# Any experience with Europe bus tours?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

We're (60+ couple) considering a bus tour type vacation in September. Partial to France or Italy. Have done a Medit. cruise before, and recently spent a week in Paris - both of which we enjoyed. Just throwing this out, to see if anyone's done one of these, and your comments / feedback/ do's & don'ts etc.??? Merci.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> We're (60+ couple) considering a bus tour type vacation in September. Partial to France or Italy. Have done a Medit. cruise before, and recently spent a week in Paris - both of which we enjoyed. Just throwing this out, to see if anyone's done one of these, and your comments / feedback/ do's & don'ts etc.??? Merci.


I did one many years ago with Trafalgar. If you are looking for a basic tour that covers most attracts, lodging and most meals, that works. I believe they do have add-on packages if you want to see special tourist attractions that aren't covered by the base tour.

You have to realize that it is fairly fast paced depending on how many cities you are trying to squeeze in. Sometimes it just means a 1 hour stop and look before you get bundled back onto the bus. It is just something to think about if you have issues with running around.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

yes thanks fan. I realise that from talking to friends who've done tham. 
tell me - where'd you do, and would you do one again?


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> yes thanks fan. I realise that from talking to friends who've done tham.
> tell me - where'd you do, and would you do one again?


I took one to Italy and another to Spain. Being single at the time, I felt more relaxed traveling with a group without worrying about planning too much. My personal situation has changed now so I probably wouldn't do it again.

But it is all about convenience. It's a similar experience as a cruise in that sense. It may be cheaper and flexible to do it on your own, renting a car, booking places to stay and pick the restaurants to eat at, but if all you are into doing is going with the flow and you don't have anything in particular that you want to see, i.e. some esoteric tourist destination which most don't know about, it usually would fit the bill.

The tour guide accompanying the bus is usually a good resource for interesting stories and things that you should pay attention towards when you are let off the bus.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

good info - thanks!


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## Davis (Nov 11, 2014)

I haven't taken one, but have read a lot of brochures. Companies like Trafalgar focus on packing a lot in so that they can advertise a long list of sites covered. And that's what a lot of people want. If you're looking for more time at fewer sites, look for other companies. There are companies, for example, that use smaller buses - "back roads" tours, which will give you something altogether different. They will probably cost more. Think about what you're looking for, and what your desired style of travel is, then talk to a travel agent or three and see what they recommend.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Davis said:


> I haven't taken one, but have read a lot of brochures. Companies like Trafalgar focus on packing a lot in so that they can advertise a long list of sites covered. And that's what a lot of people want. If you're looking for more time at fewer sites, look for other companies. There are companies, for example, that use smaller buses - "back roads" tours, which will give you something altogether different. They will probably cost more. Think about what you're looking for, and what your desired style of travel is, then talk to a travel agent or three and see what they recommend.


yeah... i think we prob. fit into that Trafalgar-like trip....in & out...check it off the list...hahah,, thanks


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

I did overlook the social aspect. You will be traveling for an extended period of time with the same people. It can be an opportunity to meet people from other countries. While I never met a negative personality, you never can tell, but I suspect those that take these tours tend to be fairly sociable.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

Just go to tripadvisor.com, select you city and in "Things to do" there will be bunch of companies that offer tour and their reviews/ratings


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

Have been on a couple and enjoyed them both immensely. One was in South Africa and was an 18 day adventure tour where we cooked our own meals, stayed in various types of accommodation, and did a fair amount of walking and easy hiking. It was a seniors group and there were 10 of us. Saw countless animals and lots of history and we could not rate the tour and guide high enough. 
The other was in Turkey about 5 yrs ago and our tour guide was fine but not great. The tour was also very demanding as we were to have our luggage out to the bus by 6:30/7:00 am and ready to leave at 8:00. Usually made a couple of stops during the day to see the sites (Roman ruins, etc) and often did not get to the place we were staying til 6:00 PM or so and dinner was at say 7:00 PM. Not enough time to sit for an hour and have a drink, take a swim, etc. Just too busy with not enough hours in the day.
Tours take away a lot of the planning on where to go, routes, driving, accommodation and meal decisions. Admission fees and meals are often included so there is no need to make that decision as well. I wouldn't hesitate in doing them both again.


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## leoc2 (Dec 28, 2010)

In 2008 we took a Rick Steves tour in France similar to this one:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/france/paris-france

Over the past few years, my wife and I have used Rick Steves website to create our own tours and save some money. We have been to Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Portugal. We always bring his guidebooks with us. We are currently in Nice taking a break from the winter in Canada with tour book in hand.

For example in 2010 we downloaded Rick Steves Audio podcasts and did self guided tours in Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

We used some of Rick's tips to avoid line ups.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sightseeing/avoiding-lines

Here is a link to his guide books.
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/guidebook-updates

We were able to get the names of some of his recommended hotels by reading his forums.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-forum


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> In 2008 we took a Rick Steves tour in France similar to this one:
> https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/france/paris-france


 Never read his guides, but 4 years ago I planned similar trip , we also stayed in Dinan (amazing city), Caen, visited Etretat (elephant arch), Amien and continied to Picardy, stayed in Arras abd back to Paris


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> yeah... i think we prob. fit into that Trafalgar-like trip....in & out...check it off the list...hahah,, thanks




jargey i can't help but think that a couple like yourself & missus jargey would enjoy a tour bus trip to france or italy very much, plus you would make a fine addition to social life among the touring community.

can't speak for missus jargey but fellow travellers would surely appreciate a burst of '70s soft rock like only you can do, now & then ...

.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> jargey i can't help but think that a couple like yourself & missus jargey would enjoy a tour bus trip to france or italy very much, plus you would make a fine addition to social life among the touring community.
> 
> can't speak for missus jargey but fellow travellers would surely appreciate a burst of '70s soft rock like only you can do, now & then ...
> 
> .


thanks hp... i'll bring along some of my mix tapes......they're sure to be a hit!
(i might even get some investing advice from fellow travelers)

..


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