Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > CIE Tours vs Trafalgar
CIE Tours vs Trafalgar
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of CIE Tours and Trafalgar.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 (like Iceland and Italy) but for now Global Journeys only sell their trips on the mainland of the UK. 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 Tour of the Week Deal which runs year round and offers savings of up to 15% off the normal retail price.
Over 350 coach tours around the world, and one of our clients most popular Operators, Trafalgar is part of the Travel Corporation, which includes under its umbrella the sister brands of Insight Vacations, AAT Kings, Uniworld, Contiki & Costsaver. With a worldwide presence and local operations in Australasia for many years, you'll enjoy the company of many nationalities aboard your coach, including those from Downunder. Sitting between Insight and Costsaver, Trafalgar pride themselves in touring innovation, introducing 'Insider Experiences' (where you get to know and dine with the locals) and travel styles to suit those that prefer smaller groups or those that prefer a more leisurely itinerary.Look out for Trafalgar's Early-payment savings where you can save up to 10% on your trip as well as further savings if you are a past passenger on any of the aforementioned sister brands.
Stats
No. of Trips
65
No. of Departures
2,284
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$463
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Premium
Trip Styles Coach Tours
Regions Explored UK & Ireland
No. of Trips
403
No. of Departures
10,291
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$516
Accommodation
4 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.
We are the world’s leading and most awarded travel brand spanning all 7 continents of the globe. From the iconic to the unexpected our guests connect to the real depth of the places we go. They will break bread with the locals at our exclusive Be My Guest experiences and unlock local secrets of our Travel Directors and Local Specialists. Everything is taken care of, so they travel with true ease and get the real thing without worrying about a thing.
We consider how we can positively impact the communities we engage with. Through our JoinTrafalgar initiatives powered by TreadRight, guests don’t just leave footprints on the ground, but leave a lasting legacy for the betterment of locals and the future of their communities.
It’s 72 years of destination experience and feedback from over 5 million happy guests that fuels our innovation to continually delivery simply the best holidays.
Recent Reviews
4.6
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. 2 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.
Very organised. tour. Excellent hotels. Would book with Global Journeys again. My travel advisor Jemma Rosen was excellent answering concerns I had.
Amazing journey through Scottish Highlands and Isles, getting to see parts of Scotland that I would normally not have considered going to. Went in May and weather was fantastic. The accommodations (with the exception for the Balmacara Hotel) were very ordinary and well below expectations. Whilst I would recommend this trip, I would hope that the tour ...read more operators review the accommodation options and provide better options in the future.
My experience with Global Journeys was excellent along with my travel consultant Jemma Rosen. Very helpful in answering all my questions and I would definitely book with Global Journeys again in the future. Enjoyed my trip with CIE which I thought was good value.
From beginning to end we had great service from Global Journeys and then from CIE tours. Our consultant was easy to deal with and highly professional and personable responding quickly to our questions, CIE were also excellent. Our guide Brian was simply wonderful throughout. Thank you so much.
4.5
As usual, Hannah from Global Journeys was very helpful with my booking, and I will be booking again with her. The Trafalgar trip itself was more relaxing than most in that there were three night stays in each of Prague, Vienna and Budapest. The tour was well planned, and the colder weather only added to the atmosphere, especially with the wonderful ...read more Christmas markets we went to in Vienna and Budapest. The Vienna hotel (Hilton Danube Waterfront) was disappointing for its location in a residential area away from amenities.
Tour highlights include the Vatican, optional dinner Rome, Cinque Terra, optional Statue of David, Be My Guest Dinner, farewell dinner, tour guide driver and local specialists. Great hotels in excellent locations. easy of booking online with Global Journeys.
This was an excellent tour overall. The places visited all had something special to offer, be it scenery, architecture or history. The local specialists were brilliant in their information and this was a highlight of the trip for me. The tour director was very well organised and every day ran smoothly for the passengers. The tour director Mikael offered ...read more very useful city orientations as they provided an insight into the history of the place and useful local information to get us around during our free time. The drivers Fernando and Jorge did a great job navigating through the small streets of Portugal in a very safe manner.
The tour covered a lot of ground in two weeks - this was expected. The tour director was fabulous as were the local specialists. Given the history of the countries we visited, the tour director gave a very insightful and balanced commentary. He was very pleasant and dealt with some challenging guests in a calm, considerate and gentle way. I would highly ...read more recommend this tour but encourage potential guests to familiarise themselves with the itinerary - the long drives on some days and the fact that the food will not be the same as what you get at home. It's all part of the experience. (GJ. Great photo - it looks like a painting!)
A comprehensive tour of Italy. Fast paced and quite busy so be mindful of that. There is lots of walking and steps so be conscious of that if mobility is an issue. But I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Excellent guide and driver
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