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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
75
No. of Departures
1,979
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$557
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Premium
Trip Styles
Coach Tours
No. of Trips
440
No. of Departures
2,614
Avg. Trip Length
12 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$630
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.
Stunning scenery in the wilds of Scotland, with some logistical challenges. 3
Scottish Isles & Glens
Norm, VIC, Australia, Aug 2023
This was an excellent itinerary to see the stunning landscapes that Scotland offers. Isle of Skye, Glencoe and Orkney were standout locations, The trip also had a liberal dose of castles and stately homes, both functioning and derelict. The tour guide provided an immense amount of history and perspective, to bring locations alive with their significance. read more Overall a very worthwhile experience.
On the downside, the tour company, CIE, chose to deliver our 'welcome pack' to the first hotel, rather than to our home. This appears to be their practice for Australians. This was in the least inconvenient as it meant we would not have the benefit of the provided backpacks for our outward journey. All other participants, who were from the USA, had their packs delivered to their homes. The impact was exacerbated by the packs not being there when we arrived, so we were without backpacks, name-tags, maps etc for the whole trip. It was only after pestering our guide that we finally received our packs on the very last day of the trip.
Our other concern was that the the quality of some of the hotels was below our expectations, with cramped rooms and bathrooms lacking power outlets etc, This is understandable in small remote towns, but the worst examples were actually in Glasgow and Inverness. We shared those hotels with other tour companies, such as Trafalgar, so we were not alone in the experience. The multiple tour groups also made meals, especially breakfast, a bit of a bunfight and far exceeded lift capabilities. We chose to walk up 5 flights at one stage, Would we do it again? Probably not with CIE. Their offices are in Ireland and USA and they appear to be not well geared for Australian participation.
On the downside, the tour company, CIE, chose to deliver our 'welcome pack' to the first hotel, rather than to our home. This appears to be their practice for Australians. This was in the least inconvenient as it meant we would not have the benefit of the provided backpacks for our outward journey. All other participants, who were from the USA, had their packs delivered to their homes. The impact was exacerbated by the packs not being there when we arrived, so we were without backpacks, name-tags, maps etc for the whole trip. It was only after pestering our guide that we finally received our packs on the very last day of the trip.
Our other concern was that the the quality of some of the hotels was below our expectations, with cramped rooms and bathrooms lacking power outlets etc, This is understandable in small remote towns, but the worst examples were actually in Glasgow and Inverness. We shared those hotels with other tour companies, such as Trafalgar, so we were not alone in the experience. The multiple tour groups also made meals, especially breakfast, a bit of a bunfight and far exceeded lift capabilities. We chose to walk up 5 flights at one stage, Would we do it again? Probably not with CIE. Their offices are in Ireland and USA and they appear to be not well geared for Australian participation.
4.5
This was a very good bus trip, and we particularly enjoyed travelling by ferry to the Orkney Islands. It is something not normally included in many Scotland trips. The sites there- Italian Chapel, Ring of Brogdar, Skara Brae and Skaile House were particularly interesting. Ethan Battison helped us tremendously in planning this trip and we highly recommend him.
I loved having my trip organised by an experienced tour director. It takes a lot of the stress out of travelling, especially in non-English speaking locations. Hotel check-ins were a breeze & the min. 2 nights hotel stays were far better than just 1 night. The early starts were a bit challenging at times but it meant we saw more & were able to gain read more access to venues & events before the crowds arrived. The breakfasts were terrific as were our tour director & driver. The accommodation was great except in Rome where it wasn't satisfactory as my original room was very small, so after requesting a better room the reception man reluctantly moved me to a slightly better room. He wanted extra payment but I refused, after all I had paid a single supplement & expected a reasonable room.
Venice was exhausting. It was extremely hot & virtually no shade & the café waiters frowned if you stood under their outdoor umbrellas. Getting in & out of the smaller boats was difficult in Venice. Throughout the trip, some guests complained about the amount of walking & struggled trying to keep up with the guides.
Overall it was a lovely trip which took us to very special places, one being the music academy in Budapest with a solo piano performance. That was stunning. I chose not to do all the optional extras as I needed some unstructured time at the end of a long day, plus some optional extras were too expensive.
Venice was exhausting. It was extremely hot & virtually no shade & the café waiters frowned if you stood under their outdoor umbrellas. Getting in & out of the smaller boats was difficult in Venice. Throughout the trip, some guests complained about the amount of walking & struggled trying to keep up with the guides.
Overall it was a lovely trip which took us to very special places, one being the music academy in Budapest with a solo piano performance. That was stunning. I chose not to do all the optional extras as I needed some unstructured time at the end of a long day, plus some optional extras were too expensive.
We have completed this part of our ambitious 3 month holiday. We were very happy with Traceys handling of our booking and getting our documents released early before we left australia. We are now looking forward to our next Insight tour of Iceland commencing next week!
Destinations, bus comfort & top hotels made this tour exceptional. Included meals were always top class & guide was friendly, knowledgeable & helpful. Only negative was that 1 night stops made trip seemed rushed - 2 nights in each location would have provided more leisurely experience.
From the begining to the end, booking, touring Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland, our tour guide, coach driver, hotels, food, Qatar airlines - it was a wonderful experience with no blips.
Interesting tour of Eastern Europe. 0
Highlights of Eastern Europe
Christine and Stephen, NSW, Australia, Oct 2025
Our guide, Brad, was amazing. He had such an extensive knowledge of everywhere we went. This was our fifth Insight tour and I would highly recommend them. Our booking with Global was seamless and Hannah was very efficient and helpful. The places we visited were very interesting, I especially enjoyed the dinner river cruise at night in Budapest. The read more Parliament building alone, is worth the effort.
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