European Whirl Trip by Trafalgar Tours. OMG!
 

I saw this and just had to post it. Total Insanity! Could the person who designed this have ever been to Europe or any of the cities they are passing through? Talk about "drive-by sightings."

DAY 1 DEPART USA
Overnight flight to London.

DAY 2 ARRIVE LONDON
After checking into your Trafalgar hotel, the rest of your day is at leisure to relax or to start to explore this exciting capital city.

DAY 3 LONDON SIGHTSEEING AND AT LEISURE
Many major sights are included on our morning guided sightseeing tour, including Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. Your tour will finish in central London, so the rest of the day is at leisure. (BB)

DAY 4 LONDON – AMSTERDAM
Greetings from our Tour Director as we drive to the coast. Admire the White Cliffs of Dover before our Channel crossing to Calais in France. Then into Belgium and across Flanders fields to Holland and meadows of turning windmills. Soon we arrive in friendly Amsterdam where we see Dam Square and the Mint Tower. Then we have the opportunity to take a canal cruise in a glass topped boat before continuing later to the hotel where we enjoy a Welcome Drink together. (CB)

DAY 5 AMSTERDAM – RHINE CRUISE – MANNHEIM
This morning we drive via Arnhem – scene of the Bridge, which was too far – into Germany where we follow the Ruhr and Rhine valleys to Cologne – dominated by its fine gothic Cathedral. Then via Bonn we drive to the pretty resort of Boppard on the shores of the Rhine where we embark on our scenic Rhine cruise. We glide past vine-clad hills topped with crumbling castles before reaching St. Goar, where we see the Lorelei rock and re-join our coach for the onward journey to our hotel. (BB D)

DAY 6 MANNHEIM – HEIDELBERG – MUNICH – INNSBRUCK
This morning we are off to Heidelberg to view the red sandstone castle towering above the city of ‘Student Prince’ fame. We continue via the Swabian hills to fun-loving Munich, where an orientation tour shows us the Olympic Stadium, the City Hall and the Marienplatz. A scenic drive brings us into Austria and the valley of the River Inn, where we stop in the Tyrolean capital, Innsbruck. Maybe enjoy dinner and traditional entertainment at a Tyrolean Folklore show tonight? (BB)

DAY 7 INNSBRUCK – BRENNER PASS – VENICE
Orientation of this picturesque mountain ringed resort this morning shows us the Golden Roof and the Hofburg. Time to shop for souvenirs before an exhilarating drive across the alpine Brenner Pass into Italy. Spectacular scenery continues as we travel through the Dolomite Mountains to the Adige Valley and the landscapes of Shakespeare’s theater as we pass by Lake Garda, Verona and Vicenza. On arrival in Venice we will savor the city’s unique sights and sounds on an included canal cruise by private motor launch to St. Mark’s Square, viewing the Bridge of Sighs and Doge’s Palace. After a visit to a traditional glass-blowing factory, time is your own to do as you please. We will enjoy dinner at our hotel this evening. (BB D)

DAY 8 VENICE – ROME
Today we head south along the Autostrada del Sole, across the Veneto plain, bypassing the University city of Bologna to cross over the Apennine hills and into the cradle of the Roman Civilisation, the Lazio region. Then past golden stone landscapes to the Eternal City of Rome. (BB)

DAY 9 ROME SIGHTSEEING AND AT LEISURE
Our morning sightseeing with a local guide, audio system included, features a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City where we see Michelangelo’s moving masterpiece, the Pieta. Then we cross the River Tiber to ancient Rome where we overlook the Forum, see the mighty Colosseum, scene of gladiatorial combat, and finally have a view across the vast Circus Maximus where the Ben Hur style chariot races once took place. The rest of your day is free to maybe window-shop in the exclusive streets near the Spanish Steps, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel or maybe just relax in a café and watch the world go by in this Roman setting. (BB)

DAY 10 ROME – FLORENCE
Today we start the northward journey of our European circuit and drive into the beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany. We are soon descending into the valley of the River Arno and reaching Florence, where a walking tour with a local guide shows us the main monuments and squares of this impressive Renaissance city including the Cathedral, Baptistery, Signoria Square and a visit to the Santa Croce Basilica, where the tombs of Italy’s great men throughout history are to be found. Then free time to sightsee further or to shop for fine leather goods or beautiful 18-carat gold jewellery. Tonight we will enjoy a Highlight Dinner of local specialties in a Florentine trattoria. (BB HD)

