Hi! We are getting ready to go on our 3rd RSE tour. We’ve been pretty good about doing our laundry in the sink but got spoiled a couple years back when a hotel in Murren offered a laundry service - everything we could stuff into a bag for €25!
Does anyone know of any hotels on the Best of Europe in 14 days tour that offer this service?
We checked websites, but none of them advertise it.
Cheers!
I don't recall any of the hotels that offered an affordable laundry service. However, in Keswick, the guide walked a bunch of us to a laundrette in town where we were able to pick it up later in the day all laundered & neatly folded. This was in 2022.
I’ve been on 10 RS tours. On all of them, at least one hotel has offered some sort of laundry service. Sometimes they list their service on their website. I have also emailed a hotel to ask them about their laundry service if I am pretty sure I will want to do laundry there. These services are not always cheap, but it’s worth it to me. I do sink laundry for small items, but enjoy a service for larger items. I have also used a laundromat on occasion.
The RS guides have always given suggestions about the best options on the tour - which hotel is cheapest, what other services might be nearby, where the laundromats are. If the guide doesn’t offer this information early on the tour (so you can plan), ask them! The guides are all very helpful.
One caution (discovered the hard way) - Some hotels do NOT offer laundry service on Sunday or the weekend.
However, in Keswick, the guide walked a bunch of us to a laundrette in town where we were able to pick it up later in the day all laundered & neatly folded. This was in 2022.
We used that same guide-recommended service in Keswick several years ago. Our clothes were folded but I was rather annoyed with all of the wrinkles in my clothes that never wrinkle. Several others mentioned that too.
I used the laundry service recommended by our guide in Ireland in May 2024. Benners Hotel in Dingle sent them out in the morning and they were returned to our room by 6 PM. I knew what to expect and I got it - very wrinkled knit pullovers that never wrinkle but they were folded nicely. Even permanent press polyester travel pants were returned wrinkled but folded. I heard some very loud complaints from others but I just accepted what I expected. At least they were clean!
I'm much happier when I can do it myself and pull them out of the dryer wrinkle free.
The OP said they are going on the Best of EUROPE tour. The Keswick hotel is on the Best of England tour.
Sorry, I haven’t been on the Best of Europe tour but hopefully someone who has will be able to answer.
The OP said they are going on the Best of EUROPE tour.
You're right it is embedded in the question. However, if you missed that and just going by the title of the post it could be either. This is one reason it's good to spell things out rather than using acronyms - even if it involves a bit more typing. Just one of my pet peeves.
So sorry, didn't read carefully enough. I think I'll have another cup of coffee.
Hi Stacy, when we did this tour in 2015 none of the hotels offered a service (like your Mürren reference), but there was a launderette in Lauterbrunnen - say that three times' fast - during the two-night stay at Hotel Oberland. The stop is about midway on the itinerary, so a convenient place to refresh/reload wardrobe for the remainder of tour. We used it once, late-afternoon after a hike day, while sipping a beverage at the hotel's porch restaurant. Went back and it was all there. : )
I also prefer to go to a laundromat myself, for the reason already listed - I take better care of my own clothes. On each of our RS tours, it's been fairly easy to find a laundromat and have time to go. Before the trip, I look on Apple Maps for laundromats in the towns where I think I'll want one, and when we get our hotel list, I use Maps again to check walking distance and hours. Finally, pro tip, I call them when I'm there to be sure they're actually open. (Although the time I walked to one, only to find it closed despite what Maps said, and had to go to a nearby store to buy a few emergency items....is now one of my fun memories of that trip.) Laundromats are also a fun place to chat with the locals, and practice your local language skills.
We just did Best of Switzerland and one of the travelers in the group did the BOE before Best of Switzerland and they said no laundry bag service. Best of Switzerland had none either. The only place was in Lucerne when we started our tour. Luckily, we spent 5 nights in Lauterbrunnen Valley before the tour and out hotel had washers and dryers. So, I was able to wash our airplane closes and 4 days worth of clothes.
