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14 Days Mediterranean Spring Magic package from $9,357pp $7,299pp after Getaway Cash travel credits:
Save up to 22% off full retail value.
FULL RETAIL VALUE: $9,357pp. YOU PAY FROM $7,199, SAVE UP TO $2,058pp.
View Inclusions & Itinerary | Introduction for New Members | 4 Ways we Can Benefit You
G'day, ready to go? Request a travel plan and pricing for your preferred dates. Send a booking enquiry or call 1800 669 579.
You’ll start in Rome, see the Vatican highlights and immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita, take a train to Florence to discover amazing art and culture and that’s just the start of this 14-day wonderful European adventure that takes in some of the top places to visit around the Mediterranean. While the weather from Spring through the Autumn is almost invariably ideal, even in the winter months the weather is generally very mild so you have a wide choice of times to visit.
* Various itinerary options are available. See full itinerary for details. Package price varies according to season and departure city.
In the style of most Global Escapes Independent Traveler itineraries, this is a perfect blend of self-guided adventure and forward-planning to ensure that the main elements are organised in advance allowing for plenty of time to relax and take in each place you visit.
We guarantee to beat any competitor accommodation-only quote or travel package price and/or value by a minimum of 15%. Conditions.
We guarantee to beat any competitor accommodation-only quote or travel package price or value by a minimum of 15% ("price-beat") on the following conditions:
Note: By requesting a price-beat you are under no obligation to place a booking with us or proceed with the final travel package as the case may be. A non-refundable deposit is required in the case of a tour/travel package price-beat (see below).
The following terms and conditions apply to travel plans and accommodation quotes requested from and supplied by Travel Directions Pty. Ltd. trading as Global Escapes Travel, Australian Escapes Holiday & Travel Club (Australian Escapes) and Kiwi Escapes (the company) and are subject to change without notice. These conditions are to be read in conjunction with our standard booking conditions and conditions applicable to Australian Escapes Holiday & Travel Club membership as defined in website FAQs.
There are two main scenarios:
(1) You request a price-beat on a specific property. Our objective is to provide at least 15% more total value or a price that is 15% lower than a competitor quote supplied to us for the same accommodation property, on the same conditions and with the same inclusions, provided we have access to be able to book the accommodation through our normal supplier channels.
If we do not have access to member rates that property we will offer an alternative that is of the same or higher standard, as per our hotel rating system and that meets the stated requirements, subject to availability, and subject to the following:
(2) We propose a property with member pricing: If the "you pay" price we submit is already discounted using GCash travel credits and the lowest available price at the time it was submitted, it does not qualify. Otherwise our objective is to provide at least 15% more total value or a price that is 15% lower than a competitor quote supplied to us for the same accommodation property, on the same conditions and with the same inclusions.
A price-beat will be deemed successful and this guarantee is therefore met when the applicable objective is achieved.
Inclusions in travel and tour packages assembled by competitor travel agents, tour companies, wholesalers, online travel promoters will all be different in some way. Packages will typically vary by inclusions, validity, suppliers, component type, standard, terms and conditions, travel date, etc ("package components").
Our objective in this type of price-beat situation is to assemble a package containing similar and/or higher value package components to that which you present to us. We guarantee to offer at least 15% more total value (through added value) or a price that is 15% lower than the competitor quote ("successful price-beat") subject to the following:
A price-beat will be deemed successful and this guarantee is therefore met when the above objective is achieved.
The price-beat must be requested before you place a booking with any other travel agent, online booking agent or property direct in relation to the subject accommodation or package.
A price-beat may be requested by providing clear, written evidence of the competitor quote as well as your requirements to an employee of the company who performs a reservations or travel consultant role ("company contact") as follows:
A competitor quote presented under this guarantee must be genuine (not contrived) and must be a final, fixed price, backed by verifiable evidence. A competitor quote that we determine is not genuine or final is excluded. The requested date range(s) for travel/tour commencement as well as for individual package components must be realistic and flexible.
This condition applies to travel/tour packages only. We require up to $900 deposit per person (amount depending on package complexity) as a guarantee that you will proceed with the travel plan after we are successful with the price/value beat. This requirement exists because of the amount of travel consultant time required to price according to a competitor quote.
Your Australian Escapes Holiday & Travel Club membership must be Gold level or above and active and paid up at the time of requesting the price beat.
FULL RETAIL VALUE $9,357pp SAVINGS APPLIED -$2,058 YOU PAY FROM* $7,299 |
SAVING OFF FULL RETAIL VALUE (UP TO): 22% |
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Not yet a member? Submit a booking enquiry and we'll automatically register you for a 90-day free trial account. No obligation to book a trip or to remain as a member. There are no scams and no catches. This is a genuine travel club and you'll quicky discover how professional we are.
