Those who have been on 5+ RS tours: which is your favorite, and why? Least favorite?

Best at the time - 21 day Best of Europe.

One that provided the most knowledge that I still use on every visit - Best of Paris

I've done 12. TBH, I think one thing that makes a tour stand out or makes it less of a favorite is the guide. Sometimes they are not as good as you'd want them to be. Sometimes they are having personal issues which affect their performance. Sometimes you are on a tour that has a big group traveling together and that affects the experience.

Pam,

I agree. But when a guide is "meh" - nothing bad, just not exceptional - do you give feedback? What do you say in this case?

I have a hard time being critical of guides because it's a hard job.

I’ve taken six and liked them all very much. What I didn’t like was some of the food. Most group meals were fine except in Spain. I honestly got sick of Tapas. The meals that were not Tapas were good. I was traveling with two other women who were happy with the closest restaurant to our hotels. I like to get off the main tourist streets and find that little gem!

All six guides were great but one who followed his own Covid guidelines when vaccines and masks were required by RS and the local governments. I’m taking my seventh next fall.

I honestly got sick of Tapas.

Just curious - how do you get sick of Tapas, which is almost by definition 'variety'? We haven't experienced Tapas in a 'group meal' setting, but I would imagine that a wide variety of tapas plates would be delivered to the table, and everyone could presumably sample at least a little bit of each plate. We enjoyed Tapas on a recent visit to Barcelona so much that we added 3 days onto our next European trip and flew to Barcelona and revisited the same Tapas restaurant 3 nights in a row! Is there something about the 'group meal' setting that made it less appealing?

Our favorite RS tour was Switzerland; to experience the Lauterbrunnen Valley was out of this world. But on that tour, the 'Fondu' meal was awful. One big pot of melted cheese shared across the big table, plus plain bread and boiled potatoes. We assumed it must be the appetizer but no, that was the main meal! But that didn't stop the overall trip from being our favorite! On a subsequent RS trip to Switzerland, we found out which meal was the 'fondu' meal and made alternate plans for that evening; there's no requirement to participate in the group meals. The guide on that trip was nothing short of amazing. If I could, I would travel anywhere and everywhere with him because I know he'd make it interesting!

"What do you say in this case? I have a hard time being critical of guides because it's a hard job."

It is a hard job but I try to give honest, factual feedback. And try, within the limited parameters of the evaluation form to give concrete reasons. Some of the reasons include - Not learning tour members names (at all), Not knowing some of the basic stuff RS guides should know, Not giving any talks or explanations on longer bus rides, not able to flex with a "neighborhood walking tour" when the tour hotel is in a different area than usual. It doesn't do me any good to have cute little places for coffee pointed out when they are 2 tram rides away from where the tour is staying.

My hope is that some can be helped to be better guides with more training from some of the top guides in their geographic area or some can swing over to do a My Way tour where their talents may be better used.

It is a hard job but I try to give honest, factual feedback. And try, within the limited parameters of the evaluation form to give concrete reasons.

I agree with you. I am going to assume that RS picks the cream of the crop and pays top dollar for them. It's not like you are going to put them out of a job if you criticize them; at worst, they have to find a different company to work with. Our main guides have been extremely professional and competent, so I could never criticize a 'tour group leader' so far. But I have been quite critical of individual 'location guides' - the ones who give the orientation tours when you get to a new city, for example. Most have been great, but one or two have been really sub-par and I've noted that in my review.

It’s hard to pick a favorite. Each was good, all were different.

If I had to choose my favorite, it would be between this year’s South of England because of my friendly tour mates and relatable history and last year’s Village Italy because of the small village sights and fantastic guide.

Least favorite was Berlin, Prague & Vienna. Nothing to do with the tour itself but because of the overwhelming 20th history and the group did not mesh as kindly as other tours.

Other two tours were South of Italy for in-law research afterwards in Calabria and South of France for castles.
I choose tours partly for logistics to see out of the way locations; those more difficult to use public transportation to reach.

My favorite: Best of Switzerland, but that was just because you made me pick one. Best of Adriatic and Best of Southern England are both very high on my list. Interesting itineraries and excellent guides. No trouble picking my least favorite which is Heart of Italy. It was just after tours starting going after Covid and we had 3 different guides as the company scrambled to cover staff across all their tours due to positive tests. Each guide, having no knowledge of what the previous one had shared, went over the same material again and again. The usual guide/tour member relationship never happened. I do wonder if I took that tour again during more normal circumstances if I might enjoy it.

