andiiv

I am a single retired female and am looking at tour groups that visit Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest and Vienna. The three that I am considering are Tauck (very expensive), Collette and Globus. I would appreciate any advise you can give me. Thank you!

wanttogo

Also, look at Odusseys Unlimited. I think that they have
a tour to most of these cities. If I were you, I would try to find a tour that spends several days in Vienna because there is so much to see there. I understand that Krakow also deserves several days. I could spend several days on the river banks and the Charles Bridge in Prague just looking.
Have a great time.

Pat

Irishwhistler90

My grandmother and I did a Globus tour of Italy in May and found it to be most excellent! You can read about my experiences here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...the-report.cfm

nytraveler

Tauck is higher priced but yo get what you pay for. Hotels are generally better and centrally located- vs at the end of hell and gone, food is edible and unlike many of the lowest priced tours they don;t charge almost everything as an optional extra.

If it were me I would just organize the trip yourself. The places you are going all have very strong tourist infrastructure and English is widely spoken. You are likely to see much more of what YOU want and spend less than on a tour.

adrienne

I would choose Tauck or Collette if you are set on a tour.

I must warn you that visiting these 5 cities in 2 weeks is way too much to do. Your vacation will be a blur of seeing too little in each city and missing most of the charm. You should think about doing the trip on your own and concentrating on 2 or 3 places in 2 weeks.

walkabout

I have never used Tauck or Collette, but have used Globus. Their trips are fast-paced, but well organized, and I saw more with them that I would have on my own. There are tradeoffs, of course, and you won't get to see any of the cities in depth, but you can get a good "sampling" in 2 weeks.

IMO, any one of the three tour companies you named is a viable option if you are not inclined to do the trip solo. Just be sure to check to see how much time you are spending in transit, avoid any tour company that has a lot of one-night stops, and choose the one that is most compatible with your budget and interests. Good luck!

adrienne

Have you looked at Road Scholar? Here's a similar tour:

http://www.roadscholar.org/programs/...p?DId=1-5N2V9L

Or this one:

http://www.roadscholar.org/programs/...?rowid=1-XN138

worldinabag

Hi

I have done a couple of tours with Cosmos which is 3 star compared to its sister company Globus which is 5 star. Cosmos was excellent but they are cheaper because hotels are not always central and the food was pretty ordinary (I'm not a fussy eater or a "foodie"). Didn't bother me because you get what you pay for. So what I'm getting at is if Globus is as well run as its sister I would recommend them. TIPS:

1. Make sure you tell your travel agent that you want to book for a "Guaranteed Departure" (GD) date. This is very important. If it is not a GD then the tour company reserves the right to cancel the tour. This is very disruptive particularly if you have booked your airfare. If it is a GD then they are obliged to do the tour.
2. Check location of hotels: Ideally you want to be within short walking or metro/bus ride to attractions, restaurants etc.
3. Time spent on the bus: Check your itinerary against a map. Work out distances. The last thing you want to do is spend hours on a bus. Your itinerary looks OK but check nonetheless.

I have travelled independently and on tours. Each is a unique experience with advantages and disadvantages to each. You will get "independents" on this forum bagging tours. Don't be dissuaded. I highly recommend them as a mode of travel. Yes they are organised for you but you also have plenty of time to do your own thing and make your own discoveries.