Metropolises of Europe: Best of Paris and Rome Tour

We had a fantastic experience for a first-time trip to Italy. I wasn't sure how this would be, considering I learned about Zicasso while trying to plan the trip myself. Zicasso put me in touch with a travel specialist and the whole team was incredibly responsive to my many, many questions. If they were ever annoyed, it didn’t show.

I really wanted a smooth experience for my family of five, including three teens, one of whom has Celiac. Our agent was great in helping plan out the experience we wanted. As you may know, it is challenging to find rooms for five in Europe, but the travel company found apartments (usually two bedrooms with a pull-out couch) in the heart of town. You can really customize what you do, but we elected to plan our own meals and handle some of our own transport. We did have one issue where the van driver taking us to the train failed to show. I got one with Uber and the travel company quickly (I mean before we got home quickly!) refunded that amount.

Our contact in Italy was amazing and patient. I can’t give her enough credit. Any time I was unsure of something, she was there. The tours were great, especially Florence and Rome. You may be able to find the companies online, but ours seems to have the connections to get the best guides.

As for meals, we didn’t have any issues. We used an app and got a few recommendations from the travel company and local guides. Even our wine-tasting tour out in Tuscany was accommodating.

I would use our travel company and Zicasso again. I think the only downside is we tried to cram a lot in and it was hot. I probably should have asked for one to two fewer or shorter walking tours, especially on days we switched cities. Otherwise, it was excellent.

To everyone at Zicasso's travel agency, thank you, thank you, thank you! The private trip to the most remarkable European metropolises you curated for us was, well, in the words of the countries we visited, csodálatos/wunderbar/wunderbar/and trés magnifique!!!!!

Everything and everyone you arranged for us was not only to our liking, but perfect.

The hotels were as we like, boutique, not large conglomerate chains. Each was nicely situated, with the staff attentive. The one we found best was in Berlin, with the others not far behind.

The drivers were all nice, on time, and helpful. The tour guides were all informative and knowledgeable, and answered our many questions with aplomb. While all were good, we found the two guides in Berlin to be our favorites. And while she knew her subject matter, we found the one in Vienna too religious and opinionated. We suggest maybe not using her as much.

We did not really use any of the restaurant recommendations you supplied because we like to find local eateries close to the hotels. Two we went to twice because the first experience was so good – in Berlin and in Paris.

One note: there were two times we took a cab whose driver, after taking us, said they did not accept cash and passed a card scanner for me to tap. Afterward, I received an alert from Visa that the charge was $98 rather than the $9 quoted in Budapest and $168 rather than the $12 quoted in Paris. We suggest letting everyone know to only take cabs that accept cash or take an Uber.

Once again I would like to thank all of you who endeavored to make this adventure such a pleasant and memorable one.

All the best,

Rick and Barb Boyko

We did a custom trip with Zicasso’s tour operator. We visited Normandy and Paris, France, and Florence and Rome, Italy. Every tour was fantastic, planning was super-simple, and our travel agent was very responsive! We would absolutely plan another trip with this travel company.

Zicasso’s travel company did such a great job putting the trip together. I was charged for an extra night at our hotel in Paris, but they are refunding that and the Cairo portion of the trip we had to cancel.

Our Paris tour guide was great and I’d recommend her to anyone. Our Rome tour guides were very good. Hong Kong was fine. Our Tokyo guide was wonderful.

Really, the only hiccup on the trip was our hotel in Hong Kong. The company that picked us up dropped us at one hotel, not the correct one. Thankfully, a couple of their bellhops walked us and all our luggage several blocks to the correct hotel. Our tour guide the next day also went to the wrong hotel, but we only lost about 45 minutes before we figured out the issue. If you use that hotel again, please make sure folks know which hotel is which.

The "Fast and Furious" car experience was OK; however, my grandson was so tired he slept through most of it. The chopstick-making was fun, as was the glass-blowing experience.

We've taken many family vacations over the years, but we all agreed this was the best one yet!

The team at Zicasso’s travel company did an exceptional job tailoring the perfect trip for our family. Every detail was thoughtfully planned, making the entire experience seamless and truly enjoyable from start to finish.

We had wonderful drives and knowledgeable, engaging tour guides who made each destination come to life. Some of our favorite highlights include a hands-on cooking class in Florence, exploring the beautiful Tuscan countryside, and having effortless access to iconic sites like the Vatican and the Colosseum.

The experiences were unforgettable, from the best food tour in Rome to a fun and unique golf-cart tour through the city. We also loved visiting a Parmigiano-Reggiano factory and a Parma ham producer, along with an extra-special stop at the Ferrari Museum that was such a memorable surprise.

Every moment felt thoughtfully curated and we came home with incredible memories that we will cherish for years to come. We highly recommend the travel company to anyone looking for a truly personalized and exceptional travel experience.

Our trip was fantastic. The Zicasso tour company did a wonderful job setting up our trip navigating five Italian cities. The recommendations for hotels and dining were excellent. Their local guides and drivers for exploring the cities and sites were very knowledgeable and were key in getting the most out of our trip. I highly recommend this company to anyone interested in travel to Italy. It was an awesome trip.