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Frequently Asked Questions
1) DO YOU ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS AS A FINAL MEANS OF PAYMENT FOR SERVICES?
All our prices listed online, are for CASH ONLY (Euros or US Dollars). If you want to pay with credit card (Master or Visa) you will have to add 15% on every price listed. Traveler`s checks in Euros or US dollars are also acceptable, but only in Rome. Please keep in mind that our drivers or guides will have to exchange those dollars or Traveler’s checks just as you would have had to and no bank or exchange office will change then without a fee. You also have to consider that the daily rate fluctuates and if you pay in any denomination other than Euros in cash, our representative will incur a fee to change them into Euros on top of the conversion. You may be best to exchange your currency to Euros prior to travel to choose when is the best time for you to get the most value from your currency.
2) IS THERE A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON A TOUR?
On driver/vehicle services yes. Especially so in Florence where vans may only hold 6 or 7 people maximum. In Rome and Naples each vehicle can seat 6 for sure and usually 7. A few of our vans allow for a max of 8 passengers + the driver guide and these vehicles will become booked sooner than others as they are more limited.
If you have more people than will fit into 1 vehicle, we would recommend adding a second or third van, each with their own driver guide whom will travel together and make the same stops if you prefer. You can also divide and conquer if you prefer. This allows for a more individualized tour with a greater ability to navigate through the tiny streets in the center allowing your party to more easily reach the sites as compared to with a mini bus or bus. Especially in Rome, mini buses or buses are not allowed into many parts of the city that we usually tour.
On walking tours we can accomodate more than 8 people in one group and the price adjusts a bit. Ask us about adding more than 8 to your walking tour to get pricing.
For particularily busy days in high season or during holiday periods, we will need to use headsets to amplify the voice of the guide (not a pre-recorded track) at most venues. Headsets may be required for every person or only after 5 or more people depending on the venue and come at an extra cost. The cost is usually between 2-3 Euros per person and is not included in the cost of the tour.
3) ARE THE WALKING GUIDES AND DRIVER ESCORTS LICENSED?
Yes. Miles&Miles requires that the Travel Agent "The Way to Italy" whom operates the guide services for Miles&Miles to provide authorized and fully qualified guides and tour escorts. A walking guide is a licensed guide that will tour you inside each site without a vehicle. A Driver escort is a licensed Tour Escort with vehicle.
4) IF MY TOUR IS BOOKED ON THE DAY OF MY ARRIVAL DATE BUT THE FLIGHT IS LATE DO I PAY ANYWAY?
5) DRIVER GUIDED TOUR VS WALKING TOUR
Driver Guided Tours: For tours around the greater centre and outside of the city walls, it is crucial to have transportation if you want to cover more ground and to help you to get a lay of the land. These type of tours include an english speaking driver guide and a comfortable luxury Mercedes van. It's not a simple driving around the city but you will be able to stop and get off the van many times, take pictures, make questions, explore and learn the history and the secrets of each site with the expertise of your Driver Guide.
Our driver guides or driver escorts will, wherever possible, get out and take you around to, and through sites where parking does not pose a problem where a walking guide is not indicated or required. Some places make it impossible to leave the vehicle for a long period and the driver will drop you off and pick you up when you are ready so that you never feel rushed. We will also take you to the sites that are found in the walking tours, but you will likely view them from a great overlook point to discuss them with your guide. (Example: the Roman Forum as it is vast it is impossible to walk it on a driver guided tour and is seen from above).
These tours will allow you to touch so many sites and cover so much ground as you will not need to walk from site to site. These tours are also perfect for families with kids, people with limitations in walking or people that don’t have too much time and want to see as much as possible!
Walking Tours: These tours are perfect if you want to learn more about a site, in this case walking guide is the way to go, for example, you have had an overview of Rome but want even more of the history of specific sites or a tour inside of the Colosseo, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Borghese Gallery, Vatican or other museums: Let’s say, you would like to walk the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Campidoglio Hill and/or enter with the guide and discuss inside of these museums or churches, with more in depth details as opposed to seeing all of the major cites of the city in a history and fun overview with driver guide, then a walking guide is what you need.
This tour does not include transportation and if you need to get around sites that are too far from each other you will be able to move by taxi or Uber.
