Rick Steves tours

[KarenB]

We have been looking at the Rick Steves tours (mainly Italy) and wanted to get some opinions, pros and cons. Some basic background about us if that helps: two people/mid 60's/active/ have NEVER traveled out of the country except driving into Canada before passports were needed and a stop in Mexico and Grand Cayman on a Disney cruise.

Thanks for any information!
Karen

 

[Imzadi]

I was researching his tours before the pandemic. Various reviewers mentioned that his tours do a LOT of walking. Some excursions are several miles walking between each destination each day. Also, they choose smaller, older hotels and B&Bs off the beaten path. Some of it is for the local charm, some to save on costs. Most of these do NOT have elevators or bellhops. So, you will need to be able to lift up and carry your own luggage up and down 3-5 flights of stairs on your own. When you say you both are active, make sure it matches up with this level of activity.

Other than that, I saw lots of raves for his tours & the tour guides. There is alone time built in, along with the ability to leave the group at times and do something on your own, completely different instead, without the tour guides freaking out. They can be used more for their local knowledge and info during these times.

 

[irlandaise]

We have been looking at the Rick Steves tours (mainly Italy) and wanted to get some opinions, pros and cons. Some basic background about us if that helps: two people/mid 60's/active/ have NEVER traveled out of the country except driving into Canada before passports were needed and a stop in Mexico and Grand Cayman on a Disney cruise.

Thanks for any information!
Karen

As much as I love Rick Steves, his tours may not be the best option for older, first-time overseas travelers, for the reasons Imzadi mentioned. You might want to check into Road Scholar (originally Elderhostel), which specializes in older travelers and offers many different activity levels to suit the needs of different individuals. I haven't done any of their trips myself, but I have friends who've done so and have really enjoyed them.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We have been looking at the Rick Steves tours (mainly Italy) and wanted to get some opinions, pros and cons. Some basic background about us if that helps: two people/mid 60's/active/ have NEVER traveled out of the country except driving into Canada before passports were needed and a stop in Mexico and Grand Cayman on a Disney cruise.

Thanks for any information!
Karen

I've not been, but I've watched a lot of his shows, listened to a lot of his podcasts and watched a lot of his travel videos on YouTube. They're pricey and he expects his guests to travel light and be prepared to move, but DW and I want to do his Best of Italy tour in a few years.

Here's one talking about whether a Rick Steves tour is right for you:

 

[KarenB]

I was researching his tours before the pandemic. Various reviewers mentioned that his tours do a LOT of walking. Some excursions are several miles walking between each destination each day. Also, they choose smaller, older hotels and B&Bs off the beaten path. Some of it is for the local charm, some to save on costs. Most of these do NOT have elevators or bellhops. So, you will need to be able to lift up and carry your own luggage up and down 3-5 flights of stairs on your own. When you say you both are active, make sure it matches up with this level of activity.

Other than that, I saw lots of raves for his tours & the tour guides. There is alone time built in, along with the ability to leave the group at times and do something on your own, completely different instead, without the tour guides freaking out. They can be used more for their local knowledge and info during these times.

I am glad you mentioned this because this is EXACTLY what we want!

 

[GAN]

As much as I love Rick Steves, his tours may not be the best option for older, first-time overseas travelers, for the reasons Imzadi mentioned. You might want to check into Road Scholar (originally Elderhostel), which specializes in older travelers and offers many different activity levels to suit the needs of different individuals. I haven't done any of their trips myself, but I have friends who've done so and have really enjoyed them.

Hey… they said mid-60’s, that’s not “older”!

 

[China Expat]

Check out Roads Scholars tours...especially the one to So Cal in late December to visit Rose parade float building sites and attend the parade!

 

[irlandaise]

Hey… they said mid-60’s, that’s not “older”!

I'm way on the other side of that number and don't consider myself particularly old, but I'm objectively wrong about that. In any event, Road Scholar is aimed at people 50 and over, so mid-60s would be just fine, if the RS offerings appeal to them.

 

[liamthompson]

I also looked at the italy tours pre-pandemic - the appeal to me was that there is some time "on your own" built in vs traditional big bus tour where you're shepherded from place to place. If this style appeals to you, you might also take a look at globus independent. There is a Rick Steves travel forum if you want to pop over and see if you can get more targeted feedback.

