This was my 50th Gate 1 trip, and from the moment I was greeted so warmly at the Milan airport by our pre-stay tour manager Remo, I knew it would be special. Two nights in charming Baveno on Lake Maggiore, followed by two nights in lovely Lucerne before proceeding to Basel for a city tour and boarding of my home for the next week on the Rhine River cruise to Amsterdam, the "Monarch Empress". Your flagship and what a beautiful ship: pristine, comfortable, so well designed and with a crew that run it like a Swiss clock. There were so many standouts from start to finish, the great, efficient and personable crew led by our Ukrainian Capt. Igor, Pavel, Marius, George, Kris, Nora, Nura, the wonderful guys at reception, and all who did their part, our head chef and his staff and his delicious menus - every meal was so good and dinners were very special and wine plentiful, and of course not forgetting the G1 staff, our fantastic Cruise Director Soma, fun, knowledgeable, kind and supremely organized and the delightful Activity Director, Laura. Above all they are both just wonderful human beings. The Rhine River cruise is not as picturesque as the Danube, but it is the beating heart of Europe and there is a lot of commercial barge traffic and industry along the way, but port calls were very charming, well thought out and so interesting, and there is a very beautiful stretch between Rüdesheim and Koblenz with so many castles and a constant castle alert from our leader Soma! It was a fabulous trip and as always sorry to see it end, but I know that it is just until the next one and more adventures with G1 - my special thanks for this one and for truly being treated like a Queen, who doesn't love that!

Could not recommend George our guide more . He was absolutely a wonderful man . We travelled as a Group of 10 Australians . We would do another trip with George in a heartbeat . Our driver was fabulous and very nice man. We are now on our River cruise with gate 1

Just a few additional comments about our Rhine trip: Our room steward, Lily, couldn't have been more available, kind & cheerful, or hard working. She's an asset to your company. Krismanto, waiter, actively went out of his way to be kind, funny, & remembered your personal preferences ( my iced tea in the a.m.). He sought me out to ensure I had what I liked. Even when I wasn't at his table. He's a very hard worker & a ray of sunshine. He reminded me of my early cruising days with the level of service & attention to detail. Thank you Kris. At the end of our trip our driver was wonderful. His name was Robert. Excellent driver. Funny & kind. He even went out of his way to return items that my friend left in the van. Thank you Robert. Laura was our entertainment director. Another truly kind person. She just made things fun. From stretch / yoga in the a.m. to games & activities at night...she was great. Our only reservation about sailing Gate1 again was the lack of activities at night. With this new position ( & Laura especially), that was no longer a concern. Bart is pleasant & knowledgeable. Ever present. But, if you are observant, you realize how much work & coordination he does behind the scenes. Well done.

My husband's dream since he was a boy was to see the Matterhorn. His dream finally came true during our Switzerland Tour with Gate 1. Neither of us can put into mere words how fabulous this tour was. The cities, villages, hotels, food, the vistas and landscape were beyond what we had hoped for. This tour, and our tour guide Siobhan (pronounced Sha-vonne), exceeded our expectations and then some. I highly recommend anyone looking to do this tour watch the video of this tour on the Gate 1 site. It does a much better job than I could with the tour description. Our highlights of the trip were: #1 the Matterhorn, #2 Trummelbach Falls, #3 the Gornergrat Mountains. Every day was an exciting adventure. Siobhan not only showed us those items on our itinerary but also had many extra surprises to share with us as well. These are called the SSS's, for "Siobhan's Special Surprises". At almost every turn in the road, or street corner we passed, Siobhan had history or information to share. Not only was she a wealth of information but she has a great sense of humor too. She is a very caring person whose goal was to be sure each and every one of us had a fantastic experience. Siobhan took time to get to know each of us. She was always available for any questions we might have or issue that arose which she promptly resolved. A tour can be just a tour, or it can be an experience of a lifetime. I sincerely believe a knowledgeable, well prepared and caring tour manager can make all the difference. Another important person to be mentioned is our tour bus driver, Josep (no h). He made sure we traveled in a clean, comfortable bus. His excellent driving skills in many tight spots, often brought rounds of applause. This was our 2nd tour using Gate 1 Travel, but it won't be the last. We are already looking at other tours with them too. Some of our tour companions have done multiple Gate 1 tours, as well as a number of our friends, and they all swear by the quality and value offered.