For those who drop off and pick up,
Do you get to specify NO scented detergent or laundry softener?
Cold water wash and low temperature dry?
And do they follow your directions?
All of these concerns are why I'd rather do my own laundry.
@khansen - Yeah, I rather do my own laundry too. On the Best of Switzerland there was no time to go to a laundry mat unless you wanted to give up sightseeing. We spent the max of 2 nights in each city and one town we spent 1 night. We arrived late the first night so around 4 or 5 pm and then, left early in the AM on departure morning. So, the most you had was one full day in that city. Personally, for me not enough time. We did the Berlin, Prague and Vienna tour and it was 3 nights in Berlin, Prague & Vienna and the two separate 1 nighters in these really small towns. It was perfect. I felt rusted on our tour.
Eurostacy-sorry haven’t been on BOE 14 days tour but here are our experiences with laundry on RS tours. More than one way to get laundry done but beware of possible hot dryers and irons. Guides have always given information regarding laundry very early in the tour. On our GAS tour we did one load of laundry in Murren at another hotel (was open to the public) that had one washer and one dryer down under the hotel. At the time it was 5 euros to wash and 5 to dry. Didn’t take a very big load but better than nothing. I never trust a dryer I don’t know so only dried pieces that could take possible high heat and hung the rest up in our room to dry. At the end of the tour we spent four more nights in Vienna after the two nights we were there on the tour. We researched where the laundromats were a few days before we got to Vienna. Once we realized we would have to take two different subway lines with a layover in between we decided to do a small load of whites in the bathtub one day and a small load of colored clothes in the bathtub the next. This was our first Rick Steve Tour and we learned very quickly to hand wash in the sink as you go, don’t let it build up. On our tour of Ireland we tried a bag for 20 euros at the Benner Hotel in Dingle. Was worried I was not in control of the dryer situation and sure enough had to spend an hour ironing the clean clothes that were returned on time. Not complaining because having clean clothes is always a plus. On our Sicily tour we did the hotel laundry bag offer and it was around 22 euros. Can’t remember which hotel but our guide had told us about the laundry offer days before. Laundry came back clean and I did not include any items that a hot dryer would offend. We travel with a baggie of the dry laundry sheets, rubber travel clothesline/carabiners and IKEA clothes pins. We usually wash out underwear/undershirts, socks and any item that washes and dries quickly on the first night we arrive at a new hotel. Sometimes it does take the two days to dry so we never attempt to do laundry on a one night stay. Absolutely love going on Rick Steve Tours but after going on these tours I found a new appreciation for my oversized washer and dryer at home.
Was worried I was not in control of the dryer situation and sure enough had to spend an hour ironing the clean clothes that were returned on time. Not complaining because having clean clothes is always a plus.
jacq, at least you were able to iron them. I tried using the 70's style iron in our Benner's room but it was unable to create steam and just dumped the water all over a clean piece. I didn't feel like fussing for another iron, gave up and surrendered to the "freshly out of bed" look.
Silas-I found the irons (not all hotels have them) to be interesting and challenging (taking an hour to iron 2 pairs of pants and four shirts) at times while on the tours. On our tour of Southern Italy we arrived three days early in Rome and stayed at a quaint hotel that had an iron. Did some sink laundry a few days after arriving in preparation for the tour. The “low” iron setting immediately melted an iron shape hole in one of my tops. I should have gone with the “freshly out of bed” look. Oh well live, learn and make the best of it. Feel blessed to be able to travel!
In Fussen, we were able to have affordable laundry service. I have a feeling that at least one of the stops will have such a thing offered. The tour guides also like to have clean clothes so they are aware (I'd predict mid tour) that others also need to have some things washed. It was $20 (ish) for a bag of laundry in our Bavarian stop. Depended on the weight of the bag.
Have fun!
Mitzi