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* All prices are per-person on a twin-share basis and bookings are subject to availability. The final price and deposit amount varies according to travel date. All prices are estimates only. A firm quote (travel plan) with payment terms will be submitted for consideration prior to agreement to proceed. Full booking terms and conditions are available HERE...
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After spending a few days in Italy, you embark on a wonderful 7-night Mediterranean cruise. From the comfort of your floating resort, you’ll be taking in grand cultural sights, picturesque villages, sunny beaches and regional cuisines. The Mediterranean has numerous advantages over other cruising areas, with its diversity of cultures, peoples, languages and history. Nowhere else can such an array of culture and history be found in such a relatively small area.
This is a first-class travel itinerary that's fully flexible. Want more or fewer days or you want to include a special destination or activity? No problem, we’ll customise a travel plan for you.
This itinerary is fully customisable to suit your requirements. Add comprehensive, best-in-class, travel insurance for just $199 per person* valued at over $600 per couple.
Read about our accommodation rating standards and the methods used to assess quality.
This itinerary is fully customisable to suit your requirements. Your personal travel consultant is available to discuss changes and additions that will enhance your travel experience.
Lonely Planet is renowned for its first-hand approach, up-to-date maps and commitment to providing the best information for travelers. Lonely Planet authors are experienced, insightful travel experts. They personally research the places they write about - both in the first and in subsequent editions - and provide essential travel details along with a wealth of insider information and first-hand tips.
You will receive this guide to help you gain the most out of your holiday. Recommendation: Take the time to read suggestions for things to see and do before you leave home. Take your Lonely Planet guide with you in your luggage.
* All prices are per-person on a twin-share basis and bookings are subject to availability. Price and deposit amount varies according to travel date. If flights are shown as included then a flight cost provision (allowance) applies and is based on travel from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Travel can be arranged from any other major centre and for any number of people. All prices shown are estimates only. A firm quote (travel plan) with payment terms will be submitted for consideration prior to agreement to proceed. Total price after member discount (using Getaway Cash travel credits and Australian Escapes Free Flights Vouchers if applicable) is generally payable as follows: Deposit on booking, balance 120 days prior to departure. Packages can be priced for families and groups on request. Standard price and full retail value comparisons are with similar packages offered elsewhere or what we estimate would be payable by a non-member for the same or similar package and may include a value we define for specialty travel agency services. Travel insurance if included is a provision only and may be declined on requestTravel insurance pricing if stated is based on comprehensive travel insurance for two travellers aged 69 years or less as at the date of departure from Australia. No recommendations or advice are given in regard to travel insurance suitability. Travel Directions Pty Ltd (t/as Australian Escapes Holiday & Travel Club) standard booking terms and conditions apply to all booking enquiries and bookings and are available here to view (or visit our website and go to either the "Booking Enquiry" or "About Us" menu item.)
If you have never been to Italy before, or you would like to return and do a Mediterranean cruise, this could be an excellent value holiday for you. We’ll take care of all the details so you’ll have a smooth-running travel experience. Consider extending your stay to take in the South of France. We recommend three nights in Nice, France with day tours to St. Tropez, Cannes and Monte Carlo.
"I travel because it makes me realize how much I haven't seen, how much I'm not going to see, and how much I still need to see." - Carew Papritz
Welcome to the ancient city of Rome. When you arrive you'll be met by your transfer driver who will take you to your central Rome hotel. Depending on your arrival time, this could be a great opportunity to head to Piazza Navona for your first Italian meal. 2 nights central Rome, breakfast.
“A heady mix of haunting ruins, awe-inspiring art and vibrant street life, Italy’s hot-blooded capital is one of the world’s most romantic and inspiring cities.” Lonely Planet
The result of 3000 years of ad hoc urban development, Rome's cityscape is an exhilarating spectacle. Ancient icons such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Pantheon recall the city’s golden age as caput mundi (capital of the world). Few cities can rival Rome's astonishing artistic heritage. The result is a city awash with priceless treasures.
A trip to Rome is as much about lapping up the dolce vita lifestyle as immersing yourself in art and culture. Idling around picturesque streets, whiling away hours at streetside cafes, people-watching on pretty piazzas – these are all an integral part of the Roman experience. Eating out is one of Rome's great pleasures and the combination of romantic alfresco settings and superlative food is a guarantee of good times.
Slip through a special, reserved entrance to experience the wonders and history of the Vatican first hand. With a small group and an expert guide, marvel at the majestic interiors of St. Peter's Basilica, gaze up at the timeless frescoes of the Sistine Chapel's famous ceiling, and admire High Renaissance paintings in the Raphael Rooms.
Today you'll embark on the 1 hour 45 minute train journey to Florence (Firenze). Trains are not only a relaxing way to see Italy, they are possibly the fastest means of travel after flying, and you get to see some of the country along the way. After checking into your Florence hotel, you'll have your first opportunity to wander the streets of this charming city. There's a lot to see and your Lonely Planet guide will help you make the most of your first day here.