The trip was fantastic! Dennis, our tour manager, was top notch and made our vacation so memorable. He provided great leadership, guidance, and commentary.. he even provided great recommendations on things to do and places to eat and shop during leisure time. I can't wait to take another trip with your company. He was even great with my children (11, 13, and 18) who came with me. Deni's vast knowledge of Switzerland allowed us to have seamless travel, we were always ahead of the crowds in all locations.

It was a beautiful trip. Well prepared by our trip manager and her assistant. We really enjoy the trip. Very appreciate our manager Marina and her assistant Angela shared both their knowledge about the region we visited. Great job. Special thanks to Marina and Angela.

It was superb. I will book another walking tour with you in the future.

I would like to expand on my recent survey and say our tour guide Just was over-the-top great. We've always had VERY good guides but he was kind of special. I appreciated how he always made sure we were looked after, safe and sound, whether it was navigating public transportation or crossing a busy street! His friendly demeanor kept up a great vibe with our group. Everyone seemed to be having an excellent time throughout the trip, very much due to his leadership and personality. He always had great recommendations for food/restaurants. What I loved the most was his effort to always make sure our time in any one place surpassed expectations. It's actually some of those times that I think back on most fondly.

OUTSTANDING. My tour guide Julia was Just AMAZING her knowledge professionalism, and just her effervescent personality made the whole trip the GREATEST TRIP TO CHECK OFF MY BUCKET LIST. Please acknowledge her for her total commitment to her profession. We were 41 people on this tour and she had everyone just come together like we were all of the same family. her knowledge of every where we toured and her ability to know her people on the tour was just an unbelievable talent. Every night I would sit outside and enjoy the the night and a Cigar and she waited until everyone was safe back in the hotel. Talk about COMMITMENT!!! Again Please Congratulate her and Thank her again for me.

My sister and I recently traveled on the Christmas Markets trip to Switzerland and France. This was our first Gate 1 trip and we weren't sure what to expect, the trip was amazing! Our tour manager, Nadine, was there to greet us at the hotel the moment we arrived - and saw us off on the last day as we departed for the airport. Nadine was professional in every way and an expert in each of the towns/Markets we visited. Our 8 day trip was executed with precision so we were able to see and learn so much more than we would have on our own. I will highly recommend Gate 1 to my friends.

Our trip was amazing. And Switzerland was beautiful. We appreciated the stays at Wengen and Zermatt areas. Loved small group of 18. Marija was an excellent tour manager with her local knowledge, her caring attitude, and her quick-to-resolve skill that brought happy results to a few of our adventurous "mission impossible" occasions. Along with our driver, Peter, they both went above and beyond expectations, to ensure we had wonderful experiences. Thank you.

We were seriously hyped to make a trip during Covid-times. We specifically selected Switzerland to visit as a single, safe, superior, expensive country. Also, that major attractions are outdoors, free from Covid risk. Still, we were again seriously concerned about getting there dodging a phalanx of regulatory travel obstacles, and once there, how we would manage the bureaucracy of national medical rules. But, after the initial indoctrination of procedures by our trusted travel guide, Fred and seeing how easily we guests adapted, t'was smooth sailing on placid Swiss lakes and down-skiing on incredible snow-capped Alps. What makes a tour of like this successful? For us: Obtaining a memorable impression of places during the limited time available. This tour succeeded excellently, a quick and spare overview of Switzerland. Our most wonderful surprises: the beauty of mountains and valleys, the power of money and industrialization. Our companions were uniformly a very experienced group which made our travels all the more stimulating. The tour guide is key to obtaining a rapid cultural impression. Our very experienced guide was Fred (from neighboring Austria), an exceedingly personable retired-CEO who was a fountain of understandable history and geography enroute. For the safety and security of guests, he conscientiously repeated instructions and directions to shepherd us during peregrinations. Regarding planning, we luckily benefited from rare perfect weather, especially in the mountains, and from strategically located, superior hotels selected for us by Gate1. The number and quality of included meals were just right. I missed museums we normally visit. But wake-me-up! In Switzerland it's the mountains and nature that are de-rigeur! Riding the bus was a minor disadvantage, required to transport us from place to place, but was such delight to enjoy the beauty of the passing valleys, mountains, sky, lakes and scenery. A surprising aspect of this swift journey is how small Switzerland really is... we covered a mere 1100km or 680 miles during our sighting of 9 locales. Perfect tours are those you perfect yourself. For us this 10-day excursion succeeded as a gem of an overview of Switzerland. We will travel with Gate1 again.

