Bus driver Munich, however, was my favorite city and with a fun, entertaining, and incredibly informative guide in Patrick, I felt that city was a gem.". His knowledge of the Basque region was phenomenal, and he did an exceptional job managing a group of Americans! The accommodations were consistently in high end hotels. Hiking in the Dolomites. Germany's history is complex and sometimes challenging to experience and confront. The hotel accommodations were amazing and all the breakfasts and dinners were exceptionally delicious! We enjoyed this trip very much. The buses were comfortable and the drivers were safe. And the hiking in Cinque Terre was something I looked forward to and totally enjoyed - and it felt really good to get into the ocean afterward.". Actually, there were quite a few wow moments!". "No single wow moment. I enjoyed the continuous activity and although it was a little scary navigating the larger cities of Hamburg, Munich and Berlin, we surprised ourselves and did do! While the agenda was amazing, it was the people, Stephanie the tour guide, Dino the bus driver and our fellow travelers that made this tour so memorable. An wonderful tour of Italian highlights and antiquities. Enjoyed the combination of large cities mixed in with small towns - Bacharach and Hamelin were nice additions. Caroline was a great tour guide as she provided so much information but in a way that was so very interesting. We'll head downhill from the Dolomites, with a stop in Bolzano to visit its most famous resident: the 5,300-year-old, naturally preserved remains of tzi the Iceman, along with a museum exhibit on prehistoric European life. It rained really hard during Neuswanstein Castle climb! Great group of people, fantastic guide, courageous bus driver (I would not want to drive a bus in Italy!! It was a fabulous experience and educational and spiritual. I was really here. Loved his sense of play. "Hard to pinpoint just one "wow" moment. Trina and Vanessa provided wonderful preparation and a few surprises, too. And last but not least, was seeing the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao thrilling. "I really enjoyed Cologne Cathedral. This was our second RS tour and we had high expectations. I am amazed at the quality of guides that Rick Steves employs. "The ability to find quiet and peaceful experiences in Lake Como was a wow for me. ", Our tour guide made our trip. Had a great time and enjoyed myself. This was our 8th RS Tour and it is one of our favorites. We also had a great group to tour with. The lunch at the restaurant there was delightful. I'd recommend your tours to all and will take another soon. Visit to Guernica and the recreated mural was a close secondthanks in large part to Francisco's very thoughtful context setting and discussion for the past and present.". The pacing of the tour was pretty good. Travelling with Vanessa was a pure joy. "We had so many "Wow" moments! So warm , cheerful, and patient . I especially like the scheduled free time to explore on our own. Of course, Michelangelo's David and the Sistine Chapel stood out even among so many other fine offerings. We had a great 17 days. Also really enjoyed the 4 hour walk through Berlin. ", This was our fourth Rick Steves tour with each one better than the last. I enjoyed most all of my experiences on my first Rick Steve`s Tour. We had never been to Germany before and this whirlwind tour gave us a big overview of what is best in this wonderful country. Getting to Varenna from the Milan airport was a challenge but doable. Varenna, Bellagio and Lake Como were beautiful as was Cinque Terre. The Best of Italy Tour provided a wonderful Contradas and Palio. The final video installation crowned the exhibit. This is one tour I'd consider doing a second time (as long as we could have Francisco as our guide). It took so much of the stress out of traveling and the special touches made the experience that much more special. Sandwich, MA 02563 Building: 16,269 sq. "I can't chose one "wow" moment, so I'l narrow it down to this: Being in the same room with some of the most incredible pieces of art I could imagine (Pieta, Sistine Ceiling, Michelangelo's Prisoners, Laocoon, Caravaggio's Medusa to name just a few). Her attention to detail and attention to the safety and health of the participants stood out to me. "There were many peak experiences on this trip. The accommodations were also comfortable and in great locations. Great experience, despite a couple of long days on the bus. We were very happy to arrive in time for our tour of Italy after navigating plane delays due to the President being in town and a KLM strike in Amsterdam. Renaissance Fierenza or seeing Opera in Siena? I thoroughly enjoyed my tour experience. She always took care of us but gave us enough direction that we felt comfortable going off on our own. You'll have easy connections to home, or on to other points in Europe. Friendly hospitality and distinctive service are only two reasons TI is the perennial award winning resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Bus: 4 hours. It was a beautiful stretch of the trail. The guide, Torbin was excellent with his knowledge of German history and the culture that developed out of that history. I loved being able to walk around the cities and towns as a group and on my own. Hamburg was hot at night! This was my second Rick Steve's tour so I came to expect great, passionate tour guides, a fun group of fellow travelers and comfortable accommodations. Germany had been at the top of our bucket list for some time. "Walking the Camino right from Pamplona with a small group. Our guide was so knowledgeable and personable. Our many guides throughout the many cities were absolutely brimming with enthusiasm and the intimate knowledge of the particular site/city. On our Best of Italy in 17 Days tour among other things you'll need to happily. Our tour guide, Deborah, was amazing in every way. Lots to see and do. We enjoyed the group travel experience, especially because it allowed us to feel comfortable with Covid precautions in place. The best wow moment was the "Night Watchman" tour of the City. Another fun memory was when 3 teenage boys nervously approached us at the Guggenheim Museum in Balboa and asked in their best English to answer some generic questions for a school assignment. See