European Grandeur Reviews

Our first tour of this type and booking through Global Journeys made the process so easy. This tour was jammed packed so if you want a leisurely holiday it is not for you. That said, it was amazing. The extra details provided by our Tour Director and local experts made even the shortest visit come alive for us. Accommodation was excellent from modern ...read more luxury to converted monasteries and palaces and a quirky hotel in Rome. They all made for an unforgettable experience. One big plus was the tour group size being limited to 40 and the extra leg room this gives in the coach. The logistics were handled seamlessly and the meals were exceptional. Would we recommend Global Journeys and Insight Vacations to others? Most certainly.

This tour was well organised with an excellent range of experiences. The tour leader, Jonathan, was informative, funny and an excellent host. This tour is ideal for people who want a broad overview of Europe and a diverse range of experiences.

Saw a lot and covered a lot of country. Fairly fast paced schedule. The cruise around the Greek Islands very nice but the shore excursions were very rushed-trying to do too much in the time frame available - increase the time frame - way too rushed!!! and not enough time on the Islands. When the cruise was finished it was nice to get back on the ...read more coach to relax. We thought the cruise would be relaxing-not the case. Probably would be nice to travel more country roads if possible to see more countryside. The motorways have barriers which does spoil the scenery and photography. Something I would take into consideration before booking our next holiday. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

The holiday was good, but we weren't warned that we would be joining a coach load of existing travellers who had all been suffering from some sort of flu virus. Had we been warned we could have taken some precautions to protect ourselves, however, by Rome Ken was quite ill and we had to get the doctor in. This virus had developed into bronchitis meaning ...read more that he missed the entire 2 days and did not get to see or do anything in Rome. I had to manage the 2 days on my own which was not ideal. The places we visited were excellent and very interesting. We were rather pressured after Greece into paying upfront for all the optional extras for the rest of the trip in one go and the suggestion that we might need more time to think about it was not greeted favourably. With a bit more time to consider we may not have selected some of the options on offer.

The mix of passengers on the trip was quite friendly and luckily we struck up a friendship with another couple who joined the tour in Greece with us. We did feel that we were a bit on the outer with the existing passengers who considered us as "newbies" (their word not mine). The hotels were pretty good although a few of the rooms were a bit small. The food was good on the whole and there was plenty of it, although stopping at motorway service stations for lunch was not that great. The cruise boat was not good with terrible food and minisccule cabins but we enjoyed our trips to the Greek islands which were all very beautiful. The local guides throughout the whole trip were excellent and well informed and made every excursion very interesting. The coach driver, Antonio, was excellent and his driving in pressured conditions was very professional. He was a real gentleman and always said hello and greeted you with a smile even when he was off duty. The whole trip was action packed and we enjoyed it. We felt it was all a bit rushed so maybe we may look for something a bit more laid back if we decide to book again. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

We had an excellent time travelling from Athens, through Italy and Switzerland to France. The sights we saw were well planned and our tour director was a fountain of knowledge. Most of the tour guides in the places of interest which we visited were easily understood and spoke English well. Most of the optional extra tours available were very good, ...read more but the Moulin Rouge was exceptional, something not to be missed. This tour had all two night stops in the hotels which was a reason why we chose it, as we find one night stops too hectic. We went in June 2016 and had mostly very good weather and the other 38 passengers on the coach were very good company. We thank Emily Cran for all her help with organising this tour for us and will not hesitate to get in touch with her again when we book our next tour. Thank you Global Journeys. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

Global Journeys were wonderful and I would not hesitate to book with them again. Michelle White was our agent and she could not have been more helpful. The Insight tour was very good and our tour guide Tim Pendellbury was excellent, very organised and took care of all details giving us a worry free time. The main things that we did not like were the ...read more factory/shop stops and the long days in the bus and very early morning starts ( be prepared to be very tired), however considering the distance that we travelled and countries we visited it is understandable.Some of the hotels that were supposed to be central were definitely not and a few of them were also not of the standard I would have expected from this tour, The insight heritage 33 day tour is a very good way to sample many countries in one trip and despite these issues we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

After self driving the UK for 5 weeks prior to joining the Insight tour, we were ready for a chauffeur driven tour. What a great experience, we never could've found all the places we went to in such a good use of time. The tour guide was excellent, a great group of people from all over the world and some incredible sights. Prior to going we decided ...read more on a few optional tours, on joining, the tour director explained the different optional tours and we joined all but 2. What a fantastic time we had, the optional tours were incredible with a few surprises and well worth the time and money. As most of the group also joined in the optional tours it helped build a stronger bond between those who previous to the tour were strangers. My wife and I could not speak highly enough of Insight Vacations , the tour director and of course prior to travel the organising by Georgie Walpole of Global Journeys as everything ran smoothly and exactly as planned. Will we take another Insight Tour in the future? ...ABSOLUTELY! (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

I had a great time. Most of the hotels were great. One had no air conditioning which made the room stuffy. Antonio the driver couldn't speak any English but he was the best driver. John G the tour director was the absolute best. I lost my passport in Vienna and he arranged for me to get a emergency one. It only took two hours. Meanwhile the coach had ...read more to go on without me. I still beat them to Innsbruck. On this tour there should be less time in Italy and more time in Germany as we only had one night there. The only thing I wasn't really happy about was that had no transfers from and to the airport. Emily did a very good job with our booking though.

