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The information on this page is based solely on product reviews written by customers of Great Rail Journeys via Trustpilot.
Brand: Great Rail Journeys
A great holiday, well planned and run. Accommodation was good and visits were interesting. Would have been 5* but the length of time travelling to get to and from the "base" for the holiday was just too much for us, taking 4 of the 9 days total holiday.
It was a lovely holiday but the travelling there and back was too long.
Very well organised and run by tour manager. Some concerns about main hotel used. Possibly a little too much packed in
This was another holiday I went on with Great Rail Journeys. Ian was our tour manager and was excellent in making this a great holiday. We encountered a few travel problems with train strikes and traffic problems, things that were completely out of Ian's control, but he dealt with everything very professionally and quietly re-arranging trains and trips so that we would never have known these problems existed. This allowed us to enjoy our holiday with no problem. We were also given the option of a night at the opera, this was optional and an extra cost, but I'm so glad we got to experience it, it was a wonderful evening. This was my 4th holiday with this company and number 5 is now booked for next year.
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Wendy,
Thank you for your review.
I'm delighted that you had such a brilliant holiday, and that Ian was able to display the professionalism and attentiveness which makes him such an excellent Tour Manager, in the face of challenging circumstances.
We look forward to welcoming you on tour with us again next year!
Best wishes,
Richard
This holiday was really well organised. The travel, tours, tour guides and the hotels in Turin and the south of France were all excellent. The main Hotel Columbia in Montecatini Terme was however disappointing. It's position near the railway station was ideal and the view from the 5th floor restaurant was wonderful, but the food and service was sadly very poor. Our group of 39 people was also a little too large, but everyone in the group was really nice, so it was a lovely holiday. Now looking to book my next GRJ holiday.
Main hotel in Montecatini Terme was disappointing to say the least. Was definitely not the level of accommodation expected from Great Rail Journeys or in any way comparable to the stops on way there or return journey. We would not consider booking another holiday to be so let down on the experience.
Just an all round fantastic trip from start to finish. Beautiful cities, food, hotels, highly recommended.
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your review.
I'm glad to hear you had such a wonderful time! I spent some time in Tuscany last summer and it truly is a beautiful part of the world.
We hope you are able to join us on a Great Rail Journeys holiday again soon!
Richard
I would not participate in a Great Rail Journey again unfortunately. The trains although largely on time are not GREAT in many areas. Fighting sometimes to get into your seat, having to use disgusting toilets on many occasions. Windows not really designed for the best photos? Travel sometimes very cramped with no where to put ones cases. The main hotel sadly lacking basic requirements ie: no tea/coffee making facilities in the room .Breakfast layout, not desirable. It became a free for all and one had to forage for food from different tables. Only one small lift in a hotel of 5 floors. Rooms very dark and dingy. Many passengers bringing cases far to large for them and unable to carry them leaving the rest of the passengers to do it for them? A weight restriction should be placed on luggage and a fitness eligibility for some passengers who clearly were not fit enough to keep up with the rest of the tour. The free time not planned well meaning not enough time in places of interest for one to explore. Also guided tours not of great interest, whereas the main attractions one was left to sort oneself. The forwarding of luggage option very expensive and a tiresome system of operation. My case was opened and the outside of it ruined with heavy stick labels which have become permanent. The only upside the tour guide Ros Adley was absolutely brilliant and went over and above at all times . Overall disappointing!
A marvellous holiday visiting Florence and some of the great and beautiful cities of the Renaissance. Particularly in the beautiful scenery of Tuscany and experiencing its excellent produce and foods.
Very well organised, Ros our tour rep was fantastic, the places we visited were beautiful and interesting, great food and a lot of walking to burn it off. Would highly recommend ❤️
Reply from Great Rail Journeys
Hi Nicola,
Thank you for your review.
I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your trip to Tuscany with us and I'm glad you would recommend it!
We hope to see you on a Great Rail Journeys holiday again soon.
Richard
Beautiful countryside. Great people Excellent leader
Not having been on an organised tour and unsure what to expect, I thought it was an excellent trip. Travelling by train made it feel like quite an adventure without the stress of working out logistics oneself. There was a good balance between organised sightseeing and free time to explore. We were fortunate enough to have a lovely group of fellow travellers. Trevor, our tour manager was competent, patient, and had a great sense of humour. He very much set the tone and made this a great holiday experience.
A great way to visit many of the main cities of Tuscany and extremely affordable
Wonderful sights! Brilliant, helpful tour manager, lovely group, beautiful venues.
Enjoyable trip. Excellent guide. Pretty good choice of hotels.
Tuscany is a beautiful places to visit but travelling to each destination was tiring and took a long time with some days having to use both train and coaches. Our initial journey from London to Turin taking over 12 hours.Transport timetables restricted time spent visiting some places and Great Rail do not make this very clear in their description of the holiday or even underplay it. The stops to take in the views of Alps never happened, all we had was one 15 minute stop at a lorry drivers services. The main hotel in Montecatini was basic but clean however the rooms were not completely as described (no air conditioning and no mini bar unless you count the very dated fridge). The rooms do need updating. In our experience most of the staff were pleasant. Our tour guide Lina was a very lovely lady and was always very welcoming and although she went above and beyond she seemed to have been thrown in at the deep end. It is unlikely we would book this type of holiday again , too much travelling and time spent waiting on station platforms.
Trip was well organised with a very good Tour Manager but the hotel in Montecatini Terme was a disappointment. Room was clean and adequate but the food was very poor. This is not a 4* hotel as advertised.