DAY 11 FLORENCE – GOTTHARD DRIVE – LUCERNE
This morning we drive northwards passing by the sprawling commercial capital, Milan. Then we drive into the area of the Italian Lakes and soon cross the border into Switzerland. First we cross through the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino and have splendid views of the lakeside resort of Lugano, renowned for its mild year round climate. Soon we are climbing towards the scenic Gotthard alpine highway, which leads us into the heart of German speaking Switzerland and the beautiful lakeside town of Lucerne. (BB D)

DAY 12 LUCERNE ORIENTATION AND AT LEISURE
This morning our orientation tour shows us the poignant Lion Monument, which commemorates the heroism of the Swiss Guards during the period of the French Revolution, and we have time to walk along the wooden Chapel Bridge across the rushing River Reuss. Then maybe take an exhilarating mountain excursion and still have time to shop for Swiss watches and delicious chocolate! (BB)

DAY 13 LUCERNE – BASEL – PARIS
Traveling through picturesque scenery we head towards Basel and the French border. Entering France we pass vestiges of the Maginot line at Belfort as we travel into Burgundy resplendent with vineyards, castles and picturesque villages. Later we arrive in the capital city, Paris, where tonight you may well wish to enjoy a tour of the illuminations, which really provides a wonderful introduction to this beautiful city. (BB)

DAY 14 PARIS SIGHTSEEING AND AT LEISURE
This morning our sightseeing tour with a local guide features a drive along the Champs Elysées from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. Then we will see spectacular monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and also ascend the Eiffel Tower to the second level by elevator for stunning views over the city. Then free time to perhaps take an excursion to the Palace of Versailles, shop in the chic boutiques or maybe just relax in a café and watch Paris go by! Later tonight we will get together with our Tour Director and our traveling companions for a Farewell Dinner in a local bistro – a wonderful way to complete our tour of Europe! (BB FD)

DAY 15 PARIS – USA
Today time to bid farewell to our fellow travelers and Tour Director. There is an airport transfer available, conditions apply. (BB)

Now you know why some think they can "do" Europe in 2 weeks -- looks like more than a few itineraries posted on here :)

I have known more than one couple that have taken an European Tour through this very company, Sass.

For some strange reason that really did't know where they had been, what they had seen and they returned home looking like death warmed over.

Early in our traveling days, we took a tour to Europe for 2 weeks that included London, Paris and Amsterdam. That's all. Three cities in 2 weeks. With traveling days, we still had time to catch our breath.

When we lived in Vienna, we took a 1 week tour of Norway. It was busy, but not insanely so. Of course, we were much younger.

I think they should take a night away from Rome so they can do the Amalfi Coast :)

Well with my typing you would think I had just returned from one of those tours, lol.

..they really didn't know..

LOL. Thanks for making my day.

They forgot Spain. And maybe a couple other places.

>>Soon we arrive in friendly Amsterdam"<<

That "soon" is perilously close to fraudulent misrepresentation.

CW, Perhaps they were told there are no "must sees" on the AC.

PatrickL, you are right, and by the time they get there, they also won't care how friendly Amsterdam is. The "opportunity" for a boat trip after being on the bus all day, is actually funny.

Love Italy, I've heard good things about the company in general and some of their tours seem okay, but this one just floored me. It is so nuts.

Oh. My. God.

It is obvious where some posters here get the inspiration for their own itineraries from.

Hello again, Sass, I have never taken a tour and never will so I know absolutely nothing about that tour company except for the "trip reports" we heard from couples that did use the company, many countries over a two week time period. Up quite early, suitcase in the hallway outside the hotel room quite early as I recall and than on the bus to whiz by the next locations.

Bettyk's tour trip sounds reasonable and a whole different ballgame.

Anyway, thanks for the good chuckles, but I so feel for those that sign up for a tour as described.

"For some strange reason that really did't know where they had been, what they had seen and they returned home looking like death warmed over.""

LOL!

I did take Globus Tour of Turkey once and while it was "up early" etc it was much more reasonably paced :) There are places tours are good options, but this one sounds like it's really trying to do too much in too short a time.

