I am dreaming of travel and am interested in Central Europe tour. I really like the Gate 1 - 15 day Kaleidoscope of Central Europe itinerary ( 13 nights First Class accommodations,2 nights Warsaw, 2 nights Krakow, 2 nights Budapest, 3 nights Vienna, 2 nights Prague, 2 nights Berlin). However, there could be 42 people on the tour :-O. That is a deal breaker for me.
What Central Europe Rick Steve tour did you go on and like the best?
Are you set on a tour or is independent travel an option? I did my own independent tour of Central Europe. It's true that traveling independently you won't be able to move at the speed of a guided bus tour, but you'll be able to choose your locations and stay more or fewer nights (days) to suit your interests. I was able to visit Berlin, Vienna, Cesky Krumlov, Prague, Krakow, and Budapest - I didn't get to Warsaw because of time limitations. I was there longer than two weeks, but I wanted more time in Budapest (spent 6 nights there at the end of my trip), which probably wouldn't be necessary for most others. Traveling through Central Europe using public transportation was pleasant and easy (and less costly than Western Europe). I'm a senior female traveling solo and I had no problems or issues while traveling in that region.
We did the Rick Steves Best of Eastern Europe in 15 Days tour, which is really in Central Europe. We visited Cesky Krumlov on our own before joining the tour, and spent several days in Salzburg afterwards.
We always enjoy the size of the Rick Steves' tours. This one was a bit fast paced, with a lot of hours spent on the bus. Like other Rick Steves tours we've been on, they do a good job of breaking up the long days with interesting stops.
We did an independent tour of Central Europe in 2019. We did this: Budapest 5N> Vienna 4N> Cesky Krumlov 2N> Prague 6N. We used train & shuttles along the way. This area is very doable in 2 weeks. We hired guides for walking tours. We prefer spending more time in each location. That way we could do day trips. We did use RS guidebooks that were very helpful. It’s been our intent to visit Poland on another occasion. We felt it warrants more time.
Krakow to Budapest is essentially an all day drive, so at best you get one full day in Budapest. Normally I get the attraction of fast paced tours, but thats a bit too much. On the other hand Janis' tour was a bit dragged on for my taste. Do a RS tour, they are fairly well balanced.
Think about a tour on your own. Those 2 night stays in all those cities look tiring to me. The cost of touring on your own will be significantly cheaper than a tour, even an RS tour. I would drop Berlin and spend extra time in Krakow (most underrated city IMO) and Prague or Vienna.
Six destinations in under 2 weeks would be a no go for me, as it includes some fantastic locations and I would be wanting more time in every place. Two nights somewhere means one full day.
Budapest, Prague and Vienna can each easily fill 5 full days and I had a full week in Berlin and didn’t get to see everything. I haven’t been to Poland.
If you still want a tour, and soon, have you checked with Gate 1 to know what their minimum will be on their first few tours once allowed to travel?
I once took a big bus tour of Egypt just when they started to travel back after the Arab Spring, and there were only 5 of us on the tour. Normal numbers were 45+. There were 3 tours on the Nile cruise and we still only numbered 37 people.
I've not traveled with Gate 1 but there have been a number of posts on the Senior Forum on Trip Advisor where people have had difficulty getting refunds from tours cancelled due to the pandemic. Do your research, ask questions about refunds (specifically money back vs voucher), ask what the Pennsylvania Consumer Laws are regarding tour refunds and write down names of folks you've talked with.
One of my tour mates from a Rick Steves tour posted on FB in June that Gate 1 was refusing her a refund for a tour the company cancelled. Based on my TA reading I recommended she contact the PA Attorney General's office which she did and then got a refund.
You might also look at Road Scholar which generally has smaller groups. I'm not 100% satisfied with how they've handled things during the pandemic but I've got 3 tours booked with them in 2021 and 2022. Two of them I booked before Dec 31 and they have a guarantee of 100% refund of deposit if you cancel 90 days or more out from travel. The other one I'm taking a chance on for next Spring - deposit is $250 so hardly worth getting travel insurance at this point as it will cost more than the $250. I'm taking a risk that I could lose the deposit but I know that.