6) I REGISTERED ON THE WEBSITE BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REPLY TO MY REGISTRATION, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Be sure to check your spam folder if you have not received an auto reply that confirms your registration. Once you register on our website you do not need to confirm or validate any link, you are ready to go and shop on the site.
Once we do receive your request of booking by registering and logging or via our "contact us" link on the site or by direct email, we ask for 24-48 hours to reply and confirm or not the reservation. Please allow additional time especially on weekends, holidays or in high season when the volume of emails is very high.
Our replies about confirm a tour are done manually and not by our website so please keep this in mind. We will always strive to reply in 24 hours if possible. Again, check your spam folder first before inquiring about whether or not we received your request in case an email from us may have been diverted there.
7) I REQUESTED AVAILABILITY FOR SOME SERVICES BUT I DID NOT GET AN AUTOMATIC REPLY, WHY?
We do not have automatic system generated confirmations of bookings. As we offer a personalized service with a set amount of drivers & guides on a given day a member of our office staff personally generates responses via email or the website about availability. We may have to have some back and forth communication amongst our team members here in coordinating availability initially, and this means that there may be a bit of a lag time in initial reply especially since we are usually working on a different time schedule than where you live. We always strive to reply to you just as fast as we can.
Please do not submit the same request multiple times, wish lists once you have received a message that your request was successfully submitted to our office for review.
9) I HAVE SUBMITTED A "A REQUEST TO BOOK A TOUR/S", /ARE MY TOUR/S CONFIRMED?
No yet, we have very high volumes of requests. Your tour is not confirmed until you have received a voucher of service or on your dashboard next to the tour you see that the status is “Confirmed”. In order to get that, we are checking availability of tickets, if in your tour is included a site that has an admission fee that requires a prebooking or we are checking that is not a closing day or if the guide/driver that matches your request is not assigned to another tour. In order to get that. Once your tour is confirmed the system will send you the voucher even if you have other tours still in a “Work in progress”. We ask that you print this voucher and bring it with you on the date of your tour as it contains important meeting point, payment, and other supplemental information such as our contact info.
*If your services are dependant on the purchase of special tickets for example to the Underground and 3rd Tier at the Colosseo or the Vatican, we may opt to issue your voucher right away conditionally expecting that we will be able to purchase your tickets when they become available. In some cases of late or last minute bookings, we may wait and purchase them first if the tour date is close before we will issue you a voucher. If tickets are not available on your dates, we will contact you with back up options.
10) IS THE PRICE PER PERSON, PER TRIP, PER HOUR OR PER DAY ON SERVICES WITH DRIVERS OR DRIVER ESCORTS?
We do not offer per person pricing as we do not offer group tours. Our prices are generally listed as a total for the day for the driver, guide and or for driver guided services. The price applied is for up to a certain number of passengers generally as follows:
For driver guided services, from 1 to 6 people is one price and then we have another price bracket for 7 or 8 people. The price changes as we will generally need to send you a larger van on driver guided services.
For example, If your party has 6 people for a driver guided service it will be priced at the lower 1 to 6 people bracket. The cost will not be less in the event that you have say 2 people, as the service provided, time involved and if applicable vehicle used are still the same.
Walking tours are a flat rate for your party and the price changes after 8 people. Inquire directly through the page Contact us for pricing if you have a party larger than 8.
For port, train and airport transfers, the price changes after 6 passengers because we also have to account for luggage.
Transfers or pickups are calculated by the trip as again, there are different costs associated with these services and are also priced taking into considering the amount of luggage* per person.
*If you will have excessive amounts of luggage you need to advise us upon booking so we can be sure to send the right sized vehicle keeping in mind a larger vehicle has a higher cost. (more than one checked bag and one carry on per person)
Additional hours can be added to a walking tour flat or other daily rated service and the cost may vary. Please inquire if you would like to add an additional hour to a tour or daytrip and we will get back to you with pricing.
11) WHEN WE ARE AT LUNCH, DOES THE TIMING OF THE GUIDE STOP AND IS THE COST OF THE LUNCH INCLUDED?
No. The driver escort and van are always at your disposal even during lunch time and are ready to continue with the tour whenever you are ready. Therefore, time spent at lunch is considered part of the tour, after all dining in Italy is a big part of the Italian cultural experience.
Lunch is never included in the cost of the tour and you can feel free to talk with your driver escort about options that fits your needs, dietary restrictions and budget that you are comfortable with. Also, you are never expected to pay for the lunch of the guide.
