prowl

If any Board members have experienced a Globus Tour (or any other bus tour) of Germany your thoughts should be appreciated.I am considering taking one soon

rfbk50

I have a friend who just returned from a Globus tour of Italy and thought it was wonderful. Nice hotels, great tour guides. It was their first tour and say they would take globus again. Some people feel tours are too "organized" but are the right choice for others.

tropo

Prowl, some years ago, we did a Globus coach tour of Europe, and just loved it. We had a fantastic Tour Director, who encouraged us, to venture off on those 2 night stop overs, and discover, other sights, restaurants, etc, etc. (even to the point of returning to Mt.Pilatus, then walking back down the walking tracks to a lower station, to get the cog wheel railway back to the base of the mountain) Optional tours were never "forced" upon us, and each he allowed passengers to decide from day to day, which tour they would take. For those who didn't take the tour, they explored independantly, which we did a lot of.
We took the Globus coach holiday, as I have never driven on the right hand side (quite happy to drive around Britain & Ireland on the left). But since then, I have driven on the right, and would now happily return to Europe, and drive around the countryside.

taggie

I think Globus tours are generally fine if it's an organized tour you want. Just be sure to research the hotels your tour will be using - you want to make sure you are staying in the centres of the towns, not on the outskirts.

xyz123

This business of staying in the centre of town can be overrated but it depends how adventurous you are...

I just finished a Cosmos tour to Scandanavia. In Bergen and Oslo, small towns, we stayed in the centre of town and could walk everywhere.

In Stockholm and Copenhagen, 2 night stands in each, we were on the outskits so you know what....we learned to use public transportation and the undergrounds and we enjoyed it. You don't have to take a taxi everywhere. I, for example, when I visit London much prefer to take the tube or the buses to see how people live and yes to save some dough. I always disagree with people who visit a city and insist on taxis everywhere.

In Amsterdam we stayed near the airport so it was a quick 15 minute train ride into town. Again fun to ride the train and see how others do it.

The only complaint was Hamburg which was a 1 night stand but I guess they wanted to keep us out of the Sailor's Quarter there eh.

Karla

I took the Globus Germany Highlights tour. The hotels were nice, about half central, half not. Excellent tour guide, very good included meals. Group age was a good mix on my tour.

I've taken about 10 group tours and travelled independently in Europe for 4 months last year. Tours are good if you want to see as much as possible in a week or 2.

jet29

Prowl,

I haven't Globus Tours in the past but friends of ours used them for a trip to France and were very satisfied.We used Trafalgar Tours for a trip to Spain two years ago. Excellent!

If you require more information regarding organized tours I highly recommend that you consult the following discussion forums from:

http://69.20.21.250/ttbb/ultimatebb.cgi

http://69.20.21.236/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

strass

My parents took a Globus tour a few years ago and enjoyed it. One tip: Bring some vitamin C or echinacea along! The busy schedule, early mornings, and all that cramped bus time left some travelers sharing nasty colds at the end of the trip.

crefloors

my first trip to europe was with Globus..have gone back on my own since then. I was glad I took the tour on my first visit. As always, pros and cons. You can sometimes cover more ground with a tour and you don't wait in a lot of lines to get into places. Globus uses local guides for many of the sites. Do examine your tour brochure because the sights that are highlited are the ones you actually go into, others can be just a drive by. Some of the hotels are NOT central but most of the cities have excellent transportation..metro, tube, etc so that isn't a real issue most times. The class of hotels were really good for the most part on the tour i took. I think sometimes the hotels are out of the city center to have better access for the buses. We had a good group, mix of ages..from 13 to 60's. They will offer you additional tours etc. and it is up to yuu whether you want to participate..some of these will be listed in your brochure. If you don't want to buy the "extras" you will have more free time to do your own exploring and get a break from the group should you choose to do so. Globus is a HUGE company and seems to be very professional and have pretty high standards. Having said that, there can always be a glitch somewhere as with any travel. Here's hoping for a great trip for you no matter how you choose to travel.

surfingmomma

I've been on Globus, and Cosmos bus tours of Europe. You see a lot in a short period of time, have guides that tell you about some things you see, and the food is usually pretty good. all pluses--
but there are always minuses---such as---hotels that are not in the center of town, i.e. you must find alternate transporation to get to things--- The sickest my husband has EVER been, was on a Cosmos tour--because someone got on with the FLU--yup--and gave it to the rest of us on the bus---- you get up reallllly early, to get your bags outside the door, to have breakfast, and get going--so there can be a "rushed" feeling. and, sometimes there are straglers, that don't return to the coach at the appointed time--and althought reprimanded by the tourguide, still take up your time, that you have paid for. And, as crefloors said---be sure to read the description CAREFULLY, of what you will see, and what is a "drive-by".

diann

rfb50--in regards to a Globus tour of Italy. Do you recall the name of the tour to Italy your friends took? Thanks.

loves_to_travel

We did a Globus tour of Europe 5 years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. So much so, that we are going to Australia and New Zealand in December with Globus.

irish

I took a European Globus tour in 1995-9 countries in 15 days. Was fabulous and tour guide-Mario Chioccon - was way beyond fabulous. His brother-in-law is Peter Mayle!! A most memorable trip with Mario in charge. I hope he is still a guide-but may be CEO by now!

Margaretlb

My mother (aged 73) took the 12 night Italy tour this past March. Her itinery included:2 nts Rome, 2 nts Florence, 2 nts Milan (on the weekend with a day trip to Lake Como), 2 nts Venice, 1 nte Assisi,2 nts Sorrento and a final night in Rome. The day tours were extensive. She was the oldest member-most were 50-60.She had a WONDERFUL time. She also did Globus to Ireland - same high accolades.