It was an excellent experience! The itinerary was great and Laura was an awesome guide!!
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One of the best things I’ve ever paid for and will definitely try to go again sometime in the future.
Loved all the varied sites, very well organized. The Scenic view from the train and bus ride was a welcome change to the busyness of the big cities.
It was a wonderful trip. All three places were vibrant spots. We hit most major sights and experienced local customs.
Wonderful trip
A busy adventure visiting many historic buildings and beautiful parts of France and Spain.
EF Tours did a fantastic job organizing and planning our trip to Paris, Provence, and Barcelona. We had an amazing experience and can't wait to return! Thank you for the trip of a lifetime!
Again my son that went loved it
The lead chaperone and her family of chaperones shouldn't have been able to give themselves special treatment while being allowed to control the group with threats. I enjoyed seeing other countries and it was a learning experience that taught me I would never go on another trip with EF and would never recommend EF to others. There should have been more cultural events to see and more free time without being pushed beyond reasonable limits that kept most of the group from enjoying the trip and being comfortable.
My daughter and I had an amazing overall trip. From the moment we landed in Paris until the day we departed Barcelona, our tour guide, Ignacio, made us feel right at home. He was incredibly informative, personable, and professional, adding some much-needed entertainment to our bus rides. During our journey, we gained so much: a sense of peace away from our daily lives, a wealth of knowledge and history about the beautiful places we visited, and new friendships that we'll cherish forever. This trip was an unforgettable experience, and we owe a large part of that to Ignacio's exceptional guidance.
My son has a disability, I was told numerous times by EF Tours representatives that EF would ensure my son was safe and accommodations would be made for him. This was not the case, I'm so glad I decided to travel with my son, had I not, an emergency situation would have definitely taken place. I would never send my son alone on an EF tour. I booked a year in advance and notified EF numerous times throughout the months that his disability is not common and it needs to be taken very serious. I tried providing details on the required accommodations but felt like the responses were brushing me off, they didn't take note of any of it. The tour guide was not interested in trying to understand the requirements needed in order to ensure his safety, he could have died had I not be there to step in. EF as a whole was not interested in learning what needed to be done in order to keep my son safe while on tour. My son enjoyed his time on the tour and I'm thankful we made it home without incident but be very careful booking a trip if your child has a severe disability, especially, if the disability is not well known (you will need too do all the advocating). The trip is very fast paced, no time to really stop to enjoy one area, not much leisure time (they should allow at least a day to explore). Was to worried to even run to the restroom because we were always in a rush. Our trip was so scattered and all over the place, issue and issue. Sat in the airport for 4 hours because EF decided to combine our trip with another EF group that was traveling to our same destination, that was a terrible decision on EF's part, I had our traveling group preped on my son's disability (just so they were aware of his needs and that we needed so extra attention for him, these students met him at our planning meetings so they were all comfortablewith him and compassionate towards him) so introducing a new group that was unaware of the child needing assistance on the tour left them starring at him, making comments about it and rolling their eyes at him. Hotel check ins were a disaster. Experiencing Europe was amazing, I just wish EF would have handled things better. It seemed like all the planning for this trip was last minute, EF did not have it together for this one. We paid a good amount for this trip and it was so unfair how it went.
As my daughter LOVED the tour guide, it was the other details about the trip as explained in my last review that changed my mind about EF. Dealing with the free trips to the chaperones.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We're glad to hear your daughter loved the tour guide. We know having a fun and knowledgeable tour guide can make a big difference in the experience. However, we understand your concerns about the other aspects of the trip. We strive to balance cost with quality, and the complimentary trips for chaperones are part of how we manage group logistics, ensuring there is enough chaperone coverage for the number of students traveling. We appreciate your feedback and will consider it as we work to improve our services.
Our recent trip to Europe was an amazing experience. Being first time international travelers, we felt more comfortable going with the group tour, than trying to plan on our own. There was nothing negative about the experience in regards to EF tours. I simply think that so many little aspects could have been done better. My biggest dislike was how far the hotels were from all of the excursion sites. This required lengthy travel times every single day to and from hotels that in my opinion took away from the time that we could have been experiencing sites and history. I thank EF tours for the experience we received and for giving me the confidence to be able to plan my own trips in the future with as much substance and fulfillment as they provided.
Paris was nice. Hotel in Barcelona was not good. Need to upgrade the hotel option going forward.
Our tour guide was awesome !
Perfect itinerary, well planned with enough time to explore.
Elena our tour guide was amazing
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We're delighted to hear that Elena made your tour experience amazing! Thank you for sharing your feedback, and we'll be sure to pass along your appreciation to her. If you ever decide to explore more destinations, we'd love to have you join us again!
4.5 would be a more accurate rating. I've been a group leader with EF Tours since 2006 and have done this itinerary twice. It's definitely one of my favorites. I love the three days in Paris and three in Barcelona. It makes for a more relaxing pace. Our tour director was absolutely outstanding. She had the energy of 10 people and really bonded with the adults and the students. She made the trip even more enjoyable. The hotels were fine and perfect for the students - especially the one in Barcelona. Although it was far from the city, it was on the beach and had a lot of activities for the students to do in the evenings. My only complaints were two optional excursions. Versailles was ridiculously crowded. A later entry would be better. Lunch was rushed and students ended up eating it standing up in the gravel courtyard. Our guide was lovely but the whispers weren't adequate and we couldn't hear. Students lost interest after the first room. The Flamenco evening was a bust. The venue was worn and dirty; the performers were mediocre at best. The students talked throughout the performance because they were bored. I wouldn't recommend this activity at all. Overall the tour was wonderful and a lot of fun with just the right mix of city and small town activities. It was my last student tour and a perfect ending.
The travel arrangements completely ignored family traveling together (including a minor). The airline seats were booked separate with expectation that a 13 year old would sit by themself crossing the Atlantic. 1 of the hotels was setup so that 1 or 2 of the 13 year-olds would be in a room by themselves in a foreign country. There was no support from EF to resolve the issues even after multiple attempts. The locations and places visited were nice. The individual EF Tour Guide we had was fantastic - unfortunate that she could not get the main office to provide support.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the travel arrangements and hotel room setups. We do not book specific seats on flights, but we understand the importance of seating arrangements for families. We encourage travelers to contact airlines ahead of time if they'd like to sit together. We'll review your feedback to ensure better support in resolving such issues in the future. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the locations and places visited, and we appreciate your kind words about your EF Tour Guide. If you have any further concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
It was a nice mix of each area that we visited. Art, culture, history, food, local information, point of interests and events.