12) HOW DO WE CALCULATE THE TIMING WITH THE DRIVER ESCORT OR WALKING GUIDE?
The timing of a service starts when you meet the driver escort or walking guide until the time that he/she leaves at the end of service including time spent for lunch if applicable on your service. The driver is always available during your entire service so his/her time must be acknowledged.
If you are doing a pickup from the port or airport and then a tour immediately after and priced independently, the tour timing starts when the pick up is completed.
If your accomdation is not centrally located, we may need to apply a pickup and drop off fee depending on the exact accomodation location. When we do this, you will always have your full touring time upon arrival in the city. If your accomodation is not central we may be able to work the time for pickup and drop off into the time of your tour, but consider that you will have a shortenend itinerary based on remaining time available and the pace of your party.
13) BY HAVING A DRIVER ESCORT OR WALKING GUIDE ARE WE ABLE TO AVOID TICKETING AND OR SECURITY SCREENING LINES?
Ticketing lines- YES! Security screening lines- NO!
The Vatican, Colosseo, Castel St. Angelo and Borghese Gallery are the only sites that without a pre purchased tickets or reservations the ticketing line is impossible to avoid. We always suggest that you have us purchase your tickets in advance but give you the option to purchase them yourselves if you notify us upon booking. If you do not notify us, we will work to book your tickets at the appropriate time based on the season. We organize all of the above mentioned tours to avoid the ticketing line.
Once we purchase your tickets on your behalf, you are responsible to reimburse us for them so be sure to tell us if you plan to purchase your own tickets and not that if your plans change you will still be responsible to pay us back for the tickets purchased.
We will also pre-reserve for you at the Accademia and Uffizi when touring with us in those venues and while we can provide you information and a link for tickets, we NEVER book tickets to climb the Tower in Pisa.
Security Screening Lines cannot be avoided: For obvious reasons, some venues have security screening and in no case can they be avoided, even with pre-reserved/purchased tickets. Please keep in mind that for the safety of everyone, you may need to pass through secure screening areas. Please be advised that we cannot avoid the security screening at any venue and that the Colosseo screening takes much more time that at other sites. For this reason, we suggest that you avoid an inside visit to the Colosseo on a short city tour day or on Shore Excursions where you have limited time on tour. You can always have your driver guide do an overview from the exterior and we feel that your time is best used for other sites in the city but, we will leave the final decision up to you.
14) WHAT KIND OF VEHICLE WILL WE HAVE?
A comfortable newer model Mercedes van called VIANO or VITO. The Viano Model can fit up to 7 passengers and the Vito model can fit up to 8 passengers. All of our vehicles have air-conditioning.
15) ARE WE ABLE TO MAKE STOPS AT THE SITES DURING THE DRIVER GUIDED TOURS?
Yes. This is NOT a drive by tour. The time is yours and while we give a general idea of the itinerary and suggested sites, the tour is built with you and for you. On our driver guided services, the escort will be pleased to stop in any appropriate place you like for pictures or explanations of course giving consideration to the time remaining to accomplish your tour in the time alloted.
While some sites are not appropriate for stopping most of them will be and our tours are very dynamic, interactive and informative and no two tours are identical. Feel free to communicate with your driver guide as to which sites are a priority for you at the start of your day so that he can figure out the logistics to create a smooth flow of sites and to avoid zig zagging around the city.
If you prefer to linger longer in one place or less time in another, let our driver know that as the pace is centered around your interests. Keep in mind that we may need to adjust or remove some of the sites seen in order to accommodate alternative or non standard stops.
16) DO DRIVER ESCORTS COME WITH US IN THE SITES?
The Driver Escort does not come with you inside some of the sites where a walking guide is indicated or where parking is an issue as traffic/parking in Italy can be quite complicated. Our Driver Escorts are very knowledgeable about the history, culture and the best way to move around between sites. Rest assured that he will fully explain each site and allow you to explore at your leisure, spending more or less time as you prefer.
17) WHAT DOES THE PRICE INCLUDE?
The price includes the vehicle for driver services, parking, taxes, fuel and tolls if applicable, and an English-speaking driver escort if the tour is by vehicle. If your tour is a walking tour the price paid is for the walking guide only.
