Trafalgar Reviews
The 1,795 Trafalgar reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Trafalgar. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
The 1,795 Trafalgar reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have travelled with Trafalgar. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
Overall the tour was a high standard in respect of accommodation and closeness to the main centre of the towns we visited. Global Journeys arranged our booking and it was a pleasure to use this company. I would recommend the staff highly for their efficiency. Our tour guide was excellent and had a vast knowledge of the cities. He was extremely helpful read more and kept us informed of the history of the areas we were exploring. The tour was wonderful and we enjoyed it immensely - especially in southern Spain the cities of Seville , Cordoba and Granada were enchanting.
5 stars! There was no way we could have seen the best if we were on our own. No queuing to see the major attractions, the off the track scenic routes, the attractions I didn't even know were there. Hassle free transportation, and a tour guide who took care of the little things, like packed breakfasts for those who left early on the departure day! Truely read more loved it! We will be doing it again!
European Whirl 1
John & Deb O'Connor, QLD, Australia, Nov 2016
The trip was exactly as expected , a whirl through Europe. The tour was better than expected with many hidden delights along the way. The Tour director Kevin made the trip with his vast knowledge and keen sense of humour . There were many times he could quite easily have got frustrated with us but he kept his wit and charm. We now have a good understanding read more of where we will return to.
Explored Spain, Morocco & Portugal 7
Spain, Morocco and Portugal (Winter)
Christine Williams, VIC, Australia, Oct 2016
Our Tour Guide Rafael, was delightful. He managed the entire tour without a glitch and met every persons needs along the way. He went above and beyond my expectations in providing each of us with group and individual tour photographs, and provided support, guidance and assistance even if we chose to skip a tour options. He found maps, launderettes, read more automated teller machines, and taxis at a moments notice and still managed to get all 37 of us fed three times a day and accommodated at exquisite hotels each night. He was informative and friendly without showing any favouritism. Thank you Rafael from the bottom of my heart! The tour itself was an extraordinary and exceptionally positive experience and has given me a strong desire to travel more widely.
I have only one comment on the Trafalgar Best of Portugal Tour. Everything was excellent, but I felt it was degrading for our superb tour guide to have to feel he almost needed to beg the participants to pay a gratuity at the end. After giving such superb service, it would be better if the tour operators paid the guides and drivers a decent wage and read more built it into the cost of the trip.
Excellent Insight Tour of Discovery. Great value for money! 3
Wonders of Turkey (Small Group)
John Jenkins, SA, Australia, Oct 2016
I have done a dozen or so Trips with Insight and Trafalgar Tours. This tour ranks as one of the best for the inclusions and price. Our tour guide was excellent, with a laid back style, but didn't neglect to inform and guide us well throughout this 15 day tour. I would book with Global Journey's again, and would recommend them if your considering this read more type of tour. Thank you Hannah for managing my booking. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)
The tour pace was too fast. Everything else not bad. Co-travellers, driver and tour guide were good. May use Trafalgar again but on their At Leisure or more relaxing trips.
The booking process for Cathay Pacific flights & Trafalgar's Best of France Tour were handled very professionally by Hannah at Global Journeys. Can't fault service & meals on Cathay Pacific. I'm always happy to fly on that airline.
The 13-day Trafalgar Best of France Tour was very comprehensive, giving a detailed overview of the country. I opted read more to take advantage of all the optional outings offered (as did most of the other passengers) - something I don't normally do, as they're often just dinners & entertainment put on solely for tourists, not the 'genuine thing'. Doing this enabled us, for example, to visit the Palace of Versailles (approx. 20 kms. from Paris) easily & far more quickly than trying to do it on our own. The night at the Moulin Rouge was costly but an experience not to be missed! Again, picked up at our hotel, dropped off at the door of the Moulin Rouge, coach waiting for us afterwards, then dropped off back at our hotel - so easy! The cost of the Best of France tour included both our first & last nights' accommodation in Paris (which isn't always the case with tour operators), plus some sightseeing in Paris itself.
