Rick Steves Home > 2009 Tours > Tour Planning Essentials

What to Know Before You Sign Up

• Tour Cancellation Coverage
• Tour Conditions including information about deposit refunds, tour transfers and more

The Best Time to Go to Europe

Europe is wonderful in the summer — with bright sunny days, long balmy evenings and a feeling of festiveness wherever you go. In exchange for these summer benefits, Europe's most popular sights can get pretty crowded — but our tour guides are experts at avoiding crowds and helping you get the most out of every day. Summer can be quite hot in certain areas, especially in the south. For these areas, "shoulder season" (April through June, and October through early December) offers the best mix of peak-season and off-season pros and cons. In shoulder season you'll enjoy milder weather, fewer crowds, and cheaper airfare. With appropriate clothing and rain gear, even the occasional shower won't slow you down. In Europe, the weather

  • In Europe, the weather is as unpredictable as it is elsewhere in the world. For a general guideline of what to expect however, we have created the following weather chart.
Flights to Europe

Our tour prices do not include airfare. Because many of our Tour Members prefer to spend some extra time in Europe before or after our tours, we leave the airfare arrangements completely up to you. (If you need help finding a good travel agent, we can give you a recommendation). After you sign up for your tour, and at least two months prior to your tour departure, we'll send you easy directions on how to get from the airport to the first tour hotel, where you'll meet your guide and the rest of your group.

ETBD Tours are Strenuous

Our tours are physically active with lots of walking (up to 10 miles a day), staying on your feet for at least two hours during museum tours, and even more stair climbing. Age is not a concern as long as you are physically fit and a strong walker. You must be able to carry all of your own luggage, often up a minimum of three flights of stairs. The tour bus is not always able to pull up directly in front of the hotel so be prepared to walk up to 15 minutes with your luggage. In some cases, we leave our tour bus and use public transportation to reach the tour hotel. Whether you are 20 or 80, before you leave for Europe, get in shape. Walk at least an hour every day and hike up lots of stairs.

Age Restrictions

We have no official age restrictions for our tours, but we do have some guidelines for children. Children under age 18 must travel with at least one parent. All travelers must be at least 18 years of age to travel unaccompanied by an adult. We generally recommend that children be at least 13 years of age for all of our Tours and at least 8 years old for our Best of Family Europe in 14 Days or Family Paris & the Heart of France in 11 Days. Our tours are heavy on the "adult things" (art, history, architecture, etc) that kids often find boring. With our family tours, you will enjoy group activities (swimming, horseback riding etc) along with some freedom to plan your own itinerary during your unstructured time

Keep in mind that our tours can be a bit grueling for youngsters, so we ask that parents carefully consider the pros and cons before signing up for a tour with their kids, and keep in mind that there is no tour price discount for children. You may also want to take a look at the book, Take Your Kids to Europe: How to Travel Safely (and Sanely) in Europe with Your Children by Cynthia Harriman (Globe Pequot Press, 5th edition, 2001). While somewhat geared toward longer, more independent trips, there are many useful suggestions for making a trip to Europe meaningful for kids aged 8 through 17.

Tours to Israel, Egypt, Asia, South America, etc.

As our name reflects, we focus on Europe (including Asian parts of Turkey). We have no plans at this time to offer tours in any other part of the world.