Trafalgar Tours

Best of Britain Reviews

21 Best of Britain reviews from past travellers that booked with Global Journeys.
4.48
AVG. RATING 4.48 / 5
21 Reviews
5 Star
62%
4 Star
24%
3 Star
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2 Star
1 Star

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Best of Britain 2 , NSW, Australia, Sep 2023
Good trip. Excellent guide and driver. Lots of driving, but covered a lot of the country. Reasonable amount of free time. Good hotels.
11 Day Best of Britain 1 , QLD, Australia, Jul 2023
Firstly, we were totally impressed by the seemingly unlimited knowledge of our tour guide, Joel and the incredible skill of Stuart, our coach driver. The accommodation everywhere was totally acceptable with some memorable surprises such as the wonderful old hotel at Laggan, Scotland. It would be remiss not to mention the professionalism of Hannah Campbell ...read more at Global Journeys, our initial contact in Queensland, keeping us informed from the the start. We believe this Trafalgar tour is a must for anyone wishing to get off the beaten track and meet some very friendly and diverse people.
Very hectic but a good overview/sampler! 7 , VIC, Australia, Sep 2018
First timer to the UK - this seemed to be the perfect length & covered a good part of what I wanted to see. Accommodation was pretty good & centrally located but given that a lot was packed into the day - all you wanted to do was rest when you got back by 8/9 pm (unless you opted out of dinners). Buffet breakfast all included & not much variation in ...read more offering. Other included & optional meals were good generally.

Not enough time spent in must see places like Stonehenge, Bath, Polperro (Cornwall), The Lakes District & York but excessive time in pretty boring places like Gretna Green, Fort William & Culloden (looks like a grazing meadow with coloured flags). This disappointment was echoed by many in our tour group & this could have been varied as it was at the discretion of the Tour Director. There was an optional boat cruise on Loch Lomond but not Loch Ness (the coach halted & we were told to get out & take pics - hello!! It could have been any old Loch).

Overall be prepared to spend some time dozing out of tiredness & in the coach whizzing at good speed to make it to next place on itinerary. The highlights that were delightful was the Be My Guest lunch with Dyer family on their centuries old farm, optional dinner at an ancient pub on 1st night with visit to nearby more ancient St Andrews Church, Kenn and the 2 night stay at the rustic & basic but very picturesque Hotel Laggan in Cairngorm National Park, Scotland with stunning views & highland style interior and reasonably priced drinks bar.

The tour group really chilled out here and mingled. Mostly Americans, Canadians with a sprinkling of Aussies - we got on well. Jemma Rosen from Global Journeys was awesome with her prompt responses & I would be happy to book other tours - definitely ones that are not so rushed.
Highly Recommended Best of Britain Tour   6 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2018
We booked our trip through Jemma at Global Journeys and we were more than happy with the booking processes and the helpfulness of Jemma. We were a group of 6 adults and booked a Trafalgar Best of Britain tour commencing 14/7/18 seeing the hidden gems within England, Wales and Scotland.

We travelled during Britain's heatwave so it was extremely hot ...read more in England. We did have a problem with the hotel in York which had no a/c. Despite the hotels best efforts to obtain a pedestal fan for all rooms we missed out. Trafalgar is aware of this problem. If we were to go to Europe again we would probably go 2 months earlier or later to avoid the crowds in peak season and possible heat.

Despite this minor issue we had a great tour. Our tour director Anya and driver James were exceptional. Anya knew her job well and her personal attention to everyones needs and problems was first class. We were in a group of 48 consisting of 18 Aussies, 16 Americans, 12 Canadians and 2 South Africans. Everyone mixed well together and thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of our friends from other countries over a beer, wine and food.

My personal highlight was Scotland especially the spectacular scenery of the Highlands and the optional dinner show in Edinburgh. Thank you Jemma for booking us a wonderful holiday.
Well planned and full of delightful outings. 15 , VIC, Australia, Jul 2017
Fantastic trip. saw all the things that were important to us plus more. The tour guide was very informative and the bus driver was as good as they get. The days were full but for the areas we covered and things we saw, we could not have done it on a more relaxed trip. Would certainly recommend Trafalgar to anyone.