18) ARE TAXIS, AS NEEDED FOR WALKING TOURS (OR AT THE END OF OUR FULL IMMERSION TOUR WHICH ENDS WITH A WALKING TOUR), INCLUDED IN THE COST OF THE TOUR?
No. Taxi(s) are never included in the cost of stand alone walking tours or on your way back after the walking tour that ends a full immersion day. For stand alone walking tours, unless otherwise requested, you will meet your guide at a meeting point central to your tour. For full immersion days, your driver guide will drop you off to your Vatican or Ancient Rome walking guide and will be finished for the day.
For stand alone walking tours, If you request it and we confirrm a hotel meeting point for a centrally located hotel, we are happy to send the guide to you to escort you in a taxi(s) to the start point of your tour. Following your tour, you can certainly ask your guide to assist you in locating the nearest taxi stand if you are unsure where to locate one and they will be happy to assist you.
19) ARE ENTRANCE FEES OR HEADSETS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE?
Not at first. On our website tour descriptions you will see prices that do not include the cost of the tickets on any tour. But, there are certain times where the type of tour you have selected will require the pre-purchase of admission tickets in advance. If you select one of these particular tours they will be included in the final cost in your WISH LIST. These tickets and the prices per person will be clearly listed. Please be advised that headsets are never included in the final cost of your tour and many venues will require you to use them. Even if not required, in some cases with a larger group of 6 or more people it is a good idea and these one ear type headsets will amplify the guides voice (it is not a recording).The payment of headsets is made direct to the guide and pricing is as specified in the tour description on the website.
20) DO YOU PURCHASE OUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE?
Miles&Miles is operated by "The Way To Italy Tour Operator" with licence 5526 as of 14/10/2014 that operates and issues our ticket reservations for our customers enabling us to purchase advanced tickets for the Vatican, Colosseo (when necessary), the Borghese Gallery Museum, and reserve at the Accademia or Ufizzi. For the Catacombs, Cappuccin Crypt, and Pompeii it is not required to purchase tickets in advance on our tours. In Florence we will always plan to include a reservation for the Accademia and you will pay as you enter.
21) ADMISSION TICKET INFORMATION
Prices are subject to change by the venue so please use this as a reference.
In most cases we cannot add the cost of tickets to the cost of your itinerary, with the exception of the Vatican. You will need to calculate the prices for the number of people in your party, based on age, and the applicable venues in your itinerary. Please plan to have that amount on hand on tour day in addition to the cost of your tours. Tour costs do not include admission tickets though we will arrange tickets for you.
Some museums may also require you to use headsets for small groups and they will generally cost 1.50 Euros each person but may vary.
For those sites where you pay on the spot, you are generally expected to pay with cash in euros.
*******In case your Venue allows for free or reduced ticket pricing for youth as listed below....Please be prepared with proper identification as it will be required upon entrance to receive the reduced or free rate for those under age 18.
Some of the venues will have security checks and these cannot be skipped by anyone for any reason. You will skip the general ticket lines with our guides in all cases.
Vatican (Rome)
Prices per person with reservation fee:
Please be sure let us know how many adults 19 and over, how many youth aged 6-18, and how many children age 5 and under will be touring with you.
• Adults 19 up Euros 25.00
• Children 6-18 Euros 19.00
• Children 5 & under Free
Advance reservation tickets are required so that you will skip the "dreaded" general line. Unless you tell us otherwise upon booking we will pre-purchase your tickets and you will reimburse us for them along with the cost of the tour. Once we purchase these tickets on your behalf, we need to be reimbursed by you regardless of potential changes to your plans or travel delays as they are completely NON REFUNDABLE and NON EXCHANGEABLE AS ENFORCED BY THE VATICAN. Even with an advanced reservation, you may find a bit of a line at entry as it is obligatory that everyone pass through the security screening.
Headsets may be required depending on your party size (generally 5 people, or more) or for particularly busy days and will vary in price from 1.50E per person to 3.00E per person depending on if you need them for both the Vatican museum and St. Peter's Basilica, or just inside of the Basilica. We will organize this with the Vatican as we are obligated to use the headsets that they provide.
There may also be some rare dates, in high season, where the Vatican will limit the ability to purchase tickets especially in the early morning when they block reservations to allow for their group tours. This type of situation is out of our control and although we don’t expect any problem in obtaining tickets overall, we may need to shift the start time of your tour to the first available tickets we can obtain for your date. The Vatican museums are closed on Sundays and some holidays.
