Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Has anyone traveled in Europe through different countries on a tour bus? What was your experience like? Not so much what you enjoyed seeing at different stops along the tour but more so how were the other people on the bus, were there any issues you liked or disliked? Are the tour buses comfortable and did they accommodate most of your needs and wants? Did you have a good or bad tour guide?
I would say, out of all possible ways to see Europe, this is the worst. The tour buses are comfortable, but it is still a bus. You are almost constantly on the move with little time to really absorb your impressions. And if there is a big traffic jam somewhere on a highway or some other problem, that time becomes even less. OP, if you want to see Europe on the cheap, I have a better plan for you. Choose some cities you would particularly like to see, book a hotel (or a hostel room, those are even cheaper) for two nights in each. You can travel between then on a train or even on an inter-city bus (it takes under three hours to get from Berlin to Hamburg on one for example). Buy some good travel books, read them before departure and be your own tour guide. Being free is so much more pleasant than being at the mercy of the tour provider and their schedule.
In my younger years, I traveled several cities in Europe independently -- made my own hotel bookings, rented cars, took public transportation in each city and the overnight train between cities. It was wonderful then and I wouldn't change a thing.
But in my later, post-retirement (OK -- gray hair) years, I've toured most of Europe by bus with a couple of different tour companies and have loved it. To answer the original question, the buses are comfortable, the drivers have been excellent and I've been lucky in that my travel companions have been compatible, interesting and courteous. And I've been to places I'd never have seen or found by myself, stopped at interesting and excellent places for food on the way and loved every moment. The only time I napped (in my comfortable, tilted back seat) was heading from Caernarvon to Bath in the UK and that's because it rained all the way and I couldn't see a darned thing out the windows.
I've traveled the UK and Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic by bus and head off to Italy in two days. I can make a tour company recommendation if you send me a private message in CD.
Has anyone traveled in Europe through different countries on a tour bus? What was your experience like? Not so much what you enjoyed seeing at different stops along the tour but more so how were the other people on the bus, were there any issues you liked or disliked? Are the tour buses comfortable and did they accommodate most of your needs and wants? Did you have a good or bad tour guide?
Tour bus experiences probably vary as widely as the various tours. We just got back from a two-week tour with Rick Steves. I can only talk about our experience on our bus, which differs from other tours because Rick Steves limits his tours to small groups. So they have a maximum of 26-28 people on a full-size bus, which makes it a lot more comfortable than 50 people on the same bus. We had 22 people, which gave us lots of room to spread out and be comfortable, or we could sit near other people if we chose to.
"Accommodate most of our needs and wants"??? Not sure what that means. There was a toilet on board, but only for emergency use. The bus stopped at places with good restrooms every two hours, but I don't know how other tour companies did this. Also, the driver had a cooler with bottled water for those who didn't bring their own.
I also think that other people on the bus and the quality of the tour guide can vary widely depending on the type of tour and the company. We had a great group who were all quite aware of the type of tour that they signed up for. And Rick Steves says "no grumps allowed".
Whatever tour you are considering, you can look up reviews on-line.
I just got back from a 2 week bus tour in Asia and I'd never do it again - it was exhausting.
We lived out of a suitcase for the entire time (one night in each location).
We had to be up at 6.00 a.m. every morning to give us enough time to shower, dress and have breakfast before the bus left at 8.00 or 8.30 a.m.
We spend each day walking to all the places of interest, no free time on our own.
By the end of the 2 weeks everything was a blur, it was way too rushed and generally we suffered from information overload. Tour guides talking endlessly, taking us to the tour subsidised shops where we were subjected to intense sales pitches. (This might only apply to Asia since I've never been on a European bus tour).
There were places where we would have liked to spend more time to explore on our own, but we had to stay with the group and follow the flag bearing tour guide.
The coaches were very comfortable, the drivers were excellent and yes, we were in that "mature" age group, but one thing I learned is that coach tours are not for me!
Has anyone traveled in Europe through different countries on a tour bus? What was your experience like? Not so much what you enjoyed seeing at different stops along the tour but more so how were the other people on the bus, were there any issues you liked or disliked? Are the tour buses comfortable and did they accommodate most of your needs and wants? Did you have a good or bad tour guide?
I did a tour bus of Europe when I was 18 (as it was high school graduation gift from my parents). It was a great experience although the tour company did take younger teenagers than advertised as well. The girl who was my roommate and I got along well and stayed friends for a while afterwards. The tour guide himself was good as was the bus driver.
I've traveled the UK and Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic by bus and head off to Italy in two days. I can make a tour company recommendation if you send me a private message in CD.
Why not just post it here for everyone's benefit?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Done both independent and bus tour group. The bus tour group thing - if done well- as others have mentioned is really a good idea. For ours, we stayed in each city for about 2 days and were not constantly on the bus. it really depends on the dynamics of the group which of course is hard to predict. We have never been on a super full bus so there is always room to spread out- I find with a tour group they do a lot of the legwork and research so your time is spent more efficiently. The downside is there is less flexibility.
We used Gate 1 for a bus tour in Spain which was excellent.
We used CIE for a bus tour of Central Europe ( Prague, Vienna, Budapest). While the cities were great and we did enjoy, the tour was not as well run.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
