Custom Tours of Italy with a private guide on a budget?

Is it possible to go on a custom, privately guided tour of Italy and be on a budget? why YES, it is. I'm Chris, and I am the owner Custom Tours of Italy. I work alone, I don't have a staff or a team - I work with you and customize your Italy vacation to fit your budget needs. It's simple and easy,...we communicate throughout the whole process putting together your Italy vacation many months before..and....I go with you and guide in Italy. I have a daily guiding fee and you pay all my expenses which I think to be very affordable - and I love sharing this great country so much with people and it never gets old and there's always a new experience in every trip!

It all starts with an email or call to me and then we set up Zoom calls or FaceTime's on iPhone to meet each other to see if we like each other styles. Then I ask you how you want to travel in Italy - obviously if you're on a budget you DO NOT stay in 5 Star hotels,.....3 Star hotels with good ratings have always been fine...... then we find out what you want to see in Italy and how you want to see it,....never been before? great, I can suggest the usual places most want to go but if you're not a typical, usual tourist, then we find out exactly what you like to do....the options are endless.

The food culture in Italy is one of the biggest attractions and you can definitely have a great customized Italy vacation, on a budget, not spending a ton of money eating in Pizzeria's and Restaurants. I started going to Italy back in the late 90's when I didn't have a lot of money and learned how to split up Pizza's and plates of food and dishes. Get a few Antipasto's, a few Pastas and a few entree's and split those up among the table and call that the meal. I always generally drink the local wine and save a lot of money that way as well. The only thing I cannot project is how much we'll spend on lunch and dinner there.

Hotel wise, Italian cities are obviously pricey but I've found many smaller Hotels in my travels that seem "local", that have 3 stars and they strive to make travelers very happy. You're not in the hotels that much anyway - sleep, eat breakfast and shower.

The places are clean and have good reviews and feel "local".

If we venture outside of the cities and want to go stay in the countryside, the Farm Agriturismo's are a great deal because the owners are not allowed to charge a lot for the rooms because they are primarily farmers and hoteliers second......they are way less in price then any major city, and these are heaven. Always very clean and well kept and often times they have a restaurant and cook for you at night for a price.

Tourist attraction wise - some things just cost what they cost but we drill down on what you like - Don't like old Italian paintings so much?, well, then we don't go visit Art Galleries then,....you say you like great Churches which are generally free?,...... for sure we're going to visit some great Churches, but, keep in mind, there are some great Italian paintings inside some of those Churches though, oof!.

When in Venice most want to go on a Gondola ride - well, they're very pricey and around $120 bucks but if you have more then one couple with you then that cost is split up. If you don't even want to spend that money, then you can take the Vaporetto's which are the floating city buses and see the city that way,......see how you can save money there?

Train travel is a VERY affordable way to get around the country and you certainly do not need a car in any major city in Italy. Rental cars or Vans are about the same in Italy as they are here in the USA and you need a car to get to the countryside if you want to see Tuscany and Umbria, Puglia and Sicily.

I can definitely guarantee you that I will work with you on every reservation, even your initial plane reservations and get these approved by you before you spend any money on your custom tour of Italy. I love the challenge and I love bringing people to Italy. Can you tell?

Ciao, Chris T.