Small(ish) Europe Group Tours?

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mystang52

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After taking, almost exclusively, beach-type vacations we're ready to do some European sightseeing in 2020. First choice is what seems to be a standard itinerary of Prague/Vienna/Budapest, with some tours adding in Berlin. For me, I can't do one of those "mega buses" so we're looking at smaller group tours of 10 to at most 20 people.
Any general tips, insight etc are welcome. And, specifically, any comments on Trafalgar, Go Ahead, or Firebird Tour companies? Any other companies recommended...or to be avoided?
 
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Planning is part of the enjoyment

Rick Steves. His tour groups are small. But, the pace is rapid with 1-3 nights in any one place.
For example, https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/eastern-europe/eastern-europe-tour
"On a Rick Steves tour, the small (24-28 max.) group you travel with will be a big plus"

We are not tour people as I cannot justify the additional cost. And, we despise vans and buses.

We spend a year planning using many online sources and a few books.
For us, we have these criteria:
° 3 night minimum (prefer 4) in any one location. Five+ nights in the landing city as we overcome jet lag.
° trains, not cars
° stay in AirBnBs
We like to take our time, see interesting sights, eat well.

2017 - Lisboa (5), Coimbra (4), Aveiro (3), Porto (4), Lisboa (5)

2018 - Bilbo (3), Donastia (2), Irunea (2), Zaragoza (3), Sitges (3) Barcelona (8). We violated our 3-night rule twice and now regret it.

2019 (upcoming) - Bologna (day trip to Modena, 5), Treviso (day trip to Valdobbiadene, 3), Piran (4), Ljublana (day trip to Lake Bled, 6), Wien (4)

2020 (well structured plan) - Palermo (5), Agrigento (car, 3), Ragusa (3), Catania (day trips: Taormina, Mt Etna, 5), Lyon (day trips: St Étienne, Bourg-en-Bresse, Aix-les-Bains, 6)

2021 (just starting) - Berlin, Dresden, Praha, Salzburg, München.
 
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I have heard some good things about Road Scholar but I have not taken one of their trips. I have taken a lot of VBT bike trips (including Prague to Vienna) and loved them all. They are active since you bike most days but the demographic has aged with me (I think the average age now is 60+) and they have ebikes available on all of their trips. Ebikes are very common in Europe and make riding accessible to people of all skill levels, including none. I plan to try one on an upcoming trip to Croatia which is very hilly. VBT trips tend to start and stop in major tourist cities with pre and post stays available. The bike portion tends to visit attractive towns that you would not likely visit on your own. Stays are in very nice resorts, most meals are included and very good, and they have a cradle to grave air option that makes the trips hassle free.
 
We have been traveling to Europe for the last 49 years, and we go every year. This year, I'm going 2x and my wife is going 3x.

We used to take whirlwind visits traveling as far and fast as possible. Now, we travel slowly, and we see so much more. We spend 4 day minimums in all major cities and often use them to travel out into the countryside from mainly by rental car. We use trains or budget air carriers to get from city to city.

It sounds as if you might want to contact a good travel agency specializing in Europe and get them setup with a tour company specializing in the travel you want to do.
 
I haven't tried this yet but Airbnb now has "experiences" on their site. A local will act as a guide, give you a cooking class take you on a pub crawl, etc. Might be worth browsing.

If you're looking for a company that will do the whole thing door-to-door, I was very impressed with my Overseas Adventure Travel tour of India and Nepal and am taking them to the Galapagos and Macchu Picchu in March. Not cheap but well worth it, and VERY few extra costs.
 
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I have taken two trips with Odysseys Unlimited. They feature small groups of around 20, and I enjoyed both trips.
On the China tour we stayed at the same hotel as Vantage Travel, and I asked one of their people how many on their tour, and they said 40+!
On our Italy tour, it was nice because we stayed in small boutique hotels, including a villa in Tuscany.
 
Groups are obnoxious. Try https://www.bulgariaprivateguide.com/

We did approximately the same trip as you want with Patrick in early May of this year. Great guy and reasonable prices. You can also check him out by searching at intltravelnews.com/
 
Have you considered renting a car?

Those are some great cities, by the way. I liked Prague a lot, but it can feel very crowded and over-touristy. Would especially love to return to Budapest.
 
We hired a private guide one day in Poland and it was great. We usually prefer to travel on our own and don’t want to move around a lot.
 
European Castle Tours was fun. Enjoyed the Loire Valley chateaux tour which included some Paris sightseeing.

National Geographic is smallish group but quite $$.

We tend to travel on our own and pick up local tour guide minivan day trips here and there. That’s a nice mix.
 
Go Ahead tours meet your size criteria and are often led by retired teachers. We have not been on one but ran into one and they seemed to be having a great time.
We prefer to rent a base (Untours in Tuscany or Provence) and take day trips. We like going to the local markets and getting to know the neighborhood we are staying in.
 