I've only been on one, Villages of Italy, just finished it up in November. It was incredible, and everyone I've spoken to who has taken this tour loves it too. Things you can't control: weather (we had perfect autumn sunshine the whole trip), the tour guide and local guides in various towns (I enjoyed them all, but some more than others, our main guide was fantastic), the group you travel with (we had age ranges from a young couple both 19-to seasoned travelers in their 70's...it was a fun group, 4 solo females, me being one and I never felt left out or alone).

My husband and I will be going on the Best of London in late April, early May 2026, really looking forward to it.

Go with an open mind, good attitude, and a small enough suitcase that you can handle dragging it over cobblestones and in a couple of hotels, up some stairs. It was an active tour, lots on the agenda, but enough downtime that I rested up on a couple of afternoons.

We've been on 5 tours and all 5 have been outstanding. 10 out of 10 for the worst one and the top 2 were 12s!

I don't know where he finds his guides but they all have been exceptional.

This is a quality organization.

Happy travels.

Best of Italy is still our favorite after taking 9 of them. Paris and HOF was least favorite because I didn’t jell with the tour guide and also my knee was giving out. DH thought Paris HOF guide was “fine” but if he ever tells me my cooking is “fine” he’s in big trouble, that’s not a compliment IMO! :)

“I do wonder if I took that tour again during more normal circumstances if I might enjoy it.”

Oh, Carol, that is too bad. Heart of Italy was my first tour and a favorite. I loved the variety with big cities, a hill town and the CT for the coast. It’s short and sweet, just enough for someone who is still working and needs to get in and out. I’m so sorry you had such a poor experience. I’m sure the guides at that time were scrambling and also felt bad that they couldn’t give a more quality experience.

Best - 21 day Best of Europe. Our guide was Andy Steves. We learned so much on this tour via the local guides and Andy. Also, Best of Scotland in 13 days. Guide was James Macletchie. We had no idea of the history of Scotland and the beauty of the Highlands. I could easily do this tour again.

I've been on 11 so far and of course loved all of them. My absolute favorites were the ones where the groups gelled most and the guides had that perfect balance of being extremely knowledgable (due to being a native of that country), confident and capable in the face of challenge (you feel safe when circumstances are threatening), and not arrogant. On this last characteristic, my tour guides in Greece and Portugal thought very highly of themselves and while still totally capable guides, they liked to hear themselves talk, which meant too many walking tours where you're mostly just standing in the heat and not moving much, bored.

My least favorite tours were the two My Ways I took before I starting doing the fully guided tours, i.e., GAS in 2012 and Spain in 2013. But that's simply because you don't get as much bang for the buck with My Ways. Portugal was probably my least favorite due to unseasonably cold weather and the aforementioned tour guide (despite one of the best set of tour mates ever).

Since I honestly cannot name a favorite tour, here are some other ways of classifying my experiences:

• Tours I had low expectations going into but turned out to be extraordinarily fantastic: Best of England, South England, Adriatic

• Tours I had the most silly fun on (thanks in large part to the guide): Village Italy, Scandinavia

• Tours I could have never done on my own without a tour group: Sicily, Turkey, Greece

• Tour with surprisingly good hotels: Greece

• Tour with surprising bad hotels: My Way GAS, Village Italy

I’ve been on six RS tours. All were excellent trips with good guides. It may be surprising, but my favorites were the simple city ones that, yes, most of could probably do on our own. Faves: London 7 days (Tom Hooper as guide), Paris 7 days (Rolinka), and Rome 7 days (Donato).

Least favorite: Prague & Budapest. Okay tour but a group that didn’t gel well.

“London 7 days (Tom Hooper as guide), Paris 7 days (Rolinka)”

@Rachel - I had Rolinka for Best of Paris and STILL hear her in my ear when I’m in Paris!!! She is such fun!

Was on the Best of Paris tour and our guide wasn't that great.

For example, pissed me off when on a walking tour of the Marais he took off with his "favorites" that hung around him and didn't notice, or didn't care, that half the group had been caught with a street stop light. We got to watch him and them turn a corner up ahead and disappear.

When we finally caught up to him, not a word.

“Just curious - how do you get sick of Tapas, which is almost by definition 'variety'”

Variety wasn’t the issue.
Egg salad on a piece of bread, Meatballs and sauce on a piece of bread are two examples that I didn’t like. A lot of options were breaded and deep fried, which I eat sparingly in real life. Some of the group tapas meals were “pick your own three items” from the menu or display. One meal was served family style with several different dishes. That meal was good because there weren’t any sandwich type or deep fried tapas.
The non tapas meals were all very good.

Rolinka is a great guide! She said she'd remember my daughter; I guess she made an impression with her love of the Louvre.