We ended up booking an independent trip, basing ourselves in Rome. The impression I got was that for both Rick Steves and an independent trip, I would need to do a ton of background research so in that case, I would rather have complete control of my own schedule, hotel, and meals

 

[liamthompson]

Wanted to add - for your situation, I think a tour like Rick Steves would suit you better than arranging everything independently, especially if you're not used to public transit or it's your first time out of the country. A guided tour will give you some guard rails on how to get around, where to stay, what to eat (and on the negative side: what streets to avoid, which buses are notorious for pickpockets, what to do if you get harassed, etc...)

If you want a turnkey tour, the big bus tour companies like Trafalgar, globus, etc are a better fit. I just took a look at the rick steve's itinerary for Rome and really think you have to be self-directed and proactive in planning your free time. For example, on the Vatican day, it seems like you would need to pre-arrange your Vatican museum tour, with the added headache that your tour time, booked through an external company, would have to match up to the rick steves itinerary. I don't know how much rick steves would help you with this, perhaps they already have a list of suggested vendors, but it is added work on your part. And say there are some complications with your external tour...are you responsible for getting back to the hotel yourself if the rick steves tour has left? Again, perhaps these are all non-issues but I would encourage you to ask these questions to help weigh your options.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We've traveled on our own using Rick Steves books as resources. I will tell you, we've never had a bad experience at any hotel, restaurant or destination he recommended. We really appreciated his recommendations for Madrid along with tours to Avila, Segovia and Toledo. London was another city where we used his tour strategies along with Bath. From there we took a recommended tour of Stonehenge and The Cotswolds. All spot on!

He is clear about hotels with his descriptions. We were looking for clean and safe accommodations in the heart of these cities and found just that. He's as good as it gets IMO!

 

[KarenB]

OP here…

Thanks everyone for your comments. I think we will end up doing the Rick Steves Heart of Italy 9 Day trip. It will give us a chance to get a hand on being in a foreign country for the first time with someone to guide us. Then we will extend the trip for 4-5 days to try it out on our own. I would hate to have our first European trip be a bad experience and we never go again. There is so much out there to see!!

I know some mentioned the amount of activity and our ages for a Rick Steves tour. I am kinda of curious if this would have come up if I didn’t give our ages. Just a little sensitive about this when I am in good physical condition and crave physical challenges.

 

[Imzadi]

I know some mentioned the amount of activity and our ages for a Rick Steves tour. I am kinda of curious if this would have come up if I didn’t give our ages. Just a little sensitive about this when I am in good physical condition and crave physical challenges.

If you actually read some of the reviews and descriptions, they mention the amount of physical activity and exertion level as some people may not be up for it for a number of reasons, largely mobility issues. Only one of those reasons may be age. As his tours are also not recommended for families with younger kids.

I have osteoporosis and back problems, I wouldn't be able to carry my 2 bags up 5 flights of stairs without it doing something to my back.

I also have a chronic condition and have extreme chronic fatigue at times. I don't think I can do a Rick Steves tour of three 5 mile hikes with only short stops in between, up steep slopes to get to a summit in a single day anymore.

There's a current thread about how far of a walk is unreasonable. I realized I used to trek all over my city walking. I don't do that anymore either.

While I wouldn't want to spend all my time packed on a bus, and definitely not on a ship, I need something that is less labor intensive than Rick's tours. Although, I was very interested in his 10 day Paris tour as I'd be thrilled to spend most of my time, ditching the tour on the strenuous days and hanging out at the Louvre Museum and the Musée d'Orsay, (which I'd probably rather be doing. ) Then only meeting up with everyone for dinner. I'd be using the guide more to pick their brains for local tips and tricks and for help if I get into trouble. "EEK! Somehow I got on a train headed down to the French Riviera, not to our River Cafe! How do I get back?!?"

Anyway, I'm glad all this helped you plan a trip. If you two are foodies, you might want to watch Stanley Tucci's Searching For Italy food series on CNN for two seasons. It's third season has moved to National Geographic and is now called Tucci in Italy. It definitely put traveling around Italy on my bucket list.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have liked gate one tours. Lower cost but clean nice accommodations. Good guides. Smaller groups. We have done gate one in India, China, Peru and Poland/hungary/river cruise on Danube.