Balkans Countryside and village visits Trips

Rome (and Pompeii - a must see), Florence and Pisa, Venice - local guides were outstanding - bought to life the traditional sites and not so traditional Our tour director was great (as was our bus driver) - he was very knowledgeable and entertaining

It was nice to stay in each city for 3 nights. (We have taken many tours that change hotels and cities every night.). That’s the part that made it Easy pace. The days were full of activity which were more moderate pace. Which we like. Our tour director, Philip, was excellent. He did a wonderful job “herding the cats” since we were a big group of 40. That was not my favorite part. Way too many people at different fitness levels. Frequently we were broken up into two groups with the local guides which made it more manageable.

The cycling was graded as "easy" and I was pleased that was indeed the case as I had never done a cycling holiday with Explore before. The group of 16 looked rather daunting at first, but we all got on really well together and had good fun, especially all mucking in to make an unexpected barbecue in the grounds of our accommodation. The accommodation was appropriate for the places and areas where we were, and the tour leader organised everything well to see the most interesting places, have good meals and a wine-tasting, and stop for appropriate breaks. The "optional" harder day was the most enjoyable, the beautiful scenery and stunning village of Minerve more than making up for the uphill ride.

I would change the name to reflect that this tour allows members to customize their experience with planned sites and events and optional events or open time. Easy Pace tends to infer a lower activity or walking pace which it isn’t. Individuals with mobility issues may struggle to keep up with some of the walks, sidewalks and stairs. Overall we had a great time but noted the above.

With the added experiences, Rome was NOT easy pace but we loved it. Very busy for the first three days. We were surprised. We loved staying in one hotel for 3 nights. That’s really the “easy” of this tour, not the itinerary. We thought we would have a little more down time. Florence and especially Venice was nice to have time to wander on our own. Great way to wind the trip down before traveling home.

I can’t say enough positively about Erwin, who was always aware of us and available for questions. He was always patient with us and writing us to cycle safely. He’s an excellent guide tour guide to leader Good mix of we 16 cyclists I’m glad I had an E-bike as I could not without a lot of strain on my 82-year-old legs with bilateral knee replacements cycle up the long Hills