Best of Bologna

Aerial view of Bologna

Peace of Mind

Exclusive Packages

Highlights

Visit an authentic producer of Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO

Enjoy a visit to the family-run ham factories producing the mythical Prosciutto di Parma PDO

Lunch in a farm-to-table restaurant with delicious local products

Stop for pictures at the Castle of Torrechiara

4 days

From

AUD 2,006

per person, twin share

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Travelling with kids? Read more

All services are subject to availability.

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Only $100pp deposit to Book Now

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Package prices are per person twin share.

The date you have selected is less than 5 days. Full payment is required at time of booking*

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No. of single rooms (single supplement applies)

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Maximum for online booking is 9 people

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Freedom of Choice

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Freedom of Choice options need to be confirmed within the next 2 weeks.

As multiple rooms have been selected, our team will contact you to discuss the Freedom of Choice options.

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Optional Extras

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Other Options

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Travel Insurance is strongly recommended. Do you require assistance?

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ENTIRE Cooling-Off Period
ENTIRE AUD Prices
ENTIRE Change of Mind
ENTIRE Industry Accredited
ENTIRE On Ground Support
ENTIRE Australian Owned

Inclusions

3 nights in Bologna at the Starhotels Excelsior- 4* or similar

Private transfers to Bologna Station/airport

Daily Breakfast

Full lunch with local products at a farm-to-table restaurant

Private tasting experience and Parma city tour with English speaking guide

Itinerary

Download Itinerary Expand All

Day 1 Bologna

Welcome to Bologna! Arrival at the airport or railway station and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Bologna at the Starhotels Excelsior.

The Fountain of Neptune, Bologna

Day 2 Bologna Parma Bologna

After breakfast, at 7.30 am approx meet the driver at the hall and transfer to Parma.

Meet the guide in Parma and continue to an authentic producer of Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO. Discover how the King of all cheeses has been made in the same way since the benedectine monks invented it centuries ago: you will first see the hand making, then the salt pools and finally the "wheel cathedrals", real walls of cheese in a single room. Tasting included. Then, we continue for a guided visit with a final tasting at a family run production site of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar PDO.

Next stop is a visit to one of the family-run ham factories producing the mythical Prosciutto di Parma
PDO. You will get to know why the best ham can only be made in the hills of Parma, where the Marino wind blows from the Ligurian Sea through the so-called Food Valley of Italy.

Full lunch based on the typical products of the territory in a farm-to-table restaurant: Parmigiano, Prosciutto as well as other kind of local cold cuts, a typical filled pasta dish (tortelli di Parma), homemade cakes. All paired up with local wines like Lambrusco and Malvasia!

After lunch, stop to take photos at the medieval village of Torrechiara, dominated by an imposing and romantic castle, one of the most spectacular amidst the Castles of the Dukedom of Parma and Piacenza. Then, transfer back to Parma for a 2 hours private walking tour (entrance to museums/monuments not included).

At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to Bologna.

Overnight in Bologna at the Starhotels Excelsior.

Breakfast, Lunch

Parma

Day 3 Bologna

After breakfast, today is at leisure to explore what Bologna has to offer.

Alternatively, check out our optional extras to fill your day with a pre-booked experience (own expense).

Overnight in Bologna at the Starhotels Excelsior.

Breakfast

Piazza Maggiore, Bologna

Day 4 Bologna

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport or train station for your departure.

Breakfast

Porticoes of Bologna

Optional Extras

Private Bologna city tour and cooking lessons

Available: Daily ( lunch or dinner)
Meet the guide at the hotel. Start your 2 hours walking tour where you will admire the beauties of the city: Piazza del Nettuno (Neptune Square), Piazza Maggiore, Basilica of San Petronio, one of the largest in the world, and the Meridiana. Visit the archiginnasio, the oldest library in the world, and walk to St. Stephen’s Square, where you can admire the wonderful Basilica overlooking the square. You’ll see the two Towers, Asinelli and Garisenda, soar over the city, and explore the historic Quadrilateral market. Finally, discover the Palace of King Enzo, now the seat of the Municipality, which overlooks the beautiful Piazza Maggiore.