This tour was too rushed, everyone was tired (some people had to miss some included visits because they needed to rest) and the tour director did not have thorough knowledge of the places that were visited. Many people had suitcases damaged but the tour director was not interested in doing anything to stop this. Visits to included sights were too rushed, ...read more some were missed entirely (the lookout over Florence and the Amsterdam sightseeing tour), and the whole tour seemed to be designed around the optional excursions.

This tour was fabulous. Fairly fast paced but with ages from 12-70 on our tour everyone kept up easily. It really is a good 'taster' tour (which is all you can ask of a 17 day tour which takes in 5 countries) of each country and will give you a general experience of each country. You can never have enough 'free time' but given this tour packs in so ...read more much to see the amount of 'free time' provided was more than sufficient for all ages. The options were well thought out, very good value for money and you were never pressured into undertaking them. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable in both history and interesting tit bits about each place (very humourous at times) - his commentary was never boring and was structured to appeal to all ages / interests. He also was flexible when it came to the daily schedule, happy to re-assess and re-organise to suit the group but still managing to see all the sights as per the original tour itinerary.

During our tour we experienced a heat wave affecting most of the countries so our daily temp was between 34-41 most days. Which in some places was extremely out of the ordinary (ie no air conditioning in the hotel rooms). Phillip (tour guide) for example shuffled our tour activities each day to keep us out of the heat so that we could still enjoy each experience. Adding many 'flourishes' (special treats) of gelato, drinks, extra stops etc to keep us going. Some places we spent less time at, others more, depending on the heat and this was always only at the agreeance of all the group. The hotels we stayed at were all good - some maybe not up to Australian 4 star level, but had everything you would need for a 2 night stay. Our tour guide was always happy to arrange a change of room if necessary. But mostly they were excellent and definitely central in all places stayed. All sights in walking distance from the hotels. The days were seamlessly organised, nothing was ever a problem, our driver was excellent and safe and the bus always immaculate with more than ample seating and leg room. To sum it up - a well thought out and planned 17 day 'taster' tour of the main countries of Europe. Would highly recommend to all ages. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

Fabulous tour, probably because of excellent tour guide as much as anything. A lot of attention to detail. Global Journeys should make sure their clients are well aware of the costly (but well worthwhile) Optional Excursions and the fact that these excursions eat in to free time (which makes the tour quite fast paced). In order to beat queues and ...read more crowds, there were a lot of very early starts. Also, the accommodation on the ship (Celestyal Olympia) used to cruise the Greek islands was disappointing. I was told by others that it was a long way from equaling even a very basic P&O cruise that Aussies are used to. We paid for an upgrade (to superior class which meant a porthole window) before we left but found that we were given the same accommodation as those that didn't pay for an upgrade. When we tried to upgrade further (after seeing our cabin), nothing was available. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

The Insight Tour of Europe was exceptional. The organisation of the tour went well. Our tour director and our driver were first class looking after our needs. Their knowledge of the places we visited made the tour very interesting (in addition to the fabulous scenery and attractions). The extra comfort in the bus was well worth the expense. All hotel ...read more rooms were of high standard in terms of cleanliness and facilities. At all hotels staff were friendly and helpful. The tour is at a good pace with early starts most days and you need to appreciate that if you are to see the amount of countryside we saw. The tour was a real eye opener in terms of the history of the places visited - you don't appreciate it till you see it with your own eyes. Our only complaint is that the weather was not perfect the whole tour. We had a few rainy cold days but it did not spoil the experience. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

We enjoyed the European Heritage Insight tour very much and would highly recommend it to other potential travellers! (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

Tour was fast pace especially when doing all the optionals. Our Tour Director (Janelle) was the best. We all loved her stories. Our driver (Dino) was also exceptional. Opportunities include wi-fi on the bus and in all hotels.

