We are planning to book our first Rick Steves tour, the Best of Adriatic 2026 and was wondering how meals are dealt with. For the meals that are included is it a buffet style for most meals or order off a menu? Are there usually vegetarian options?
Jenn
Hi Jenn, tell your guide on Day 1 that you’re vegetarian. It’s not an issue.
The group meals on that tour were typically a choice of one or two entrees. The guide would pass around a piece of paper, and we marked which one we wanted for the next group meal. There was a nice wine-tasting lunch one day that was plates of food passed around family style.
In 9 tours I don’t recall any buffets. Most often you are offered a choice of entrees between 2 or 3. Vegetarian offerings come to those who let the office know ahead of the tour of their dietary preferences.
Breakfast is buffet style.
You will have an opportunity to designate that you are vegetarian for your group meals ahead of the tour, and there will always be some alternative for your meal. We’ve never had buffet style for a group meal though have had done family style. Mainly there has been a choice of entree.
Under your My Active Tours > View & Manage Tour > Traveler Profiles > Dietary Preferences
Here you can specify if you want Vegetarian or Vegan meals, that is if you have dietary restrictions and you haven't done so during the tour signing up process.
I'm a pescatarian and it's not listed as an option; I simply select 'vegetarian' in my tour booking and let the tour guide know on day 1 that I also eat fish. All the tour guides in my previous tours would arrange either vegetarian or fish meal for my entrée. The side dishes shared by the table usually are a combination of vegetarian and omnivore, so I just eat those I can eat.
P.S. Breakfast is always buffet style and comes with a combination of vegetarian and meats.
We've never ordered off a menu, but we have always been offered options. As long as your guide is aware, you will have vegetarian options. We were on that tour last September and the food was plentiful and delicious at most restaurants. I remember the service being very slow in Ljubljana and tour members leaving at 9 PM before the dessert ever arrived. My memory of dining at Plitvice wasn't good. Service for dinner was almost non-existent (our table never got beverages). The breakfast buffet was so crowded that everyone just grabbed whenever they could reach. In my case it was just bread:) It is a great tour with wonderful destinations!
The breakfast buffet was so crowded that everyone just grabbed whenever they could reach
That's why I always show up very early for breakfast; and the serving utensils would be much cleaner :)
Thank you so much!
Jenn
