Travel By Tour

Travel By Tour

Air	Bicycle	Bus	Car
Ferry	Hitch-Hiking	Motorcycle	Subway
Tours	Train	Walking

Many of the tours I list here are backpacker bus tours or services that provide a great alternative or addition to train travel. More traditional tours are also listed.

Book Tours On-Line Search for tours in many world destinations. Whether you are looking for a city walking tour or want to spend a a month touring Europe and beyond, this is a great way to search and plan a fabulous trip.

BusAboutSee Europe your own way with BusAbout Explorer Europe travel. A hop-on hop-off network designed for independent travelers who want choice as they travel, with every opportunity to change their mind as their trip develops. It's a great feeling rocking up to a city and deciding to stay a week instead of a night: BusAbout Flexitrip gives you the flexibility to do exactly that.

Plan your own adventure around 10 exciting countries and 30 magnificent destinations throughout Europe. BusAbout is ideal if you are traveling alone; meet like-minded travelers and new friends. Check out their FAQ for answers to specific questions.

Start and finish anywhere on the network
Create your own itinerary
Stay as long as you like in each destination
Change your plans along the way, free of charge
Free online seat reservations
Door to door hostel pick-up/drop off service
Free online hostel bed reservations, guarantee you bed space in every city

BusAbout's Main Destinations (some other optional stop are also available): Amsterdam, Ancona, Avignon, Barcelona, Berlin, Bern, Bordeaux, Bruges, Cesky Krumlov, Dresden, Florence, La Spezia for Cinque Terre, Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne, Madrid, Munich, Nice, Paris, Prague, Rome, Salzburg, San Sebastian, Seville, Siena, Stuttgart, Tours, Valencia, Venice, and Vienna. Check BusAbout website for exact travel dates and rates for these destinations. Currently, BusAbout offers service from May-October.

Explore Europe with Contiki See where the journey could take you. Tours for 18-35. From quick breaks to epic journeys, our trips cover the world from all angles for 18-35 year old travelers like you. So many sites to see, food to eat and locals to meet. It’s about making every moment count. At Contiki, that’s what we do best.

When you travel Europe with Contiki, we make sure you do it right. Only Contiki offers you a Backstage Pass to Europe. This V.I.P. treatment and exclusive access turns an ordinary trip into the trip of a lifetime. You get a deeper look by seeing more, doing more and living more. Our Backstage Pass is a combination of many things, exclusive to us, giving you unmatched value, and setting the Contiki experience apart from the rest.

Haggis Adventures Backpacking bus tours of England, Scotland, & Wales. Haggis offer a wide array of trips for backpackers and the budget conscious traveler. Check out their FAQ for answers to specific questions.
Scotland Tours:

Compass Buster (10 days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Island Explorer (7 days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Highland Fling (5 days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Orkney Raider (5 days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Skye High (3 days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Highland Weekender (2 days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Highland Day Trips (1 day, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)

England & Wales Tours

Cornwall Crusader (5 days, starts in London, ends in London)
Welsh Explorer (5 days, starts in London, ends in London)
Easter in Wales (3 days, starts in London, ends in London)

Seasonal Specials:

Christmas, New Years, Easter, and festival tours are also available. Check Haggis Adventures for details.

MacBackpackers offers 1 to 5 day mini-bus (seats 18) tours of Scotland in addition to a hop-on, hop-off option. I went on their five day tour of the Highlands and the Isle of Skye and had a great time.

Tour Information:

5 Day Skye and Loch Ness (starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
3 Day Isle of Skye (starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)

Shamrocker Adventures Offers backpacking bus tours in Ireland. Our mission is to make you rave about Ireland - to feel it, live it and love it the way we do and to remember your time here as one of the best times of your life! We'll make sure you get a tremendous insight into our country. Meet real local characters and discover what it means to us to be Irish.

Tour Information:

All Ireland Rocker (7 days, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)
Celtic Rocker (5 days, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)

Giant's Rocker (5 days, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)

Southern Rocker (3 days, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)

Western Rocker (3 days, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)

Celtic Weekender (2 days, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)

Aran Rocker (1 day, starts in Dublin, ends in Dublin)

Timberbush Tours Exclusive historic and romantic mini-coach tours tailor made for you. Friendly and informative guides. Flexible photograph stops.

Tour Information:

Skye, the Highlands and Loch Ness (3 Days, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Oban & Highland Lochs & Castles (1 Day, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
St Andrews and the Villages of Fife (1 Day, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)
Whisky, Waterfalls and Woodlands (1 Day, starts in Edinburgh, ends in Edinburgh)

Ze Bus Offers Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tours around France, Adventure Tours around France and surrounding Countries, and Day Trips. Tours start in June and end in October.

Tour Information:

Paris & Around Hop on Hop off Leave from London, Paris, San Sebastian & go to La Rochelle, Biarritz, Pamplona.. do as you want, start and finish where you want.
The Best of France Visits Cherbourg, Caen, Mont St Michel, Paimpont, Quiberon, Carnac, Guérande, La Rochelle , Royan, Lacanau , Dune du Pyla, Biarritz/Anglet, San Sebastien, Bordeaux , St Emilion, La Rochelle, Poitiers, Tours, Blois, Chambord, Paris. Starts and ends in Paris--hop-on or hop-off as you like. Minimum travel time is 7 days.
Paris to San Sebastian Hop-On, Hop-Off Visits Caen, Cherbourg, The Landing D-DAY BEACHES, Granville, Mont St Michel, Rennes, Brocéliande forest, Pontivy, Carnac, Guérande, St Gilles Croix de vie, La Rochelle, Royan, Lacanau, Biscarosse, Hossegor, Anglet Biarritz, San Sebastien. Starts in Paris, France ends in San Sebastien, Spain. MInimum travel time is 7 days.
Paris - Biarritz Hop-On, Hop-Off Visits Landing Day Beaches, Memorial of Caen, Cherbourg, Mont St Michel, Broceliande Forest, Carnac's Megalith, Guérande, St Gilles Croix de Vie, La Rochelle, Boat in Royan, Medoc area, Dune Du Pyla, Lacanau, Hossegor, Anglet, Biarritz. Starts in Paris ends in Biarritz, France. Minimum travel time is 4 days.
Mt. St Michel, D-Day, Loire Valley Visits Caen, Landing D-DAY beaches, Omaha Beach, St Lere Eglise, Cherbourg, Mont St Michel, Rennes, Brocéliande Forest, La Trinite sur Mer, Carnac, Guérande, La Rochelle, Tours, Chambord, Paris. Starts and ends in Paris, France. Minimum travel time is 4 days.
Bordeaux, Biarritz, Lacanau Visits Bordeaux, St EMilion, La Rochelle, Royan, Medoc, Lacanau, Sand Dune of Pyla, Hossegor, Anglet Biarritz. Starts and ends in San Sebastien, Spain. Minimum travel time is 3 days.
Adventure to Paris Visits Visits San Sebastian, Bordeaux, St Emilion, La Rochelle, Poitiers, Tours, Blois, Chambord, and Paris. Starts in San Sebastien, ends in France. Minimum travel time is 2 days.