A charming and well organised centre full of alpine houses beautifully painted with frescoes , Oberammergau is ideal for walking and other activities. The abundance of well signposted walking and cycle paths give a huge variety of options. Everything looks immaculately tended and cared for.
I wish I could give this tour five stars, but the Russian portion of the tour was disappointing. Our Tour Leader and Driver from Expat were AH-MAZING. Most of the local guides were also excellent. We went to countries that we never thought would be of any interest, but were pleasantly surprised. The main selling point of the tour was Russia, but it was very rushed. Don't get me wrong, the whole tour is very fast paced and we are used to that, but Russia was on another level. We felt like we were cattle being herded from one place to another. We didn't get our Russian Vodka tasting. We paid for the Moscow Optional, and although it was a long day, alot of it was wasted on the platform waiting for the trains. We didn't get to explore Red Square, instead we were taken to a high end shopping mall which was a waste of time. Then we were rushed through the metro, only to be left waiting for hours at the train station. The Russian guide was rude and in our eyes, ruined that portion of the tour. We were treated in a way that left quite a negative impression of Russia, which is an absolute shame because when we ventured out on our own, we had a ball in St Petersburg. The rest of the trip was awesome. I mean, AWESOME. Long days on the coach, but that's to be expected and we were kept entertained. Matt is an excellent Tour Leader and must be commended on his fantastic service. We had a few curveballs with traffic and Paul navigated us through without issue. They worked perfectly as a team. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. The food on the trip was fantastic!
I usually don't write reviews after my trips but I decided to point out a few things after my last one. This tour bus was the largest of them all, comprising of 49 travellers. This causes a lot of delays, especially when you only have one guide. From all my trips, we've always experienced a guide who was welcoming and inclusive to all people. However on this tour, the tour guide could not stop expressing her own political opinions. There's a time and place for politics, but a tour bus filled with multicultural people is not an appropriate setting. We came to explore and enjoy the cities and felt the tour guide was very fixated on her own bias and became very offensive with her comments. A tour company that relies on business from travelers from all over the world should have inclusive tour guides who respect diversity and not push their own opinions on others. In addition, I would recommend a few changes to the itinerary. Both Prague and Krakow were very small cities that did not require a two day visit. On the other hand, we were not provided enough time to explore in Vienna or Budapest. Overall the tour, hotels and food were good with a few exceptions. But ultimately the tour guide provide a sour experience that makes me wonder if this company would be worth my money on my next traveling holiday.