The one negative I do have is the ...read more quality of the meals provided, were a bit below average, Not much choice of what we ate and quite often the entree could have been part of the main course, but was separated just to appear like you were having another course! eg: frozen mixed veg entree, and chop and potato main course. Part of the pleasure of the holiday is the food, so was disappointing at times, along with the cheap wines. We went on another tour after this one and we learnt to buy our own food instead of going on the optional experience with the meals provided so at least we had some say in quality and choice of our food & wine on those nights.
11 day Best Of Britain (Trafalgar) 5 , SA, Australia, Jun 2016
Excellent from the planning of the trip to the completion of the tour. Yvonne Brooks from the service department was very helpful and prompt with all my queries and all the documents arrived on time. The Tour Director and driver were wonderful. John the tour director was bubbly, witty and knowledgeable and nothing was too much for him. He made the tour ...read more really fun. My most favourite was the 'be my guest at the Manor House, working farm, Somerset. Love the little surprises like the free scones at the end of our train ride at Windermere, the free CD on our trip, the lovely group photo and the generous free drinks that came with some of our dinners. I think that the trip should extend to 15 days so it's not so rush.
Really was fantastic. 5 , NSW, Australia, May 2016
A fantastic bus trip. My first ever and would definitely do this with Trafalgar Tours again. Would also book this through Global Journeys, who were professional, responsive and gave valid, useful tips and information about the trip.
Would not hesitate to use Global Journeys again 1 , NSW, Australia, Oct 2015
Although the tour pace was hectic it needed to be as the amount covered in sights and experiences was wonderful. We would highly recommend Trafalgar. Global Journeys did a fantastic job of taking care of all our arrangements and we would not hesitate to use them again.
Can't believe how much I saw in just 11 days 3 , VIC, Australia, Sep 2015
I had the most amazing time on my tour of Britain. I can't believe how much I saw in just 11 days. This was my first bus tour ever and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, especially as I was travelling on my own. The Tour Director was extremely helpful and his knowledge of the area we covered was fantastic. Our driver was courteous and well organised. ...read more Together they made a great team. It is an extremely fast paced tour but that is what I signed up for and it suited me as I usually hit the ground running. I will be signing up to another Trafalgar Tour just as soon as I save up. Thank you Michelle for booking my trip and any help I needed before I left Australia.
Good way to tour all over Britain 1 , Qatar, Sep 2015
It was a very good way to tour all over Britain in 11 days and see so many towns castles and sightseeing. Highly recommended.
I had a ball 1 , VIC, Australia, Jul 2015
Some of the accommodation, especially in Scotland, was below the quality expected, but overall, I had a ball. Thanks Emily, for your assistance in booking my tour.
Saw so much of England, Scotland and Wales in a short time 2 , SA, Australia, May 2015
We were lucky enough to get the very best tour guide and driver, Michelle and Jamie, who made our holiday one we'll never forget. Our tour numbers were about 45 and every one of them were terrific. They all joined in and really enjoyed themselves. I've been on a number of tours before (not Trafalgar) and this was the best one by far. Our itinerary was ...read more good as we got to see so much of England, Scotland and Wales in the short time we had for our holiday. Would not hesitate to recommend Trafalgar for a UK holiday.
Absolutely no dramas! 0 , NSW, Australia, May 2015
Thoroughly enjoyed this coach tour of Britain. Trafalgar was excellent. Our tour guide and coach driver where also excellent and safe. Global Journeys did a fantastic job at organising. Absolutely no dramas!
Superb tour director and driver! 0 , NZ, New Zealand, Apr 2015
Our tour director was superb! Our driver was superb! Both were absolutely top rate and a credit to Trafalgar. As tour newbies, the practicalities of getting personal washing done was a challenge!
Fast paced tour of England, Scotland and Wales 1 , Australia, Jun 2014
As advertised, this was a fast paced tour of a huge swathe of England, Scotland and Wales. (At times possibly a little too fast, hence the 'very good'.) Our tour guide Michael Cronin was excellent, given the large tour numbers (48). His patience and knowledge were exceptional, as well as his ability to 'shepherd' the group, ensuring that we didn't ...read more fall behind schedule. Accommodation was generally excellent however on a couple of occasions later in the tour, (I think Aviemore, but am not completely sure) where breakfasts could have been better as a number of groups stayed at the same hotel and staff appeared to be under a lot of pressure. The reason for the Global Journeys experience rating - Very Good - was because of the change of tour dates - this was probably beyond the control of Global Journeys. Otherwise Kirby & Amy were excellent. By the way how is Kirby traveling with her twins? (Ed. She's a lot lighter, and extremely happy with a healthy boy & girl! Thanks for asking!)
Lack of vegetarian options, still had a great time 0 , Australia, Jul 2013
I had a great time I would recommend Global Journeys and Trafalgar. I was mildly disappointed with the lack of vegetarian options. When I booked the tour I communicated my vegetarian dietary requirement and there was no suggestion that this would be a problem. In most cases with included meals there was no choice or variety, and often in the paid extras ...read more the meal was quite poor given the price. Having said that it was good enough to not spoil my trip but it's something that you may choose to focus on given that it's an option. More of your future clients may require it.