It was wonderful! Nadine (our tour guide) and Reinhard (our coach driver) were beyond amazing! Nadine always made sure we were comfortable and had great suggestions for things to do. Reinhard is possibly the best driver I’ve ever been in a coach with.

We couldn’t have asked for a more fantastic European trip! From our wonderful accommodations, tour guide,Marc Van Reil,who was amazing,and travel ease, it was an experience which will be remembered for years to come! Of course, last but not least,was your helpfulness,knowledge, and understanding,Josh, for making this trip so uncomplicated!

We enjoyed our trip so much. I cannot speak highly enough of our tour manager, Julian, as well as our bus driver, Tibor. It was our first time to travel internationally and we found the trip to be so easy and fun. We plan on booking another trip with Gate 1 within the next couple of years.

Barry and I had the best trip ever. With Julian's wonderful personality the days flew by so quickly fun fun all day long.he has such a wonderful knowledge of all the history of the cities we were in.The extra touches of chocolates, making sure we were all on the bus , we were taken care of like family. The hotels food excursions were so interesting we will always remember . Will take another trip with Gate 1 again.

I had a wonderful trip to Switzerland. Our tour manager and guide, Monique was excellent. She was so knowledgeable about the culture and places we saw, and she really helped make the trip so enjoyable. Kurt, our driver, was also great. We stayed in lovely hotels, and the itinerary was wonderful, enabling us to see and do so much. I have visited Switzerland many times, but this was my first time with a tour. I would definitely consider going on another tour with Gate 1.

The trip was great. Our tour manager was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We have learned a lot about Switzerland. Swiss people were very polite and friendly. Some towns are amazingly beautiful. The food there was good. Shopping for chocolates and watches was excellent. We have enjoyed this trip very much.

A great experience! Beautiful weather...beautiful blue-green lakes, green pastures dotted w/grazing cattle, goats & sheep...towering white-capped Alps...even the white puffy clouds added to the overall beauty of Switzerland! We loved the sounds of cattle bells, the beautiful music of the long horns, the church bells in all all the little villages & towns...but we did miss hearing the yodeling! Our tour guide...Remo...made it all happen...we loved his wit, his knowledge...first time for a guided tour in Europe, so first Gate 1 experience, and cannot imagine not having Remo for future trips! We hated to leave Switzerland & hated saying goodbye to Remo!

Our trip was great and especially our Tour Guide Panareo was amusing and very knowledgeable. We definitely will consider doing another trip through Gate 1.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip through Switzerland. Otmar was an excellent guide, very organized with lots of valuable information about the country. Hotels were very nice. Pace of activities was good and Otmar had good suggestions for activities and restaurants during our free time. Otmar was very helpful in arranging transportation to the airport from Lugano to Milan. We continue to be impressed by Gate 1's itineraries and value. We look forward to our next Gate 1 trip in May.

We had a wonderful time. While we have toured with other companies, this was our first time with Gate 1 and we were very pleased. We had an excellent tour guide, Remo Beretta, and we enjoyed the accommodations and the food, and it was a very good trip. Even the weather cooperated. So, thanks to you, and Gate 1.

The trip was wonderful. would like to thank you all for meticulous planning. Ottoman, our guide, was excellent.

Had a great time, many thanks for all your help in getting this of the ground. Look forward to our next one.

It was my first tour to Switzerland and second with Gate 1. The trip was amazing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The tour was planned very well. Everything was 1st class all the way, from hotels to the transportation. Our tour guide Remo Beretta was the best I have ever had. He was personable, helpful, very professional and made everything run smoothly. I'd like to have him as the tour guide in my future travel with Gate1 (I look forward to booking my next trip with them to Italy).

