Miles and Miles tour in Rome

[sotiris]

If you have the chance to take a tour with Miles & Miles you will not be sorry. We did Rome with them this past May 1, and it was awesome. We saw so much more than those that had taken a ships tour. Our tour guide was Franceso and he spoke English very well. I would recommended them. If fact if we get back to Rome I would take another tour with them. They offer many tours. You will not be sorry if you take there tour. Ask for Franceso.

Rita

 

DH and I were part of Rita's group and our tour with Francesco was the highlight of the trip. We were a little concerned about being in Rome on a National holiday but Franceso knew all the "back roads" and we were able to get to the sights, especially the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, with no trouble. It was an unforgettable day.

 

BTW Rita, John has been working on the "peep hole" picture and we will send it to the group in the next few days.

 

Linda

[Gibby]

DH and I were part of Rita's group and our tour with Francesco was the highlight of the trip. We were a little concerned about being in Rome on a National holiday but Franceso knew all the "back roads" and we were able to get to the sights, especially the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, with no trouble. It was an unforgettable day.

 

BTW Rita, John has been working on the "peep hole" picture and we will send it to the group in the next few days.

 

Linda

 

I was the member of this group that organized the tour, and boy, there is no way I could have done any better. Francesco is simply the best! Can't wait to go back and see more, and Francesco can expect a call when we do.

 

By the way Sotiris I would love a copy of that peephole picture too.

[ActiveTraveler]

I noticed only one poster wrote about a driver not named Franseco. Does that mean it's a small company? If Miles and Miles has other drivers in Rome, I am guessing they are his siblings or children because people say his mom runs the Vatican tours.

Because there are many endorsements for Rome In Limo by travelers who took various tours in different places with different drivers it seems like a no-brainer to use RIL for all or most guided Italy tours. But I wrote down all Italy tour companies suggested here by people who have used them.

[Gibby]

I noticed only one poster wrote about a driver not named Franseco. Does that mean it's a small company? If Miles and Miles has other drivers in Rome, I am guessing they are his siblings or children because people say his mom runs the Vatican tours.

 

Because there are many endorsements for Rome In Limo by travelers who took various tours in different places with different drivers it seems like a no-brainer to use RIL for all or most guided Italy tours. But I wrote down all Italy tour companies suggested here by people who have used them.

 

Francesco was our driver, one of many that Miles & Miles have, all top caliber. I heard about them on Cruise Critic first, and a quick search brought up the reviews on Trip Advisor, all but a couple of them were 5 out of 5, and the few that were not did not even take the tour. As I said, I will be looking to them again when I return.

[sodell]

I noticed only one poster wrote about a driver not named Franseco. Does that mean it's a small company? If Miles and Miles has other drivers in Rome, I am guessing they are his siblings or children because people say his mom runs the Vatican tours.

 

 

 

I got the impression that our driver was not a regular driver for M &M... however, he was still terrific & i would not hesitate to use them again.

[55J5-5]

I have booked a tour with Miles and Miles this Aug. It seems to take forever to get an email back from them. Anyone else have this problem?

 

Also, did they purchase the vatican tix or did you online before you left?

 

I would call but like to have things in writing and then the cost of the call.

Starting to wonder if I made the right decision in booking them since they done respond to emails very well. [waiting 3 days and have sent 2 emails]

[hubofhockey]

I have booked a tour with Miles and Miles this Aug. It seems to take forever to get an email back from them. Anyone else have this problem?

 

Also, did they purchase the vatican tix or did you online before you left?

 

I would call but like to have things in writing and then the cost of the call.

Starting to wonder if I made the right decision in booking them since they done respond to emails very well. [waiting 3 days and have sent 2 emails]

 

This has not been my experience with Francesco (who is doing my tour) or Madison in the office. I'll post a review here after my tour in three weeks.