Glad to hear a number of us have enjoyed traveling on RS tours with Rolinka as guide! :)

The 17-day Best of Italy in 2006 was my favorite tour because of the sites and such a nice mix of activities & small & large cities.

Our favorite tour guide was Margaret in 2003 on the GAS tour. She brought her background of music into the tour, bringing it to another level. My husband also absolutely loved the Jungfrau area in Switzerland on that tour! We returned independently to stay in Wengen a few years later. Second place for tour guide goes to Miriam for the Adriatic tour in 2023. She was the most enthusiastic & engaged guide!

We mostly had very nice tour members who enhanced the fun of being in a tour!

I don’t have a tour that I would rate low as a caution to avoid, and I am signed up for another one in 2026.

@Diane -

Variety wasn’t the issue.
Egg salad on a piece of bread, Meatballs and sauce on a piece of bread are two examples that I didn’t like. A lot of options were breaded and deep fried, which I eat sparingly in real life. Some of the group tapas meals were “pick your own three items” from the menu or display.

Oh no - you have my sympathies! I've only had Tapas in a personal setting, not group setting, and we had the most amazing shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, squid, beef, pork ... this is just one evening's feast between the two of us:
https://imgur.com/ObNpmPW - and another night's indulgence: https://imgur.com/gFV8yhA (this one included eggplant and mushrooms).
(There were non-seafood delights also, but it's the seafood options that float our boat!).

"Rolinka is a great guide! She said she'd remember my daughter; I guess she made an impression with her love of the Louvre."

"Glad to hear a number of us have enjoyed traveling on RS tours with Rolinka as guide! :)"

@pbscd....Oh she will, trust me on that! I had her in 2014. In 2019 I was doing the Belgium and Holland tour and was at the tour hotel a couple of days early. I went down to breakfast and found an RS tour there. I looked across the room and there was Rolinka. As I looked up she came directly to me and said...."Pam! So good to see you!" What? I was astonished that she had that much recall from a 7-day tour 5 years before. Wow. She'll DEFINITELY remember your daughter! (and you!)

@Rachel....Well, there was the time she had us in stitches as she described her first encounter with the new automated pissoirs years before as a University student. I STILL think of that story every time I walk by one, hahaha!

Tony, sorry to side track your thread! Fun memories!

I’ve done seven RS tours so far; the common thread that makes a tour really fun often has to do with the fellow tour members and the tour guide.

During my ‘Best of Europe in 14 Days’ tour in 2015; we lucked out to have a great tour guide Dave and a really fun group. While staying in a farm hotel (agriturismo) in Florence countryside; some of us practiced yoga in the backyard while others took a dip in the pool. Later in the evening after our dinner, a local Italian musical duo performed a bunch of American classic songs while people danced their heart out. It was so much fun the band was invited back the next evening :) This tour also benefited from a diverse cultures and a variety of landscapes; so I didn’t end up eating similar foods or experienced cathedral/museum fatigue.

The two tours that I like 'less': one has to do with unseasonably cold+windy weather during the first few days of 'Best of Italy' in early May; the other one has to do with terrible allergies triggered by the Olive tree bloom during 'Best of Spain' tour in May while we were in Southern Spain.

As with most who've replied, it's hard to pick a favorite of the 7 we've taken so far (and we're signed up for #8 next year.) Each is unique and has points to recommend. Having said that, the tour leader sets the tone for the tour and we've only had one that was 'meh.' Still, the tour itself was very good. If the tours were not very good, RS tours would not have the repeat customer base it has.
In order of best to worst:

GAS (variety of sights, views, history, guide, tour members)
Athens & the Heart of Greece (history, food, guide, balance of free time to guided time, tour members)
Best of Ireland (guide, back door experiences, music, locations, tour members)
Best of Scandinavia (views, guide, back door experiences)
Heart of Italy (food, locations, history)
Eastern Europe (now called Central Europe) (history, locations, rustic beauty, guide)
Spain (locations)

I've done 15 tours and it's hard to pick my favorite.

At the top however was the Eastern (now Central) Europe, Adriatic, South England (I loved the first time and got two others to take with me for another time), Village Italy, Paris and the Heart of France, and my very first one back in 2009 -Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

I did not like my Scotland tour but it was one of the first ones out the door after COVID when tours started again. It was a dysfunctional group (people had forgotten how to work in a group setting), it was obvious that the hotels and restaurants were lacking staff, and it was hard to get in to many places as restrictions on group size were in effect AND everyone worried about getting COVID and being kicked off the tour and being able to test COVID free so not being able to leave on scheduled flights. Switzerland was also low on my list too - I got really sick(!) and the guide seemed more interested in his new baby and seemed to chang plans - but didn't post them - which caused some members to miss things.
But basically I've had a great time on all my tours - not just the ones mentioned above. I've enjoyed the guides telling us more about the 'must see' sights and having lots of time to explore on my own. I've also met so many great people - several of which I still travel with on a regular basis. The new travel friends I've made is probably the biggest plus of these tours.