Souschef said:
I have taken two trips with Odysseys Unlimited. They feature small groups of around 20, and I enjoyed both trips.
On the China tour we stayed at the same hotel as Vantage Travel, and I asked one of their people how many on their tour, and they said 40+!
On our Italy tour, it was nice because we stayed in small boutique hotels, including a villa in Tuscany.
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I've taken 3 trips with Odysseys (including a fabulous one to Warsaw-Krakow-Budapest-Vienna & Prague) & highly recommend them. I believe all their trips have a maximum of 24 people, & 2 of the trips I took had about 16. One thing I particularly liked -- in addition to the first-rate trip leaders, local guides & activities -- is that for some meals you were on your own & there was also ample opportunity for other solo activities. If you're spending several days in a city you're unfamiliar with, it was great to explore the main attractions (& some wonderful surprising ones) with knowledgeable guides & your fellow travelers, then have the time to explore or shop or do whatever you wanted on your own.
 
Why do you want a tour? I do it solo and just use the concierge desk if I get 'stuck' on what to do. Only happened once (Brussels) and she got me on a small day tour to Luxembourg (8 people in a van)
 
gayl said:
Why do you want a tour? I do it solo and just use the concierge desk if I get 'stuck' on what to do. Only happened once (Brussels) and she got me on a small day tour to Luxembourg (8 people in a van)
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Yes. If you can afford it, a private tour with a guide who travels with you is even better. He/she knows all the hotels and can arrange what you like. (We like very small hotels and B&Bs. We hate cookie-cutter hotels no matter how many stars they claim.) You can also select, on the fly, what attractions to see and what restaurants to go to. When Patrick (see post #8) found out DW liked cooking lessons he arrange four or five including one with a delightful retired woman in whose village we stayed. Another guide friend of ours (Pierre bushbaby.co.za) arranged a trip for athletic friends of ours that included some running, hiking, and swimming. With private guides there is no getting lost, no wasting time, and a depth of understanding the country that cannot be had by reading guidebooks and looking at buildings.
 
gayl said:
Why do you want a tour? I do it solo and just use the concierge desk if I get 'stuck' on what to do. Only happened once (Brussels) and she got me on a small day tour to Luxembourg (8 people in a van)
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In the interest of brevity, suffice it to say on-our-own touring is not for us.
 
There are a number of escorted tours that are quite good. I find those that cater to groups of 16 or less are the best. Overseas Adventure Travel, Gate 1, Road Scholar, Adventures Abroad are several to start with.

To get a sense of what is out there, go to International Travel News. They carry advertising from most of the well-known group companies as well as smaller companies offering tours. Editorial content is not tied to advertising. You can pick up a lot on their website. A subscription is very reasonable.
www.intltravelnews.com
 
OldShooter said:
With private guides there is no getting lost, no wasting time...
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For us this is filed under "à chacun son goût"....'getting lost' is part of the experience, (we're still getting mileage out of our monastery fiasco in Romania, and the memories of that and numerous other mishaps* will, (have already), linger long after others have faded).

(*DW boarding the metro in Prague shortly after our arrival, since she mistakenly thought I was ahead of her in the crowds - I was at the top of the escalator behind her. We still laugh about that one - mishaps ARE travel!)

Likewise, 'wasting time' generally isn't if it's done at ground level and requires personal involvement/initiative to attain 'goals', (however minor).
 
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Nemo2 said:
(*DW boarding the metro in Prague shortly after our arrival, since she mistakenly thought I was ahead of her in the crowds - I was at the top of the escalator behind her. We still laugh about that one - mishaps ARE travel!)
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We don't do group tours, either. Our rule of thumb for subway rides is if one of us doesn't make it aboard, we all get off at the next stop and regroup.
 
jpeter1093 said:
Our rule of thumb for subway rides is if one of us doesn't make it aboard, we all get off at the next stop and regroup.
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Yup! Misadventures are adventures! If you've ever sat around playing 'Circular Calamity One-upmanship' with other travelers, it's never "Oh, we had this nice driver", but rather "You're not going to believe what happened next...."

(The comparison between travelers & tourists come to mind.)
 
Nemo2 said:
For us this is filed under "à chacun son goût"....'getting lost' is part of the experience <snip>

Likewise, 'wasting time' generally isn't if it's done at ground level and requires personal involvement/initiative to attain 'goals', (however minor).
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Yes, I've had those moments that make memorable stories, too. It's a trade-off and I try to get a mix of randomness and wandering with small guided tours where a guide might know things about an item or a place that you'd find fascinating- but you never noticed it. DH and I splurged on private guides in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003 for The Hermitage, Pushkin and the Youssopovsky Palace. All were well worth it.
 
athena53 said:
Yes, I've had those moments that make memorable stories, too. It's a trade-off and I try to get a mix of randomness and wandering with small guided tours where a guide might know things about an item or a place that you'd find fascinating- but you never noticed it. DH and I splurged on private guides in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003 for The Hermitage, Pushkin and the Youssopovsky Palace. All were well worth it.
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OTOH, and there's generally 'another hand', (unless you're Cap'n Hook), we've seen things of interest and subsequently researched them at our leisure upon returning home.

Thankfully there's no 'One size fits all'.
 
OldShooter said:
Groups are obnoxious. Try https://www.bulgariaprivateguide.com/

We did approximately the same trip as you want with Patrick in early May of this year. Great guy and reasonable prices. You can also check him out by searching at intltravelnews.com/
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That looks really interesting. Do you mind telling us an approximate price?
I've looked at the website and it doesn't give any prices.
 
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