Best of Europe in 21 Days Tour--Amount of Bus Travel?

I haven't been on the BOE tour, but the amount of bus time is the total amount for the day not the duration of one bus ride. You stop at least every two hours for comfort breaks as well as rest breaks per EU bus driver regulations. The guide will spend some of the bus time talking about history/facts about your next destination, plus each stop usually has opportunity for a snack or to see something interesting. In order to cover such a big itinerary, that tour is going to have some long bus days. On all 5 of my RS tours I used bus time to read my guide book, get caught up on my blog/journal, enjoy the views, or take a snooze.

I was a bit anxious about all the bus time too before I took the BOE 21 Day tour. As shared earlier, they break every 2 hours or at stops that range from points of interest to the fabulous Autogrills in Italy as well as an interesting stop high in the Alps. The time flies and the guide also uses some of the time to educate you on what is coming up including history and culture. As the tour is very active the bus time also allows you to recharge your batteries.

I haven’t done the 21-day tour myself yet, but I’ve heard from others that even the longer bus rides are pretty manageable. They usually include stops to stretch, grab a bite, or explore a little. If you enjoyed the Spain tour, I think you’ll still find the pace comfortable, especially with all the variety packed into the itinerary.

I didn't find the bus time on the 21 day tour a problem. TBH, this tour is pretty active and busy so the bus time actually gave some good break times.

I loved this tour! It was so much fun and wow...we saw SO MUCH but part of that is having to travel over some distance to get to the next event!

I took this tour in 2022 and the bus time was not an issue. Between the views out the windows, visiting with others on the tour and regular breaks time on the bus flies by. Hard for me to imagine anyone not loving this tour.

I did this tour in 2023. The 7 hour bus tour isn't an issue. The bus is very comfortable, considering it's a coach bus for 50 people, and there are only 28 max on the tour; most can get 2 seats for themselves. There are 20 minutes of bathroom breaks every 2 hours, and there are also lunch stops, and other stops at famous sites and landmarks along the way. So the stops may be similar to your Best of Spain. Do be prepared that in some of the bathroom stops, you are required to pay to use the bathroom.

This is one of the best tours I've been on.

I just took this tour in July/August 2025 (and LOVED it!!!). I enjoyed the bus travel days. There was a nice balance between our days on and off the coach. On the long travel days, we stopped multiple times at service stations. Our best stop for lunch was in a town in Tuscany called Arezzo. We had almost two hours there, and for me, that was an unexpected highlight on the tour. Our days away from the bus were so "go-go-go" that the bus days became a nice excuse to relax and enjoy the view without having to do any planning or driving. Hope this helps!

For those who haven't traveled on a Rick Steves tour (yet): On this tour, the quality of the bus was first-rate, and every person had their own pair of seats (if they wanted). Some couples chose to sit together, but as a solo traveler, I always had my own row. There were USB charging ports at every seat along with tray tables and foot rests. Our tour guide talked some, but never too much or too long, and he was great about letting us nap or read or watch something on our phones. FYI, the bus did not have wi-fi, so downloading beforehand on devices is recommended.

We took this tour and I don’t recall the bus rides being a problem. Our tour guide Jody was the sweetest lady and managed to make the bus rides a perfect blend of information, music and quiet time. Our bus driver was Richard and I think we all fell in love with Richard. What a character and his driving was amazing. The Best of Europe in 21 Days tour is absolutely wonderful so just put your concerns away about the bus portion and enjoy!

"*Our bus driver was Richard and I think we all fell in love *"

Oh Jacq! Isn't Richard the best? What a character. I have a picture of him standing in the bus bay with his ironing board set up getting his shirt ready for the next day.

Pam I do hope Richard’s hair looked good in that picture. What an absolutely charming young man. We have been on seven RS tours and have had a wide range of bus drivers. All have been excellent drivers and nothing bad to say about any of them. Some are just more personable than others. Our Best of Spain trip really didn’t have one consistent driver which was a little disappointing but could understand why. The relationship between tour guide and bus driver makes for an important part of the tour I feel. It always feels like the two are friends and trying their very best to give us an experience we will always remember. When asked about what we like about going on RS tours my standard reply is “it is just like going on a field trip when you were in school, get on the bus and sit back and enjoy”.

“it is just like going on a field trip when you were in school, get on the bus and sit back and enjoy”.”

A fabulous description!

Off topic slightly but…my experience with Richard and the guide was on the GAS tour. There was road work preventing us to get to the tour’s usual morning coffee/pit stop. They conferred and Richard said we will find some place because the locals drink coffee and eat pastry too. He found a great bakery in a small town, the guide hopped off the bus to see if they would be OK with 20 people. The bakery said yes, the locals sitting there or who were in line were stunned at the influx of an American tour group and we had a wonderful experience with tasty pastries

and yes his hair looked great, hahaha!!

To the OP: I hope you don’t mind reminiscing but this is what happens, lol. It would be really fun if you had Richard for your driver on your tour! His English skills are so good while some of the other drivers don’t have as much conversational English.