My wife and I have recently returned from our first Rick Steve's tour, the Best of London in 7 Days. Our tour guide was Gillian. What a fabulous experience and Gillian made it more so. Our group seemed to be made of of mostly retiree's and one young couple and my wife, Ruth and I enjoyed the time we spend talking to each one in the 24 person group. I can't say enough about the experience of the tour. The pace was perfect and the timing of our arrival to the special tours was spot on. The tour allowed us time to visit places on our free time and accommodated those that wanted to opt out of a day or portion of a day's tours. I have a special diet that was accommodate by the restaurants we visited and had no problem finding menu items I could eat. I had a lot of questions about the tour before we booked and they were all answered quickly with the information I was looking for. To anyone contemplating a Rick Steve's tour, I can attest to the fact that it was a wonderful experience and I would not hesitate to add my endorsement. Happy travels to all.
Alan Kaufman
Posted by
Edmonds, WA
128 posts
So nice to hear of your great trip! Our first RS tour was BOL and we also had a fabulous time, our guide, Jeannie was amazing. We met many wonderful people on this tour and it was such fun getting to know them, enjoying the sites of London together. Everything about this tour was top notch including the pace, places visited, our guide, the local tour guides, the free time, and our accommodations. There were several moments I especially remember, sitting in a local pub or restaurant, enjoying the local scene, and these are memories I cherish. After we completed BOL, we headed to Paris for the RS BOP, and well, it was PARIS!!!! These first 2 RS trips got us hooked and we are excited to be booked for one of the Best of Ireland tours in 2019. As you can see, I am already scouring this forum for tips and ideas. We love the RS travel philosophy. Happy Travels to all!
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14726 posts
Alan, thanks for your Trip Report! I'm so glad you had a wonderful time. I've not done this particular tour but I love London and have done another RS tour that ended there.
I hope you'll stick around to post advice to others. We often have people asking about timing or various other things on the London tour and I'm sure you'd be helpful.
Posted by
oklahoma
1022 posts
Thanks for the wonderful news. We are doing two back to back tours next May , 7 day London and 11 day Paris and heart of France. We are looking forward to the trips. I have been to London twice and France twice and loved it both times. But husband has not been to either. So we are off next year.
Posted by
Folsom
2733 posts
Alan thanks for the great trip report! I should have written this last year, no excuses. London was our first RS city tour. We had been to London several times before but seeing it this way with our great guide, Tom, really made it come to life. This was coming off the RS Portugal tour, another great one. Off to Rome and Sicily for 2019. Hope you’ll join us on another tour before too long!
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6527 posts
Alan, thanks for the report. We did this tour some years ago, and our guide Roy was great. Gillian actually acted as the local guide on that tour, and she was delightful. We have since recommended her to people looking for a private guide in London.
I hope you plan to take more RS tours; we've taken 12 so far, and are signed up for 2 more next year! And I'm plotting out what we might want to do in 2020. It's never too early.... You may become are true Ricknik - like many of us on this forum. Once you've drunk the Kool-Ade, life as you know it will change.
Happy travels!
Posted by
MO, AL, and now Bentonville, AR
49 posts
Alan - thanks for the report. I have been to London twice but am going on this tour in May with a friend who has never been before. I have been on 2 other RS tours but this is my first city tour. Any restaurant recommendations?
Thanks - Mary