE trip. Everyone we interacted with from Joe Banana was great. Our main driver Raffaele and main contact Milena were always above and beyond and the fact that we found our own VRBO places to stay and Joe Banana worked that in so easily made it even better! Our local guides in Rome and Pompei were extremely pleasant and knowledgeable and we even planned a private boat day with our Captain Luigi out to Capri (HUGE BONUS)! All in all would HIGHLY recommend Joe Banana and will absolutely use them again for our next visit to a different part of Italy!
Anna at JB was amazing at helping me plan a whirlwind tour of a ton of Italy. She tailored the trip to be everything I asked for and more. Their communication throughout the trip was perfect, and we had 10 days of amazing adventures that I will never ever forget. A trip of a lifetime. I am already plotting my return to Italy, now that I have a taste of so much of it. I couldn't recommend Joe Banana more. Nothing will ever be perfect, but they are as close as it comes. I don't think anyone else would have helped me cram so much in, in the timeframe we had. We were never left without communication or a guide. From the start to the finish- TOP NOTCH planning and communication. Trust me, and use JB for your Italy travel. They KNOW Italy!
We searched for the right tour and the right company to help us celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We reached out to Joe Banana based on reviews we had read and started planning a trip for August 2023. Milenia was the best person to ask all my questions and make suggestions. She calmed my fears when I was “nervous” about things and let me know she would always be in contact with us. We spent two weeks in Italy visiting Venice, Florence/Tuscany region, Sorrento/Amalfi Coast and finally Rome. We planned all private tours and drivers and none of them disappointed. They were all fabulous. At the end of the tours we felt like family. Milenia always checked in every afternoon and asked how things went. Some days we suggested a slight change for the next day and she would always try to accommodate. All do the tours guides were phenomenal and so knowledgeable about the areas. All the drivers were friendly and great. I would 1000% recommend them to anyone and should we find ourselves back in Italy I would not hesitate to work with them again.
7 days in Florence - Cinque Terre - Pisa - Volterra - San Gimignano - Montepulciano - Chianciano - Pienza - Montalcino
16 Days in Milan, Florence, Pisa, Siena, Naples, Pompei, Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Capri, Rome, Orvieto & Civita di Bagnoregio
10 Days in Sorrento - Amalfi Coast - Puglia
