Italy at Your Group's Pace, with a Minibus and Driver
Tell us when you travel, how many are coming and the places you would love to see. A licensed partner operator supplies the minibus and the person driving it, we take care of the booking, and the whole day comes back to you as a single quote.
Who does what
We handle bookings and run no buses ourselves. Each vehicle and driver comes from a partner operator holding the authorisation Italian law asks of anyone hiring out buses with a driver (Legge 218/2003), granted by the region where the company is based, together with the insurance that goes with it. Cars with a driver run under a separate NCC licence. We pick an operator that suits your group, have the day costed and remain your contact until the last drop-off.
Sized for eight to sixteen travellers
Most requests come from small groups: cousins gathering for a big birthday, guests heading to a wedding in the hills, a choir on tour, old friends celebrating together. A minibus seats nine to sixteen passengers plus the driver, so nobody has to travel separately.
Italian law counts anything with more than nine seats, the driver's included, as a bus, which means even a compact minibus follows the same city rules as a big coach. Eight passengers or fewer can ride in a car with driver, always booked ahead. Larger parties move up to a midibus with 29 to 35 seats or a full-size coach with 49 to 57.
Where a smaller vehicle earns its place
On the Amalfi Coast, buses longer than 10.36 m or higher than 4 m are banned from the SS163, so a group heading from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi, roughly 25 and 50 minutes away, travels in something smaller, such as a minibus. Alternate number plates also apply on some dates; the operator checks the calendar for your day.
Lake Como works the same way: the lakeside road to Bellagio is closed to anything over 10.5 m. The Cinque Terre are different for every size of vehicle. You ride to La Spezia or Levanto, then carry on by train or boat to the villages.
Old town centres: where you step down
Almost every historic centre is a limited-traffic zone (ZTL), and each city runs its own scheme for tourist buses. In Venice, Piazzale Roma is as far as any road goes. Florence's bus zone covers the whole built-up area, and Piazza Savonarola is for setting down only. The operator buys the permits and plans the stops; you walk the last stretch.
A driver who keeps to the rules
EU rules allow nine hours at the wheel a day, ten on two days a week, with a 45-minute break after four and a half hours of driving. Bus drivers have a zero alcohol limit, which is why a wine day suits a minibus so well: you taste, the driver never does.
What helps us plan
The date, the number travelling, your hotel and the places on your list. Mention suitcases, pushchairs, a wheelchair user or a grandparent who prefers the front row: small details shape the vehicle choice.
What travellers ask us
Is the minibus yours?
No. It belongs to a licensed partner operator, who also employs the driver. We set up the booking and stay in touch with you about any change.
Can a day out cross into Switzerland?
Yes. Lugano is about 40 minutes from Como. Everyone carries a passport or identity card, and the operator makes sure the vehicle meets the Swiss rules for international trips.
More places for your group
More trips we arrange
- Team Outings in Italy, in One Minibus or Several
- School Trips in Italy, Planned Around the Class
- Away Days for Teams, from Five-a-Side to a Full Squad
- Getting Your Wedding Guests There and Home Again
- Italy's Wine Country, with Someone Else at the Wheel
- Day Trips at Your Own Pace, in a Minibus with a Driver
- From the Ship to Rome, Naples, Genoa or Venice
- Accessible Days Out for the Whole Group
Plan your first day out
Share the date, the size of your group and where you'd like to go. One quote comes back for you to think over.
Request a quote or call 35227647770