Balkans Train Trips

Had a fantastic trip - Dean our guide was knowledgeable and approachable and thoroughly good company. The group of sixteen got on well together. The itinerary was excellent with a good balance of guided activities and free time. We covered a lot of ground from city to city but hardly scraped the surface of such a wonderful country - so much more to see and do!

This trip included the highlights of Peru: Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu. You get plenty of time at both locations. The other locations are interesting and you get to see the real Peru, not just the tourist trail.

Absolutely amazing trip. Sam our guide was phenomenal, his knowledge and insight in to Japanese culture was second to none. His infectious enthusiasm for showing us not only the sights on the tour, but other little nuggets made the trip exceptional. We had a fabulous group of fellow travellers. This was our first ever group tour holiday, and we will be doing this again for sure with Explore. Organisation was spot on, accommodation perfect and the transport arrangements, forwarding of luggage, all went without a hitch. Sam made the trip for us, it wouldn’t have been the same without him!

The tour leader, Hector, was very professional, organised, friendly and informative. I was sick at one point and Hector was very caring and supportive. I can't thank him enough. I think we all felt very well looked after throughout the tour.

I thought the itinerary for this trip was good. Warsaw, Wrocław & Kraków are lovely cities. I would suggest that Auschwitz is added to the itinerary as the majority of the group had booked the trip to visit there. Even with the links provided by Explore, and booking far in advance, one member of our group ended up having to leave the hotel at 2:30am to queue for hours to get tickets. I think if Explore organised this, it would make things much easier for everyone. The traditional Jewish dinner with music was an absolute highlight for me, make sure that stays on the itinerary! The Salt mine was incredible & the Gnome hunting was also fun. While our tour leader was a lovely person, this was her first time doing the trip, which meant things were not always what I've come to expect from an Explore tour leader. She seemed a bit disorganised at times, we didn't get a proper introduction and she didn't always communicate to the entire group. At one point we were having a walking tour and I didn't even realise, I had been told it was later and that this was the walk to lunch! I'm sure though with a few tours under her belt this will change. The local tour guide we had in Wrocław was excellent, very funny. No complaints about the accommodation. The place we stayed in Wrocław, which had been changed last minute, was a bit quirky but not unpleasant. A note about the food, the portions are very large, so you might not spend as much money on food as you would expect. I would recommend this trip but just be aware that some of it is very emotional at times, due to the nature of the places you visit. For the free time in Warsaw, I would suggest visiting the Rising museum. I also did the optional excursion to the Ksiaz Castle in Wrocław which was well worth a visit.

Truly my favourite holiday ever! It was such a jam packed 10 days and I wish we could do it all again. The trip was well thought out, expertly organised and ran, and was designed to ensure we had the most fun!