Our Tour Guide (Krista), and Driver (Gilbert) were both second to none! - & I've been on numerous tours. This was my first Trafalgar tour and the only slight criticism would be that the standard of most hotels wasn't quite as good as I'd expected, but they were clean, comfortable, and well located. A great trip with a great group of people, great crew, in a great country!
The 13-day Trafalgar Best of France Tour was very comprehensive, giving a detailed overview of the country. I opted read more to take advantage of all the optional outings offered (as did most of the other passengers) - something I don't normally do, as they're often just dinners & entertainment put on solely for tourists, not the 'genuine thing'. Doing this enabled us, for example, to visit the Palace of Versailles (approx. 20 kms. from Paris) easily & far more quickly than trying to do it on our own. The night at the Moulin Rouge was costly but an experience not to be missed! Again, picked up at our hotel, dropped off at the door of the Moulin Rouge, coach waiting for us afterwards, then dropped off back at our hotel - so easy! The cost of the Best of France tour included both our first & last nights' accommodation in Paris (which isn't always the case with tour operators), plus some sightseeing in Paris itself.
Our Tour Guide (Krista), and Driver (Gilbert) were both second to none! - & I've been on numerous tours. This was my first Trafalgar tour and the only slight criticism would be that the standard of most hotels wasn't quite as good as I'd expected, but they were clean, comfortable, and well located. A great trip with a great group of people, great crew, in a great country!
Interesting tour through Spain & Portugal 10
Iberian Explorer
Trish Burgoyne, WA, Australia, Oct 2016
I enjoyed this trip which had a lot more positives than negatives. Some of the positives were: my fellow tourists, the vast majority of whom were friendly and enthusiastic, including my "bus buddy". She and I were pleasantly compatible; our tour guide who was efficient and friendly; seeing some amazing sites especially Toledo's walled city with its read more awe inspiring Toledo Cathedral, an extraordinary example of man's ingenuity especially considering the age of the building, its amazing sculptures and artwork; Gibraltar with its massive cave system, gorgeous Barbary monkeys and awesome views and topography; the dauntingly extensive Prado Museum in Madrid; Seville's wide tree lined avenues and gardens, the beach at Malaga; the Jorge Castle(?) in Lisbon and Lisbon itself.
The only city which I wasn't keen on was Madrid due to its crowds, heavy traffic, and pollution, added to by the huge numbers of people smoking in the streets and outdoor cafes. Actually this was an issue for me all over Spain, exacerbated by the smokers in our group who didn't seem to consider the rest of us when lighting up. Perhaps this can be addressed on future tours, by asking them to desist from smoking in a close knit crowd. Some other negatives were: the poor quality of the vegetarian dinners provided during both the optional extra experiences and the included ones. The two other vegetarians in our group said they just don't join the the optional dinner experiences because of the poor vegetarian offerings. It was also extremely disappointing to find out that tickets had not been obtained for Sagrada Familia or Alhambra Alcazar. We thought these tickets could have been booked well in advance for the expected number of guests and if necessary when numbers are definite, any unwanted tckets could be handed back & resold. Also seeing I paid the full single supplement, I was disappointed on 2 or 3 occasions to be allocated a single room which each time was small and cramped with not enough room to organise my suitcase and other possessions. Anyway overall the trip was an fun and interesting experience. I did think that too many of the experiences were optional extra and that these were too expensive for what was included in them.
The only city which I wasn't keen on was Madrid due to its crowds, heavy traffic, and pollution, added to by the huge numbers of people smoking in the streets and outdoor cafes. Actually this was an issue for me all over Spain, exacerbated by the smokers in our group who didn't seem to consider the rest of us when lighting up. Perhaps this can be addressed on future tours, by asking them to desist from smoking in a close knit crowd. Some other negatives were: the poor quality of the vegetarian dinners provided during both the optional extra experiences and the included ones. The two other vegetarians in our group said they just don't join the the optional dinner experiences because of the poor vegetarian offerings. It was also extremely disappointing to find out that tickets had not been obtained for Sagrada Familia or Alhambra Alcazar. We thought these tickets could have been booked well in advance for the expected number of guests and if necessary when numbers are definite, any unwanted tckets could be handed back & resold. Also seeing I paid the full single supplement, I was disappointed on 2 or 3 occasions to be allocated a single room which each time was small and cramped with not enough room to organise my suitcase and other possessions. Anyway overall the trip was an fun and interesting experience. I did think that too many of the experiences were optional extra and that these were too expensive for what was included in them.
