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CIE Tours vs Insight Vacations
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of CIE Tours and Insight Vacations.The Low Down
CIE Tours are specialists in guided coach tours through Britain and Ireland. With over 80 years of history the team at CIE certainly have the local ties and experience to deliver you a top notch touring experience through Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. They have recently dipped their toes into new regions within Europe, including Iceland, Italy and Spain.CIE are relatively unknown in the Australasian market but are very popular in the rest of the world, so you're fellow travellers are likely to be from all around the world, but perhaps with more American's onboard than Antipodeans. With itineraries designed to be fully inclusive, putting your hand in your pocket for optional day trips and activities is not something you need to worry about.
Accommodation on each trips sits at the 3 to 3 1/2 star level, with breakfasts (along with many lunches and dinners) also included. There's a maximum group size of 44, but look out for selected departures on selected trips that are designed for small groups. Also keep a lookout for CIE's Last Minute Deals which run year round and offers savings of up to 15% off the normal retail price.
Upmarket coach touring, with 4.5+ star accommodation, maximum group sizes of 40 on a full size coach and more leisurely paced touring itineraries. The pricing of Insight's trips tends to attract travellers in their 60's and 70's. If you're tall, then you should seriously consider Insight, as their coaches been reconfigured to allow up to twice as much legroom as on a standard coach. Insight have recently launched trips through South America, and expanded their range of Gold Luxury Vacations, where you can expect the ultimate in luxury and refinement.We find that the feedback we get back from past clients is sometimes a little critical, and we feel this is because of the very high standard some of our clients are expecting due to Insight's positioning in the market. On every multi-day journey, there will always be little annoyances, but as a whole package the team here definitely recommend Insight worthy of your consideration. If you've travelled with any of its sister brands like AAT Kings, Trafalgar or Uniworld further savings are available.
Stats
No. of Trips
77
No. of Departures
1,617
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$543
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Premium
Trip Styles
Coach Tours
No. of Trips
449
No. of Departures
3,411
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$648
Accommodation
4 - 4.5 Star
Budget
Premium
In Their Own Words
We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
When you travel with CIE Tours, you will get the warmest of welcomes and all the benefits of our 87 years of experience. The itineraries are locally crafted - we set our own high standards for delivering excellent holidays with state-of-the-art luxury coaches; the best hotels; carefully chosen authentic experiences and entertainment.
Our outstanding local tour directors are ready to share their knowledge, stories, passion for their home places - they are our greatest assets. Many of our tours spend 2 nights in each location, and our flexible itineraries include a great balance of escorted and free time. We include full breakfasts, most dinners and some evening entertainment. No one has to worry about paying for optional extras on the trip. It’s all included, no hidden extras.
We know how much these trips mean to you and we want to ensure that this is a trip you will treasure forever.
At Insight Vacations we have been creating magical travel experiences for over 40 years, showcasing the most outstanding destinations and curated experiences in Europe and North America.
Why are we different to any other operator? It’s our unique Insight experiences. It’s our authentic and varied dining options, it’s travelling in smaller groups on customised coaches with twice the legroom, it’s staying in the right hotels in the right location, all brought together seamlessly by our exceptional travel directors. In essence: All the sights, and the insights….up close and personal…in comfort and style.
Travel is such a joy and a personal passion for myself and every member of our team. We’re so proud of the quality, service and value we provide and invite you to try it for yourself. Talk to Global Journeys to find out more about travelling in style and booking your next holiday with Insight Vacations.
Recent Reviews
4.6
We cannot say enough good things about our tour. PJ the coach driver was amazing. Highly recommended this tour. Dublin pub tour. Thanks ever so much for a wonderful trip, from the Canadian Gals, Dee and Denise.
