"Taste Of Europe" tour for first time visitor.

I travel independently .. and prefer it to tour.. but when my daughter was 11 I took her on a Rick Steves Family Europe in 14 days. It was amazingly fun.. and I had been to most of the places already and I still enjoyed it and learned some new things.

They have the tour for Familys BUT they also have the same one not for families.. Rick Steves Europe in 14 days.. I would take that one for a taste test!

beware of some( most) cheap tours.. they stay one night in most places ( not two like RS) they are large groups( 45-50 people,, not 24-28 like Ricks tour) they stay in huge chain hotels , often not central( Rick Steves hotels are generaly smaller , more character and central enough so you can easily enjoy sightseeing on your own ( and you do get free time at every stop)

Plus many cheaper tours only look cheaper.. but they nickel and dime you on the tour!

Hi,

I agree that you might want to consider a tour, if your budget can accommodate it. I realize that you don't want to be "stuck" for too long, but think of this as your introduction to Europe and then you can go back as often as you can manage and do it on your own, at your own pace (and frankly, it's only two weeks out of your whole life). As Rick S says, assume you will be back. Doing a tour the first time will help get you acclimated and let you just focus on the fun of visiting each location. You won't have to worry about transportation and booking hotels, etc. you can just focus on the planning the fun stuff and your free time. :).

Of course, I like the RS way of touring, which is why I'm on this website. When I was younger (I'm in my 40s now), I did some touring with other companies. RS usually stays two nights at each location, allowing some free time almost every day. That way, you can wander off on your own for some time, and not always feel compelled to spend time walking around in a "herd" of people. I would say the RS is a little heavy (for my taste) on museums and churches (but that's me). You can always opt out of these if you prefer though, so that's not a problem. I also love the guides you get on a RS tour - both the tour guides and the city guides at each stop. I find a learn a LOT and I get so much more out of the tour. RS has some other advantages as well, which is why I'm signed up for my 5th tour. I also like that there are solo travelers on pretty much every tour (I'm one of those too). This company works for me, but it may not for you. For example, if you're in your 20s and just want a party tour (nothing wrong with that - I did it in my 20s) there are other companies that cater to that. You'll hit the sites and check them off your list (Eiffel tower-check; Leaning Tower-check), but in the end, you'll still have an idea of where you want to go back and spend some time.

Of course, maybe you're already a well-traveled person and you really enjoy the planning parts of a trip. In that case, there's no reason you can't do it yourself. If you want to do it that way, I would start by picking up a copy of Rick's book: Europe Through the Back Door. It lists all the practicalities of traveling (money, trains, etc.). It also lists some popular destinations. It would be a good starting place for you. Once you decide your top 4-5 places to go you can start developing an itinerary. Many here are willing to help with that ( however, I will say many here will also tell you to stick to no more than three places I two weeks, so if you're looking for advice on a 7-9 stop tour in a two-week period, this is not the place to come for that, usually). Personally, for your first trip, I don't see anything wrong with that type of trip, assuming you'll be going back. In Rick's book he has a few sample itineraries listed for two- and three-week tours. However, one caution is that it assumes you are a PRO at traveling and arranging transportation. You can do the order of his list but you may need to add in one or two days to accommodate for that.

I'll put in one more plug for taking a Rick Steves tour. They really do offer a lot and you pay everything up front. You get a lot out of it. And they take the time to teach you logistics (how to read a bus schedule, etc) if you don't know that part already. You get to focus on the places rather than worrying about where you'll be sleeping that night when you arrive in a location.

Good a luck in your decision. :)

Ditto to prior posts, spot on. I note though that you indicate only one or two weeks of vacation time - you'll get a lot of feedback here that that is not enough time for just one country, let alone getting a "taste" of Europe. There's no way (even with RS "Best of Europe" tour) that you can get a feel for all of Europe. Also, if you move around a lot, most of your vacation will be in a boat/train/airplane - don't discount the fact too that you will spend the better part of two days going to and from Europe. If you have only a week, that zips out two of seven days.