Plenty Of Tastes And Sounds In The South 7
Tastes and Sounds of the South
Vyv & Allen, QLD, Australia, Oct 2016
This trip certainly lives up to its title with lots of included meals and plenty of music. It is quite a leisurely pace but we still had early mornings and long days. We did the 12th-21 October 2016 tour. We could not fault the tour guide nor the driver who was very courteous and helped us all off the coach at each stop. The guide was very knowledgeable read more and had the full days itinerary/times printed each morning for us all to photograph with our phones so we knew what was happening. It was unseasonably warm for this time of year and no rainy days. Be aware that days 6 & 7 between Memphis-Natchez-New Orleans are both very, very long and boring full driving days with no scenery and very limited and basic stops in between. A few passengers suggested Trafalgar should look at flying between these cities in the future as there really is nothing to look at.
The night at the Grand Ole Opry was great/we could have done without the piano recital in Natchez after a long driving day/the local guide in New Orleans was wonderful and made the day very enjoyable with his humour. We did 2 optional excursions - a night on a paddle steamer with dinner included $90pp. (the boat ride was nice but the food was very ordinary and not worth the money in my opinion), and a swamp tour in New Orleans about $24pp also not worth the money as it was very tame compared to Australian crocodile tours - we could not hear the commentary over the motor and only saw a couple of baby alligators. I would suggest you book your own swamp ride on one of the air boats which looked like great fun. This really is a tour for anyone who has a big love for all things music or it can be a little too much if you are not. Accommodations were all a high standard. I was very happy with Global Journeys help with booking this trip.
The night at the Grand Ole Opry was great/we could have done without the piano recital in Natchez after a long driving day/the local guide in New Orleans was wonderful and made the day very enjoyable with his humour. We did 2 optional excursions - a night on a paddle steamer with dinner included $90pp. (the boat ride was nice but the food was very ordinary and not worth the money in my opinion), and a swamp tour in New Orleans about $24pp also not worth the money as it was very tame compared to Australian crocodile tours - we could not hear the commentary over the motor and only saw a couple of baby alligators. I would suggest you book your own swamp ride on one of the air boats which looked like great fun. This really is a tour for anyone who has a big love for all things music or it can be a little too much if you are not. Accommodations were all a high standard. I was very happy with Global Journeys help with booking this trip.
Our wonderful trip of a lifetime 12
Britain and Ireland Grandeur
Kevin Robson & Margaret Benson, NSW, Australia, Oct 2016
We booked our 20 day UK & Ireland Grandeur Trafalgar tour through Global Journeys online some 6 months early. They made the whole process very easy and were always accessible whenever we had a question about the booking and/or the tour. The steps in our booking from initial contact through to departure were well laid out with tips and information to read more assist. Hannah was very helpful, timely, knowledgeable and professional. We trust this is a reflection of Global Journeys as well. We are certain to book our next trip through them.
Our Trafalgar tour was the best. We placed our trust in them to provide an amazing experience and they excelled in doing that. There were only 30 in our group with a bus capacity of 46. It was the last tour for the year as winter had just commenced. We travelled from 6th October to 27th. Our Tour Director remarked many times on the tour as to how good the weather was. It was cold, around 14-16 degrees but great visibility and it only rained on one morning during a walking tour of Londonderry. The others in the group were from Aus, NZ, Canada and USA. 5 people were solo travelers, 2 of these (males) shared rooms. 2 couples kept pretty much to themselves but were always friendly towards everyone else. Everyone in the group were equally impressed with Trafalgar. I think 6 were repeat travelers with Trafalgar. The ages were from around 40 up to around 75.