I'm looking forward to exploring Bulgaria in 2026.

In my opinion, it's all about the guide. If they're enthusiastic, it's infectious, and it's a great tour. If they're just going through the motions, then the tour is just OK. I've had a few tour members that have added to the enjoyment, but it flows from the guide.

There was only one tour where the guide was not doing a quality job. I think they were having problems in their personal life that affected their ability to manage the needed tasks like posting the daily schedule and knowing which major non-included sites/attractions were open (late shoulder season). We'd be told a list of things we could do in our free time but when we relied on that info, we'd find out several were closed for the season. It was so bad that when I signed up for another RS tour in that country I contacted the RS office to be sure I wouldn't have the same guide. Unfortunately, their policy didn't allow them to give out that info, and of course, I got the same guide. However, things the second time were much better! Maybe the personal problems were resolved and that guide mellowed into the job in the intervening years. Whatever the reason, the guide was much better and I enjoyed the tour.

I’ve been on 12 tours and really enjoyed every one of them. My favorites are Greece, South England and Village Italy. I’ve had some incredible guides and some very good guides. Fortunately I’ve never had any mediocre guides. I’m usually solo, 10 out of the 12, and a few groups have been incredibly bonded and fun but again, I’m either very lucky or very easy to please, but I’ve never had a group that weren’t nice and welcoming to me as a solo.

I’ve been continually impressed with what the guides do with a group of 20 plus people with all the logistics and possible issues cropping up and keeping it fun and interesting. I’ve always learned so much even after doing my own research. I’m also interested in the varying view points from the native born guides and the American transplants.

Tour #13 is Best of Germany in Oct ‘26. And husband is coming along for his #3 tour. I’m almost at the end of my bucket list for the RS tours. I’m still debating on Poland and Ireland. I used to solo because I wasn’t one of those ‘tour people’ you know 😉. I saw the light after doing the Barcelona Madrid tour right in the lead up to the Catalonia elections and boy, getting the inside scoop on that was priceless. In Feb I’m doing 10 days in Paris and 10 days in Amsterdam on my own. It’s been since 2019 when I went solo to Scotland and England for 3 1/2 weeks, so I’m curious as to how it will seem being back on my own that long.

My two favorites were Greece (visiting so many historical sites, great food) and Village Italy (scenery, food). The guides have always been great. Least favorite tour was Best of England because an extended family made up almost half the group. Nice people but they ate by themselves at group meals and didn't interact much with the rest of the group. It made me realize how much the camaraderie of the group affects the tour experience.

We’ve been on 12. Ireland was a favorite because of the friendly Irish people, music, beautiful green countryside, history and excellent guide. Village Italy was also a favorite because of the food, places we visited and excellent guide. On the bottom of my list is Portugal. The tour guide was brand new, her first RS tour, which caused many hiccups, the group just felt strange, maybe because it was the first tour for many after Covid and then I managed to contract Covid halfway thru the tour. Luckily, our hotel let us stay a few additional days and the RS tour guide with the next group coming thru was extremely helpful with our situation.

We have done 5 RS tours and looking forward to #6 in July (Best of Scotland 13 d).

Favorite tour? The one that started it all...the 21 day Best of Europe. We have loved every tour and must have been very fortunate to have excellent guides for each tour. I would say Village Italy was my second favorite or maybe it was the Christmas market Best of Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna....or maybe it was Best of London, or the Basque tour....they've all been great.

It would be fun to hear what exactly makes one tour stand out compared to others.

I've just finished my 4th Rick Steves tour a few days ago, and although I don't quite qualify, I'll still add a comment. This group of travelers was by far my favorite, which made every aspect of the tour that little bit better. I wish I could reunite with them for the next tour, and the next.

For overall tour content, Best of Turkey is still my top pick. This Best of Munich, Salzburg and Vienna tour during the Christmas Markets has had an extra sparkle every evening.

Favorite: Sicily. Great food, amazing history, and we had a superb guide.
Least fave: Ireland. I don't know, I just found it a little underwhelming compared to the other tours (VFR, Sicily, Greece, France, Spain, V Italy). This shouldn't be a factor, but our guide was perhaps my least favorite of the 7 RS tour guides we've had. Nonetheless, the Guinness was fabulous as were the pubs! All in all it was still a good trip.