[moira62]

Don't be concerned. Our family had a super tour with this company. Look at TripAdvisor ratings. They are really professional, were on time, had roomy, clean vans, and our guide spoke great English and had a background in Roman history. Our group had varied interests and didn't want the usual tour. Our driver discussed our wishes with us on the trip from cruise ship into Rome and met our every need, even taking us to reasonably priced but great restaurant for a lunch break. It may have be the highlight of our trip--this tour with Miles and Miles.

[johnlh]

I have booked a tour with Miles and Miles this Aug. It seems to take forever to get an email back from them. Anyone else have this problem?

 

Also, did they purchase the vatican tix or did you online before you left?

 

I would call but like to have things in writing and then the cost of the call.

Starting to wonder if I made the right decision in booking them since they done respond to emails very well. [waiting 3 days and have sent 2 emails]

I had the same problem, I was trying to add people to our tour. It appears my spam blocker was blocking their emails. I added their email address to my address book in outlook and the emails started to come through. They had attempted to contact me four times within a three week point. I was getting ready to book with another company because I had not heard from them (I didn't want our group to be standing on the pier in November without a guide) and I remembered that some times foreign email addresses are blocked by your spam blocker. Try this and see if it helps.

[55J5-5]

Thanks Johnlh. I had checked that and my junk box but no email. They did finally reply and all is good.

[johnlh]

Thanks Johnlh. I had checked that and my junk box but no email. They did finally reply and all is good.

Glad you got a reply. I was checking my junk mail and they didn't even get to the junk. I was really going crazy and then I added their address and walla the emails started to come in.

[hubofhockey]

I can provide a more detailed review on another thread or answer questions about Miles & Miles. We toured Rome with Francesco of Miles & Miles and no other guide approached him. I know he is on a family vacation now. But when he gets back, he addresses all e-mails.

 

I do think Miles & Miles should be differentiated from typical limo services in that the guides get out with you and walk with you and show you special things about their city. This is a family business and the family and friends have 13 vehicles and also have 10 contract employees who they use and won't go over that amount.

 

Francesco brought us to some places not typical on tours and through some great backroads in Rome. If you have done his tour, you will remember the "keyhole" you look through that shows you an incredible view of three stages of Rome, the Garibaldi Statue lookout sight with another incredible view and park area. He also brought us right into the Vatican where he knows the people who work in the area where they make all of the mosaics for the Vatican and gifts to foreign governments. We met the artists and saw them doing their craft. It was special. We didn't even include the Vatican in our itinerary. Of course, we also got to see the typical big sites in Rome as well and also did a tour of the Great Synagogue in Rome (he let us off for that as the Synagogue does not allow other guides in and do their own tours).

 

We had a group of six which led to a very personalized tour and I had the honor of riding shotgun with Francesco. The family specifically caters to Americans and Canadians (and english speakers) and Francesco's dad has all of the family employees spend significant time in the US (I believe his mother is British). His english, of course, was far better than other guides you will come accross. More importantly, what made our tour great were the personal touches. Of course, our tour was just with Francesco. We met his youngest cousin, who was giving another tour. But it is hard for me to comment on the other 12 family members and the tours they offer or compare Miles & Miles to other companies based in Rome. I will compare him as the top guide we used and best at doing a tour among the ones we used in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and French Riviera. Most were very good (one service in Monaco to Nice was below grade level). But Francesco stood out.

 

I hope the above helps out. Most of all, my overall experience tells me that selecting guides and driver guides is not easy. But getting owners and family members of the tour companies is important as is getting companies native to that port. I would use Miles & Miles for Rome. Honestly, they know Rome. Other ports, well, I am happy that I chose local providers for those. I believe many of these companies all contract in ports not local to them.

[55J5-5]

Used Miles & Miles for 2 days.

Day 1 was tour of Rome with Roberto the father. Loads of great info. Only slight of the day was we were not taken back to the mouth of truth, which was on my list of want to see.[expressed this to him too] Also, after we declined having a traditional Roman lunch [20 euro each for about 40min] and opted for a quick bite before the Vatican, the friendliness changed. Vatican with Caren, mom, was exactly as we liked. Just enough info to keep us interested and just long enough to enjoy the visit.