I've taken several tours - with students, and they were fast paced, but nothing like the one above.

Quokka, I guess when people see something run by a tour company, they figure the company must know what they are doing. It also appeals to people who want to "see everything" and "get as much out of the trip" as possible, and those who think they will "never get there again."

If people would only check the distances, and figure how many hours a day they will be on a bus, a tour like this would not make sense. There are good tours. This isn't one of them.

Did you actually type all of that? Couldn't you just have copied and pasted the brochure? Besides that, it does sound awful since we like to take our time when we travel. People actually pay money for that?

Good grief!

I didn't even read past Day 6 - too tired.

What's wrong with the tour? You get to London, Amsterday, Rome, Paris....they don't claim that you're going to see all of anything......to some people, it's worth it to get a taste of all of these places. The coaches of today are air conditioned, the highways as good as highways elsewhere in the world. There are many activities each night in each city that some might find interesting.

Wait a minute, day 9 in Rome has about 15 minutes of leisure time. I'm in!!

On Day 8, all they seem to do is travel from Venice to Rome. That's a 4.5-hour train ride, but according to Google Maps, about a 5.5-hour car ride. At any rate, I hope they don't spend the whole day on that, because there aren't any stops listed. (They do say they "bypass the University city of Bologna", so why mention it at all?) Nor are there any activities listed on arrival. But maybe a chance to rest, after all.

However, if someone paid for this tour for me, and I had enough vacation time, I would happily do it. I'd chill out and read on the bus parts, and I can get a lot of enjoyment out of a city in a few hours. I've been to most of the places already, though, so that might alter my judgment.

It's a darn shame they couldn't have worked Ireland in there ;)

My first trip to Europe was with my sister on a Trafalgar London/Paris/Rome tour. This was back in 1994. Only three cities, but it was too much because we traveled everywhere on bus (except the channel crossing, which was by ferry), which took an enormous amount of time away from sightseeing. Not a bad introduction to Europe (except for the tour guide from hell in London/Paris), but all it did was show me that I could do it myself, which is how I've traveled ever since.

The itinerary above is insane!

TPAYT, No, of course, I didn't type all that. I just cut and pasted the itinerary portion from their web site.

Willtravel, I've been to pretty much all the places on the tour also, but they would have to pay me to go on that one.

xyz123, I won't go on any trip where more time is spent traveling than sight seeing or relaxing. There is only so much you can really see from a bus on the highway. I like my travel experiences up close and personal.

LSky, bet if we suggested it, they would fine a way to include Ireland. Someone else also suggested Spain.

At least with Spain they wouldn't have to double back!

xyz123: You're kidding - right?? If not, you are henceforth barred from posting any travel advice -- ever :)

I'd love to do a 'SLOW' trip in England but even there when you can see so much in a short distance and see it really well, they want to rush a 200 or 300 miles somewhere else!If there is a company out there doing genuine slow trips of Britain and/or Europe let me know!!!!
moonrise

They are right -it is a total whirl.
It is a little bit of everything, but nothing of the real thing. These trips are expensive. I did a similar Cosmos trip 12 years ago, saw lots but experienced little. I have been back twice to experience everything that I missed and it is so much better seeing Europe at a slower pace and much cheaper too.

Also when you read 'view' it really means-'driveby sighting'

May I respectfully disagree. Everybody is different. Some peole find it a pleasure to plan for months, make hotel reservations (much easier now thanks to the internet and e-mail of course) secure all their accomodations and then when actually on holiday arrive in some new city in their rented car, look all over the place for their hotel, worry about parking it for the night or if not renting a car shlepping their baggage on trains and cabs from place to place, wondering what happens if the car breaks down or whatever.

Nobody claims that doing a tour allows you to see everything. OTOH, these tours are very popular with some. Each morning on a travel day, you put your bag outside the door, go down for breakfast, onto a modern air conditioned coach, never travel for more than 2 1/2 hours at a time before you reach some burgh or a comfort stop for drinks and nature calls, another couple of hours and again you arrive at a lunch stop sometimes in a city or other times at an Autogrill (ugh) a couple of more hours with a comfort stop and you arrive at your hotel, get your room key, your bag is delivered and decide what you want to do for the evening. Often dinner is included (nothing fancy but nothing terrible), other times there is some sort of optional activity (including dinner)...oh yes the optionals, more in a second, go to the bar, unwind whatever. Everything is done for you.