Are there particular things that you like doing? Art? Outdoors? Food? Museums? Cities? Countryside? If you can pick a few themes for your trip it will be easier to narrow down an itinerary. Are you a good traveler in the US? If you haven't done much travel, a tour might be the way to go for a first trip. What was said about RS tours above is true - I've done four of his tours (as a single) and never regretted a moment. FWIW, my very first trip to Europe (with a friend) was to London and Paris for about 10 days. London eased me in to Europe without the language barrier, and Paris made me feel like I was really in Europe. A good intro to set your mind about returning to other places in the future.

photo,

i will say that i fly solo, so this is just my experience and how i do/see things.

If you dont want to do any homework as to where to go/do/see things then a "tour" maybe better for you. It will cost more but it allows you to just sit back and enjoy the ride. No dealing with planning where to go/do/see things, no planning or making reservations for trains/buses/shuttles, no planning or making reservations for tours or lodging. Just show up and be entertained. n Note that you can "fly by the seat of your pants" too, but if it was me, i would get overthere and "get your feet wet" first and then do the "fly by your seat". ONce you figure out how things work overthere, then "winging it" shoudlnt be an issue.

If you want to crack open some guide books and be a Do It Yourselfer, then by all means, crack open some guide books and start making some notes.

In my opinion, spending one week in Europe is borderline a waste of time & $$$. Since you dont say where you are hailing from, im going to assume the USA and say that you will loose ONE day just to travel there. That leaves that 7 (one week?) trip now down to 6 days. You can spend that full 6 days in just one city/place too! Now if you get homesick, then i can see spending less time over there, but its been my experience, that im having so much fun, that time flys by waaaay toooo fast and my 3 or 4 weeks is gone faster than a politician can spend $$$.

Also, depending on how your body reacts to jetlag (JL), you maybe in a fog for the first couple of days. My last trip, it hit me harder going over there and i was feeling it for the first 3 days. the JL didnt hit me as hard on my trip back home since it usually does.

Just remember, that the more you hop around, the less you will spend seeing/doing and you will spend more $$ doing so. But the best things is that if you plan your stops/sights, you can take trains to/from each place and they can be less expensive, fast, efficient and a great way to get around. One thing to keep in mind is that trains go from City Center to City Center. No need to deal with TSA or transportation to/from the city <> airport.

At the least, get a copy of Ricks Steves, "Europe though the back door" and read it and see what you think. Worse case, you dont like it and if you have any used book stores in your area, sell it back or donate it. It can give you ideas on whats out there and how to travel. Thats how i started and i will be doing my 4th trip this year.

also, in my opinion, you will get a "taste" even if you spend it just once place.

happy trails.

You would need at least two weeks.
Make your choice and select among the following pproposal
Germany :
Berlin - 3 days
Munich and surrounding Bavaria : 4 days
Freiburg 1-2 days
Hamburg 2 days
Cologne 1 day

AUSTRIA

Salzburg 2 days
Vienna 3 days
Innsbruck 2 days

BELGIUM

BRUXELLES 2 days
BRUGES 1 full day
GHENT 1 full day
LIEGES - Curtius museum, outremeuse, palace of the prince-bishops
BASTOGNE 2nd world war memorial, Ardennes scenery
DINANT City of the Saxophone

FRANCE
PARIS 4 days
STRASBOURG 2 Days
ARLES 3 days
DIJON and Burgundy ( wine tour) (
RENNES Mont St Michel and Britany (4 days)
AIX EN PROVENCE, MARSEILLES
Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo

ITALY
VENICE (3days)
VERONA 2 days
MILAN (1days)
TORINO + Langhe region ( wine and gastronomic tour) 3 days for both
FLORENCE 4 days
SIENA 2. Days
PERUGIA 2 Days
GUBBIO 2 days
ASSISI 1 day
ROME 5 days
AMALFI COAST
NAPOLI
CAPRI 2 days

SPAIN
BARCELONA 3 days
MADRID 4 days
SEVILLA 3 days
CORDOBA 2 days

Actually, I will disagree slightly with the comment about just showing up for a tour and not having to do any research. That may be the case with other companies, and certainly could be done on the RS tours, but there is enough free time in some areas that it does require some research in to what you would like to see that is not included on the RS tour.