Thank you Gate1 for this Tour - I have lots of wonderful memories!

Our trip was fantastic!! What beautiful countryside in Bavaria!!  Dawn, our tour guide was exceptional and very helpful. My husband is gluten free and she was a big help in translating his needs. We met many new friends with whom we intend to stay in contact.

Thank you Gate 1 for a wonderful trip. We will be using your services again.

Our trip was fantastic!!!  What a beautiful country.  Great people in our group who love to travel.  Hotel choices superb especially in Zermatt...balcony view of the Matterhorn!!!!!!  Tour bus driver, a cute Italian guy...kept the back window of the bus clean so we could take clear pictures!  Tour guide from Austria informative, a pleasure.  Breakfasts included, a major plus to always keep on this trip itinerary...rest of day could just sample...so many excursions...so much to eat...the cheese, the chocolate, the croissants!  Able to see a sample of other countries by just traveling through Switzerland...France, Italy.  Glacier express, Mt. Pilatus tour, train to the Matterhorn, lake tours, all the quaint old villages and castles...all marvelous experiences!  

I would highly recommend this trip to anyone!  Gate 1 Travel was highly praised by other members in our group! Thank you for providing such a trip...a very satisfied customer.

Our trip was great!   We had a wonderful tour manager, Otmar (who we also had on a Gate1 Christmas Markets tour 3 years ago), fantastic bus driver, Daown, very friendly group of fellow travelers, and the most beautiful scenery in the world.   What more could we ask for?   Although it was the rainy season, the sun came out just at the times we needed it to (complete view of the Matterhorn and majestic mountain views at 10,000+ feet up) and it was just cool enough for us Floridians. 

Flights, tours, hotels, etc., all went well for us.   We want to give special accolades to Otmar for calming my husband when he left his fanny pack on a restaurant seat on a day trip to Italy (and didn't discover it till we were back in Switzerland).  Otmar took the time to call the restaurant to be sure the bag was there and plans to pick it up on his next tour there and will mail it home to us. 

This was our third trip on Gate 1 and we hope to take many more.  I'm sure I speak for my husband, his sister, and our friend who were also on the trip.

We had a great time. Noel did a great job of keeping things organized and on schedule. He was very friendly and easy to deal with. We loved all the sights and history. The hotels were all very nice and close to restaurants, shopping and the historic parts of each city and river. I have a big fear of heights, and our driver, Paul, always made me feel safe riding on the bus, even up in the Alps. Have already recommended Gate1 to family and friends. We'll be back for another trip. Thanks for making everything so easy.

My husband and I had a wonderful trip! We couldn't have asked for anything better. Gate 1 was so well organized and yet we had lots of free time to explore on our own too. We saw and did so much and our tours were awesome! Our tour guide Susie and our driver Steve were absolutely the best! Can't say enough good things about them. I am used to travelling independently and was a bit unsure about group travel. I was pleasantly surprised and would not hesitate to do it again with Gate 1.

This was our first trip to Switzerland and we are very happy that we chose Gate 1. Before the trip, our knowledge of Switzerland was limited to what we read on the internet. Now, we have an understanding of the Swiss culture which can only be experienced with a knowledgeable guide. Our tour guide Otmar's profound knowledge/understanding of the country extended beyond the typical tourist sights. He educated us on things that were not written on the tourism websites or could be researched easily. The whole group was fascinated at everything Otmar had to say.

We're so thankful that Otmar suggested the excursion to Chamonix. It was absolutely beautiful there. How could we have left Switzerland without seeing the place where the first Winter Olympic games were hosted.

Overall, we're extremely glad we toured Switzerland with Gate 1. We saw other tour groups and they were way too crowded. Our group size was perfect. During our flight back, we were already planning our next trip with Gate 1.

The trip was Wonderful. What made it so was the thoughtfulness, thoroughness, ability to speak many languages, and his command of the history and general knowledge of the area. Yes I'm speaking of Otmar!! He was always in 100% control when it called for it. We could just sit back and relax. I'm so glad that we went to Chamonix to see the town and Mont Blanc. It really was the high point for me "The Matterhorn and Zermott".

