Our Stay and Explore trip of Belgium and Holland was wonderful. We had an amazing tour director Maarten who made the trip fun and exciting even on the rainy days. I would enjoy any tour with Maarten.

Both Amaia (Bilbao) and Carmen (Puerto Banus) were very friendly, organized, helpful, and had excellent knowledge of the region. They made the tours entertaining and enlightening. I would gladly travel with either of them again. Local guides were uniformly excellent. Augun and Marina; Andres and Lourdes provided much useful and interesting information. They were also entertaining and kept everyone engaged. Our drivers, Vicente and Juan, were friendly, skilled, and safe. They were eager to help out whenever needed. Overall it was an excellent experience. I love the Stay-and-Explore format.

Our group on the 9 day tour of the French Riviera was very fortunate to have Sondrive as our Tour Director and Guide. Sondrine is outgoing, intelligent, competent, friendly, resourceful, sympathetic and very well organized. Her sparking personality exhibits her concern for EVERY person in her group and she wants all to be happy and enjoying the trip. She goes out of her make to ensure satisfaction for everyone. Her knowledge of the history of the Cote D'Azur was quite extensive and her stories quite amusing. She even sang French songs for us. Sondrine was a totally delightful person to lead our French Riviera trip. My wife and I would be very pleased if she could lead us on a Gate One Tour of Provence (Please let us know if that situation occurs). We found Sondrine to be the Tour Director Extraordinaire! We would also like you to know about our extreme satisfaction with Gate One Travel. We had been set to travel on Tuesday, July 21. On Monday, July 20, we received a text from United Airlines, telling us that, because of severe expected weather, we should try to travel a day earlier. We called Gate One, were asked to hold on, and within 10 minutes we were give our new ticket numbers and seats. When we arrived in Nice the following morning, we received a phone call from Gate One, telling us that they would secure a room for us for the extra night and that they would call us back. They did call us back, gave us the name and address of the hotel (West End) and tiold us that a room had been secured for us in spite of the crowded conditions in the city due to Jazz Concert. We are very impressed with the superior service provided to us by Gate One Travel. Thank you for your efforts over the years.

My friend and I had a wonderful time on this trip! Our tour guide Roberto did a fantastic job. He was very organized , thoughtful, made everyone feel welcome and went out of his way to give us all kinds of information on Basque history and culture, restaurants and places to go in our free time. Also our driver Valentina did an excellent job. I don't know how she was able to navigate some of the narrow roads and turns so well. This was one of my favorite Gate 1 trips.

This was a mother - Daughter trip and it was perfect. Loved the Hotel, which is centrally located, the staff were always friendly and helpful. Took every optional tour and got to see the countryside, one of our favorite tours was meeting the Coos. We enjoyed Mike, our guide, and his knowledge. My daughter and I agreed, we would enjoy any tour with Mike. I will recommend Gate 1, this Scotland Tour and Mike to all my friends.

The trip was great especially the tour guide, Maureen and the driver Declan. Gate one delivered as promised the hotels Were nice and comfortable and the breakfasts were absolutely fantastic. Maureen provided extensive details about all the sites. She was patient, friendly and always pleasant. It was a pleasure having her as our guide.

My first Stay & Explore tour was fantastic. I loved having the freedom to do whatever I wanted in the evenings/dinners and staying put in one wonderful hotel in the center of everything in Nice was a dream come true.

This was such an excellent tour! The selection of Oxford as a "home base" was such a good choice. Lots to see and do and a great selection of restaurants available. The bus rides on the tour were never long enough to be uncomfortable, again reinforcing the wisdom of selecting Oxford. The hotel was well situated, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had plant-based milk, which, due to my dairy allergy, allowed me to make more choices at breakfast. The bus was immaculate and the bus driver Oscar was terrific. Wonderful personality and excellent driver. And I can't say enough good things about Michelle as a tour guide. Friendly, funny, very conscientious and "mother henned" us without being obnoxious about it. Great (and small!) group on the tour. For me, this was a home run.

I had a wonderful time on the trip. The hotel accommodations were perfect. The hotel was conveniently located to the bus and train station, as well as, the center of the city. Cannot say enough about our Tour manager, Mike. Mike was extremely professional, present And extremely knowledgeable. He made everybody on the tour, feel very comfortable and was a very good problem solver when the itinerary needed to be adjusted. The tours were well organized, and were extremely enjoyable! I look forward to booking another gate, one adventure tour in the future.

