Back-Roads Touring Reviews
The 129 Back-Roads Touring reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Back-Roads. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
The 129 Back-Roads Touring reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Back-Roads. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
From the start our tour guide Stephano, was excellent. We had an unfortunate experience leaving Australia and were delayed 25 hours. Arriving in Rome one full day behind our schedule. Making us miss our two private tours we had booked for the preceding day of our departure for Italian Indulgence. Also our bags had not arrived and were still in transit. read more Stephano took change and rang several times to British Airways to chase them up. Our bags were finally delivered to us at the end of the second day of our tour. However this did not stop us from enjoying our tour, our meals together and all, the interesting information Stephano shared with us. Our Driver Fabio too was excellent looking after our bags and making sure everything ran smoothly.
4 days Immersed in the Battlefields 7
ANZAC on the Western Front
Annette & Bruce, SA, Australia, May 2016
Having done 1 day of the Somme Battlefields tour back in 2012, this time we undertook the full 4 day experience. It was nothing short of amazing. The knowledge and giving nature of our guide Mark Banning making it all that so much more special. The only suggestion I would make is that, while this is an ANZACS tour and therefore focusing on the Australian read more and New Zealand contingents, there needs to be a more balanced view which includes other allies, including the British. I will admit, that this is a very selfish view, as the reason I was there was to go to Poziere where my great grandfather is mentioned on the memorial wall, however I think there could be more perspective in the tour. All in all, this is an amazing tour, with an amazing company and even more amazing guide.
The Moorish architecture was stunning. The natural scenery was stunning, for example, Ronda. Great to travel with a small group. Small bus made it easier to go places big buses can't. Lots of free time and given lots of ideas about what you can do with your free time. And it was so easy to book through Global Journeys.
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. 14 others (15 with tour guide) & everyone got on well. Tour guide (Charlie), was excellent & his knowledge / commentary on places we visited helped make the tour. The smaller bus enabled us to truly experience the "back roads" aspect and we were able to get to places the larger coaches would have found impossible. Accommodation read more along with included meals were great, with possibly the exception of the final stop - Chateau de la Bourdaisiere. Whilst the setting & appearance was stunning, the meal was not up to standard & the cooking class was not what we expected - minimal hands on for those that wanted to actually get their hands dirty. Whilst every venue we visited were magnificent, the 3 stand out highlights were Mont St Michel, Normandy beaches, Monet's Garden. We would readily recommend Back-Roads to our friends.
'Corners of Cornwall' lived up to its name! 6
Corners of Cornwall
Liz Duell, VIC, Australia, Sep 2015
'Corners of Cornwall' lived up to its name! The trip did get 'off the beaten track' where possible and I was able to visit the local little villages and walk on tracks and beaches. Having a driver and tour leader was fantastic as each role could enable 'tag team' where parking was an issue. Both Jeremy and Denis were excellent guides and shared their love of the country.
The tour itself was very good and the places visited amazing. I would have preferred a more diverse group of companions.
Would recommend this trip without reservation 10
Iberian Inspiration
Kerran, NSW, Australia, Sep 2015
Hi Georgie, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Our tour guide Leticia was excellent with a well organised tour at an appropriate leisurely pace. Hotels were fabulous. Our small group was fun and it was easy to either spend time with the group or on our own. We walked and walked so mobility required! The Spanish Inspiration trip was full of wonderful Spanish read more history. Once the tour was paid for there was not much in the way of additional expense - meals were much cheaper in the towns we visited than Barcelona where we spent a few days afterwards. We had a great time and would recommend this trip without reservation. Thanks for all your help with the booking with your prompt and helpful replies to any queries.
We would highly recommend this tour, a wide variety of experiences and the smaller group was great. The back roads sections away from the big cities was the best part of the tour.
Loved this tour. Accommodation perfect. Staying for 2 nights in one place at a time made it very manageable. The Isle of Sky and Mull blew me away. Loved the time spent in each place. The tour was exceptional. Preferred to have 1 spare seat in the coach, as the back seat can be a bit tight if 4 people in it. Recommend the trip.
This tour was well above expectations with lots of wonderful surprises. Accommodation was superb. Guide was exceptionally knowledgeable. Accommodation you would only dream about. Food wow so so much quality and highly presentable. Great for singles. A beautiful country with a must to learn and see Northern Ireland. Loved every minute.