our Tour Conditions for important details regarding everything listed above. "Its difficult to select just oneprobably the impromptu stop at the Florence American Cemetery brought us all to tears.". TI also offers an ideal location for those looking to venture out into Las Vegas where are there a multitude of nearby attractions and venues. The places selected for the tour are all marvelous and the experience was truly enhanced by our guide Sarah, each of our local guides and my fellow travelers.". We had a contest to find the longest word in Germany - 34 letters from one couple! James is an excellent guide, very personable, always going the extra mile for the clients. It was beautiful and we passed many pilgrims.". However when I visited them previously I didn't have the benefit of our tour guide and the local guides giving me so much new information and background about the sites. Nice group too! It was so generous of our hostess to welcome us to her private space, share her collection, and to offer us wine and pinxtos. Bayonne was a great introduction to the Basque culture on the French side and I enjoyed the town even more than Biarritz and St. Jean de Luz. This was our first Rick Steves tour. Our guide, Mattie was outstanding and our fellow travelers were very easy going and interesting. All the local guides also did an outstanding job. Overall, I had a great time a lot of history and a great immersion into the Germany of the past and present. I couldn't have anticipated the many awesome sights, sounds, and tastes we experienced. I am a Frank Gehry fan and have looked forward to that for years. It took some places off of my bucket list. The balance between planned activities and personal time was perfect. The Basque country is absolutely gorgeous in the spring! The trip was about what I expected--very informative and fast paced. Most our hotels were nice, all were very clean. Being able to do these things were very fulfilling for me. Worth every penny! ; making us comfortable using local transport; patiently helping us overcome our disorientation and navigate cities on our own. Our guide, Trina was very knowledgeable, which helped explain a lot of what we were to see and experience. "At St Nikolai church, left a ruin as a monument to the destruction of WWII, I was at the top of the steeple looking over the city, when beneath me the carillon began playing Dona Nobis Pacem. All the rest were exceptionally good. Everything was great- fellow travelers, tour guides, hotels and restaurants. I was not disappointed. It is an amazing piece of architecture filled with a very diverse collection of art. Everything else was "very good" to "excellent". Loved every minute! Such beautiful sculpture! Moderate walking: 26 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. Strenuous walking: 28 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain. It would be much more enjoyable with fewer people. Best of Italy itinerary was a great blend of of wonderful experiences. "So many! I also found Berlin fascinating.". "The walking tour of Pamplona was excellent. Both French and Spanish Basque communities and cultures are included and it was educational and interesting to compare/contrast. He was knowledgable,interesting, organized and last but not least, entertaining. The stain glass windows were beautiful. "There wasnt one favorite. This was our 5th tour with RS. Hearing the stories of our guide's families during the turbulent times in Germany added so much: it was personal, it was real, it happened to real people. Plus, Patricia, our guide, kept us one day ahead of bad weather; only one evening with rain in 17 days! Finally I understood the meaning behind it and it will stay with me forever.". No bus. I felt like I was on top of the world over the village on the Mediterranean, and then our sweet spot in the alpine meadow up in the mountains with the babbling brook lulling me to sleep. The professional guides employed by Rick Steve's enhanced the experience tremendously. Just excellent! However, the months of May, June, September, and October are best for offering generally good weather, lighter crowds, and the full range of tourist fun. The first guide we had in Bayonne, Claire, was excellent and gave us an excellent "RS itinerary continues to excel. Our guide, Francesco, was outstanding. Our guide, Ferdi, with his wealth of information and great sense of humor was a great leader. She had a sense of humour and was very engaging. I loved the way she made certain that we knew the pertinent history of the area we were in, answered our questions. Also the charming little villages were charming and great: Varenna, Bellagio, Monterosso and the agriturismo! Unfortunately he came down with vivid and was replaced by an equally personable and efficient guide. The walk on Camino de Santiago? As I told Karin, it was seamless. "On arrival at 11 PM, watching the airport close and then, after about 1/2 hour, a taxi pulled up and rescued us.". Wonderfully focused itinerary provided rich opportunity for in-depth learning about Basque history and culture. It truly felt as if we were sharing every experience and destination as a unit - laughing and marveling at everything together as if we'd known each other for years. And Guernica so much emotion that day. We enjoyed the trip overall, and the tour description sounds perfect but in reality it felt too rushed. and a group of friendly, studious, and thoughtful participants! He did more than just read us historical facts. Our guide, Mariana, was warm and knowledgeable. "I love the outdoors, so walking on my own on part of the Camino trail was special. This was my first visit to Germany and it was an excellent overview of the diversity of Germany history, geography, and people. Having read about the changes does not compare to seeing them with my own eyes. Property. and the top- notch local guides and artisans we encountered along the way. "I don't know that there was one, so many amazing things and they just kept coming. The gondola ride up was fun and it was my first time on a 6-person chair lift. Our guide Sarah provided valuable guidance and suggestions for our free time. I thoroughly enjoyed the Best of Germany tour. "My wifes and my picnic dinner in one of the guard towers in the town wall above the town of Bacharach right after a brief