Returned to the van and it seemed as though Roberto couldn't get us back to our hotels quick enough. The whole group noticed the change.

 

Day 2 with Francesco to Pompeii and coast.

Found out Francesco was sick the day before but feeling better now. The whole day was great. Covered everything and anything that was to see. Everyone loved this day. Tour guide at Pompeii was very knowledgeable, kinda long winded but loads of info. Extreamly hot here with little shade so plan accordingly.

Francesco stayed with us at lunch and explained what things were. Very nice touch. Drove along the coast. Did a stop for some shopping/beach. Water was great. Got back to our hotel just about the time we spoke about when we started the day. Never felt rushed.

 

This is a family run business. 13 vehicles with cousins, aunts, uncles and such as drivers when needed. Very clean and professional. If you ask they will supply water.

 

OH, note to everyone. They purchased the Vatican tix for us as was discussed in emails. But when we paid the bill at the end of the day we had to pay for Caren's ticket to enter also. This was not mentioned in any emails so it was an added expense. I know some companies add this tix into tour cost and others state it in the quote. It was a surprise to us as we paid. Just fyi.

 

Would recommend to use again.

[WriterRider]

We just returned from a Med cruise with RCI and absolutely LOVED our tour of Rome with Miles and Miles. Our guide was fabulous – he speaks wonderful English, has a great sense of humor, and is very personable and informative. He is also an excellent driver and expertly maneuvered the minivan through Rome’s traffic to give us a fantastic tour. The van was quite new, very comfortable, and had a speaker system so all 8 of us could easily hear his fascinating commentary. We didn’t just see the sights – we also discovered the wonderful culture of Rome, thanks to his knowledge and personal insights. One highlight was having cappuccino at a quaint little sidewalk café near the Vatican, when we met our guide’s 93-year-old grandfather, who fought in World War II! When you go with Miles and Miles, you definitely feel like part of the family. To us, we couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful.

They pre-purchased our tickets to the Vatican, saving us a long line. We also bought a ticket for our guide, Noemi, who also works for Miles&Miles. We would highly recommend her, as well! She speaks perfect English, gave a breathtaking tour, and really helped us make the most of our time.

In short, we would highly recommend using Miles & Miles. If you see negative reviews, look at the dates; I think they’re all from years ago. This company is very efficient and well-run, and they answer e-mails very quickly. Should we ever be fortunate enough to return to Rome, we will definitely book them again!

[WriterRider]

PS: Our group opted for a quick lunch, so our guide gladly took us to a wonderful café where the locals eat. We were the only tourists! The food was great, the pastries were incredible, and the prices were reasonable. I think my husband and I spent a total of about 10 Euros. Later in the van, we passed a restaurant where a tour bus had just dropped off a huge group of people, and they were all standing in a long line outside. We felt sorry for them! If you can only spend a day or two in Rome, you want to make the most of every minute -- and Miles and Miles really knows how to do this.

[Terpnut]

...

 

They pre-purchased our tickets to the Vatican, saving us a long line. We also bought a ticket for our guide, Noemi, who also works for Miles&Miles. We would highly recommend her, as well! She speaks perfect English, gave a breathtaking tour, and really helped us make the most of our time.

She must not have been a licensed guide because if she was, she wouldn't have needed a ticket! :rolleyes:

[WriterRider]

She must not have been a licensed guide because if she was, she wouldn't have needed a ticket! :rolleyes:

I just verified that our guide with Miles&Miles is indeed licensed. She was SO knowledgeable - I only wish I had taken notes on all the interesting information she shared! Our college-age daughter hopes to visit Rome next summer. If so, we will book a tour for her with Miles and Miles because we had such a perfect experience with them from start to finish!