Imperial Europe (Winter) Reviews

We were so lucky to have a wonderful and caring 2 people, our driver Milan and tour director Jeffrey. They gave and provide their best for the 40 people who did the tour. It's well organised and everyone really had an enjoyable time. Meeting and getting to know new friends. The only problem is going back to the airport. Although, I mentioned before ...read more we left if we can get a transport to the airport, and came back to me that it was okay... at the end, we still need to provide our own transport. Aside from that, I am looking forward to do it again.

A very last minute booking turned out to be a wonderful lifetime experience. I had been waiting to go to Germany for 25 years, since my Contiki USA tour. Global were fantastic in organising everything that I needed, all online.

The driver, tour manager, fellow passengers were all great. The optional excursions events were of a high standard and ...read more very enjoyable. I definitely would recommend both Global and Trafalgar to anyone looking at booking online and touring in a coach.

So not only did I see parts of Bavaria - Munich and Schliersee but also Prague - Czech Republic, Bratislava - Slovakia, Budapest - Hungary, Vienna and Salzburg in Austria.

The tour was terrific and it was a winter wonderland in the snow. The tour guide was always concerned that each traveller's needs were met and always asking each traveller if she could do anything to make the trip more pleasant. Agnes Kruger from Trafalgar is a terrific tour guide and I couldn't recommend her enough to anyone. The accommodation unfortunately ...read more was not in the centre of each city as promised by Trafalgar as the meals on the optional tours were wanting however despite these deficiencies Agnes was there making each day work without issue. I couldn't take in enough of the winter wonderland, the history there was so much to see and enjoy. Thank you.

Our tour covered a lot of very interesting places within the 10 days. I loved the scenic tour in Salzburg coming down the hill (Berchtesgaden), and Budapest Parliament in the morning without crowds prior to it being opened to the public. We really enjoyed accommodation also particularly in Vienna / Hilton Plaza that was very luxurious. Very organised ...read more and well-planned holiday! We felt very taken care of.

We had snow for the first time on New Years Eve which was great, had a great trip but I think I prefer to have everything included so you don't have to take a lot of extra money and everyone on the trip does things together. The accommodation was good, a couple could have been better, and the location at the beginning and end of Trafalgar's trips I ...read more notice, as this was my second one could be in the CBD so it is easier to get to and from airport.

Traveling through Central Europe with Trafalgar was an all round excellent experience. The number of destinations was appropriate to the tour length (keeping travel times to a minimum), the accommodation (including a Hilton in Vienna) was excellent and the tour director was just a joy to travel with. The tour director was a good mix of informative, ...read more friendly and efficient. She dealt with any hiccups (e.g. luggage delivered to the wrong room) without any trouble, and quickly, and was always conscious of special dietary requirements or requests. The local guides in Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg were welcoming, entertaining, knowledgeable and able to respond appropriately to any questions asked. Highlights included the Be My Guest dinner at a vineyard in Budapest, Budapest By Night, the classical concert in Vienna and the tour in Salzburg with Sound of Music highlights. My only suggestion is that maybe an optional could be offered in Bratislava, Slovakia as it seemed an interesting location, perhaps worthy of a longer stop. We had a diverse range of people on our tour from 10 to 60something which made the travelling experience good fun. An excellent tour, and experience overall, and I would have no hesitation recommending Trafalgar.

Firstly, in my opinion, the tour was good value for the money asked. Hotels are good quality although I would have paid more for them to be closer to city centres. The food was classic 'tourist' food, with two exceptions during a Be My Guest and a concert evening. By the end of the tour I was hanging out for vegetables, particularly of the green variety. ...read more Naturally, catering is done to a budget in respect to included meals and it's well worth considering doing some research for local restaurants that offer more than the included fare.My overall impression of the tour was that Trafalgar offers a broad sweep of attractions and places of interest that can be viewed on the outside, rather than including attractions where one goes inside and experiences what they have to offer. Free time is often not long enough to gain some depth on one's own initiative. The tour is more of a 'sampler' that allows the traveller to decide which destinations to come back to to see in more depth.

The coach comfort was my issue. Two reasonably sized people (not tiny, nor large) find it difficult to sit in the seats with spines vertical, an important issue for those who are post 55, and either one or both must either lean towards the window or the aisle when seated. Long periods of travel between cities were an excruciating experience for me, solved when the tour director offered me the only single seat available. Having experienced a Trafalgar tour where the coach was almost completely full with 47 (I think) passengers, I think I would opt in future for a smaller tour.

Overall very enjoyable trip. The tour director is very knowledgeable. Eastern Europe is beautiful and we have been lucky with the weather.