I'm always concerned about bus accidents overseas. David was excellent. He was young, happy, and kind. He was always on his game. I never second- guessed one hairpin turn he made. I wish I could say the same for the ride we took to Milan from Lugano on the last day. 

We got off in Andermatt and I had read that the rest of the ride was more picturesque. I would have like to have seen the Olympic Musuem but it was closed. Also possibly to extend for one day and do St. Moritz. A memorable trip!!

My trip was fabulous! It exceeded my expectations, especially as we went places that were not on the original itinerary. Our tour director was a very knowledgeable and personable man, offering interesting information about all of the places we visited. All in all, this was a wonderful
experience.

It was a trip of a lifetime!!! Hotels were great and especially our tour guide Noel was fabulous!!! This was my first experience with Gate 1 Travel and I will definitely book another trip. Thanks for making my first trip to Europe a memorable one!

Our Germany, Switzerland, Austria trip was so good! Gate 1 keeps delivering a superb experience.

On arrival in Frankfurt we were immediately met by a Gate 1 representative and put in a cab that went right to our hotel in Mainz. That night we met our wonderful guide, Derek. He was knowledgable, personable and had a great sense of humor. I would like to go on other tours that he leads. The itinerary was just as stated in the brochure and we enjoyed every minute. The bus was comfortable and clean and Derek made sure that everyone rotated their seats each day and we all had a chance to sit in the front seat and talk to other people.

The people on our trip were from all over the U.S., Canada and some Australians. They were an interesting group of people and we enjoyed talking to each other about past Gate 1 trips. I am looking forward to my trip to Turkey in October. We love your website- it is so easy to manage. I love seeing all the flights that are available for each trip. Other companies do not give us the information that Gate 1 does. Keep up the fantastic work. We will keep traveling with Gate 1!

We had a great time, even though it rained 70% of the time.  We made new friends and met good people. Our Tour Director, Ann Marie, was sweet and caring. She offered lots of options (dining, site-seeing, souvenirs, etc.), and made sure everyone was comfortable and happy (for the most part). Our Hungarian driver, Jyula, got us to our destinations safely. The local tour guides, Huerta (Salzburg) and Ilona (Munich) were very knowledgeable. They tried very hard to make it entertaining and educational, despite the rain and cold weather. One of the optional tours was canceled due to weather, but Ann Marie had offered a Sound of Music and Berchtesgaden Tour instead, which was great.

The hotels were stayed in were great - the rooms were clean and the amenities were nice. The Castellani Hotel in Salzburg stands out for us because the hotel and our room were nicely appointed. We also liked our hotel in Innsbruck, Grauer Bar, because it was more spacious. It had a handicap-accessible bathroom, which we didn't mind. Breakfasts at the hotels, particularly in Germany and Austria, offered lots of variety and very tasty. The coffee is always good; smoked salmon and pickled herring are great options although they may not be popular for the American pallet. The dinners were meat and potatoes - very hearty. 

I would have to say, the highlight on our trip was the optional tour of Mount Pilatus, in Lucerne. We could not have asked for a more perfect weather. All in all, the trip was very memorable and is highly recommended.

The trip was great! Our tour guide, Sue, did a fantastic job. She has a wealth of knowledge at her fingertips. In spite of a lot of rain, Germany and the Netherlands were lovely. We got a nice flavor for each country on our journey. It was also fun getting to know other people from the US in our small tour group. Breakfasts were all wonderful. Each of the 3 dinners got progressively better. A big thank you to Gate 1 for all of their assistance in booking this trip!

The trip was amazing! The itinerary allowed us adequate time to explore and become oriented with each city we visited. The hotels were convenient and comfortable. Included breakfast buffets were great. The excursions to Bratislava and the Austrian wine tavern were top notch. Our guide, Michael, was a true professional. He was highly organized, clear in his instructions, and was an outstanding teacher. My girlfriend,Tina, and I are considering visiting Germany and Austria in the future with Gate 1 and Michael as a result. Our driver, Lazlo, was awesome. First and foremost he was a safe and skilled driver. He made everyone feel at ease even in the most difficult driving conditions such as a snow covered Alpine road or a tight turn on a Viennese street.