“Cradle of the Renaissance, romantic, enchanting and utterly irresistible, Florence (Firenze) is a place to feast on world-class art and gourmet Tuscan cuisine.” Lonely Planet
Few cities are so compact size or so packed with extraordinary art and architecture masterpieces at every turn. The urban fabric of this small city, on the banks of the Arno river in northeastern Tuscany, has hardly changed since the Renaissance and its narrow cobbled streets are a cinematic feast of elegant 15th- and 16th-century palazzi (palaces), medieval candle-lit chapels, fresco-decorated churches, marble basilicas and world-class art museums brimming with paintings and sculptures by Botticcelli, Michelangelo et al. Italy's fashion industry was also born and bred here. If you want to buy an Italian Leather jacket you would visit Peruzzi Leather for the biggest range at the best prices.
Leave Florence behind and see Pisa’s cultural and historical highlights on this 5-hour tour. Learn about the city's mysterious origins as you stroll around the glorious Square of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli) and don’t miss your opportunity to pose for photos by the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Today we leave Florence and travel by train to Genoa in Italy's north. The train trip itself takes in some marvellous scenery along the Cinque Terre coast and ranks as one of the world's most scenic train trips.
Whilst in Genoa you can explore the old town with its' museums and art galleries. The Acquario di Genova is the city’s pride and joy, parked like a giant ocean liner on the waterfront, with seventy tanks housing sea creatures from all the world’s major habitats, including the world’s biggest reconstruction of a Caribbean coral reef. You can also take a day trip to Portofino, tucked into a protected inlet surrounded by lush cypress- and olive-clad slopes. It’s an A-list resort with lots of natural beauty and a big heart.
Today you'll have free time after hotel check-out to visit parts of Geno that you still have on your list. You can board the cruise ship from around 3pm for 6pm departure. The following itinerary is subject to change.
During your visit to Civitavecchia you can easily walk to the city centre. Amongst the most important monuments to visit are the Forte Michelangelo, built by Bramante in the 16th century. Civitavecchia’s main square is a typical Italian piazza with a fountain in the centre. There you can enjoy the local seafood cuisine, from poached baby octopus to fried rocket to stuffed squid or the pizza alla civitavecchiese with anchovies and garlic.
With Sicily’s greatest concentration of sights, and the biggest historic centre in Italy bar Rome, Palermo is a complex, multilayered port that can easily feel overwhelming if you try to do or see too much in one Mediterranean cruise visit. The best thing to do here is just to wander as the fancy takes you, sifting through Palermo’s jumbled layers of crumbling architecture, along deserted back alleys, then suddenly emerging in the midst of an ebullient street market.
You can admire this port from your ship even before disembarking. The over 300 monuments rising in little more than half a square kilometre make this a place with one of the greatest density of historical attractions to visit during a cruise, not mentioning other attractions such as its beaches, seaside locales and restaurants. An excursion to the island can start right from its capital, Valletta, which enchants the cruise-goer with its famous Maltese balconies, which decorate the facades of houses in its old quarter. Surrounded by a multitude of churches, which the islanders assure are as many as the days of the year, the St. John’s Co-Cathedral is one of Malta’s biggest tourist attractions.
Time to take advantage of the ship's facilities, entertainment and activities. Or just do not much at all.
A visit in Barcelona can start with the Ramblas, and then dive straight into the medieval nucleus of the city, the Barri Gotic. But there are plenty of other central old-town neighbourhoods to explore too, from La Ribera – home to the celebrated Museu Picasso – to funky El Raval.
Even if you think you know these neighbourhoods, there’s always something else to discover during an excursion – tapas bars hidden down alleys little changed for a century or two, designer boutiques in renovated old-town quarters, bargain lunches in workers’ taverns, unmarked gourmet restaurants, craft outlets and workshops, fin-de-siècle cafés, restored medieval palaces and neighbourhood markets.
Marseilles is a 2000-year-old port city rising above the sandy shores of the Côte d’Azure to take in the artsy, old world charm of its opera house and its many museums and galleries. Be sure to try a steaming bowl of bouillabaisse—filled to the brim with today’s catch—and enjoy the same seaside view once admired by Impressionists like Pierre-August Renoir and Paul Cézanne. While walking the cobblestone streets, be sure to enjoy the quietude of the Basilique de Nôtre-Dame de la Garde, the city’s 150-year-old cathedral, before making your way over to the Old Port for a stroll.
Every great holiday must come to an end and you'll be left with so many memories of the diverse places and cutures you have experienced. The cruise ship docks at 8am and disembarkation starts around mid-morning. Later you'll catch a flight back to Rome where you'll spend one more night in this delightful city.
Today we depart Europe. Alternatively you could extend your stay and visit other parst of Italy or France. For your return to Australia, consider a stop-over in Singapore or Dubai to break the trip.
This will have been one of your favourite holidays; affordable, comprehensive and diverse.
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