Enjoy Mediterranean in style with over 260 luxury tours across the region. Premium accommodations, exclusive regional experiences, and personalized service rated by more than 3,000 luxury travelers.
We saw 16 cities that had a lot of history and beauty. Loved the archeological sites of Ephesus and the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Our tour director had outstanding knowledge of Turkey and provided continuous commentary over 2 weeks. I would highly recommend this vacation.
AdventureCity sightseeing
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort
Age Range
5-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Istanbul, Kusadasi, Canakkale, B
Istanbul, Kusadasi, Canakkale, Bursa, Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya, Antalya, Pamukkale
What a wonderful trip! After a bit of challenge finding our taxi transfer at Casablanca airport the holiday went very smoothly. The itinerary was excellent, well curated with just enough flexibility to suit the group's needs. We thoroughly enjoyed the variety of experiences and the expertise and humour of all the local guides that we met on our travels
The accommodation was very good and mostly met expectations as described, however the final riad in Marrakech was only a 3 star hotel and a 25 minute walk from the centre of town, which surprised me on an 'Upgraded' tour. It was perfectly adequate and certainly met our needs, just not what I expected at the end of the trip.
We were lucky to find ourselves with a terrific group of fellow travellers who all got on very well, however my highest praise goes to our group tour leader, Ibrahim who was exceptional.
Ibrahim is very knowledgeable and passionate about his country. He paced the trip well and was particularly adept at 'reading' the group and tweaking the plans where it would add to our comfort and enjoyment. His energy and enthusiastic personality together with his understanding and caring nature ensured that all group members had the very best holiday possible.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
It is truly a wonderful experience, but at the same time a truly "educational one"! Our tour director, was exceptional not wasting a moment of any day, pointing out the very significant points of interests, at the same time, taking every part of this significant history in a chronological order.
The accomodations and service, both on the boat and in the hotel were five start plus, since we live in the Palm Beaches and use to up-scale adventure, made the "Breakers", look like an outhouse.....need I say more!
The value vs the price were evenly matched.
As for shopping, once again, significant shops were selected to include, spice, perfumes, and of course jewelry. At the same time educationing you on their wares and how they are used.
Like INSIGHT always does, is taking you inside the home of a residemt and demonstrates their current life style and habits, only in this example, demonstrated how bread was made not only for their family, but the entire neighborhood.
This trip will certainly standout from most, due to education we received from the extraordinary adventure. Thanks again,
and
This was my first tour bus and I found the guide extremely knowledgeable and the drive very comfortable with experience driver. The whole journey was delightful and very organized. I will definitely recommend it and try another trip very soon
Adventure
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort
Age Range
5-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Istanbul, Canakkale, Izmir, Pamu
Istanbul, Canakkale, Izmir, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ankara
The amount of time spent each stop. Very informative places to see. Accommodation was excellent. Tour director organized well. Some places when meals on our own, poor food choices. Some places one night not enough.
Adventure
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Villa
Age Range
5-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Madrid, Lisbon, Tangier, Costa d
Madrid, Lisbon, Tangier, Costa del Sol, Granada, Seville, Fes, Marrakesh, Casablanca
The “second day” the flight is SUPER early and you have to leave the hotel at 4 am.
That was not communicated anywhere and we didn’t arrive at the hotel u til after 11 pm the night before. It made the morning very difficult!
Also, it would be helpful if there was a place by the day noting if women needed to cover shoulders/knees or men knees. When I was packing and googling, it said that at Kom Ombo (and most of the temples) it was recommended to have shoulder and knees covered, but when we got there I was told we didn’t need it. I had a lot more pants packed then I needed and that would have been helpful to know when I actually needed to wear more conservative clothing or having my hair covered.
Overall the itinerary was good. We saw a lot and had a great guide!
We were on the Steinberger cruise ship - I would not recommend that one again. Very limited. We were on Thai ship with another group from Trafalgar that paid less for the tour and we had no extras. We allowed one drink at dinner and one bottle of water.. anything more we had to pay for. They didn’t have coffee/tea available throughout the day for free. It seemed like they were nickel and diming the guests. I have been on other River cruises and unlimited water, beverages at dinner, and feee coffee/tea throughout the day in the lounge was accessible.
The only thing I would change is that the first day - coming right after most people had taken trans-oceanic flights and still had jet lag - was too demanding (flying to Luxor, touring Karnak before checking into ship). It would have been better to have a lighter Day One to allow for rest and time zone adjustment, and do Karnak on the way back.
The all-women's tour group and the Tour Director were outstanding and hugely enhanced the experience.
Tipping became a constant irritant and would be better if Tour Director handled tips and Insight appropriately raised the package cost, to alleviate that daily chore (ensuring correct currency & denominations, ATM visits, etc.). PS - bring American dollars in small bills.
Overall, a fascinating country, knowledgeable and constantly helpful Tour Director, and a good balance of historic and current experiences. Aswan (and the Cataract Hotel) was a definite highlight, and don't pass on Abu Simbel. It is worth the cost; as is the Aswan boat tour of the Nile (two options worth doing).