I really enjoyed the trip. I love travelling in a smaller group and the other people on the tour were all very friendly which added to the experience. The guide was very nice and looked after us but I feel that things were a bit disorganised and knowledge of the places we visited could have been better. There is so much rich history it was a shame from read more my perspective not to have that imparted to the group. The hotels were generally of good standard with only one or two really standing out for me. I believe this was a new tour so perhaps things are still being sorted out. I couldn't help but compare to the last trip I did and unfortunately, this one wasn't as good in all respects . Again I did enjoy it and won't hesitate to look at other trips with Back-Roads.
Memorable and enjoyable. Would thoroughly recommend 12
Italian Indulgence
Malcolm & Maree, QLD, Australia, Jul 2015
We found both the tour bus driver and the tour guide to be very helpful, knowledgeable and always willing to assist and go the extra mile. The tour of 'backroads' Italy was fantastic (places, the people, the experience). The people on our tour group also got on really well together which we think made the experience even more memorable and enjoyable. read more Would thoroughly recommend.
This tour was very much better than the Chelsea Flower Show tour. Charlie our guide was excellent, informed and happy, easy to connect with, as was Pip our driver. Every day was a good experience and the variety of places we visited kept it interesting. I would recommend this tour wholeheartedly, Normandy is a special part of France and offers many read more enjoyable sights and places to visit. 5 stars!
Graham was an excellent driver/ guide. Because we weren't a full group we also had the advantage of Jeremy a guide in training with us. The group, all Australians apart from one American couple worked well together around an excellent itinerary. The free day in Falmouth was appreciated by everyone. We have always enjoyed travelling individually or with read more small groups so Back Roads Tours suited us. Will travel with them again.
All the way around coast of Ireland, Dublin to Dublin. A lovely mixture of old and new Ireland. So good I would do it again but there is still more of the world to see. Definitely travel with Back-Roads again.
Backroads bus tour was excellent, far exceeded our expectations. The historical knowledge of our tour driver was exceptional. Accommodation superb, food great, all areas visited were interesting, countryside beautiful. Could not fault the tour.
With regards to the Back-Roads tour, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being with a small group suited us. The remainder of the group were great and good fun, everyone got on really well. Our driver/guide was incredible. Not only could she handle the traffic in Paris, she was very professional and caring to our needs. Her knowledge of France read more whether it be politics or history was extensive. We had two lovely picnic lunches of local wine, cheese, bread etc which was a lovely surprise. The accommodation in smaller hotels was also good - with a personal touch. The last night at the Chateau was a memorable way to conclude the tour. The smaller bus allowed us visit towns in the countryside where the roads were very narrow. I was very pleased with the way Global Journeys handled our booking, and would like to book another Back-roads tour in a couple of years.
Included activities were exceptional 7
Enchanting Southern Italy
Robyn Whiteley, WA, Australia, Apr 2015
This tour was good value for money as the included activities were exceptional. Our guide was helpful and knowledgeable and the coach driver was very capable, particularly on narrow winding roads of the Amalfi coast.
This 9-day tour, 'A Taste of Bordeaux', conducted by Back-Roads Touring, was very enjoyable. It was easy-paced, each day's travelling beginning about 8.45 or 9 am. The mantra of the company is 'guided independence', so don't go on these tours if you are not adventurous, and need full-time direction and assistance. You need, also, to be moderately fit. read more The coaches are excellent, but they are small, and leg-room is a problem for very tall travellers. And you can't take large, heavy bags! There were 15 in our group and that's one short of the maximum number, so it is very definitely small-group travelling. We certainly took back roads, not motorways, save when absolutely necessary. This opened up pastures green, delightful French villages and towns that travellers do not see in large coach tours. This was a real feature of the trip. Some members of our group were disappointed that the tour director/driver stuck closely to the itinerary, and thought he could have been a little more flexible. Hints were dropped, but I was not aware of anyone asking him directly to be more flexible. The director/driver was very knowledgable, spoke fluent French and was always enthusiastic. The included meals in this tour were a little better than most. All-in-all, a very good tour that I recommend for 'guided-independent' types.
Would recommend this trip to others without hesitation 8
Highlights of Britain
Lorraine Frendin, Australia, Jul 2014
Loved the Highlights of Britain trip in its entirety. The coach was extremely comfortable and the tour leader excellent and so full of interesting information. I would recommend this trip to others without hesitation.
