4.5/5 Excellent
Excellent
1,101
Great
441
Average
107
Disappointing
28
Terrible
10
Spain Tour & Trip Ratings
Tour Reviews
Trusted Customer
Oct 2024
The booking experience fell far short of previous trips. The itinerary needs changing to start in Bilbao and get on with enjoying Northern Spain. Arriving in Madrid ...
CRS
Oct 2024
Places visited are excellent but the itinerary doesn't allow much time in the significant cities. However at the expense of more time in Zaragoza/Montserrat, you fe...
Cliff
Oct 2024
The itinerary spells out what you are in for and the trip delivers it. However, some tweaks would make this even better. Starting at Madrid and only being one night ...
Robert & Hilary S.hepherd
Oct 2024
The trip could be improved by giving longer in some places (Madrid & Zaragoza) and less time to others (chocolate factory) The trip got to places which would not...
Emily
Oct 2024
Overall this trip included a lot of great stops but has a couple places it could be improved. I especially enjoyed the day in San Sebastian, the chocolate/nougat tas...
Trusted Customer
May 2024
Really enjoyed the tour. Itinerary needs a reshuffle as you get no time in Madrid and the Guggenheim is closed on the Monday you’re in Bilbao. But you still get to ...
Alasdair
May 2024
This was a good tour. It fulfilled my ambition of seeing more of Spain. There were many highlights including Bilbao, Rioja, Pamplona, Monserrat, and Barcelona. Ther...
Richard
May 2024
A very enjoyable and comfortable trip through northern Spain, expertly and enthusiastically led by the Explore tour leader. Madrid, Bilbao, LaGuardia and the Rioja b...
Trusted Customer
May 2024
Itinerary could have been better designed. There should be dedicated one single bus for the entire trip. Travel of group of 15 by different taxis is cumbersome. ...
Christy
May 2024
The Spain Northern Discovery tour was an unforgettable experience! Our guide, Magdalena, was amazing! Her warm spirit, local and historical knowledge, and personal c...
Mary
Apr 2024
Very varied and scenically beautiful. My highlights were the anchovy tasting and the delicious pinchos in San Sebastián. We enjoyed many interesting excursions w...
Iain
Apr 2024
Nicely paced trip through northern Spain.
Susan
Oct 2023
San Sebastian was high on my list of places to see and it didn't disappoint. Cybele took us on a great orientation tour, recommended a fabulous pintxos bar and none ...
Michael
Oct 2023
The trip was very varied, but we particularly enjoyed the visits made en-route through the Rioja, Navarra and Aragon regions onto Zaragoza which we thought was an ab...
Joy
Sep 2023
Standing in bars with a selection of tapas and red wine! San Sebastian and Laguirda were fabulous
Editor’s Take
Most trip reviews tend to focus on some or all of these 5 key areas, not all of which may be relevant to you: the tour guide, travel company, service level, country or countries traveled in, and the trip itinerary.
Remember, just because you see a 1 star review doesn’t necessarily mean that person disliked the country
Many travelers sign up with tours to Spain because it is a country deeply rooted in tradition, religion, and the true enjoyment is in the details. Each city and region are different from the other, with different art or food scenes and historical sites.
For example, having a local guide during a trip to Granada would offer a full history into the islamic influence of the city while having a local guide around Barcelona would offer explanations around the conflict between Catalonia and Spain, not to mention the magnificent details of Gaudi and his life’s work.
Negative reviews for Spain tours are usually surrounded in the aspect of time. Most tours have itineraries that visit neighboring cities, and reviews often observe that a day trip was not enough time to take in all that each city could offer. It is also common in reviews to talk about too much time spent in the car during city to city tours and back to hotels.
Therefore, before booking, be mindful of the amount of hours you can anticipate spending in the vehicle and keep it mind that while a review might have negative comments about these aspects, they will also have positive reviews on the tour guide and the quality of the tour itself.
It is also common to find reviews with overwhelmed tourists. While Spain is beautiful and lively wherever you go, it is also riddled with narrow cobbled pathways, stairs, steep hills, and often strenuous long walks to see elevated sites such as La Alhambra. Before heading out for the day, be sure to have a big breakfast and if you are booking in the summer, be sure to wear durable sneakers, a hat, sunscreen and a bottle of water to not overheat.
That said, kindly take into account that while reading a negative review surrounding the sometimes strenuous trips by foot, it is just Spain’s terrain and has little to do with the guide or the tour company itself.
Most tour companies in Spain have guides that are bilingual and clear, which is invaluable when dealing with the language barrier.
If you want a professional take on traveling in Spain, see the Travelstride Spain Guide »
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