After the walking tour, you will have a unique experience to see a real Bolognese puff pastry at work. A person from our staff will welcome tourists to the meeting point and accompany them to the private home of the sfoglina in the historic center of Bologna where you can see her at work preparing the puff pastry and pasta in a real Bolognese show cooking. Discover the secrets of Bolognese cuisine in the home of a “sfoglina” with this private half-day cooking lesson. Learn how to prepare fresh stuffed pasta including
tortellini and tortelloni in this practical lesson. Then, you will taste everything you have prepared with a selection of local red and white wines.

Included:
Pick up at the hotel
English guide 2 hours walking tour
Private cooking class
Private Lunch or Dinner

5 hours and half

Prices are dynamic based on travel dates. Please proceed to Book Now or Contact Us for details.

Additional information

We work with a selection of hotels in each location. All bookings are subject to availability, which means our team will confirm your specific hotels upon confirmation and payment of deposit. The package price is based on 4-star accommodation.

Excluded

International airfares and taxes
Domestic airfares and taxes, unless otherwise specified in our holiday package
Visa expenses, processing and issuance fees
Meals other than as specified in our holiday package
Travel Insurance or expenses of a personal nature (mini-bar, phone call, laundry, etc.),
Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, porters, hotel, restaurant or boat staff, etc.
Or any other travel expense that has not been included in our holiday package

FAQs

Who are Entire Travel Group?

Welcome to Entire Travel Group. We offer exceptional travel experiences across our extensive range of Entire Holiday Packages, Entire Group Journeys, Entire Rail Journeys, and Entire Cruise Journeys. With our industry-leading Peace of Mind Booking Plan, you can Book Now with flexibility and confidence.

Entire Travel Group is celebrating over 50 years of passionately delivering unique and memorable travel experiences. We are an Australian, family-owned, award-winning business with a friendly team ready to match your expectations to the perfect holiday experience.

Entire Travel Group used to be known by the individual brands shown in the footer of the website. The company has not changed, but we have amalgamated under one brand - Entire Travel Group.

For more details please visit - About Us | Entire Travel Group

Is Entire Travel Group Australian owned and operated?

Entire Travel Group is proudly Australian family owned and operated and as it stands today represents 50 years of experience, progress, and evolution. We proudly support the community with our long-term commitment to many important charity organisations. We were awarded the best operator in our class at the most recent National Travel Industry Awards.

Is Entire Travel Group industry accredited?

Entire Travel Group is both ATAS and CATO Accredited. ATAS is actively administered by the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA). The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) is the trade association representing the land supply sector of the Australian Travel Industry.

Does Entire Travel Group have industry awards?

Entire Travel Group was honoured at the 2023 National Travel Industry Awards with Most Oustanding Wholesaler - Product / Service.

As our team works tirelessly to deliver exceptional holiday experiences, it was exciting to have this acknowledged with the highest recognition. The award is also a testament to the quality of our partners around the globe, and we take this opportunity to thank them for their tremendous support of our customers.

Are the Entire Travel Group holiday packages exclusive?

In some cases, we are the sole representative in Australia for the overseas travel operator. In other circumstances the product developed has been exclusively built for Entire Travel Group and can’t be found elsewhere.

What’s unique about Entire Travel Group Holiday Packages?

They are not group tours with set departures - they are pre-designed, purpose built, independent holiday packages full of unique and memorable experiences.
Our holiday packages have been exclusively built for us in collaboration with our handpicked suppliers, who also offer full on-ground support for the clients.
We are offering unique travel experiences which cannot be found elsewhere.
Many packages include our “Freedom of Choice” options which allow you to tailor the holiday experience. Like a sommelier matching wine to a meal, we have used our experience to carefully select and offer the right experiences in each location.
They include our Peace of Mind Booking Plan.
A wide selection of our packages are compliant with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Covid Safe Travels.

Our motto for Independent Holiday Packages is start your holiday when and with who you want!

Our Independent Holiday Packages are NOT group tours with set departure dates. Group Tours have specific set departure dates, and of course, you are travelling with unknown passengers in a coach. These tours are great for certain travellers and there are many reputable tour operators providing a wide range of options around the world.

At Entire Travel Group, our focus is Independent Holiday Packages. Available daily, they are pre-designed, purpose built, packaged itineraries full of memorable experiences delivered by our hand-picked local partners.