rain shower: complete with rainbow and sunset.". I don't think I will ever forget that moment.". ", "We had visited many of the places on prior trips, so no real wow time.". Our guides were very helpful. Perfect mix of group time and alone time. This was probably outstanding because of the tour guide and the fact that it was only 14 people on tour but the information was phenomenal. It was only a fraction of the distance "real" pilgrims walk, but it gave us a much better understanding of why people undertake this 500-mile odyssey.". (4) Well-chosen hotels. Every location that we visited was memorable, the local tour guides were excellent, the back door experiences made the trip unique, and the pace of the trip was perfect. Nice tour. Our group was expertly guided but also left to explore our own curiosities, which is a great way experience the sites and diverse cultures of Italy. Exploring creative birthday dinner ideas is one of the most delightful parts of planning a birthday dinner. rental comes with 8 RGB 2 x 1 LED panel lights. The state of the art Cathedral Museum exhibit's lighting, sound, and smell complemented the religious art. He has had standout sets on The Letterman Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and more recently Conan. professionalism. The food was fantastic. "Hiking in the Dolomites, the cliff views of the Cinque Terre, and the gondola ride in Venice.". "Can specify one particular moment, they were all so good. I even enjoyed our "learning" experiences conducted on the bus by our wonderful tour guide, Lorenza! We went to Coberg, home of Prince Albert. Light walking: 24 miles throughout the day on mostly level terrain. Because I had toured Europe for 3 months when a college grad, I wasn't as excited as my husband about this trip. Lived up to its title "The Best of". "So many historical architectural landmarks it's hard to identify just one. The trip is exactly as described on the website: a lot of walking every day, 2 nights in each place, some dinners on our own, and free time in which to explore either by ourselves or with others from the group. Our guide & tour were excellent.Francisco's knowledge of the region is outstanding.He is filled with a passion and energy that he uses to move and guide his group through an amazing tour. The Dolomites and Alpe di Suisi were spectacular. I guess my favorite moment is in the Dolomites walking thru this incredible scenery. "Milking a sheep on a farm high in the mountains.". Learned how Bavaria aligned more with France and Italy. "There wasn't one or even three favorite "wow" moments: there were many little "wow" moments. This was our first R.S. They were all wonderful as was this one. Also, pretty much enjoyed the food there, not as heavy as we thought it would be. As the only single traveler it was a huge disappointment. Fabulous! Our bus driver, Dino was not only an exceptional driver, he was always a smiling addition to the group. Moderate walking: 26 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. His explanation of why people, religious and non religious, come from all over the world to walk as pilgrims was very moving, and his suggestion that we view the cairns that others have left as unshed tears really hit me and made the day very meaningful for me.". I appreciated that activities always started on schedule. The one thing I would advise is to get the "bibliography" from Agustin that he sent out after the trip and send it out beforehand. It was the perfect introduction to a country where we had never been, and the commentary from the guides added a lot of value with their knowledge of history, culture, art, architecture, and of course food. We are forever grateful to Mattie for filling in as our tour guide when the original one had a death in the family. Saw and did so much!! We had an excellent Italy tour of key cities and areas from Rome to northern Italy. "When the gondola ride in Venice coincided with my husband's birthday, Sarah made sure we sat in the gondola with the musician and singer who serenaded us with our idea of what songs should be song in a gondola - O solo mio and Volare! "Cinque terra was fabulous. I feel like I said "wow" at every every place we visited. As we are listening to the local guides we can actually listen, and not be thinking about what to tip! I've traveled quite a bit over 37 years. "In Bacharach we were treated to a tasting of local wines hosted by a man whose family had lived there for generations. The hotels were generally very good and well located in each cite. Although I had been to France and Spain several times, I had not been in the Basque regions. Looking forward to many more trips with you! The, Wonderful space with plenty of light. Tacoma. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. The "extra" things our guide arranged for us in between the major site visits made the trip especially memorable. This was a wonderful trip in every way. Praying the rosary while walking the in the solitude of the Camino - WOW!". The others travelers in the group were fun to be with, and the Basque region is really beautiful. Our tour guide was amazing with expert knowledge and a knack of taking exceptional care of us all. Just a great Trip with an outstanding group of people. It was well balanced with structured tours and plenty of free time to explore on our own. From the "time-traveling" in small medieval towns, river views, fireworks on the Rhine, and being surrounded by the fresh beauty of the foothills of the Alps, this trip was filled with wow moments. Enough said. We visited many interesting and historical sites; learned about German history, politics, and culture. She sometimes did set a pretty fast pace on our walks. "Not any special "wow" moment but many great moments from the Sistine chapel to Venus to Varenna. Our trip leader led us the last couple of miles to Iglesia de Santa Mara de Eunate, which was one of the most interesting religious sites I have visited.". Having never been outside of North America, I had never experienced being in a town so old. Arriving in Berlin this afternoon, we'll get oriented to our neighborhood and the city's public transportation system before free time and dinner on your own. We also travelled with our son and that also made it special.
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