Extras

Food and Drink

Andante is very keen on good local food and we usually include wine with dinner.  In our experience, restaurants provide better food and frequently a jollier ambience than hotels, so we may eat out as well.  The Bare Bones tours include more flexibility to choose your own places to eat.

We are also well-known for our picnics.  These are an Andante speciality, created by specially trained tour managers on many of our holidays.  They save time in rural locations and give the opportunity to offer local breads, hams and cheeses and different wines, which is just not possible in a restaurant.

Fly with us, or travel independently

You can fly with the rest of the party, normally from Heathrow or Gatwick, or you may prefer to find your own way to the start of the tour.  Low-cost flights offer wonderful value from local airports.  We give the price of most tours with and without our flights so you can choose, though a couple of tours do not include flights at all. 

There are also those who prefer to take the train, or to drive and meet the group later. Why not consider making our tour the heart of a longer journey and visit relatives, or do a little touring in your own car as well?

The Bare Bones tours are particularly designed to take advantage of low-cost flights which you can book yourself, or where flight options are given in the tour details, we can book them for you.

If you do choose to make your own way there, we will meet you at the first hotel.

The hotels and porterage

We choose our hotels very carefully and it is important that you know the criteria on which we judge them.  We try to find particularly unusual, characterful, charming, picturesque and comfortable places for you to stay, and do our best to avoid the concrete blocks which are the same worldwide - no matter how many stars they sport.  Occasionally such an option is simply not available and we choose on the basis of location and convenience.  All will be clean and comfortable and have en-suite bathrooms (possible exceptions in jungle lodges).  Not every hotel we use has lifts and porters, so we do ask that you are able to move your own luggage a reasonable distance (from coach to hotel bedroom).

The little extras

It may be possible to extend your stay in the country, or make changes to suit your own arrangements.  It may also be possible to upgrade your flight seats - just ask us.  We make an administrative charge of £30 per person per tour for making changes.

Early booking

Many of our tours book up very quickly, so if you have set your heart on a particular holiday do make sure that you let us know immediately. 

Levels of knowledge

Our holidays are created for intelligent, interested people, but that does not mean tertiary education, and it does not presuppose any knowledge of the subject at all. Occasionally we are joined by colleagues who have studied archaeology or ancient history, but we would like to stress that no prior knowledge is necessary - enthusiasm is the main requirement.  Guests are provided with a reading list and field notes prior to departure, so that they may be as well-prepared as they wish (many just sit back and enjoy being informed and inspired by their guide lecturer).