The views on this trip (Dolomites and Italian Lakes for 7 Days) were amazing and potentially present many awesome photo opportunities. However, the bus often didn't stop for photos at the best places. Essentially, this is a Spanish speaking tour (although it is advertised as bi-lingual). The guide is Spanish speaking and not overly confident with English. We had to constantly ask questions as to where we were going / meeting places etc. We found this information was readily given to the Spanish speakers but the English speakers (at least 8 of us on tour) had to seek it out. The Guide was also inept at organisation. For example, mistakenly she got us to line up in the public line for the Lake Como cruise and didn't realise there was a special line for tour groups. It was only when one of our Aussie friends on the tour (who spoke Italian) realised this mistake and got us onto the correct line. However, this was too late to get us a seat on the boat and we had to tour Lake Como standing up for over 2 hours with sights obscured by hordes of other people. We would have been better without a tour guide! So, my recommendation is don't take this tour unless you are competent in Spanish (despite what Europeando Europa will say about it being a bi-lingual tour).

As a family of three, we were excited to go on the 7 day northern lakes and Dolomites tour - especially as it would be very difficult to visit these areas by ourselves (visiting from Australia and not confident driving/getting around to these areas). The tour started well, we were the only English speakers but we had been assured our guide would provide fluent English commentary. Perhaps we expected too much but there was very little information provided about where we were or where we were travelling through. In fact, the first three days we received very limited information in total while the Spanish speakers were provided with much more. We visited some stunning places but too much of the tour focused on lunch breaks and eating rather than seeing the sights. Halfway through the tour more English speakers joined the group bit we still had to seek information rather than being provided with it on some occasions. The bus was too big for navigating city streets and mountain switchbacks - the driver often had to reverse and try multiple times to get around corners and switchbacks. I felt very sorry for him - he did a marvelous job but it would have been so much easier for him and much more enjoyable for us if we weren't concerned about falling off the side of a mountain. The company can't seem to decide whether they are catering to small groups or large and this has a huge impact on the enjoyment of the tour. In Trento we were advised that we would have several hours and could visit the castle. After paying for admission and entering we were then advised that because it was raining some people didn't want to stay so we were cutting the visit short - this should never happen! We then had to get back on the bus only to stop at a truck stop for lunch (instead of staying in lovely Trento). There wasn't really any point to having the guide as he did not provide much "guiding" only very limited information and directions to places he thought we should go and eat. We would have done as well with just the driver. If you can navigate your way around the northern lakes and Dolomites by yourself then I recommend you do that. Otherwise, perhaps a different company would provide a better tour.

There is a chance that your tour may include a mixture of nationalities (such as English and Spanish-speaking so if you prefer your own language exclusively, we would recommend making this clear to the operator to avoid disappointment. Some of the island visits are fairly brief, otherwise the tour operator has indeed set the tour around each of the major lakes in Northern Italy – we missed some of the spectacular views as it was fairly wet and foggy, so you may wish to cross-check the weather forecast for the time of year you’re thinking of doing the trip – we went late Spring. The operator keeps the tour to a relatively small group which is a nice bonus. This tour seemed suited to an older demographic. Some of the hotels that we stayed in were great – especially the one they chose for Lake Como – it looks like an old convent and has a lot of old-world charm. The Hotel in Verona was centrally located which was convenient, however probably not the best hotel we stayed in during our trip with some maintenance issues related to air-con. We have had a wonderful time in Italy, and Verona was the highlight for us with a walking tour around the city, taking in some of the history and older buildings.

After reading the John Davis review I wish I had his "non typical tour". Europeando also sells its tours through an American company called "Trips2Italy" whom we paid for a combined Dolomites and Lakes District tour lasting a week. Only 10 people were on the first half of the tour around the Lakes District of northern Italy. At the start let me say the places we went to and hotels chosen for us were all perfect. Our guide Colomba was excellent. However, 10 people on a 54 seater bus was quite strange. The other 8 passengers were from Argentina and only one girl had any English. Columba had excellent spanish which explained why she was on the tour, but why two Aussies? My guess is that someone at Italian headquarters thought we were also from Argentina - its a bit like Australia to someone from Italy. At least we had good seats unlike the next part of our tour - the Dolomites. Because two passengers (one of them was the sole English speaker) were not going on to the Dolomites,our big bus and guide left us in Verona giving us only a couple of hours notice. When we got back to our hotel a "mini bus" (8 seater) and new driver/guide named Luka was waiting to take us on the Dolomites tour. Luka spoke English and we were given the two seats beside him for the afternoon. The Dolomites themselves and hotels selected were excellent. Noone could fault the company(s) performance here. Theremainder of the tour was spent in other areas of the "bus". It was a very isolating and cramped experience. The driver up front could only talk to the couple beside him (Spanish of course, which is why he got this group) so we got left out. Only when we stopped for sight seeing could we get a word with Luka. He's an excellent guide with a great sense of humour. I will never forget these mountains and Lakes Misurina and Braies. My advice to you whether you book through the Italian company or the American company is to make sure there are other English speaking passengers and just pray either you get a tour with at least 10 passengers on board so you get a bigger vehicle or its a tour like John Davis got - just the two of you and a driver who speaks good English. Both tours take in some of the most beautiful scenery i have ever seen. Having someone else do all the driving and not having to find hotels is the only way to go in my opinion. Bigger operators like Trafalgar, Globus etc might be a better bet but i don't know if they even do the Dolomites. Good luck!

My wife and I took this four-day tour in October 2011 (not 2012 as indicated below). The tour begins and ends in Milan, and tour members spend two nights in the beautiful ski-resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo and one in Bolzano. Our tour was not typical. As we were the only two people to book the trip, our guide, Alessandro, collected us in a hire car. We had our own driver and guide all in one, and he was first class. Alessandro altered the tour to suit our interest without diminishing the experience. As we had visited Verona about ten years previously he took us to Sirmione at the southern end of Lake Garda and then drove us up the west coast of the lake to the delightful Riva della Garda. This was an unexpected bonus for us. Alessandro was ever pleasant, knowledgable, well-organised and reliable. Mussolini may have made the trains run on time, but he had nothing on Alessandro. He was wonderful and faultless, Alessandro that is, not Mussolini! The Dolomites are stunning grey-white mountains rich with peaks and slender pinnacles that reach for the heavens. They are full of turquoise lakes and pretty, quaint, even whimsical villages, many of which have a rich Germanic culture - languages include the dialect, Ladin - not Latin, German and Italian. We are in the Sud Tyrol here. The distinctive food, markets, bicycles and clothing make this a unique part of Italy. The surrounding countryside and towns - besides Cortina d'Ampezzo and Bolzano we visited Canezei, Merano and Trento, are beautiful. So what to bring? Your camera, walking shoes, sun glasses and sensitivity - you will be inspired. At this time of the year (October) allergies can be a problem as they were for one of us. We recommend this tour and our guide, Alessandro Celestino, without reservation. Julie and John Davis Adelaide, South Australia