We all got on together and were always willing to lend a hand to others if needed. We were spoilt for attention from our Tour Director because of our smaller group. His depth of knowledge and experience was exceptional. His ability to share it with us was first class. He really new his stuff complete with all of the history of places and people. Nothing seemed to be a problem to him when he was asked for personal help from travelers. I left my iPad at one hotel and he arranged for them to send it on to another hotel later in the tour. All smiles when I was reunited with it. The bus was comfy, the driver proved his worth on many occasions when navigating through laneways and small towns. The choice of local guides was faultless as they were local experts and all could keep us entertained. The most exceptional local guide was Ronan McNamara in Londonderry. I'm assured this high standard from Trafalgar is the "norm" for all of their tours. We look forward to traveling with them again.
Our Trafalgar tour was the best. We placed our trust in them to provide an amazing experience and they excelled in doing that. There were only 30 in our group with a bus capacity of 46. It was the last tour for the year as winter had just commenced. We travelled from 6th October to 27th. Our Tour Director remarked many times on the tour as to how good the weather was. It was cold, around 14-16 degrees but great visibility and it only rained on one morning during a walking tour of Londonderry. The others in the group were from Aus, NZ, Canada and USA. 5 people were solo travelers, 2 of these (males) shared rooms. 2 couples kept pretty much to themselves but were always friendly towards everyone else. Everyone in the group were equally impressed with Trafalgar. I think 6 were repeat travelers with Trafalgar. The ages were from around 40 up to around 75.
We all got on together and were always willing to lend a hand to others if needed. We were spoilt for attention from our Tour Director because of our smaller group. His depth of knowledge and experience was exceptional. His ability to share it with us was first class. He really new his stuff complete with all of the history of places and people. Nothing seemed to be a problem to him when he was asked for personal help from travelers. I left my iPad at one hotel and he arranged for them to send it on to another hotel later in the tour. All smiles when I was reunited with it. The bus was comfy, the driver proved his worth on many occasions when navigating through laneways and small towns. The choice of local guides was faultless as they were local experts and all could keep us entertained. The most exceptional local guide was Ronan McNamara in Londonderry. I'm assured this high standard from Trafalgar is the "norm" for all of their tours. We look forward to traveling with them again.
Thoroughly stress free and enjoyable eastern Europe Tour (CHEE) 2
Highlights of Eastern Europe
Edmund & Ann , VIC, Australia, Oct 2016
Right from the start it was excellent service from Michelle (Global Journeys) who arranged our trip and we were suitably impressed with the superb service, professionalism and assistance we received from the Trafalgar TD (Arne Schmidt) who met us at Vienna airport and during the 17 days tour of eastern Europe. We thoroughly enjoyed our wonderful and read more carefree holiday because everything had been thoughtfully and well taken care of by Trafalgar and its TD including the safe and comfortable driving skills of the coach driver (Tibor). We will be back again for more!
Wonderful trip to Britain & Ireland 8
Britain and Ireland Panorama
Lynne Leys, NSW, Australia, Oct 2016
The tour guide Jon & coach driver Derek made this first time coach tourer want to come back & do another tour. Everything was so easy with no worries about anything. Jon was a wealth of information & very patient and happy to help with anything. Derek was the calmest coach driver I've ever seen and able to get that in & out of very tricky situations. read more The weather was fabulous during our tour in October and we saw the change in colour of the trees & the country side was just amazing. I was able to see so much more than I would have managed on my own and stress free. Being a single female I was a little concerned about being included with couples etc but had nothing to worry about as everyone was so friendly & helpful. Will definitely do another tour with Trafalgar & recommend to everyone.
We began in Paris with an introduction to our tour guide David. He was a walking encyclopedia on France, even though he was English. David soon had us trained in early rising, packing and leaving our bags out for collection each morning. Hotel breakfasts were hot and quite good, as was the accommodation. I do advise to pack your own tea if you are a read more tea drinker. The French don't seem to comprehend English tea. The pace of our tour was hectic at times but leisurely at other times. Our driver Jojo, made negotiating the narrow french streets look easy and was a delightful man. Take plenty of pictures as the number of sights can become a blur. Monaco and Nice were surprisingly good, as was the Loire valley and Omaha Beach. Included meals were good, varied and often at local restaurants. Extra excursions were a must and good value. They should be considered when costing your tour. Paris deserved the extra time allocated and was a perfect setting for our farewell to this excellent tour. I have spent many hours sifting through film and photos of this trip and it serves to enhance the memories of a time I would do again if the opportunity came.
