Europe Travel Guide

My wife and I and another couple asked this European travel company to plan a trip for us to Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest, with a stop in Cesky Krumlov and a separate visit by our friends to the High Tatras and Krakow. With the exception of a coupe of glitches in Berlin (the hotel, while very nice, was not near the central city, as portrayed, and a day trip for me and my wife to Potsdam was not what we expected and extremely disappointing, for which our agency reimbursed us), the trip was wonderful. We had requested well-located 3-4 star boutique hotels and Maggie and Lindsey of at our agency really delivered. The Abba in Berlin, in the main shopping area, was sleek and hip; the Am Stephanplatz in Vienna was quite nice and in an absolutely great location, directly across from the magnificent St. Stephan's Cathedral and within walking distance of everything to see in Vienna; the Century Old Town in Prague and the K&K Opera in Budapest were also great hotels located near many or most of the main attractions the Ruze (Rose) hotel in Cesky Krumlov was old, but the best in town. All of them included good service and excellent breakfasts. But it was in the tours that our agency really sparkled (Potsdam aside). We asked for individual tours rather than group tours, and our guides were either very good or outstanding, as were the drivers who took us from city to city (the difference in price between private cars and four Eurorail passes was not as much as we thought, and the drivers were anxious to act as guides as well, making the additional cost well worth it). Joe, our guide in Prague for two tours spoke fluent English, was trained as a lawyer, and had been part of the crowd that was fired on when the Russians moved into Prague in 1968. Not only was he full of stories and opinions, he was a cheerful and affable companion as well. Our guide of the Jewish Quarter in Budapest, Kata, was tenured professor who gave us tremendous insight into Jewish-Hungarian history and current European politics. We followed that tour up with an ourstanding traditional Jewish dinner at the home the widow of a rabbi of a congregation in Budapest. In addition to these tours, our agency arranged for fascinating tours of a food market (Budapest) and vineyard (also Budapest), and walking tours in Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Dresdan and Bratislava, the latter two as part of the drives between cities. We would not have changed a single one of these. As for our friends' extension to the High Tratas and Krakow, they said it was just as great as the part of the trip they shared with us.

The travel company was OK. The drivers were always there. The hotels were nice and in good locations, generally. We had guides in three cities. One of the guides was really terrific. The other two were knowledgable but didn't talk to my daughter (14 years old) with whom I was traveling and one of them was very difficult to understand because of her strong accent so we learn much those two days. We had agreed on some things we wanted to do in two of the cities and the travel company said they would include them in the tours but didn't. We had a few food-focused activities set up. Gelato making was excellent. A day in the market and cooking was just OK - the facilities were really nice but the food actually wasn't particularly good. The one bad activity was truffle hunting which didn't correspond at all to what the itinerary said it was and it was really just wine tasting which wasn't an ideal day for a 14 year old. In any event, I would not work with this company again. I would have been better off just using tripadvisor and booking the trip on my own.

We loved the trip.  We would like to thank our travel company for encouraging us to have personal tours of each of the cities.  We were hesitant because we like explore cities on our own and we did not think this was worthwhile.  For the most part, we were wrong.  We loved most of the tours as we gained insight on the cities, their history, and culture.  We also picked up tips on local restaurants, bread bakeries, pastry shops, etc.  We were taken to sites that we would have never found or been able to see.  The tips the travel company provided were extremely helpful.  Having in country partners for travel questions/issues was great.  The hotels were great and were in perfect locations.  Some of them had fantastic views from the room.  

Arrangements for our trip through Prague, Vienna, and Budapest were somewhat involved, as we also made overnight trips to Cesky Krumlov in the South Czech Republic and Hallstatt, Austria. By providing drivers for each leg of these side trips, Zicasso’s travel team was especially helpful in avoiding much longer train itineraries to these locations.

Overall, our travel company was wonderful in providing numerous recommendations at each location, private guides in all five cities, and were very flexible with adjustments to the itinerary or hotel locations based on our preferences. Their communication throughout the process was wonderful.