This was a very poorly planned and poorly organized tour. We were given an unnecessarily large amount of free time with virtually no guidance on how to navigate on our own or suggestions of local museums, restaurants, affordable shopping areas, bus routes, etc. Particularly in Rome: SmarTours should have known that the first Sunday of the month was a no-fee day for Rome's major tourist attractions. Instead, we were left to flounder around on our own the entire Sunday, and four major sites were crammed into Monday, our last day in Rome. Rome was crowded with tourists, which made the tour even more unpleasant. I chose October assuming the major tourist season was past. I would have appreciated a warning from SmarTours. Because we were left on own a lot, I ended up walking a lot more than I anticipated that the regular tourist season has been expanded for some cities in Europe. I would have made another choice. I came home deeply exhausted and disappointed in my experience of Italy. I no longer have confidence in SmarTours. If you can do so badly in familiar places, I wonder how you will manage in less traveled areas. I will not sign up for another SmarTours tour, and I will not recommend your company to others.