In a large city with a 2 day layover, the next day you get the usual orientation tour that will include photo stops and may or may not include admission to something depending on the itinerary. You then have a choice of doing your own thing or doing an optional visit. Say in Paris it might be a tour of the Louvre with a local guide or a touor of Versailles. The optionals do increase the price and unless briefed before you may not realize just how much the optionals add to the tour and this does lead to some consternation among people.

So there are good things and bad things and people are different. As to price, I would wager if you did on your own all the things that are included, throwing in the pricer of gasoline and road tolls, you will pay more independently.

I can go on and on about tours vs. independence. To each his or her own. But to just look at the itinerary and laugh and say idiotic is not understanding the needs and desires of other people.

BTW from having done a similar tour a few years ago in my youth (and to this day I appreciate the value of having been all these places, gotten an idea of the lay of the land so to speak and then done more regional tours or my own thing in places like Paris, Amsterdam, London), day 9 spends the morning in Venice. They throw in a glass blowing demonstration (actually a demonstration for the glass company giving them the opportunity to sucker you into buying from them (they actuaolly explain why red glass is more expensive), free time to explore St. Marks Square and walk around Venice, give you time to shop and be ripped off (because there is nothing of any value to buy in Venice) and after lunch you leave for Rome arriving in time for either your own dinner arrangement or an optional dinner and a drive through Rome at night (at least in Rome, it doesn't get dark at 2300 as it does in Paris and Amsterdam during the summer).

Many pros and cons one way or the other!

Just to throw out another thought...a nice thing about a tour such as this with a company such as Trafalgar, is that you get to meet people from all over the world. I've met many Australians and New Zealanders on these tours and they explain the difficulties in getting from home to Europe, 24 hour trips oftentimes by way of Singapore or Dubai and that they might take back to back tours as, unlike say a person like myself who lives on the East Coast of North America and for whom a trip to London or Paris is really no big deal and not much longer than a trip to LA, they just can't do it every year or whatever. And the groups usually bond really well and you make all sorts of new friends, something you just don't get when travelling independently (I have a whole bunch of standing invites to visit down under but I try to explain I'm a very picky eater and only eat steaks and shrimp and worry about strange foods in Aussie land. I don't think the cuisine is like the Outback or is it?)

DH and I started out with guided tours and I agree with xyz123 that they fill a need for travelers. We took one to Greece and one to England-places where language could have been too big a barrier for us (LOL) and were very pleased as newbies to have all the schlepping done by someone else.

The one described above does seem, on the other hand, to be long on driving and short on visiting.

DIY or tour has been debated almost as much as whether Venice is a "must see"-guess the question will go on!

DAY 6 MANNHEIM – HEIDELBERG – MUNICH – INNSBRUCK
Do we have to spend all that time in Munich?

On arrival in Venice.......
At least we get chance to visit a glass factory instead of some yuckky museum, or something.

still have time to shop for Swiss watches and delicious chocolate!
Who can be against that?

2 nights in Rome and 2 nights in Paris - is there that much worth seeing?

((I))

As I said, I did a tour such as this about a decade ago...Heidelberg is sort of the break stop in the AM...you go up to the castle but not necessarily in the castle (it might be optional) although on the sides of the castle, you get the view of the river for photos...

Munchen is the lunch stop...a quiuck orientation drive and they usually drop you in the Marinplatz...there is a nice market behind the church there where you can get a sausage and sit in the beer garden or you can walk a couple of blocks to at east see the hofbrauhaus (nothing much is going on at noontime)...is it enough or too much? Who knows...then it's on to Innsbrook....a couple of hours walking around there is enough...the scenery is nice but so what....they usually include a dinner in a restaurant there and there is a tyrolean folklore show that is usually an optional...the hotel they've used in the past is only a few blocks from the main square in Innsbrook....again nobody says it is perfect and given my choice based on what I know now, I would prefer to spend the whole afternoon in Munich, visit the Deutsches Museum and have some time at night at the Hofbrauhaus and do Innsbrook the next day but that's me. Again it's more or less an orientation tour and if you enjoy Munchen, then you can always come back and know where the hofbrauhaus is, see the marinplatz and the show they put on at 1030 and do your own thing.....or do a German tour which spends two nights in Munich....it's all a case of making compromises...you can see a little of a lot or a lot of a little...the choice is yours.

