Home > Compare Tour Operators > AAT Kings vs APT
AAT Kings vs APT
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of AAT Kings and APT.The Low Down
AAT Kings have partnered with Global Journeys since our inception, and as a result we have an in-depth understanding of all their trips, through both Australia and New Zealand. Our team have journeyed with them on 9 tours through New Zealand, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. That close relationship also means we can deliver fantastic savings throughout the year. AAT King's core multi-day coach tours cater mainly for those over 55+, whilst their short breaks in the Northern Territory tend to attract a more diverse range of ages. All coaches are first class, and AAT Kings pride themselves on their tour guides - many of which have been with them for decades!
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
Stats
No. of Trips
92
No. of Departures
5,620
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$501
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
Trip Styles Coach ToursShort BreaksCity Breaks
No. of Trips
396
No. of Departures
3,002
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$750
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Choosing AAT Kings for your Australia or New Zealand holiday guarantees you’ll benefit from the insider secrets, off-the-beaten-path destinations and authentic interactions with local characters that only 100 years of experience can provide. With over a hundred years’ experience in sharing Australia with our guests, AAT Kings holds exclusive access to some truly unique locations, secret trails and roads less travelled that add so much value to the overall travel experience.
At AAT Kings, our on-road staff are best in class. Our Travel Directors, Driver Guides and Drivers are hand-picked for their passion, experience, and enthusiasm for the spectacular countries we live in. There is truly no one better to share with you the best destinations across Australia and New Zealand. We have been perfecting our itineraries and products for over 100 years, so the benefits gained from travelling with us are unrivalled. With over 150 expertly crafted holiday itineraries to choose from, we offer something for everyone.
APT is an Australian family-owned company whose essence began in Melbourne in the 1920s. More than 90 years on, APT offers life-enriching trips to every continent, and through the company’s vast industry experience, meticulous planning and unquestionable passion it's earned a place among the world’s most well-regarded travel companies.
From boutique river cruising to small-group 4WD adventures; traditional coach touring with a decadent twist; epic rail journeys to small-ship expeditions; classic ocean cruising to safaris of discovery by both land and air – there’s little APT are unwilling to consider in pursuit of creating the finest holiday experience for its valued guests.
Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
Recent Reviews
4.5
Very comprehensive tour of Tasmania - gave us a real insight in to the varying landscape and the history of the state. We went to places that we would never had gone to had we planned a tour ourselves. Weather was beautiful and really gave us the chance to explore.
Our Tour Director’s knowledge of NZ was impressive and the factual information and other interesting tales passed on to us during our time on the coach was delivered in a very pleasant, upbeat voice. Our Driver drove safely all of the 3,864km covered during the journey.
Included Experiences: The visits to the Kiwifruit Farm and Monteith Brewery ...read more were interesting, the Te Puia Whakawerawera visit as well as the Tamaki Maori Village Concert and Maori Hangi meal were both amazing as was the cruise across the Cook Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound.
The boat ride on Lake Manapouri was thoroughly enjoyable and the stop at Mirror Lakes was amazing. The Milford Sound cruise was an unforgettable experience as was the cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw and dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. The Pancake Rocks, Blowholes and scenery at Punakaiki were great experiences.
Optional Experiences – The Amphibious WWII era Duck at Rotorua was thoroughly enjoyable, the Speights Brewery in Dunedin was interesting, the flight from Te Anau to Queenstown was spectacular and the Skippers Canyon Drive and Jet Boat were exhilarating – all well worth doing. The helicopter at Franz Joseph Glacier seats 6 passengers in a tight squeeze and the flight path tracks on the right hand side of Fox Glacier and down on the right hand side of Franz Joseph Glacier, therefore one’s experience depends on where you are seated. The really enjoyable part was getting out and walking on Fox Glacier. The accommodation was very good across the board and the included meals were delicious. Overall a great experience!
Included Experiences: The visits to the Kiwifruit Farm and Monteith Brewery ...read more were interesting, the Te Puia Whakawerawera visit as well as the Tamaki Maori Village Concert and Maori Hangi meal were both amazing as was the cruise across the Cook Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound.
The boat ride on Lake Manapouri was thoroughly enjoyable and the stop at Mirror Lakes was amazing. The Milford Sound cruise was an unforgettable experience as was the cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw and dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. The Pancake Rocks, Blowholes and scenery at Punakaiki were great experiences.
Optional Experiences – The Amphibious WWII era Duck at Rotorua was thoroughly enjoyable, the Speights Brewery in Dunedin was interesting, the flight from Te Anau to Queenstown was spectacular and the Skippers Canyon Drive and Jet Boat were exhilarating – all well worth doing. The helicopter at Franz Joseph Glacier seats 6 passengers in a tight squeeze and the flight path tracks on the right hand side of Fox Glacier and down on the right hand side of Franz Joseph Glacier, therefore one’s experience depends on where you are seated. The really enjoyable part was getting out and walking on Fox Glacier. The accommodation was very good across the board and the included meals were delicious. Overall a great experience!
