My husband and I have signed up for the 14 day Eastern Europe tour, but are considering switching to the 8 day Prague/ Budapest, and adding 3/4 days in Prague before the tour and 3/4 days in Vienna after tour. We enjoy active trips, but also savor the time to relax. In the past, we have planned our own trips, this time decided to take a tour to simplify the pre-planning, and also meet some other like-minded people!
I'm wondering if those of you who have taken the 14 day tour can answer some questions we have?First, How did you feel there about the long hours of travel by bus? We usually have taken trains in the past to save time. Second, did you feel there were too many places included in the 14 days? Did you feel you had ample time to enjoy each location? Were there any places you would recommend for a longer stay? How strenuous was the 14 day trip, and for those of you that extended your stay, did you still have plenty of energy to enjoy the rest of your time!?
We are really torn between seeing 5 cooutries in 14 days versus seeing just 2 cities and perhaps getting more of a feel for the culture and people in each city.... it is a tough call, so any sage advice for us would be highly appreciated!!!
Thanks to all of you in advance!! We are excited to experience a new way to see these fabulous places! Happy travels!
Posted by
Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
172 posts
We took this tour in 2013 when it was a 16 day trip. It was our first RS tour, loved it. We wanted to see as much of Eastern Europe as possible. There was no way that we could plan the logistics, deal with multiple languages, drive etc. on our own. This tour has lots of free time. The bus rides were not long. It was a chance to relax. Our guide talked to use, played fun games with candy as the reward if we answered her questions right. You can sleep, visit, read on the bus. She had drinks available for us to buy. They stop every 2 hours. Scenery was beautiful. We didn't feel that it was too strenuous. You can always opt out of something, just discuss with your guide. On the 16 day trip we stayed in mountain lodge in Czech Republic, on Rab island in Croatia. The new itinerary doesn't include those. Our post tour travel was to Venice. Took 5 hours by train/bus to Venice for 3 days. It's a marvelous tour, so glad to learn about and experience Eastern Europe.
Posted by
Washington
470 posts
We have done the Prague Budapest tour and seriously considered the Eastern Europe tour. Our primary interest in the latter is Poland and now that they have shortened the time there we will wait in hopes that there may someday be a Best of Poland tour. ( And we want Eszter to lead it, in case anyone is "listening"). There are advantages to both types of tours, and it is smart to step back and discern what will best whet your wanderlust appetite right now. Among the many outstanding aspects of RS, allowing you to " switch" makes it possible for you to reconsider to make the best match possible.
In that vein, here are some specifics about the PB tour. Hope it helps you decide.
We loved every minute of our Prague/Budapest tour. Our Hungarian-born guide George Farkas was (and is) the perfect combination of keen intelligence, comprehensive historical knowledge/perspective and wry sense of humor. Some of our local guides ( like Sharka in Prague) shared personal stories we will never forget. The hotels were very clean, had plenty of space/storage, modern bathrooms and were both in ideal locations. The food was delicious- group meals and on our own. Two extra days in Prague would have been great. Several extra days in Budapest would have been even better. (Your time in Budapest is actually limited by the travel day from Prague. )
If you love classical music Prague and Budapest are excellent locations. Not to mention a real value. With extra days in both places you can probably schedule in a concert or opera. Both cities have excellent public transport and locations/ opportunities for day trips on your own.
One parameter for comparing is how much more activity-based the PB tour is. In addition to seeing spectacular sites we had the time to savor the culture. Our fun cooking class in Budapest, a beautiful evening boat ride, the baths, brewery lunch, opportunities for walks with spectacular vistas etc.
Can you tell how much we loved that tour and the opportunity to get to know two cities well enough to feel comfortable and relaxed? Enough to insure that we will return on our own, hopefully many times.
Good luck with your decision!
Posted by
California
134 posts
I took the Eastern Europe tour in 2016 when it was a 16 day trip and loved it. While it is definitely packed full of great experiences, I did not feel that it was overwhelming or too strenuous. I enjoyed the mix of one night stays with 2 or 3 night stops and felt that we had enough time to get a taste of each place and settle in a bit at the ones that really mattered. I took this tour because I knew I wanted to visit Eastern Europe (really Central Europe, but since that's what RS calls it I'll go with Eastern) but I was unclear where exactly I wanted to go, other than Prague. This trip was a great way for me to get to experience multiple cultures and cities without being too intimidated by all the differences in currency, language, history etc. I wanted to visit many different places and my plan for the future is to go back and spend more time in the ones that "spoke" to me the most. And now I have the confidence and know how to do it on my own next time thanks to a great guide who explained everything from the history to the public transport systems.
I spent a total of 32 days in Europe with this tour being the second half of my trip and even so, I did not feel exhausted by the pace. I arrived in Prague two days early because I wanted plenty of time for concert/opera going and I spent an entire morning doing the Jewish museums. I actually enjoyed the bus time because I was so busy sightseeing during our time "on the ground" that it gave me a chance to catch up on my journal, visit with tour mates, read or listen to music to relax a little and as we entered each new country our guide would give us a mini history lesson which I really enjoyed. The bus days definitely did not feel long and tedious. I also felt there was a good mix of scheduled activities and free time to do what you want. You can be as busy or not busy as you like in your free time. I tend to cram in as much as I can when I travel because I have an "I'll sleep when I'm dead" philosophy and I don't want to miss a thing, but that's just me. However, even I made time for relaxing at the baths in Budapest and soaking up a few rays by the Adriatic. You can work in some down time and still enjoy the local culture with activities like that.
To sum up, you probably can't go wrong with either tour, you just have to decide what's more important to you, having more time in fewer places or getting a taste of everything. For me, if I had a chance to do the same 16 days again exactly the same way, I would jump at the chance. I loved every minute of it.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20182 posts
The 8-day tour provides you with 3.5 days of Prague which is probably pretty okay; but only 2.5 days in Budapest unless you stay till day 10 and then move on to Vienna
Day 1: Start RS Tour: Welcome to Prague (probably 3-hour tour)
Day 2: Prague of Kings and Nobles
Day 3: Jewish and Art Nouveau Prague
Day 4: Revolutionary Prague
Day 5: On to Budapest (probably three-hour tour)
Day 6: Bustling Budapest
Day 7: Elegance of Empire
Day 8: Tour Over After Breakfast:
Day 9: On your own in Budapest
Day 10: Train to Gyor and Pannonhalma Archabbey
Day 11: Train to Vienna
Day 12: Vienna
Day 13: Vienna and Melk Abbey
Day 14: Vienna
Day 15: Home
Posted by
akron, ohio
503 posts
runningklein, , I took the Eastern Europe tour last year when it was still 16 days. Believe me, 16 days was not too long so I don't think you will feel that 14 days is. It is a wonderful tour and I would highly recommend it. Having previously been to both Budapest and Prague, I was mostly interested in Poland and the tour did not disappoint. And, in Budapest and Prague, I learned and saw so many more things than on my previous trips that I was happy to repeat. We had George Farkas as our guide and he was fantastic. I'd do the Eastern Europe one.