Germany & Central Europe tour in May 2010
Aug 18th, 2009, 09:26 AM
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Germany & Central Europe tour in May 2010
Planning our annual tour of Europe for next May. Would love some critiques on the itinerary, suggestions for free time activities, etc.
Our groups typically consist of both college students and adults (as they are open to anyone 18 yrs & older). And participants come from all over the U.S. So it's great to have a wide variety of suggestions for free time activities and planned stops. Restaurant recommendations are also a great help.
You can find information on the tour at http://europeantours.blogspot.com.
Our groups typically consist of both college students and adults (as they are open to anyone 18 yrs & older). And participants come from all over the U.S. So it's great to have a wide variety of suggestions for free time activities and planned stops. Restaurant recommendations are also a great help.
You can find information on the tour at http://europeantours.blogspot.com.
Aug 18th, 2009, 09:57 AM
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Prepare to get flamed for using EF Tours. My wife and I have been travelling with them for years. We've done over 20 now. But there are many on this forum that hate organized tours and EF in particular. I can't say enough nice things about them but I got piled on when I defended them a few years back. Our feeling is that the kids you take make or break the tour experience. We take our best students and schedule meetings throughout the school year where we lay down the ground rules and let the parents know what to expect. We also try to encourage as many adults as possible to come with us. We have a fantastic tour guide that we use everytime we travel to Europe. He works closely with us and tweaks the tour itinerary to best reflect the interests of our group.
The only bad experience I ever had with EF was when I had a small group that had to be combined with a bunch of maniacs from the West Coast. That group had no rules and really no supervision. It wore us out having to diplomatically try to maintain discipline. Never again. Now we make sure we have a group of at least 40 people so that we have our own bus.
That being said, I have to say I envy you and your proposed trip. As much as we would personally love to do that trip there is no way we could fill a tour with enough people for those destinations. It seems that the kids up here are most interested in the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Kids today have zero knowledge of Central Europe and there are very few with ethnic ties to that region.
Instead we took a family vacation where we hit almost all the same spots that you are going to. It was fabulous even in the dead of a freezing cold Winter. We are planning to repeat it in 2011. Berlin and Vienna are two of my favorite cities in Europw. Dresden was simply awesome. Prague was pretty but a bit over-rated in my opinion. Budapest was also incredible. If at all possible, see if you can arrange to take the group to the baths one evening. The group will love it and it's cheap.
The only bad experience I ever had with EF was when I had a small group that had to be combined with a bunch of maniacs from the West Coast. That group had no rules and really no supervision. It wore us out having to diplomatically try to maintain discipline. Never again. Now we make sure we have a group of at least 40 people so that we have our own bus.
That being said, I have to say I envy you and your proposed trip. As much as we would personally love to do that trip there is no way we could fill a tour with enough people for those destinations. It seems that the kids up here are most interested in the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Kids today have zero knowledge of Central Europe and there are very few with ethnic ties to that region.
Instead we took a family vacation where we hit almost all the same spots that you are going to. It was fabulous even in the dead of a freezing cold Winter. We are planning to repeat it in 2011. Berlin and Vienna are two of my favorite cities in Europw. Dresden was simply awesome. Prague was pretty but a bit over-rated in my opinion. Budapest was also incredible. If at all possible, see if you can arrange to take the group to the baths one evening. The group will love it and it's cheap.
Aug 18th, 2009, 10:24 AM
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Thanks Zeus for the tips and the warning. I will definitely try to work in the baths.
We expect criticisms for using a tour company, have had my own hassels with planning tours this way (though nothing major), but EF works out great overall for us. And while I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea, their comments won't deter us. We've been at this for 6 yrs now & like the arrangement. Glad to hear you've stuck with them so long.
I understand how it can be difficult to run a tour like this. Our first tour with EF was almost identical (no Budapest, Vienna or Heidelberg though) and we got 14 students/alums from the local university. That was our average size group until last yr's tour of Ireland (32 people & a good mix of college students, alums and adults from the community - ages 19 to 72!). But just hoping for the 14 this yr (not everywhere is as popular as Ireland).
Germany is kind of a must for us every so many years. A friend of mine leads the tours (I do the planning before the group leaves & he takes over on tour) and lived in Germany for many years. He also teaches European history, so many of our participants tend to be current or former students of his.
Fortunately, we've had great luck with the other groups on tour. We've even been able to recruit some of their group members for our future tours. And EF has been pretty cooperative (with limited cojoling) as far as keeping us with groups that have similar age ranges.
By the way, we're always willing to coordinate our tours with other college/adult groups if you want to see places you can't get 40 people for. All of our tours are posted on my blog, and I welcome recommendations (new destinations chosen in January of the previous year).
We expect criticisms for using a tour company, have had my own hassels with planning tours this way (though nothing major), but EF works out great overall for us. And while I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea, their comments won't deter us. We've been at this for 6 yrs now & like the arrangement. Glad to hear you've stuck with them so long.
I understand how it can be difficult to run a tour like this. Our first tour with EF was almost identical (no Budapest, Vienna or Heidelberg though) and we got 14 students/alums from the local university. That was our average size group until last yr's tour of Ireland (32 people & a good mix of college students, alums and adults from the community - ages 19 to 72!). But just hoping for the 14 this yr (not everywhere is as popular as Ireland).
