Globus Tours Review Guest Post by Alma

Lisa’s Intro

Greetings readers! Today I am excited to feature a guest post from my client Alma. I asked her if she would be willing to share her experience on a guided European tour and why she chose that option for her family versus traveling on their own. I hope you enjoy hearing from Alma!

Europe with Globus Tours

My husband and I went on a “European Highlights” tour 5 years ago for our wedding anniversary. At that time, we connected with Lisa to ask her advice. We knew which countries we wanted to hit first, we knew we had a set number of days we could be away, and we knew we wanted to see as much as possible without doing the research and logistics planning ourselves. Lisa researched for us using our criteria, and presented us with a few touring company options. We selected a Globus tour at that time and had the most amazing experience, so it was an easy choice to make again when we took our son on a trip for a graduation gift. 

Lisa again helped research our trip options based on our travel dates and preferred stops and it couldn’t have been easier! 

We really enjoy the group touring option for trips like this and have had two fantastic trips with Globus. We always like to see as much as we can in our limited time there and I never want to have to think about how I’m getting from Point A to B to C to D, especially with a multi-country trip accounting for different languages and currencies. There is a fun mix of transportation depending on where you are in tour. The majority of travel time between cities is spent on a comfortable motorcoach, but Globus does utilize other options such as the high-speed train from Switzerland to France, water taxis in Venice, etc.  The trips are arranged with a great mix of scheduled local tours, optional excursions, and days or evenings that are left as unscheduled time for exploring on your own. Another benefit of traveling with an organized group is guaranteed entrance to several popular tourist spots along the way, without waiting in line for tickets on your own. This is especially important when traveling during peak times, or in the summer when waiting outside for hours is not ideal, and for this post-Covid era when admissions are still limited. 

Here is a little breakdown of our summer trip…9 days from Rome to Paris!

Rome, Italy – We toured Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and more. Rome has so much to see! The art and architecture are unreal here!

Florence, Italy – We saw Michelangelo’s masterpiece, David, at the Academy of Fine Arts, Piazza del Duomo and Signoria Square. That night we had dinner in the Tuscan countryside. 

Venice, Italy – We arrived by private boat, and walked around the city where we saw St. Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs, a glassblowing demonstration, took a Gondola ride through the canals, and capped it off with a dinner of local specialties.

Bellinzona, Switzerland – we stopped for lunch at the Courtyard of Castlegrande. Wow! Part of the fortification of that castle dates back to the Middle Ages!

Lucern Switzerland – amazing time here ascending Mt. Pilatus. We took the cogwheel railway up and then hiked the peak, and took the panorama gondola back down. Breathtaking views of the Alps, and so many lakes. Words do not do it justice!

From Switzerland, we took the high-speed TGV train to Paris, France.

In Paris, we took a tour of the Louvre – so much to see there you could spends DAYS. We saw some original Greek statues, and the Mona Lisa, and learned how the museum came to be. We also took a beautiful cruise on the Seine River. It’s a great way to see a substantial part of the city and understand how it is laid out. We visited the Eiffel Tower late one evening and were treated to the amazing light show there. 

We did stay over an extra day in Paris – so easy to do – Lisa reserved an additional night at the same hotel the group used, and arranged next day airport transfer for our flight home.

For our last day, we took an inside tour of the Eiffel Tower and learned so much about its history and place in the city. We walked for miles up and down the Seine, had lunch on the Champs-Elysees, almost mastered the Paris Metro, sampled macarons, drank wine, and otherwise had a delightful time. 

I can’t say enough good things about how enjoyable Globus makes this type of trip. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and fun, and the chosen accommodations were perfectly located and well appointed, and transportation was breeze. Meals were tailored for dietary concerns while still keeping the local flavor, and the range of experiences presented had something for everyone. I am so grateful to Lisa for helping us find the trip and touring company that met our wishes and exceeded our expectations. 

Lisa Again!

Thank you SO much to Alma for sharing her review and pictures. Do you have any questions about touring Europe? Leave it in the comment section!