What are the meals like on a RS Tour - full menu, limited menu, set meal, buffet?

Breakfasts on the tour are included with hotel stay. Delicious coffee and always a pastry, most have yogurt, meats and cheeses, a few have bacon, sausage and eggs. Very nice. Dinners are very good. On my tour we had dinners that were planned for us, we didn't have choices however they will certainly accommodate you if you have special dietary needs. I so enjoyed our meals together.

I just got back from my frist Rick Steves tour and the food was amazing! You will not go hungry, there was always an appitizer, main course, and dessert. Water was always on the table but any other drinks (beer, wine, soda) you had to pay for. A few times we had choices from 3 different meats or differnent lunch choices, one time we had a buffet, and a few times everyone got the same thing. I am not a very picky eater, but there are some things I don't like and I was always happy with the food (as were the other tour members). I especially loved the cheese fondue we had in Switzerland =)

Hi China, the RS tours include all the breakfasts and half the dinners. It depends on the tour but in there is usually a mixture of limited menu options (choice of 3 appetizers, entrees, desserts), or a set menu where everyone gets the same thing. We also had a couple of great picnics and, depending on the tour, a wine/beer tasting. If you have special dietary needs or allergies, be sure to note the info on the pre-tour questionnaire and also let your guide know on the first day. In my experience, they will go out of their way to accommodate you. My travel partner this year was a self-professed "picky eater" and he did just fine.

We did The Heart of Italy tour this summer. For the group meals the appetizer, main and dessert were served family style at a few places and plated dinners at other with everyone having the same entree (except for people with dietary restrictions. I think we had one vegetarian and two or three gluten intolerant people). And because Italy is Italy house wine was included.

There was someone in our group who didn't like fish and in the Cinqueterre she had a different entree.

china,

As the others have mentioned, breakfasts are always provided by the hotel and vary slightly depending on region and hotel. They're usually a buffet style with a substantial number of choices, so should be able to fit just about every taste.

Some of the lunches will be group meals and some will be on your own, and the selections will vary according to tour. One of the group lunches on my recent Adriatic tour (while in Bosnia) consisted of a huge table of many different regional foods. It was a fantastic meal, and included Baclava for dessert.

With the group dinners, in some cases the guide will pre-order meals the day prior, and will poll the group to determine which of the two choices each person wants. In other cases, a couple of choices will be provided and ordering will be done at the time. In many cases, one glass of wine is provided and if tour members want more than one glass, it's extra cost. The group meals on RS tours are always a spectacular affair, and you'll probably find that you put on a few pounds.

You may find it very helpful to have a look at the Tour Experience Videos which cover just about every aspect of the RS tours.

Your breakfasts will probably all be provided by the hotels where you are staying, and the quality and quantity of the food will depend on both the hotel and the region where you are staying. On our trip breakfasts varied from a huge selection of amazing foods -- meats, fish, breads, home baked pastries (in Germany) -- to coffee and pastries, maybe granola and/or fruit (in Rome and Paris). I'm not a huge breakfast eater, so I was fine with the lighter breakfasts (although I would absolutely return for breakfast at the hotel with amazing spread), especially since the coffee was usually excellent.

I enjoyed the dinners on my tour, but I think that my expectations may have been too high (maybe based on reading posts like the ones above). Some of the dinners were truly spectacular. Others were okay, but certainly nothing special. Although there was never a bad meal, and there was always more than enough food, I wouldn't expect every meal to be spectacular, especially given that you have already had experience on a "higher end" tour.

It is really nice to have some evenings on your own to try to find your choice of restaurant, and some meals planned for you (saving you the time and energy of figuring it out) -- a good mix. And group meals are really fun -- a great time to get to know your fellow tour members. Many times wine was included....and yes, that is a good way to break the ice.

Group dinners vary depending on the country, the restaurant, and what the guide has reserved. However, you would not expect to have the full run of the menu on these nights. A generous, multi-course meal, the same for all, is common, especially in Italy. At other stops it is common to have a few menu choices; I saw that more on our Heart of France tour, for instance. While wine officially is not included in group meals on Rick Steves' Tours (unless it is billed as a wine tasting), your guide may indeed make a deal with Italian restaurants to include wine in an affordable manner. If wine, coffee, or other beverages are not included in the meal that the tour has paid for, then waiters will collect those payments from individuals. See also the video at http://www.ricksteves.com/tours/tour-experience.

I found on the Ireland tour it was more likely that we would order off the menu. On the other RS tours usually it was set, sometimes with a choice ahead of time sometimes not. The only time I remember a buffet (except at breakfast) is on the Village Italy tour at the dinner in Levanto where they cooked a number of Ligurian specialties. However, I am vegan and the guides on my BOE and both Italy tours were exceptional at being able to organize a vegan option.