Germany is kind of a must for us every so many years. A friend of mine leads the tours (I do the planning before the group leaves & he takes over on tour) and lived in Germany for many years. He also teaches European history, so many of our participants tend to be current or former students of his.
Fortunately, we've had great luck with the other groups on tour. We've even been able to recruit some of their group members for our future tours. And EF has been pretty cooperative (with limited cojoling) as far as keeping us with groups that have similar age ranges.
By the way, we're always willing to coordinate our tours with other college/adult groups if you want to see places you can't get 40 people for. All of our tours are posted on my blog, and I welcome recommendations (new destinations chosen in January of the previous year).
Aug 18th, 2009, 11:33 AM
#4
"I welcome recommendations (new destinations chosen in January of the previous year)."
Kraków. An interesting town that has a number of students and young people. Nightlife on the Rynek Główny would be fun for them. The only problem you will have is having the guys leave Kraków, because it is also home to the most beautiful women I have ever seen (my wife says the guys were great looking, too).
On another note, one full day in Prague seems woefully short. I know you think it is overrated, but I would have to disagree with you strongly on that point.
For a beer in the afternoon, hike up from Mala Strana to the Bellavista for a great Prague view and some dark Urquell on tap. Or take the funicular up to Petrin Hill. There is a stop on the way up or back where you can get some refreshing libations.
Kraków. An interesting town that has a number of students and young people. Nightlife on the Rynek Główny would be fun for them. The only problem you will have is having the guys leave Kraków, because it is also home to the most beautiful women I have ever seen (my wife says the guys were great looking, too).
On another note, one full day in Prague seems woefully short. I know you think it is overrated, but I would have to disagree with you strongly on that point.
For a beer in the afternoon, hike up from Mala Strana to the Bellavista for a great Prague view and some dark Urquell on tap. Or take the funicular up to Petrin Hill. There is a stop on the way up or back where you can get some refreshing libations.
Aug 18th, 2009, 11:58 AM
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Thanks maitaiom for the suggestions. I'll look into some tours including Krakow for the future. Might be good for a Russian combination tour (tried Russia & Sweden once before but couldn't get enough people). I know our group leader would love to include Poland on a tour.
Personally, I'd love more time in Prague (my grandfather's birthplace), but that's the main price we pay on these tours - trying to give a taste of everything to get people interested in European travel and keeping the tours short enough for students & those with family/job obligations keeps us from going too in depth anywhere.
We do on occasion stay on in Europe for our own personal extensions. Prague would be a good one but a bit too intimidating for me as yet (my only foreign language is French & I'm better at reading it than conversing in it). My 6 day Ireland stay behind (in Dublin & Wicklow area) was amazing though, so it would be nice to do some more stay behinds after the main tours.
Will definitely take your advice on the hike to Bellavista. Since this will be my second time in Prague, I can break away from the group more (with a few others) and enjoy some new sites. I always like to offer alternatives to some of our planned tours (especially when we have a lot of repeat travelers or wide age range of travelers).
Personally, I'd love more time in Prague (my grandfather's birthplace), but that's the main price we pay on these tours - trying to give a taste of everything to get people interested in European travel and keeping the tours short enough for students & those with family/job obligations keeps us from going too in depth anywhere.
We do on occasion stay on in Europe for our own personal extensions. Prague would be a good one but a bit too intimidating for me as yet (my only foreign language is French & I'm better at reading it than conversing in it). My 6 day Ireland stay behind (in Dublin & Wicklow area) was amazing though, so it would be nice to do some more stay behinds after the main tours.
Will definitely take your advice on the hike to Bellavista. Since this will be my second time in Prague, I can break away from the group more (with a few others) and enjoy some new sites. I always like to offer alternatives to some of our planned tours (especially when we have a lot of repeat travelers or wide age range of travelers).
Aug 18th, 2009, 12:39 PM
#6
Bellavista is only about a ten to minute minute walk up from Mala Strana. I can taste that Urquell right now. Have fun.
If your group has had enough German and Czech food and needs a respite, the Orange Moon Thai restaurant is highly recommended for lunch. It was full of locals, mostly young professionals. It is located between Josefov and Staromestské Námestí. From the trip report:
"...menu of Thai, Burmese and Indian cuisine was spectacular (at very reasonable prices, too). We dined on such dishes as beef kabobs, stir fried beef with basil and chili sauce and a chicken salad with fresh mint, Galanga, lemon and fresh chili.
Of course, this was all accompanied by copious amounts of pivo. Love that pivo!
We deemed Kim’s dish of fried rice noodles with chicken, bean sprouts, leeks and ground peanuts as the overall best dish."
If your group has had enough German and Czech food and needs a respite, the Orange Moon Thai restaurant is highly recommended for lunch. It was full of locals, mostly young professionals. It is located between Josefov and Staromestské Námestí. From the trip report:
"...menu of Thai, Burmese and Indian cuisine was spectacular (at very reasonable prices, too). We dined on such dishes as beef kabobs, stir fried beef with basil and chili sauce and a chicken salad with fresh mint, Galanga, lemon and fresh chili.
Of course, this was all accompanied by copious amounts of pivo. Love that pivo!
We deemed Kim’s dish of fried rice noodles with chicken, bean sprouts, leeks and ground peanuts as the overall best dish."
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