Please advise the names as listed on your passports. The Vatican, upon entry, sometimes requests the passports and compares that the names match the names on the reservation. (Passports, or for other European Union citizens, a government photo ID or photocopy is fine to have on hand)
Colosseo Main Level (Rome)
Prices per person with reservation fee:
• Adults 18+ Euros 17.00
• Children 0-17 Euros 5.00 (you may be asked to show proof of age on ticketing for those aged 17 and under so please have at least a copy of a valid government issued photo ID on hand)
Advance reservations will always be organized for the Colosseo in order to skip the ticketing line, but you cannot skip the new security screening line (as of 2015) for the safety of all. Please ask for more info if needed. You will reimburse us for the cost of tickets at the end of the tour direct to your guide. Your ticket is good for the following sites: Colosseo, Roman Forum & Palatino Hill though you may enter only one time per site with your ticket within 24 hours. The first Sunday of each month is a free day at the Colosseum meaning no tickets are required. Because we are not able to skip the lines on free days we do not offer tours with the Colosseum on the first Sunday of the month.
Catacombs of St. Sebastian (Rome)
Prices per person:
• Adults Euros 8.00
• Children 6-15 Euros 5.00
With our driver guide you will always have preferential entrance as advance purchasing is not required for the Catacombs.
Crypt of the Cappuccini Monks (Rome)
Prices per person:
• Adults / Children Euros 5.00
With our driver guide you will always have preferential entrance as advance purchasing is not required for the Crypt.
Borghese Museum (Rome)
Prices per person with reservation fees:
• Adults / Children Euros 15.00 (includes headset)
Advanced reservations are required and there are a limited number of tickets available each day with entrance times always on the odd numbered hour. We will pre purchase your tickets for you and you will reimburse the guide when paying for your tour at the end of the day. You will also need to pay for the headset fee but we have already included it in the pricing above. The Borghese Museum is closed on Mondays.
Pompeii or Herculaneum Scavi
Prices per person:
• Adults 18+ Euros 13.00 (May through October )
• Adults 18+ Euros 11.00 (November through April)
• Children 0-17 Free No reservation is accepted but you may be asked to show proof of age on ticketing for those aged 17 and under
With our guide you will always have preferential entrance as advance purchasing is not an option for the Pompeii Scavi.
Mt Vesuvio Park Entrance
Prices per person:
• Euros 10.00
This fee is paid upon arrival to park personell at the mountain when doing a tour that includes Mt. Vesuvio in the itinerary. Reservations cannot be made in advance but are not necessary.
Accademia Museum (Florence)
Prices per person: Closed Mondays
• Adults 18+ Euros 16.50 including the reservation fee
• Children 6-17 Euros 4.00 for the reservation fee only
• Children 0-5 Free No reservation is required though we do ask that you tell us if you have anyone aged 0-5 in your party
Unless you tell us otherwise, our office always makes a reservation for the Accademia to see the David when touring with us in Florence. Once we reserve, the reservation fee of 4.00 euros per person must be paid by you as it is non refundable and required by the museum, even if you decide not to tour inside of the Accademia. Even with an advanced reservation, you may find a bit of a line at entry as it is obligatory that everyone pass through the security screening.
Ticket prices may vary if there is a special exhibit taking place on your tour date. The first Sunday of each month is a free day at the Accademia meaning no tickets are required. Because we are not able to skip the lines on free days we do not offer tours with the Accademia on the first Sunday of the month.
Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
Price per person: Closed Mondays
• Adults 18+ Euros 16.50 including the reservation fee
• Children 6-17 Euros 4.00 for the reservation fee only
• Children 0-5 Free No reservation is required though we do ask that you tell us if you have anyone aged 0-5 in your party
Unless you tell us otherwise, our office always makes a reservation for the Uffizi when doing a longer walking tour with us in Florence and/or this musuem has been specifically requested. Once we reserve, the reservation fee of 4.00 euros per person must be paid by you as it is non refundable and required by the museum, even if you decide not to tour inside of the Uffizi. Even with an advanced reservation, you may find a bit of a line at entry as it is obligatory that everyone pass through the security screening.
