Hi y'all - we are in the very early stages of planning a trip for June 2027 (yes, I do plan ahead LOL). Right now we're thinking Austria . . . maybe poking our noses into Germany for a day or two. I love history so Salzburg and Vienna sound great, but I think a major focus of our trip is photography / videography so scenery will be a major priority . . . mountains, towns, lakes, etc.
That really means that we'll need mobility, especially for the countryside and small towns.
That said, I really, really don't want to drive in Europe. Driving in another country, finding a place to keep the car as we drive around, etc. just sounds like a source of stress we don't need. That said, group tours don't give us the flexibility we would want to do what we want and see what we want.
So I'm looking at a private tour company like Firebird Tours or Kensington Tours. They do the driving and we still have control over our itinerary.
My questions are:
- Given our priorities, should be looking at Switzerland or Germany over Austria?
- Do you have any experience with private tour companies, particularly the ones I named? What are your thoughts about them or about private tours in general?
We're looking forward to getting back to Europe - I appreciate any thoughts you care to share!
Jeff and Monique in Texas