I would not hesitate to book with Rick as he's been exemplary with handling refunds and keeping his staff employed during this dreadful year.
LF, I have three experiences to offer:
1. I spent 4 nights each in Prague and Krakow in 2011., on my own, day long train in between, I enjoyed them both very much. Lots of sites in the cities and on nearby day trips, easily available as day tours by bus or van. Good food, great beer, no problem functioning in English.
2. I took Rick Steve’s’ Bulgaria Tour, then followed by 3. the RS Adriatic Tour in 2016. Liked them both, but the Bulgaria Tour I found exceptional, especially excellent guide in Stefan, who has been leading all the RS Bulgarian Tours. Many fewer tourists than other countries, lots of interactive activities with everyday Bulgarians, who do not make their living dealing with foreign visitors all day long. Bulgaria is a very interesting country, rich history, beautiful natural features, very friendly people. The RS Adriatic Tour moves around a lot, through several countries and various quite touristy locations. Also a fine tour. In both cases, groups have been about 25 to 28 people, with a nice comfortable bus with 50+ seats. In all, I have taken 11 RS tours, and they have all been excellent.
That Gate 1 itinerary looks way to fast-paced, with only one full day in great cities like Berlin, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna. Not to mention too many fellow travelers. Kaleidoscopes are fun for fleeting impressions of changing colors, I don't know why a worthwhile tour would be called that.
I've been to most of your destinations, though not with RS. From taking other RS tours, I know they're well paced with a good balance of group activities and free time. The one that seems closest to the itinerary Gate 1 offers is "Best of Berlin, Prague and Vienna in 12 Days." I'd recommend adding a few days in Budapest, easily reached from Vienna after the tour. Visit Poland before the tour or save it for a future trip.
I took the RS Berlin Prague Vienna tour and loved it. It was well-balanced between tour time and freedom to explore on your own. Also, 3 nights in the 3 major cities, and 1 night each in Dresden and Césky Krumlov. I highly recommend this itinerary covering very different cities with unique cultures and histories. It’s a great overview of Central Europe. To add, there were only 20 people in my group. Generally, RS tours will have up to 28 maximum.
Thank you all for your post. After thinking things over I think I will go with Berlin Prague Vienna tour and add Budapest. The high speed train you can be in Budapest in under 3 hours. In addition it is a Rick Steve tour so you know you are going to get the most bang for your buck. Unfortunately, I might have to move this out a year ( was thinking 2022) as I was hoping to go to Ireland this fall but that is looking slim.
Before COVID when did tours become available for the following year; July?
LF, in the before times, the full schedule for RSE tours would be available in July with some of the early tours posted sooner.
LF,
I’m happy you are considering the Rick Steves Berlin Prague Vienna tour, you will not be disappointed. It’s a wonderful mix of history and culture. I like your idea of adding Budapest as well. I didn’t have the time for that.
I hope you are able to go to Ireland this year, it’s uncertain what travel will be possible. Europe vaccine rollout seems slower than the US.
I have not been on a tour or with a group of any kind in Europe for about 40 years now; I have always planned our own trips with my wife and occasionally with another couple as I like custom-designing my itineraries.
The Gate 1 trip has a lot of great cities, but boy... that's a really rush-rush trip and you'll be left wanting more at almost every one of these cities. It's almost impossible to identify which was my favourite as they're all great in their own unique ways. I'd probably rank these in order: Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Budapest, Warsaw and Vienna. All are great, enjoyable cities. Ask ten people on this forum and you'll get ten different orders.
13 nights... I would cut out one or two of these cities and save them for another trip, if possible. You could easily do Poland on its own or Vienna/Budapest on its own to be combined with other great cities such as Bratislava, Zagreb and Ljubljana. Two years ago, we went on a 23-day trip to Prague, Trencin, Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna, Brno, Telc, Cesky Krumlov, and Plzen, still felt like we needed more time to properly appreciate each of these places.
Have a great time plotting out your trip!