For the Uffizi when touring with us in Florence on a Shore Excursion the only way you will have a reservation for this museum is if you opt to cancel out all other sites to visit with the walking guide and specifically request this museum. About 2 to 2.5 hours are required to cover this museum. For this reason we do not suggest that you plan to cover it on a shore excursion unless you have chosen the driver service plus a walking tour option and will use your walking tour time for the Uffizi alone.
Ticket prices may vary if there is a special exhibit taking place on your tour date. The first Sunday of each month is a free day at the Uffizi Gallery meaning no tickets are required. Because we are not able to skip the lines on free days we do not offer tours with the Uffizi on the first Sunday of the month.
St. Mark's Square Museum Tickets (Venice)
Price per person:
• Euros 16.00 Adults 15+
• Euros 10.00 Children between ages 6 and 14
• FREE children between ages 0 and 5
A single ticket is valid for the Doge’s Palace, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. This ticket is good for three months from the date of issue.
22) ARE ALL OF YOUR TOURS COMPLETELY PRIVATE?
Yes! All the tours of Miles&Miles Private Tours are private and just for the person (family, couple or individuals) that booked the service. This means that we don’t, even on request, combine you with others for touring.
* You must have your party organized prior to contacting. The service is arranged solely for you and depending on the service you have chosen, you have the driver/driver guide or walking guide assigned just to you.
*The only exceptions to this are: The Cooking Class, the optional tours at the Catacombs and at Underground Orvieto also operate in a similar way where you may be combined with a small group if you wish to partake in the tour. This is a requirement of the venue so it is up to them to establish and enforce the rules themselves that we are obligated to respect.
23) DO WE NEED TO LEAVE A DEPOSIT TO CONFIRM THE SERVICE?
No, but we will need a credit card to guarantee your reservation as per our cancellation policy, which you will have a chance to review before confirming on your end. Although we have required your credit card details (Master Card or Visa only) we do not charge your pre-purchased tickets or deposits to your credit card. Tickets will be reimbursed to us at the end when you pay for your tour.
24) HOW SHOULD WE CALCULATE THE GRATUITY?
Gratuity is at your discretion, and by no means required but always appreciated by the drivers or guides. As people commonly ask, we like to give you some indication on this subject. As we deal with mostly an American clientele, the average we see seems to be in-line with American standards for tipping (10-15%). We also realize that every client is different and has their own budget to consider which may vary greatly from client to client.
25) I'VE HEARD THAT THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH IS FREE AT SOME SITES, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?
This is true every site or museum in Italy is free the first sunday of the month. While this is a great initiative, this means that there are no advanced tickets for these days so we will not have any way to skip the lines. The lines at the Colosseum in Rome or the Accademia in Florence can be very long and we don't think it would be a good value for you to wait in line with your guide. We prefer that you get the maximum time with the guide actually touring through the sites and as a result we do not offer tours to these sites on the first Sunday of each month.
26) DO YOU OFFER TOURS INSIDE THE VATICAN ON A SUNDAY?
No, we never tour inside of the Vatican on Sundays although it is open only on the last Sunday of the month with free admittance. We do not offer tours on this day as the Vatican is too crowded and we don’t feel that this allows for a great experience for you or your guide. On free Sundays we cannot pre-purchase tickets for you and this would mean you would have to wait an hour or more in the ticketing line depending on time of year.
27) IS THERE A DRESS CODE INSIDE OF THE VATICAN OR OTHER CHURCHES?
Yes, inside of the Vatican, basilicas or other churches including the church and the Crypt of the Cappuccin, bare shoulders or knees is considered disrespectful and is not allowed. Please have a shawl, long pants or shorts that entirely cover the knees when visiting these sites. Large tri-pods, backpacks or other suitcases are also not allowed and some museums will have security screening so be sure to leave non-essential items back at the hotel or on the ship.
28) IF I LEAVE MY BELONGINGS IN THE VEHICLE IS MILES&MILES RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM?
No, Miles&Miles does not assume any responsibility for your luggage or other personal belongings while you are transiting or touring or have to leave the vehicle unattended for any reason. Of course, there may be times when you may have no choice but to bring luggage with you and in those cases, the driver will do his best to keep an eye on your belongings but because we generally have stops in and out, it is not reccomended to leave your luggage unattended. We suggest that you check your bags with a with your local hotel when possible and we will be happy to organize a hotel stop to collect your luggage towards the end of your service.