I recommend Global Journeys and Trafalgar 0 , Australia, Aug 2012
The tour guide (Konrad) was very knowledgeable and handled everything in a professional manner. Bus driver was was also excellent. All aspects of the tour were enjoyable and I participated in nearly every optional part of the tour. I had to organise and book my holiday from another country and Georgie provided me with prompt and useful information. ...read more Everything went smoothly and this is a credit to her. I would recommend using Global Journeys and Trafalgar to anyone as I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday and would happily organise my next journey through them.
The 2-night stays were great 1 , Australia, May 2011
Fabulous tour. Tour guide Mhairi was really good - very informative and lots of lovely stories about the history etc of the places we drove through. Bus driver Paul was very friendly and helpful - his driving skills were amazing! I liked the fact that the tour stayed in a place for 2 nights on 6 of the 10 nights. The optional extras were all worth doing. ...read more I will be recommending this tour to all my friends!
Everything ran smoothly, hotels were very good 0 , Australia, May 2011
Many thanks for your help in organising our trip overseas. We had a lovely time and everything ran smoothly. We found Cathay Pacific good to travel with and really appreciated the break en route. We were very happy with the Copthorne Millenium, not least because they had a small refrigerator, a room safe and an ironing board setup in the room. Those ...read more items are just great when travelling and more especially when you have a couple of nights stop over. The location was fairly convenient too. We found South Kensington just up the road probably more central, but the hotels didn't seem to be as comfortable as ours. The Best of Britain tour was lovely. We were very fortunate to have just 22 in our group and to have a great tour leader. A criticism, if any, was that Jurys Inn Hotels were used 3 times and they don't seem to have the refrigerator, safe and ironing board in the rooms - whilst available for the asking, the iron in the room is really appreciated, especially on one night stays. Overall the hotels were very good. We were absolutely shattered on our arrival in Hong Kong on the return journey. The staff at the Holiday Inn, Golden Mile were excellent and offered the option of an upgrade for an additional $180 which offered immediate check-in and late checkout 2 days later, together with the lurks and perks of the upgraded room! On our outward journey, we had booked ourselves into the Regal hotel at the airport. This proved to be a good move as we didn't have to leave the airport and found it was less stressful than if we'd gone into town for such a short period.
Tour pandered to people who aren't up to moving around much 2 , Australia, May 2011
Well this tour certainly covered the highlights and gave a good introduction to England and Scotland. It did dip quickly into Wales, but the one night in Cardiff is exactly that. Unless you forego the optional evening dinner and strike out on your own (as I did - the No. 6 bus takes you right to Cardiff Bay if you're a Torchwood or Doctor Who fan), ...read more you won't even see any of Cardiff, except from the coach window. So it's really a tour that covers parts of England and Scotland. Let me get this out of the way first: I would not recommend this tour to the younger crowd. Although it is billed as an all-ages tour, the average age on the coach was definitely over 65. I'm 30 and found this utterly frustrating at times as it really pandered to people who aren't up to moving around too much or are scared to lose sight of the bus for more than a moment. So, while it is open to people of all ages, it's really probably aimed at retired people. That all said, I settled in as best I could to enjoy the tour and made every effort to explore when possible. Luckily the tour on most days stops for several hours at one place or another, which gives those people like me plenty of time to really explore a place on foot and stretch the legs. So while you don't get to stop and visit everything on the itinerary, you do get to explore a few of them quite thoroughly if you grab a quick lunch on the run and walk, walk, walk. The tour director, Charles, was very knowledgeable on the areas we passed through and their sordid history of religious and political back-stabbing. He also didn't seem phased by anything and was very helpful and caring when some people had a few mishaps along the way. He did occasionally play some music over the bus speakers that was of questionable taste, but that's what iPods are for and the older folk around me seemed to like it. Highlights for me on the tour were St Ives with its Cornish Pasties and beautiful scenery; the Scottish Highlands with their unique landscape and the optional extra of a proper Scottish sheep farm complete with a sheepdog demonstration (something I never would have thought to do on my own); the boat tour of Loch Loman; Edinburgh, with it fabulous castle and Old Town (we had lots of time to explore Edinburgh, which I greatly appreciated); and Bath, with its gorgeous bath house and Tudor architecture. Overall, despite feeling somewhat out of place given my age, the tour gave a wonderful overview of the area and has given me ideas for places I'd like to explore more thoroughly if I ever visit the UK again. At all times, I felt safe and secure, the hotel rooms were all clean and comfortable and the bus driver was top notch (you should have seen some of the streets he negotiated). I can't say I'd have chosen this tour if I knew what I know now, but it wasn't bad either. I think perhaps I'm not a coach tour kinda gal.
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