2027 Tours are out!

Barbara’s thread began with info that new tour itineraries were coming. And now that 2027 are posting, lots of comments and excitement. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/new-itineraries-coming

Gina, which tour(s) are you signing up for? Lots to choose!

I continue my tradition of signing up for a tour the first day they are listed.
Istanbul in April, and my son also signed up.

I’m still going for Switzerland!

I spotted two tours I felt were new.

Best of Athens and Nafplio. Best of Scandinavian Capitals.

Did you spot any others?

I saw five:
My Way Ireland
My Way England
8 day Greece tour
8 day Portugal tour
10 day Scandinavia tour

And the "old" Portugal tour is totally reworked and different!

Just signed up for the 21 day's Best of Europe tour in April. Can't wait!!!

Dear Horsewoffie. Central Europe !

Gina, I like the changes they made in that tour. It sounds great! Yeah, Horsewoofie, what are you thinking of booking?

Stan mentioned Central europe last week….

We did the RS 14 day Ireland, guided tour. So many people chatting on the forum mention wanting to travel to Ireland on their own, but want to use public transportation, which is so limited, because nobody wants to drive on the "wrong side of the road." This new My Way Ireland is going to be a hit! Same with My Way England.

Not really a biggie (still a bargain for us solo travelers), but the per night single supplement will be $60 in 2027 (up $10).

Since I spent the day planning more of my independent September trip to northern Italy, I didn’t spend much time looking at the 2027 tours. Thinking Scandinavia Capitals so I can also see friends in Lyckeby Sweden.

Barbara, where are you going this year?

I signed up for Best of Europe in 21 Days next April. Very excited!

Yeah, well I know what I'll be doing today.

is there going to be a $100 discount for booking early?

Just booked Switzerland! Yippee!
And, yes, uriengill, there is a $100 early booking discount.

Yes the $100 early booking discount is in effect until sometime in July which is nice. We just booked our first tour last night for the 13-day Germany w/Oktoberfest opportunity, really looking forward to it since the last time I was there was in 1979 with my folks and we stayed in West Berlin as part of a Globus tour group. I will also be meeting some recently discovered 2nd cousins there as well so it will be a very fascinating experience. I'll need to work on my German in preparation.

Athens and Nafplio are a great combination. I was a little less excited when I read the actual itinerary and compared it with the pricing.

Pros: Interesting locations that are close to each other. Less bus time, more free time.

Con: I never underestimate the value of a good guide, but even then I was taken aback at the pricing. This is one of those tours that could easily be done as a combination of private day tours for so much less. It might be a great fit for some.

I just booked the Munich, Salzburg, & Vienna tour for Oktoberfest in 2027. This will be my 2nd Rick Steves tour. Last year I did the Paris & The Heart of France tour, and loved it so much I am going back to Paris next month with my BFF for her birthday.

Did the My Way France tour go away? Dang.

My Way France is still there.

And, yes, uriengill, there is a $100 early booking discount.

Is that offered for all tours and available now? I'm looking at the 2027 Scotland tour and I don't see a mention of the discount on the page at https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/scotland/best-scotland-tour#tour-dates

Is that offered for all tours and available now?

Yes, you will see the $100 discount applied at check-out when you book the tour. It is $100 off all 2027 tours, and the discount is valid through Monday, July 6, 2027.

So many people chatting on the forum mention wanting to travel to Ireland on their own, but want to use public transportation, which is so limited, because nobody wants to drive on the "wrong side of the road."

KD, I do not understand that. After the first couple of minutes, it is easy to drive on the left side of the road. It can be a little tricky in the roundabouts, but all you have to do is just keep driving in the circle until you figure it out. 😂

I found it, renee; thank you.

KD, I do not understand that. After the first couple of minutes, it is easy to drive on the left side of the road.

Mardee, it is not necessarily only about driving on the left. I don’t enjoy long drives, particularly as a solo traveler with no one to trade with. Some people love having a car on vacation and some of us don’t.

I am hoping they will put a complete list of the new tours in the Tour News, or a link on the home page. Unless, of course, they want you to dig through all the tours and hope something catches your eye.

We signed up for The Best of Eastern France in June of 2027! Let the planning and countdown begin! Looking forward to several days in Paris on our own - haven't been there since I ran the marathon in 2019 one day before the Notre Dame fire - and to returning to Colmar, which I absolutely loved on our Viking Rhine River cruise.

Stan, in the April tour news email:

In 2027, we're introducing five fresh adventures. Three are fully
guided tours: the Best of Athens & Nafplio in 8 Days, the Heart of
Portugal in 8 Days, and the Best of Scandinavian Capitals in 10 Days.
For those who prefer a little more independence, we've also added two
new, 11-day My Way Vacations: England and Ireland. And as always,
we've lovingly fine-tuned our existing itineraries — including a
rerouted 13-day Portugal itinerary with a new stop in the Algarve.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/tour-news/april-2026/hi-from-rick

Is the Best of Sicily tour not running in 2027?

Hi, All.

We will absolutely have tours in Sicily in 2027 (and beyond!). With that, we only launch tours once every piece is fully in place—hotels, logistics, and operations—so we can deliver the experience we promise. For Sicily, we’re not quite there yet so this page highlights that they are almost ready: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/sicily-2027

This page is supposed to be showing in 2027 tours and Italy tours but the connection is broken and our IT team is working on a solve.

Again, sorry to scare you. If you’re signed up for Tour News, you’ll be among the first to know as soon as Sicily becomes available, which we expect will be soon.

How many months in advance do tours go on sale? It seems like there wouldn't be a sale until a few months prior to the tour dates. It'd be nice if there was a flash sale in advance for 2027' tours.