Thank you for the most wonderful travel experience. The tour was amazing with AAT Kings and the tour director Dave was professional, friendly, approachable and knowledgeable with a great sense of humour. Dave is an asset to the company. Perfect Tasmania is a fantastic tour showcasing Tasmania's highlights, highly recommend. Accommodation was of a very ...read more high standard and the food amazing. We meet some fantastic people and formed new friendships. Thank you Georgie from Global Journeys in booking our trip and making everything so easy for us. We certainly will book another trip with you.
This tour of Tasmania covered all the main landmarks in Tasmania. Although there were 48 passengers we all were on time. The driver Tom was excellent especially around those winding roads. The weather in October was perfect with only one wet day. The sights of Tasmania from cradle mountain, Bicheno and Derwent river cruise my favorite. Tasmania has ...read more so much to offer. Loved it. Only fault was it was a hectic tour. With only one half day to ourselves in 10 days.
An adventure to behold exploring the wonders of Western Australia 0 John & Barbara, QLD, Australia, Oct 2022
We have been really happy with the service and assistance provided by Hannah at Global Journeys. This was our third tour with AAT Kings in Australia and we would thoroughly recommend them to our family and friends. The Tour Director Liz was amazing. She was very well organized and had a great wealth of knowledge of the entire area covered by the tour. ...read more Lee our Bus Driver was exceptional and a really safe driver. He was very curteous and always willing to assist all members of the group.
Liz and Lee joined in all activities which made for a happy group and an enjoyable trip. They were fantastic. Highlights of the trip included the wild flowers, the different types of vegetation, the beautiful beaches and the historic buildings along the way. Would like to make special mention of "Sheena" who welcomed us with open arms to Wave Rock, an amazing woman who has dedicated her life to promoting this area to the world.
Liz and Lee joined in all activities which made for a happy group and an enjoyable trip. They were fantastic. Highlights of the trip included the wild flowers, the different types of vegetation, the beautiful beaches and the historic buildings along the way. Would like to make special mention of "Sheena" who welcomed us with open arms to Wave Rock, an amazing woman who has dedicated her life to promoting this area to the world.
I was very impressed with our AAT Kings tour. The places we visited over 10 days were amazing. The was a good balance between travel (in the bus), stops to experience a natural treasure and toilet stops. (Most important) The Travel Director (Margaret C) was impressive. She knew heaps about all places we visited, was efficient and well organised and ...read more genuinely concerned about the well-being of each of us. Tom our driver was great too. I had the best time and wouldn’t hesitate recommending AAT Kings to others.
4.7
Paris was very disappointing, the river cruise & Prague were excellent and met all expectations. Very knowledgeable & well organized tour guides. Perhaps this trip isn't geared to solo travelers. Accommodation on the cruise & Prague of high quality but were disappointing in Paris.
Recommendations:- (Paris) Perhaps the APT tour guide could have attended ...read more earlier to ease the tension/frustration/anger felt by the early arrival of clients. It was noticeable, that both Avalon & Viking guides where in attendance. Hotel personnel were quite rude/short/ with clients as they where very busy! Perhaps this could be looked into by Global Journeys. (GJ Team: We'll certainly pass on your comments to APT. Thanks for your feedback.)
Recommendations:- (Paris) Perhaps the APT tour guide could have attended ...read more earlier to ease the tension/frustration/anger felt by the early arrival of clients. It was noticeable, that both Avalon & Viking guides where in attendance. Hotel personnel were quite rude/short/ with clients as they where very busy! Perhaps this could be looked into by Global Journeys. (GJ Team: We'll certainly pass on your comments to APT. Thanks for your feedback.)
On the whole a great trip. The one let-down was the food, which would not pass muster in a Melbourne bistro. Restaurant staff were largely under-trained, which may be a hang-over from COVID.
Trip was very good. Karijini was below standard (very arrogant staff and canteen like food). Tour director Shay and husband who drove the bus were outstanding and went the extra mile to assist everyone. Visited many places that we had never heard of. The weather was lovely Exmouth and Broome excellent accommodation. Smaller towns accommodation was ...read more not as good but that had to be expected as there isn’t much to choose from.
APT provided an outstanding experiences and unforgettable memories for us in Kimberley. The foods are always good and our guides always ensure everyone's safety and comforts during the trip.
Our APT tour of tropical North Queensland to the tip of Australia and to Thursday and Horn Island was fantastic. Our tour guide Natasha and driver Grant were outstanding and everything went smoothly. The walk to the tip of Australia was the highlight and should be on everyone's bucket list. The walk was not too difficult and everyone in our group of ...read more predominantly over 70 year olds all got there with a big smile on their face. Accommodation was excellent overall considering the remoteness of some of our stops. APT tours are not cheap but they do represent good value and we would travel with them again. Georgie from Global Journeys was as usual very efficient and responsive with our travel arrangements.
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We were very happy with APT and booking through Global Journeys we received all the help and advice we were looking for. Highlights of the trip include the Ord River scheme with the boat cruise on the Kununurra dam. The Horizontal Falls half day excursion was a definite highlight. The accommodation was very good and we ...read more were looked after well. The group of 22 related extremely well and we enjoyed their company. Travelling in late September proved very hot, dry and dusty and June or July would have been better.
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