We did this Trafalgar tour starting 2 October and ending 10 October this year. It was a good time to go as we saw lots of beautiful colours ranging from bright yellow, orange and into reds and the weather was very good and mild. It is a very fast paced tour with mostly early starts and long days in the coach and late arrivals at our hotel. Not a lot read more of free time. Unfortunately our tour guide and coach driver had not done this tour before and I think we missed out on a lot of local knowledge and guidance (sometimes even where the public toilets were). The guide spent most of the trip on her phone googling answers to our questions or trying to find where the coach could park, or what road to take. Hence, we got lost and missed turns and had to backtrack often. One day we stopped at a town (Portland) which we apparently weren't supposed to visit but she tweaked the itinerary (meaning they took the wrong turn?). It was about 10.30 in the morning and we were told this was our lunch stop and we had a couple of hours free time. We all ended up buying take-away lunches and eating them back on the coach. She told us to go to the tourist info centre to find where the toilets were. I don't think this is good enough for a company like Trafalgar. We have travelled with them a few times and never experienced anything like this. Also the coach broke down inside Acadia National Park (one of the highlights) so we only saw half of the park. As I said, we did see some nice colours and the accommodations were mostly high standard. I would have rated it higher with a more experienced guide and driver. Booking with Global Journeys, as always was easy and hassle-free.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Britain & Ireland Explorer tour. Our tour director Cherryl Duke was so knowledgeable and kept us all entertained with her stories! Great itinerary and pace, just what we wanted. We booked this tour through Global Journeys and would definitely book with them again. Our consultant, Hannah Campbell, was wonderful and took care read more of everything for us. Thank you Hannah! We wouldn't hesitate to book with Global Journeys and Insight Vacations again.
Wonderful Way to see Spain, Portugal and Morocco 6
Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco
Cel, SA, Australia, Sep 2016
Insight Vacations certainly made it easier to see these three countries. The itinerary is pretty good with stops at most places I wanted to see in Spain and Morocco, albeit lacking in Portugal. I would have liked to have seen Barcelona in Spain as part of the itinerary, and more places in Portugal. The tour guide for this trip was excellent; he was read more organised, knowledgeable, gentle in dealings with difficult people, respectful at all times to everyone, yet still friendly and approachable. In addition, I liked the optional excursions, the comfortable seating on the coach, the frequent "comfort room" stops, and the decent accommodation and meals included.
Cruise on Holland America was excellent 1
Warwick & Debbie, NSW, Australia, Sep 2016
Tour guide Isabelle wanted to keep a full pace on the tour which meant she didn't wait for everyone to get off the coach before heading off ( had to look way ahead to see where she had gone). There were a number of older/ slower people on this tour that she should have considered. Hotel in Quebec was below standard and not in a convenient location. read more The cruise on Holland America was excellent - great staff, food etc and the ports visited were stunning with the fall colours.
This was a good tour but was really busy. We saw plenty of wonderful natural phenomena and man made masterpieces, but covered around 2500 km in a week - a lot of coach time and very little free time. The tour director was way up there with the best. She had every attribute required to make the tour as good as possible. She worked hard, put herself out read more on many occasions, had a great sense of humour, was much more patient than I could ever be and really knew her stuff. Coach was comfy with wifi. Seat rotation. Driver was excellent. Meals and accommodation were fine. No complaints. Trafalgar are a professional company and we always appreciate the smoothness of their tours.
From start, with booking through Global Journeys till the end of the tour, everything went like clockwork. Yvonne Brooks of Global Journeys was prompt and attentive to all of our queries and requests. The Trafalgar Itinerary for 14 Days East Coast USA & Canada was comprehensive. Tour Director showed great initiative, tailoring our journey with interesting read more extras that were not mentioned in the itinerary. The driver was skilled and accommodating, making our journey safe and pleasant. We met many friendly travel companions and had a wonderful experience of unique culture (Amish Country), local food (lobster, clam chowder) and unforgettable sights (Autumn Colours). The only minor negative was the long drive on a couple of days with early start to the journey that made the trip hectic at times. Otherwise it was almost perfect.
