Simple stays with essential amenities. Typically guesthouses, hostels or hotels rated below 3 stars — clean, no-frills, and great for value-conscious travelers.
Comfortable and reliable 3-star stays. Expect private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and solid amenities — a great balance between comfort and cost.
Upscale 4-5 star hotels and lodges. Enjoy high-end service, refined comfort, and premium locations — ideal for travelers seeking extra indulgence.
It was a great cycling trip in Portugal with Explore: beautiful routes along the ocean, on bike paths, through picturesque villages and interesting forests.
Our leader David and driver Paulo were supportive and helpful. Our hotels were very comfortable and included lots of choices for breakfast. Picnic lunches were first rate and dinner recommendations excellent. I highly recommend Explore.
Bicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Porto, Furadouro, Aveiro, Nazare
Porto, Furadouro, Aveiro, Nazare, Foz Do Arelho, Peniche, Lisbon
We highly recommend Highlights of Albania. The trips were highly organised and our guide Geri was very knowledgeable and looked after us well. It was our first trip with Explore.
Walking tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Massimo was a fantastic leader and the combination of itinerary and his knowledge gave us a uniwue experience and insight into this lovely partbof Italy.
Bicycle tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Lovely whistle stop tour of the Baltics, Ona was very knowledgeable and helpful and it was interesting to hear her stories of life in the USSR. Only thing is she did take us to a couple of quite fancy/expensive restaurants which weren't suitable for everyone.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Fabulous trip, if too rushed at the beginning. If we could set off on day 1 from Inverness earlier in the day it would be preferable. Days were a bit rushed, too, leaving hardly any time to explore/do anything in Kirkwall, since they rool up tge sidewalk at 4:30 or 5pm. Marco did great job of altering itinerary to accommodate those who wanted time in town. An additional day, however unwieldy for the tour operator, could easily solve it. On last day, the later departure from Kirkwall helped too. The walks and Neolithic sites were great, made incredible by the fantastic sunny weather we were lucky enough to have. The guides providing dinner reservations for the group was helpful too, as the place seemed quite busy.
Walking tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
This was another thoroughly enjoyable Explore trip to a fascinating part of the world in terms of its rich history and present-day geopolitical relevance. The group we were travelling with bonded very quickly and were great company throughout the trip. Both tour leaders, Armene (Armenia) and Alex (Georgia) were excellent, communicated their knowledge and love of their respective countries with infectious enthusiasm and were genuinely lovely people. Both drivers also did a great job on sometimes less than perfect roads.
There were multiple highlights but worth special mention would be both capital cities, Yerevan and Tblisi, the basalt rock formations along the Garni River Gorge, the spine-tingling medieval choral music at Geghard Monastery, a performance of La Traviata at Yerevan Opera House that wildly exceeded expectations, the amazing 12th-C cave settlement remains at Vardzia, hiking in the spectacular Kazbegi Mountains, plus all the amazing regional food and drink we sampled throughout the trip. Georgia's reputation as a bit of a foodie heaven is entirely justified.
I would not hesitate to recommend this trip!
Walking tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers