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We booked a nice tour through Gate 1 about 6 years ago. It was a bus tour that went through Croatia, had a optional stop in Montenegro, visited Slovenia (Lake Bled is amazing) and ended in Venice.
There are good and bad things about these kinds of tours, but Gate 1 does a reasonable job, especially considering the really attractive prices. The hotels they pick are very nice, but often not centrally located. The Tour Guides are very informative and organized.
I do find several issues all of these kinds of tours share. You spend a lot of time on a bus, at the expense of time at the specific stops. Also, while the hotels are very nice, oftentimes you are pulling in about dinner time and have to have your bags outside the door, so you can leave the next day. Gate 1 seems pretty responsive to issues, although I highly recommend trying the local guide on the bus before calling or emailing the Gate 1 office.
Two specific issues on our trip that I thought Gate 1 did not handle well are;
1) We flew into Venice where we were met by a Gate 1 agent. There were a number of people there for our tour. However, we waited over 2 hours for people who did not show. There had been a missed communication, that those two people were not flying into Venice that Gate 1 did not pass along.
2) The nature of our tour had one very, very long bus ride from Dubrovnic to Zagreb that was pathetic. Gate 1 should have designed their plan better.
In summary, you will get a nice tour at a really good price. Gate 1 will have the logistics set up, so you really do not have to think about them and you will get good tour guides and nice hotels. However, you are at the mercy of their schedule. If you are an experienced traveler or have time to do your own research, you can probably do better. However, you may find that there are a lot of frustrations that can happen when traveling on you own, especially to new areas.
Last edited by PJSaturn; 01-11-2024 at 10:54 AM..
Reason: Corrected typo at user's request.
We booked a nice tour through Gate 1 about 6 years ago. It was a bus tour that went through Croatia, had a optional stop in Montenegro, visited Slovenia (Lake Bled is amazing) and ended in Venice.
There are good and bad things about these kinds of tours, but Gate 1 does a reasonable job, especially considering the really attractive prices. The hotels they pick are very nice, but often not centrally located. The Tour Guides are very informative and organized.
I do find several issues all of these kinds of tours share. You spend a lot of time on a bus, at the expense of time at the specific stops. Also, while the hotels are very nice, oftentimes you are pulling in about dinner time and have to have your bags outside the door, so you can leave the next day. Gate 1 seems pretty responsive to issues, although I highly recommend trying the local guide on the bus before calling or emailing the Gate 1 office.
Two specific issues on our trip that I thought Gate 1 did not handle well are;
1) We flew into Venice where we were met by a Gate 1 agent. There were a number of people there for our tour. However, we waited over 2 hours for people who did not show. There had been a missed communication, that those two people were not flying into Venice that Gate 1 did not pass along.
2) The nature of our tour had one very, very long bus ride from Dubrovnic to [Zagreb] that was pathetic. Gate 1 should have designed their plan better.
In summary, you will get a nice tour at a really good price. Gate 1 will have the logistics set up, so you really do not have to think about them and you will get good tour guides and nice hotels. However, you are at the mercy of their schedule. If you are an experienced traveler or have time to do your own research, you can probably do better. However, you may find that there are a lot of frustrations that can happen when traveling on you own, especially to new areas.
This info IS helpful. Thank you. I have a former coworker who uses this company and seems to enjoy the trips she's taken, but I do think she may wander off on her own once they get where they are going. I'll have to check. I would not want to always be on the bus. I like Road Scholar offerings, but they are expensive'ish and I don't know anyone who's used them to get an insider's opinion.
I want to go to Italy and I'll likely be flying solo.
I have not been on a Gate 1 tour (or any European tour) but have a Collette Tour booked for London and Paris in late spring 2024. I chose these two cities as a suggested introductory trip for those who have not traveled abroad before and because I did not want to be traveling to multiple cities and countries and spend lots of time on a bus or in transit. Originally I had planned to use Road Scholar because their itinerary focused on museums which I love but their single rooms were booked up a year in advance. So I had to scramble around and find another company, basically looking for itineraries that would be similar to that recommended by Frommers Travel Guide or by Rick Steves (I am too old to keep up on an actual Rick Steves tour which requires a lot of walking and is go go go).
Based on my review of Gate 1 and several other less expensive companies, most of the itinerary was an introductory bus tour of each city but otherwise a lot of free time with limited optional activities. There was a wide variation between the companies in the type and quality of optional excursions available. Some might prefer to mostly explore on their own but I wanted to visit some of the more popular and crowded attractions (Windsor Castle, The Louvre, Eiffel Tower) where tickets could be difficult to procure and where entry would involve long lines unless you were with a tour group. My favorite itineraries and optional excursions were those of Collette and EF Go Ahead Tours which cost at least $1200 more than Gate 1, not counting the cost of optional excursions, but less expensive than Road Scholar. As an example, for that price with Collette compared to Gate 1, the hotels were more centrally located and the price included extra walking tours, river cruises on the Thames and the Seine, a night at the cabaret, a farewell dinner at the Eiffel Tower, and an extra day in Paris. Both Collette and EF allowed you to extend your stay a few days and would throw in another tour, metro pass, or museum ticket. But a warning that Collette is changing the itinerary for the summer London/Paris tours perhaps because of the summer Olympics in Paris so you have to do your homework.
My suggestion would be to do some research on what you want to see and then determine if the tour itinerary and optional excursions will meet your needs.
It sounds like Gate 1 could be a good intro trip since you've never been to Italy before. Have you thought about maybe doing half the trip with them and then branching out on your own? That way you get the guided parts to start but also freedom.
We've taken a number of Gate 1 trips: Eastern Europe; South Africa; Costa Rica; Peru; Portugal, Spain, Morocco; China & Tibet. They are very well-priced and use high-quality hotels. Mostly 4 and 5 stars. Occasionally a 3-star hotel in towns that don't have any 4 or 5 star. Gate 1 is great for single people as well, and we have made many new friends.
Breakfast is always included at the hotels, and quite a few other meals as well. Each major stop includes a tour of the city highlights with local guides as well as the tour manager who is always along. There are also optional tours offered in many cities. We have literally never taken one since we like having the time to sightsee on our own. Some people take every single optional tour, hoping to see more. To each his own!
Hotels are sometimes not in the primary tourist zones and some tour guides are better than others. No doubt that is true with every company. I highly recommend Gate 1 and plan to use them again soon.
Lately we have been taking cruises with Princess. In September we went to Iceland, England, Scotland and Ireland.
They use local tour guides so it is difficult to give a general opinion about Gate 1. We had a Gate 1 tour in Peru several years ago and it was OK. But we were constantly reminded of tips. I don't like group travel anymore.
Their price does not include all things. There will be optional sightseeings that have to pay additionals. There are foods and meals that are not included. And tips for local guides coming from each city and the main guide who accompany you all the way.
I've taken four trips with Gate1. Excellent all the way. They are very responsive to problems, their prices are good, and they take you to interesting places. One trip director was "OK", the other three were great.
My trips with them have been to India, Turkey, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
We've also taken four trips with Gate 1, and were very satisfied with the experience each time. However, we would not take a tour to an English speaking country, as we believe that we can do better getting around on our own. Also, it is always a good idea to compare costs and itineraries with other travel companies, since not everyone likes the same type of activities when on a tour.
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