It is also a good idea to check your personal insurance coverage at home to be sure if you have coverage worldwide as coverage in Italy does not include your personal belongings. You are responsible to remove your personal items when you exit the vehicle as shipping costs are very high and not the shipping times are long and not always very reliable.
29) DO YOU ALSO TOUR IN OTHER CITIES?
Yes. We have a team of drivers or guides in several other cities throughout Italy and Barcelona Spain. We can help you in and around Umbria, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Venice, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast and Pompei. We also offer direct non stop transfers or transfers with daytrips between cities as well as walking tours in each location under the The Way to Italy Tour Operator brand. We do not tour in Milan or farther south than the Amalfi coast and do not offer tours in other countries.
30) CAN WE BRING FOOD AND DRINKS INTO THE VEHICLES WHILE TRANSFERING OR TOURING?
While we understand that you may want to have a snack or beverage during your tour please just let your driver know that you would appreciate a stop and we will be happy to allow you time to enjoy a refreshment outside of the vehicle. Bottled water with a cap for closure is the exception. We like to keep our vehicles in great condition for you and for the people that will tour after you so we appreciate your consideration and cooperation in this request.
31) PAYMENTS & CANCELLATIONS
Although we have required your VISA or MC credit card details upon reservation, Miles&Miles DOES NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS FOR PAYMENT OF SERVICES AND DOES NOT CHARGE YOUR CARD TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS.
Payment: Payment is to be made in the form of Euros cash OR traveler`s checks (TC's are ok for tours in Rome only in denominations not larger than a 500 Euro per check) at the end of each service directly to your driver or guide. The credit card details are only collected to guarantee our cancellation policy and when applicable, for the guarantee of payment of our up front expense for your pre-purchased, non-refundable & non-exchangeable tickets. These tickets include the Vatican, Castel St. Angelo, Colosseum, Borghese Gallery, Accademia, Uffizi or other applicable tickets as required for your itinerary.
Refunds General: No refunds are available once an itinerary or service has commenced. Cancelling a confirmed itinerary with Miles&Miles can result in cancellation fees being applied by Miles&Miles, as outlined below. When canceling any booking you will be notified via email or telephone of the total cancellation fees. All vouchers are issued by Tour Operator, The Way to Italy for the attraction/museum tickets. These are non-refundable in all circumstances once they have been purchased on your behalf.
Special Event Period: These are non-refundable in all circumstances. Tours commencing during a period of special event including but is not limited to: Public or National Holidays, New Year`s, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter.
Other Tour Products & Services: We do ask that you please provide us as much advance notice as is possible in the unlikely event that you should need to cancel your services as we generally book services well in advance in order to provide you with your required dates. We will also likely turn others away for your dates once you do confirm as we often become fully booked quite early on especially in high season. An administrative fee of 80 euros will apply to any itinerary over 1000 Euros that is booked, but cancelled prior to the cancellation window taking effect. If you cancel at least 7 calendar days in advance of the commencement time of your itinerary, there is no cancellation fee for your itinerary though you will be charged 100% for any admission tickets purchased on your behalf. If you cancel between 4 and 6 calendar days in advance of the commencement time of your itinerary, you will be charged a 50% cancellation fee for your itinerary. Admission tickets purchased on your behalf will still be charged at 100%. If you cancel within 3-calendar days advance of the commencement time of your itinerary, you will be charged a 100% cancellation fee for your itinerary. Admission tickets purchased on your behalf will still be charged at 100%.
By Ship: If the ship is not able to dock in port for reasons that are out of the control of the clients, our company will not charge any fee to the client for your itinerary though you will be charged 100% for any admission tickets purchased on your behalf. Additional per hour rates will apply for waiting times longer than 30 minutes from the schedeuled pick up time from your ship.
By Flight: If you choose to schedule tours immediately following your arrival flight please be aware that the cancellation policy will apply for changes to flights, delays or missed flights so we ask that you consider this when booking services on your arrival or departure date. Additional per hour rates will apply for waiting times longer than 50 minutes from the landing time of your flight.
32) IS MILES&MILES A LICENCED TOUR OPERATOR?
Miles&Miles is a brand operated by a licenced Tour Operator & Travel Agency, "The Way to Italy". The Way to Italy is based in Rome at Viale Carso 1 with licence n.5526 issued by the Province of Rome Depart of Tourism.
34) WHAT IS A COMBINATION TOUR?
