Guidebook writer, TV host, and world traveler Rick Steves has always advocated for authentic travel, experiencing destinations like a local, engaging with fellow travelers, and embracing (and then overcoming) culture shock. This style of travel lends itself to solo adventurers and those on tight budgets who still have the urge to see the world — not usually the audience for guided tours. However, Steves also offers a wide range of tours throughout Europe. This apparent contradiction can translate to a unique travel experience — but is it the right one for you?
We scoured hundreds of reviews and accounts from real travelers who went on Steves’ tours and determined the points people liked and disliked the most about their experiences. In general, Rick Steves tour participants loved their travel companions and how much autonomy they were given but were less enthusiastic about the high prices and long bus rides included in their itineraries. Ultimately, while Steves’ packages are a different kind of tour than those you might imagine, and you can expect a more in-depth look at your destination than if you were simply ferried from famous attraction to famous attraction, it is still a tour. It’s up to you to decide whether the pace and itinerary are right for you.
Pro: You have time to explore on your own
If you’re a fan of Rick Steves, you probably dream of following in his footsteps and seeing genuine everyday life in European countries. While most agree that tours with a scheduled itinerary and included hotels and transportation are convenient, you have to sacrifice some of the freedom you may be used to on vacations, especially if you typically plan your own trips. Fortunately, Rick Steves tours walk a middle ground by scheduling activities and meals for part of the day, while still giving you free time to explore your destination on your own.
Many travelers note that this allows you to go at your own pace and check out spots that aren’t on the itinerary. This can be especially useful if the pace feels overwhelming, since you can take afternoons off to relax and rest up for the next day. As one traveler named Theresa wrote on the Rick Steves’ Europe travel forum, “I found that many times the free time available was perfect for parking it somewhere comfy with food, drink and at minimum human-scape view and simply absorb your international surroundings.”
Of course, it is still a tour, and for some travelers, the lack of freedom can be irritating. Some travelers complained about navigating narrow streets with a group or feeling obligated to attend certain events or eat in certain places that they wouldn’t have chosen but had technically already paid for. If you worry that could be you, and you want even more autonomy without losing out on the convenience of a Rick Steves tour, one of the company’s “My Way” vacations may be a better fit, since they’re significantly less structured and give you even more free time at your destination.
Con: You’ll probably be spending a lot of time on the bus
Pro: You will probably have some excellent travel companions
Rick Steves has plenty of tips for how to travel solo in Europe without feeling lonely, but the very best might be to dive into a tour and get to know the people there with you. You already have a love of travel in common! While there’s no way to predict who will happen to be on the same tour as you, one of the most common things that travelers who took Steves’ tours reported was loving the connections that they made with the other people on the tour. In the Rescorl family’s online travel scrapbook, which they made to write about their experience on the Athens & the Heart of Greece in 14 Days Tour, it states, “Every member is a friend! A group of energetic, like-minded individuals to share meals, go shopping, and laugh with. By the end it feels like one large family who shared an epic adventure!”
In addition to meeting some fellow travelers and seeing the sights together, the tours are led by a variety of guides, including some locals. While you might not get as many opportunities to get to know them all, many travelers online stated how much they enjoyed learning from their guides — and some even said that they had become friends with their tour guide over the course of the trip.
Con: It can be expensive
Rick Steves often offers advice on the most budget-friendly ways to enjoy European cities, but when it comes to his own tours, they can be pricey. While you can book single-city tours for as little as $2,395 without airfare (as of this writing), the more extensive, longer multi-city tours like the Best of Europe in 21 Days Tour can cost more than $6,400 (also not including airfare). While Rick Steves’ Europe promises to provide “the most value for your money,” and indeed many who have gone on the tours have reported that they are worth the money, there certainly are travelers who are fans of Steves but unable to afford the cost of these tours.
Many travelers have stated that the prices of Rick Steves tours are straightforward, while seemingly cheaper tours run by other companies may hit you with upcharges for things that are already included in the base price on a Rick Steves tour. Depending on how you like to travel, you may be able to find cheaper options, but as one traveler named Nancy on Rick Steves’ travel forum argued, if you were to hire your own guides, stay in the same hotels, and eat the same meals, you might not get the savings you expect. “If you’re really talking about comparable hotels, meals, and site visits, including private guides, then I think it might cost about the same or not much difference, and maybe even more to do it yourself.”
Our methodology
To choose the most common complaints and praise for Rick Steves’ tours, we scoured hundreds of responses to questions on social media, the travel forum on the Rick Steves website, reviews on personal blogs, and the “scrapbook” pages compiled by Rick Steves’ Europe tourists. In order to determine the most important pros and cons of Steves’ tours, we compared all of our data from people who had actually taken the tours or, in some cases, people who were planning to but were unable to due to the price.
We made note of the most frequently cited factors and chose our top two positives and top two negatives. When multiple travelers noted similar downsides to the pros or possible solutions to the cons, we attempted to include them to give our readers the most complete picture possible. The only common pros and cons that we eliminated were those about the destinations themselves — for instance the price of meals in Paris or the views from the top of the Eiffel Tower — since those do not truly reflect the quality of the tour and could be encountered on any other tour or trip package.