BTW this tour convinced me that Rome is almost like a den of thieves. I saw the Vatican Museum, the Coloseum, the Spanish steps. To mke once was enugh and I've never really had the appetite to go back to Rome but at least I can say I've been there! To each his or her own.

I'd slit my wrists if I was on that trip!

And in response to "Rome is a den of thieves"! Our first trip to Italy was to fly into and out of Rome, with only hotels booked in Rome and then plans to go onto Florence and Venice . We ended up spending the entire 3 weeks in Rome we had so much to do an see and enjoy. We had to go back the next year to visit the other places

<<<BTW this tour convinced me that Rome is almost like a den of thieves. I saw the Vatican Museum, the Coloseum, the Spanish steps. To mke once was enugh and I've never really had the appetite to go back to Rome but at least I can say I've been there! To each his or her own.>>>

What a shame. One of the greatest pleasures of Rome is just wandering randomly through the narrow streets, 'discovering' family run shops that make the goods on the premiss, sitting in the shade sipping something cool whilst watching the world go by.

The Bernini trail is wonderful, and your whirl wind would not have allowed you to see Ecstasy of Saint Theresa. Even if it did, you would be loosing so much to trundle in with a group. It needs peace and solitude.

I can see that some may like an assisted tour, but you miss so much if this is all you ever see, or feel, or smell, or hear.

All my best travel moments have not been the 'must sees' but the 'just discovereds'.

...you see though I like Munchen; others hate it. I like Amsterdam but hate Brussels..I hated Spain but at least I was there...again I don't wish to substitute my tastes for others...perhaps it's the weather (I was in these places in summer and it was HOT HOT HOT)....I thought Venezia was dirty, others love it. I get that but then again that's what a tour is for, to help one discover what one likes and what one doesn't like but I respect anybody who disagrees!

I'd guess these people would be tourists, not travellers? :)

I'll be honest, my very first trip ever was a 21-day Contiki tour of Europe. I was young, naive and inexperienced before it, and thereafter I had the comfort level to plan my own trips.

You gotta love the numerous references to "leisure."

And I don't buy the notion that this is just a way to travel for folks whose tastes are just "different" from those of most Fodorites. These are tours for folks who just plain don't know any better and want to say they "did" Europe. And if you come back from such a tour saying you didn't "like" Munich, or Spain, for example, that's meaningless, because you didn't have a chance to learn what-all about the place to begin with.

I'm with Fashionista. Rome is about the passiagetta and sipping wine in Piazza Navona, etc in addition to seeing the sights. Venice is all about getting lost while ambling through the back streets and discovering a shop that makes authentic Venetian masks. You think you're seeing a lot when you are traveling to all those places, but you're really missing more, a whole lot more.

xyz123: As I said earlier, I took a Trafalgar tour in 1994 as my introduction to Europe, but it was only London, Paris, Rome and was actually rather leisurely. I agree that there are pros and cons to traveling with a group as opposed to independently (although I strongly fall into the "independent" group), my parents took a ton of these whirlwind tours and were quite happy to feel they had "seen" Europe. But we all know they didn't.

Having someone else shlep your luggage is nice, yes. Spending an inordinate amount of time on a big bus was not. Having someone else take care of entrance tickets and moving to the head of the line (our early entrance to the Vatican comes to mind), yes. Eating at bland restaurants chosen for their ability to seat a busload of tourists was not. Getting up at 5:00 a.m. to board a bus that then went to two other hotels to pick up others on the tour was not. Neither was being taken to every tourist trap souvenir shop between London and Rome so the tour guide could get her kickback from our purchases. We seemed to spend more time "take your time" at these shops than at actual sights. Finally, spending all your time with your fellow bus mates is insulating. There is no reasons to interact with locals, learn the currency or pick up a few friendly phrases.

But, relevant to this particular tour, my real argument is with the number of countries and stops involved. This is, IMHO, not engineered to give the tourists a good sample of the countries, but rather to provide the tour company with as many hotel/restaurant/souvenir shop kickbacks as possible.

Sheepherding comes to mind.