I cannot say enough good things about the CIE Ireland Pub Tour July 16-22, 2025. The tour was well organized and executed, the accommodations and food were great in all the locations and the excursions were fun. The amount of bus travel time, planned excursion time and free time was well balanced. We weren't too rushed or overscheduled. But what read more stood out the most was our fabulous tour guide and driver, PJ. He really made the tour enjoyable and fun. PJ is entertaining, funny and very knowledgeable about all things Irish. He incorporated a uniquely Irish tradition of the National Hurling Finals which really immersed us in the Irish culture. PJ went above and beyond to ensure that our tour was flawless and that we all enjoyed ourselves. Hats off to CIE and PJ for a great vacation that will go down in the memory books for me. I highly recommend this tour.
If you’re looking for a great experience look no further than Global Journeys. Could not fault our experience. From the time of booking till we landed on Australian shores again,fabulous! Rachael McSorley our Travel Advisor looked after us so well. We were kept up to date evert step of the way. And CIE Classic Irish tour was all we hoped and more!
CIE are a great tourist organisation. All costs were in the price quoted , no added extras like some tourist organisations. The tour covered big and small venues, cities and towns whilst the places used for accommodation were of great value. I would recommend CIE.
Loved every minute of the trip. Sam our driver was amazing. Jaquie our guide was fabulous. Couldn't recommend them any more. Would do it again in a heartbeat. A must do trip to add to your bucket list.
4.5
Best of Ireland and Scotland August 2026 0
Best of Ireland & Scotland
Cathy, VIC, Australia, Aug 2026
This was our 4th tour booked through Global Journeys, our second with Insight Vacations. The trip was fantastic, giving us a good sample of what Ireland and Scotland have to offer. The sights were fantastic, as were our Travel Director, driver and local guides. Together, Global Journeys and Insight Vacations made this an easy and memorable holiday. read more Would definitely book with them again.
Britain and Ireland Discovery 0
Britain & Ireland Discovery
Debra and John, VIC, Australia, Jul 2026
We had an excellent tour director and driver. We specifically chose this tour because we wanted to go to the Orkney Islands and Isle of Skye. We were unable to achieve this due to weather conditions for the Orkneys and motor bike accident that closed the road to the Isle of Skye and cut short our stay there. We were disappointed with Insight’s compensation read more for these cancellations, which was a trip to a historical cemetery, which was originally a paid optional extra, that we had chosen not to do. The cost of including the Orkneys and Isle of Skye was a reasonable as part of our tour cost. We were of the view a number of additional optional paid experiences did not represent good value for money, in particular the dinners, with the exception of the Torphichen dinner. Accomodation was 4 star with the exception of the highlands in Scotland which we rated as 2.5.
This was our 3rd tour with Insight Vacations over the years and once again a very enjoyable tour with good travel companions from different countries. Global Journeys were our Travel booking consultants who always look after us with our bookings, they run a very efficient service, and we started using Global Journeys in 2017.
In Germany the range of read more accommodation never disappointed us, and we always rose to a good feed at breakfast that accommodated for many nationalities. Our tour companions were friendly, fun and great to be with, our tour guide was a delight she had a wonderful bright personality and energy. We loved the many villages we visited and the local tour guides. Weather was excellent and our favourite area was the Bavarian areas of Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle and surrounding area was a special place to see. A very enjoyable tour.
In Germany the range of read more accommodation never disappointed us, and we always rose to a good feed at breakfast that accommodated for many nationalities. Our tour companions were friendly, fun and great to be with, our tour guide was a delight she had a wonderful bright personality and energy. We loved the many villages we visited and the local tour guides. Weather was excellent and our favourite area was the Bavarian areas of Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle and surrounding area was a special place to see. A very enjoyable tour.
We had a wonderful time touring the seven Balkan countries. Our tour director Taib made this trip more enjoyable with his knowledge of the region, effortless planning to get us through all the border crossing without any hassle. The scenery throughout was amazing. A special mention to our driver for guiding us through the many countries we visited safely. read more His driving skill we really appreciated. The tour was well paced, and all the attractions were a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit.
A trip with plenty of variety 0
Country Roads of Scandinavia
Lesley and John, NSW, Australia, Jun 2026
We had a bit of everything Scandinavia has to offer. Pieter and Roland took us to the highlighted places but surprised us with a few spectacular extras that made the journey special.
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