Our holidays suit every demographic, from couples to singles, to retirees to families and everyone else in between.

Why travel with Entire Travel Group?

Of Entire Travel Group's attributes, we have settled on "When Experience Matters" as the quality we believe adds the most value to our customers. We have the experience to ensure your itinerary makes the dream holiday possible. Our continually enhanced technology allows our team to provide a quality customer service experience, and our partnerships with outstanding operators ensure we are confident of the on-ground experience for our customers.

For more details please visit - About Us | Entire Travel Group

How does the Peace of Mind Booking Plan work?

Our Peace of Mind Booking Plan allows you to book with confidence in the new international travel environment. With low deposits, a cooling off period and a flexibility period where you can cancel and rebook later, we really do have you covered.

For more details please visit - Peace of Mind Booking Plan | Entire Travel Group

Is there a cooling-off period?

Look for packages with our Peace of Mind Booking Plan logo on the website.

We understand that occasionally plans may change, so we give you the confidence to proceed with a cooling off period.
You may cancel for any reason within 7 days, where you will receive a 100% refund of your $100 per person deposit.

For more details please visit - Peace of Mind Booking Plan | Entire Travel Group

What is Freedom of Choice?

At Entire Travel Group we understand that our customers have their own personal tastes and interests - so throughout our packages look for “Freedom of Choice” which gives you the ability to tailor your holiday from the various experiences offered on selected days. Like a sommelier matching wine to a meal, we have used our experience to carefully select and offer the right experiences in each location.

The Freedom of Choice options are included in the package price, and the price remains the same regardless of the choice you make on each day.

Our Freedom of Choice program offers flexibility, by allowing you to choose from different options on pre-selected days in the itinerary.

Our per person price includes one tour on each Freedom of Choice day in the itinerary.
The price of the package remains the same regardless of the choice you make on each day.

For more details please visit - Freedom of Choice | Entire Travel Group

What is Book Now?

Book Now offers you the ability to make a reservation on our website for Holiday Packages that include our Peace of Mind Booking Plan. But it’s not just a static offer – you have complete flexibility from travel dates, passenger numbers, single supplements, room upgrades, optional extras, flexible booking terms and more.

Our team will contact our overseas suppliers and confirm all arrangements.
A Confirmation from our reservation system will be sent in the coming days.
The Booking Number on this confirmation supersedes the website reference.

What forms of payment can be used at Entire Travel Group?

To confirm a booking using our on-line Book Now process, a credit card must be used to pay the refundable deposit.
For additional payments on the booking, Entire Travel Group supports bank transfer, credit card, TravelPay B2B, PaymentGate.
For further details please visit our Payments page.

How secure is the Entire Travel Group's on-line payment portal?

Entire Travel Group have partnered with TravelPay to ensure secure on-line credit card payments.
TravelPay is a level 1 PCI DSS compliant, which gives you peace of mind that your payment card data is in safe hands.
Entire Travel Group does not store any credit card information.

For more details please visit - Security and Compliance - TravelPay

Can you book my international airfares?

On some Islands Holiday Packages (e.g. Fiji), it is practical to include flights, so where we have done this it is indicated by the plane icon.

However, on the majority of our Holiday Packages, we do not include international flights.

We found that many customers may prefer to:

Travel on a specific airline of their choice
Have the flexibility to book flights with Frequent Flyer points
Select flight dates that may be different to our Holiday Package start/end dates
Use a Travel Credit already held with the airline
Use their travel agent for this service

We are able to assist with flights on any Holiday Package, so please just notify us during the Book Now process or contact our team.

Should I take travel insurance?

Travel insurance is strongly recommended. During the Book Now process please confirm you require assistance, and our team will be in contact with you.

What should I do before travelling?

Before you travel it is your responsibility to ensure you have the appropriate documentation including visas. If you are travelling on a passport other than Australian or New Zealand, you will require a permit to re-enter Australia. It is your responsibility as the traveller and/or travel booker to meet all government entry requirements.

For more information please visit - Before you travel | Entire Travel Group

How does a Travel Agent make a booking?

Please visit the Entire Travel Group's Agent Portal. We are here to support our industry partners with a range of informative updates, marketing collateral for campaigns and a reward & recognition program.

How do I start a Booking?