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Best Of Scotland/Paris

Hi folks. Really need help from you all so I can make a decision. My wife and I want to go on a 2019 tour. She has limited vision due to brain tumor complications but 2 years ago did fine on the Best Of London tour and we are trying to decide what to do in June of next year. Which one of these tours might be better for her, the Best of Paris or the Scotland tour? She does remarkably well, especially when I am around...her mobility is pretty good but eyesight is limited due to peripheral issues. The buddy system in our London tour gave her lots of confidence. Any thoughts from those of you who have been on these tours? Thanks so much.

Posted by
1200 posts

Hard question to answer and I would not want to give you any incorrect advice. If there have been no changes to her health since she did the Best of London tour, and did fine on the Best of London tour, she should do fine on the Best of Paris tour. If she can't do the stairs in the subways, there is always cabs.

I have not been on the Scotland tour, but have been to Scotland. This is a bus tour, so there will be time getting on and off the bus, bringing luggage to the bus and to the hotel rooms, changing hotels and climbing stairs to hotel rooms. Not sure if this matters, but I want you to be aware of what happens on a bus tour if you never took one. The best of Paris tour, you are staying in one hotel and no buses as you already know that.

Scotland has rugged countryside too.

That is really all I can say on the matter. Now you both need to decide what tour is best for the both of you. Others will be able to give you more insight on the Scotland tour.

Take a look at the Rick Steves scrapbooks of Paris & Scotland. Tons of photos of what others saw and did on the tours. This may help too.

Hope this will help you.

Posted by
166 posts

I did the Best of Paris tour last fall and it sounds like you and your wife would have a great time, If you find that something is wearing on your wife just tell the Rick Steves guide and they will understand and help you anyway they can. I think it is awesome that you two travel and do these types of activities and not let yourselves be intimidated by prior issues. Keep on traveling!

Posted by
13809 posts

I just finished the Best of Scotland tour and did the Best of Paris tour a few years ago.

With limited vision, I would probably do the Best of Paris tour. Best of Scotland had quite a bit of walking on rough cobblestones (moreso than Paris in my opinion and I've been to Paris a number of times subsequent to my Best of Paris tour!). There are also quite a number of ruins (abbeys and castles) on the Scotland tour which might be difficult to negotiate with limited vision.

June in Paris can be warm though so it also depends on how you all tolerate the heat! June in Scotland was cool, windy and rainy for a good bit of my tour. I understand we missed summer in Scotland by a week. The bus driver/guide on the Isle of Mull was joking that the local farmers were calling it a drought because they hadn't had rain in 3 weeks before the day we arrived (and it was lashing rain then!!)