Combinations Tours: The combo tours are a mix of both tours above. For a city like Rome for example we suggest a Full Immersion tour that consists of a Drive guided tour in the morning where you will be able to see the major sites of the city and a walking tour of a Museum (Vatican or Borghese for example) or an archeological area (Colosseum, Forum, Campidoglio). We have the similar combination for other cities such as Florence and Naples area.
35) CAN I CHANGE MY RESERVATION?
- You have a discount voucher or a gift card that you didn’t inform us before
- Changing the type of tour
- Changing the date of the tour
- Change of number of people where is required a larger vehicle (example from 7 to 8 passengers)
36) I HAVE A DISCOUNT VOUCHER OR GIFT CARD WHEN CAN I PRESENT THIS?
37) I NEED A CAR SEAT FOR MY CHILD CAN YOU PROVIDE ME ONE?
If you have a child that requires a car seat you need to inform our office during the reservation process. If available we will be happy to provide you the seat.
38) I HAVE CHANGED MY IDEA ABOUT WHICH TOURS I WANT TO REQUEST AVAILABILITY FOR, SHOULD I SEND IN A SEPARATE REQUEST FOR AVAILABILITY?
While you can submit a new wishlist in case you want to change your tours and or and or add a tour, these tours will always be added to your existing itinerary code. It would be best if you could email us via your dashboard to tell us about the changes you wish to make after your initial submission of your wish list.
Sending in multiple wishlists can create confusion when we need to understand what services you would like us to check availability for. Your wish list quotation summary will come automatically upon initial submission and revised quotations communicated to us via email will be sent by the office manually. Either way, they will always show pricing for each service individually along with infomation about tickets when required for a particular tour.
39) DO THE DRIVER ESCORTS AND WALKING GUIDES SPEAK ENGLISH?
Yes. For the last 40 years, Miles&Miles has specialized in working with English speaking markets (USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and others) and our entire team speaks fluent English. Check out our youtube video on the home page for an example of what you can expect with our Italian guides who speak English. In addition, our office is also staffed with native English speaking tour assistants. If you are requesting a simple transfer service to or from the airport, port, train stations or from one city to another as a direct non stop transfer, some of these drivers will speak much more basic English.
40) WHERE DO WE MEET THE DRIVER, DRIVER ESCORT OR WALKING GUIDE?
For driver guided services:
You will meet the driver guide in the lobby of your hotel or at the street level entrance of your apartment or B&B when there is no lobby. Driving services include a pickup and drop off unless your tour ends with a walking tour. In that case, you will need to take a taxi or walk back following your walking tour. Examples of this are our combination full immersion days.
For walking tours:
No transportation is provided since parking is an issue in Italy and usage of the vehicle is not necessary during the touring time. We find that transport by taxi or Uber is most ecomomical and we usually assign a convenient meeting point that is central to the start of the tour so that you can optimize your time with the guide. As long as your hotel is centrally located and the guide can easily reach it with public transport, on most walking tours we can also can also arrange to send the guide to the lobby of your hotel or to the street level of your apartment to meet you. She will then escort you to the start point of the tour if you feel that you would not be able to get to the meeting point on your own.
Please be sure to tell us you prefer this option keeping in mind that we will have to shorten up time at the sites to accomodate the travel time. You can also ask us to add a bit more time to the tour and we can adjust for travel time extending the duration of your tour and prorating for the added time. The walking guide will be happy to arrange taxi(s) or if you have the app assist you for an Uber vehicle the cost of them is not included in the cost of the tour.
Non central lodging:
If your hotel/apartment/B&B is not centrally located in the city, we will not be able to provide the guide escorting option and will always keep the assigned meeting point that is central to the tour. You would need to find your way to the tour in these cases.
For arrival at the airport, port or train station:
For arrival at the airport: You will meet your driver just after you leave the area where you claim your bags but before leaving the inside of the airport. You will see a driver with a sign bearing your name.
For arrival by ship: (see notes on our shore excursion letter for Naples) but in Rome and Florence, your driver escort will greet you just as you exit your ship. Please do not take a shuttle away from your ship but look for the private transfer/tour drivers waiting and not the ship organized services. The driver will have a sign bearing the last name that was provided on your reservation.
For arrival by Train: We will have the driver meet you right at the exit of the “Only passengers area” with a sign bearing your name. We will have the driver meet you right at the end of your arrival train platform where it meets the train station.