I agree that the RS 14 day is an excellent overview. You cannot move at this pace on your own as a first timer. If you can stretch your time (and budget) to 3 weeks, I had the best time ever on the 21 day tour. It was very much a sampler tour! I did the 21 day tour solo and had a wonderful time.

Although Europe is relatively small, it is so diverse you can not get "a taste" of it all in one week. Two would be a stretch. Three weeks would give you a good taste if have the time. Take a look at all the RS tours and see what most appeals to you that will fit in your time frame. Use that trip as an into to check out other areas later. TC

If it were me, I'd do a 14 day Rick tour, get the lay of the land, and then schedule myself extra time at the end to revisit one or two places you saw on the tour. You can decide before you go which places you want to go back to or just fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants and decide when the tour is over.
A Rick tour will be more informative about the art of travel than a run-of-the-mill tour so you should be able to get the basics down and then launch off on your own afterwards!

Tom,

With detailed planning using guidebooks and this website, it would certainly be possible for you to do the trip on your own. However for a first trip to Europe, I agree with the others that a guided tour would be a better option, as it will not only give you a good "taste of Europe" but also the skills and information to return and travel on your own.

The 14 day Best of Europe tour would be an excellent choice! However, if you only have two weeks of vacation time a 14-day tour may not work for you, as you'll still need two days for flight times. If travelling from North America, you'll generally arrive the day after you depart, and you'll be jet lagged for a few days so won't be up to full "touring speed". The final day will be needed for the flight home. I generally like to arrive at least two days prior to a tour to get acclimatized to the new time zone.

With the RS tours, you won't be "stuck on a boat or a train for days on end". The tour transportation is very well organized and tour members generally only spend a few hours on the bus on travel days. If you had the time, a good combination would be to spend a few days in London on your own at the beginning and then take the EuroStar to Paris to join the tour. At the end of the tour, book your return flight from Rome.

As this is your first trip, you may find it interesting to read Europe Through The Back Door as that provides a lot of good information on "how" to travel in Europe.

Hello tlanephoto. The group tours in Europe operated by Rick Steves' business are extremely expensive. I recommend :
Be away from your home for 14 days, minimum.
Go to three countries, maximum (if it is a 14 day trip).
I suggest : go to London, Paris, Berlin. Three whole days at each city. That could be a great trip !

Hi again Tom,

Another option than either going it alone or on a full-fledged tour is to consider the RS tour option called: My Way 14-day Best Of Europe. It's less expensive than the full-fledged tour. The advantage is that it takes care of lodging and transportation for you, but there isn't a " tour" at all. Basically, you and others on the My Way tour arrive together on a bus and then you get the whole 1-2 days to do whatever you want, on your own, before moving on to the next destination. There is a tour escort, who is there to answer any questions you may have, but you don't have to wander around with the same group of people all the time. You might see them at breakfast and then again on the bus to your next destination and that's it. Or, maybe you could befriend someone else on the bus and then have someone to have a few dinners or lunches with. In this way, you get the best of both worlds: someone there to help you with logistics and the possibility of not being alone all the time, but lots of independence during the day.

I can't seem to link to the page right now, but you can access the page by going to "Our Tours" in the upper left corner to read more about it. Good luck with your decision. Also, if you search the forum, (especially under the Tour Forum link), you can find a few posts about how these tours really work, by people who have already been on one..

:) Enjoy!