First visit to Europe...Paris to Athens Overall, we had a great trip. We appreciated that Bookmundi booked our hotels, intra-city transportation, pick up from Paris and to Athens airport, and tours. However, the first hotel, Novotel in Paris, was terrible. It was absolutely horrible!! We were greeted very poorly by the French staff, treated very poorly in the restaurant where we ate one night, and, worse, the rooms were run down and dirty. It was very, very loud and in a terrible neighborhood. We really couldn't believe that was our first impression of Paris :( Luckily, once we got to our tour sites (which I might add were a little far and difficult to find.. maybe better explained in the itinerary), the tours were pretty good. Our hotel in Rome was much better, but again, it was a little far from the sites, so we had to take a taxi everywhere. You definitely need to allow extra money in your trip for taxis, trains, subways, etc...Our hotel in Venice, the Leonardo, was beautiful, but the location unfortunately was not so good. Our room faced the train tracks, so we heard the loud trains starting at 5 in the morning. I asked to change to the street side, but of course they had no rooms on that side left. Our last hotel in Athens, the Athena Grand, was beautiful! It was again on a busy street, but we didn't hear the noise as much since they had enclosed balconies. The staff there by far were the friendliest, kindest, and had the best breakfast of all the places we stayed. Once again, however, we had to walk 30-40 minutes to get to the nice restaurants and to our tour of the city. We did take a taxi one day, which I guess is always an option. My suggestion is that the agency books better hotels that are closer to the tour sites, even if the price is higher. Either that or give us an option prior to booking on where to stay.
Had an absolute blast on this trip! Our tour guide Pete K went above and beyond to create such a memorable holiday. I was a nervous traveler being my first time to Europe, however Pete soon had me feeling confident and safe. The 18 day itinerary was packed with so many of my bucket list places and then some. There were so many laughs along the way and friendships made. I learnt so much about the history and culture of Europe. Definitely take your tour guides advice for the best foods and experiences to try. Some of my best food experiences came from finding places with no English on the menu. Silvian our driver was phenomenal, the way he handled the traffic in Paris I knew we were in good hands. He also let us stop for some amazing scenery pictures along the way. I recommend this trip for everyone and can't wait to come back for more expat tours.
Walking the French Riviera A lovely holiday staying in Menton with the chance to visit Monaco and Italy on either side. Hotel was quiet and clean, very near the beach so always easy to locate. Some lovely walks with impressive views, and visits to picturesque old towns and villages.