Well organised. Brilliant tour director Brad Allemand, able to modify the programme in tricky situations to meet people's needs. Coach was roomy and comfortable and drivers excellent. The hotels were top quality with excellent breakfasts. We saw so many countries in such a short time that it gave us ideas for our next trip and we already know which ...read more countries we'd like to revisit. Our group of people bonded so well- lots of Kiwis and Aussies that this made the trip enjoyable. Yes there were very early mornings to travel or do a guided tour, but Brad knew how to miss the crowds and other tour buses wanting to visit the same place. The organisers planned the programme strategically. Having lots of 1 night stops on first half of trip when you are fresh and then 2 night stops for the second half when people were starting to fell tired. Overall for our first ever overseas trip we would highly recommend this tour. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

It was a great experience booking our tour with Global Journeys - Yvonne was great giving us all the required tour information. Touring with Insight was a wonderful experience! Everything was arranged seamlessly - the wake up calls - baggage collection - breakfasts (yumm.. yummy!) - bus journey - comfort stops - local guides - great locations - super ...read more dinners - well thought off locations and various modes of transports and above all very imaginative tour director Mr Lampard and incredible bus driver Maritzio. The whole experience was like a dream and each day was like a silken thread - smooth and effortless. We have already started saving money for our next Insight Vacation.

Jenny and I returned today from our trip to England and Europe today (25 October 2011). Many thanks to Insight and to Global Journeys for co-ordinating our travel itinerary. Our transfers and accommodation in London (Thistle Marble Arch) were great and we enjoyed our 5 or so days in London. The Insight 'European Heritage Tour' was one of the best spent ...read more 34 days of our life. At first I was cautious about spending 34 days touring Europe in a coach but the experience turned out to be fabulous. The coaches used by Insight are set up for 40 people rather than the 50 plus seat coaches. Plenty of leg room to lay-back when you are tired, scheduled breaks every two hours or so. Every hotel met or exceeded our expectation. Nobody could ever complain about the high standards of accommodation provided by Insight on this tour. Our tour commenced in London on 15 September with around 30 passengers, two couples were from Canada and the remainder were Aussies. Some left the tour in Athens where another 8 passengers joined us, yes, another 8 Aussies!

The included tours, excursions and meals were excellent as was the included three-night Greek Island Cruise. I will be writing to Insight separately to acknowledge the great time we had. However, such times are only achieved through great planning, coordination and teamwork between Insight, the tour director and the coach driver not to mention a wonderful group of fellow passengers. Betty Griffiths, our tour director and Dino, our Italian driver, are true professionals, noteworthy organisers, good companions and great representatives for Insight. When we were approaching the Greek border from Albania we learnt that the border was closed for our coach. Betty and Insight arranged for a Greek Coach to meet us on the Greek side of the border to transfer us and our baggage for the next two days then onward to Athens. The paper work needed for our coach to cross the border to Greece could not be processed because the public servants were on a 48 hour strike. As you are probably aware the Greek Government has imposed severe austerity measures because of the EU monetary crises. At first it looked as though we would have to take our bags off our coach and trolley them 850 metres down the road (being no-man's land between the Albanian and Greek border). Alas, Betty convinced the Albanian Police to drive her down to the Greek border and then got permission to drive our coach down the 850 metres of road to make the baggage transfer much easier. How easy was that? Dino had to stay with his coach in Albania for the duration of the two day strike in Greece. He ultimately met up with us in Athens. Upon arrival at our first night in Greece (Ioannina) one couple received sad news of the death of a close family member and they needed to urgently return to Australia. Their timely return would not have been possible without Betty Griffiths. At short notice Betty went to unprecedented lengths to coordinate their departure from Greece, albeit during a 48 hour general strike.

A truly remarkable tour director! Betty and Dino should be commended, they were just great. On another day, when leaving Athens, we were passing the Greek Parliament, red traffic light and the coach was surrounded by about 300 protesting students. No panic, five or so minutes delay and off again. All of these exciting extras at no extra charge! What more could you ask? Finally a big thanks to Yvonne Brooks at Global Journeys for all of her help in organising this wonderful trip, we had such a great time. The standard of service and follow up to every question that I raised was quickly satisfied. We received all of our travel documents on time. Global Journeys were very efficient. Who said that great holidays cannot be successfully organised on the internet? I will be recommending Global Journeys to all of our friends. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)

As an introduction to Europe, the tour certainly fulfills expectation. There are a couple of items where I think improvement could be made. Weather forecasts on the board to ensure appropriate apparel/sunscreen etc. Better explanation of how the optionals work and how little free time there is if you take them up. The ability to sign up for extras the ...read more day before as you do not know what the city/place you are visiting is like. The quality of the food on the included dinners. A 'tell everyone a bit about yourself' opportunity to help get to know everyone. An indication of the time on the road each day. Things I think were excellent were, the room on the coach, most of the road stops, the tour guide's knowledge, how much we actually saw and did & the price of the extras. Overall, our experience was very good and we now have the knowledge and skill to return to Europe, back to the places we liked and to others we did not even see. Thanks for showing us what we can do! (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)