RS Prague-Budapest 8 day tour itinerary looks great (we do NOT want Vienna on this trip), but 24-28 people??? Gee, that's a crowd. We two usually hire private guides in our destinations. Took one group tour (Kyoto temples - group of 12) - which oriented us in depth at each temple then let us wander at own pace until meals/transport. That worked well - plenty of access to guide to ask our many questions. We opted out of one morning to do our own thing - perfect.
Our travel preferences: lots of interaction with our guide, blend in with the site/city, set our own pace, maintain our privacy within any group, set our own priorities. Reading forum C-R forum I wonder why the large group size on this tour?? Question for those of you who have taken this (or other) Prague-Budapest trip: Are we a good fit for this tour? Any alternatives? (Yowsa: 24-28 folks !!!)
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
24 to 28 people are not only on this tour. I took 3 tours with Rick Steves -Turkey, Heart of France, Adriatics and it was always that number of people. Alternatives: you can do it cheaper on your own and hire your own guides.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
I've taken only one RS tour, and it was very well done with great guides and fellow travelers, but it seems like you'd do better on your own or with a smaller, self-selected group. I've been on tours with 40 people and 28 is a big improvement, but if you want to "blend in" and "set your own pace" and "maintain your privacy" and "set your own priorities" you'll probably do better on your own or with other people you already know or have chosen.
Why the large RS group size? It's not really that large for such a tour, and it's an effort to find a "sweet spot" between size and cost. It works for many people but not for everyone.
EDIT: If you want an excellent guide in Prague, I can recommend Martina Cermakova.
Posted by
Tampa, FL
626 posts
All of Rick's tours are 24-28 max. This is much better than other companies who have 40-50 on a tour. Now, that would be awful in my opinion. Rick explains his tour philosophy elsewhere on this site. I've only taken one RS tour. I usually prefer to travel alone or with a small group of family (up to 4). I never thought I'd like a tour at all, but the RS 10-day Tour of Scotland was really great and I enjoyed it. I was a solo traveler and met some nice folks to hang out with. I had plenty of alone time (I paid the single supplement), but also enjoyed being with others. Having a tour guide is awesome, we learned so much. But, if you think that's too big a group, i suggest looking into private guides and such. Everyone's travel style is different.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I was going to say that Tauck, a fancier and more expensive tour company than Rick Steves, would use smaller groups. But I looked at their website, and their "small group" tours are also about 25 people.
Given your strong feelings about a group this size, I agree with the others - you'll need go on your own, and you can hire a private guide if you wish.