Our Tour Manger, Gwen, was absolutely fantastic! She went above and beyond to ensure we got the most out of our trip. I can't say enough good about her. Our bus driver, Yannick, was also excellent. He ensured our safety and was very familiar with everywhere we went. He is super friendly and enjoys his job. In addition, at First Name Hotel, Alexis was outstanding!

We recently returned from our tour of Croatia, and we are writing to let you know what an incredible experience we had, largely thanks to our outstanding tour manager, Nicola. Nicola is an absolute asset to Gate 1. His extensive knowledge of Croatia's history was incredibly impressive and added immense value to our journey. He managed the entire trip with fantastic humor, making every day enjoyable, and he was consistently accommodating, attentive, and professional. You have an excellent tour manager on your team, and because of the high quality of service he provided, we will certainly be recommending your company to others and looking forward to traveling with you again in the future.

This was my first "Stay & Explore" style vacation; which provided a great opportunity to get to really know Copenhagen. Our tour guide Michael was fantastic. He provided great insight into the culture, provided good ideas for free time exploration; as well as took the time to get to know everyone on the tour. I've already booked another "Stay & Explore" in Prague!

This was an excellent trip. Our tour manager, Alec, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and caring. We felt like he treated everyone like family. He always made sure that there were gluten-free options for my husband, Steve. Our bus driver, Johnny, was excellent, as well.

Just got home from 9 day stay and explore in North Macedonia. We had a wonderful time. Darko, the tour manager, was fantastic. He kept us well informed and he was able to establish a relationship with each of us on the trip.... He's an amazing (and organized) human. It was our first Gate1 trip and we were very pleased with the quality to price ratio, hotel, itinerary, and availability of both free time and optional tours. We had to change trips due to low booking on our original trip, and the rep I worked with, Handan, was great to work with. We were warned by our fellow travelers that Gate1 is addictive, and I believe they are correct. This was our first, but not our last trip. North Macedonia is such a sweet country, and I hope this trip continues to be successful for Gate1

What a wonderful tour. All Gate1 guides are excellent, but I must single out Giorgia as my best. Her friendliness, proactivity, and attention to detail were memorable and exemplary. Please reward her in any possible ways. Our drivers are also very good, especially cutie Leonardo, who drove us very meticulously for one so youthful.

It was good! Croatia is beautiful! Our Hotel was very nice- our guide Zrinka was awesome! She was very personable and fun! We saw so much! Our hotel had a great breakfast buffet! This was my 21st Gate One trip!

Thank you for the warm welcome home. I had a fantastic trip, and Gate 1 Travel did an excellent job. In particular, your tour director, Diego, was outstanding. I also really enjoyed the format of the trip, specifically staying at one hotel combined with the variety of interesting optional tours.

Slovenia was my 1st Stay & Explore tour, and I loved it! Lara, our Tour Manager, is a real gem and made the trip memorable! She was extremely patient, calm, and kind. I hope all future tour managers are as stellar as Lara! All the little surprises were delightful too - Including wine tasting in the LJU castle, creme cake in Lake Bled, gelato in Piran, just to name a few. I have so many wonderful memories - too many names. Thank you, Gate-1 Travel. I would like to compare independent travel with Stay & Explore

I simply don't have the proper words to say thank you. This was our first trip with Gate 1, and we just didn't know what to expect. It exceeded all our expectations and then some. Every facet of this trip was perfect. Our flights were excellent and timely. Our accommodation was incomparable and the staff at our hotel was amazing. We were in awe of the research Gate 1 did to plan this trip and provide such a broad offering of experiences. To top it off, our tour guide, Thomas, was tremendous!!! He was knowledgeable, humorous, and genuinely kind. We just could not have imagined a better trip. This will be the first of many for us. Thank you for fielding my questions ahead of the trip and for being so incredibly trustworthy.

Unsure of what to expect, we were quickly put at ease by Armelle . I'm sure there is a limit to the number of characters in this reply - it could never be enough to say how wonderful she was as tour manager. First, her passion for us, her clients - wanting to ensure we had an exceptional experience (we did). Second her love of all things French came through with each opportunity to explore. For example, on our bus rides she made sure we had a comfort stop mid way and that we could check out the French truck stops. Great shopping for unique things. While on these rides she would prepare us for our destination and then would field questions from tour participants on virtually any French subject - bread, cheese, how France is divided into departments, regions, etc - and what was special about those areas. Empathetic, graceful - never one to play favorites. She made us all feel as if we were the only tour members. Would we recommend Armelle as Tour Manager - in a heartbeat. Not to forget Alexander our bus driver - dedicated, safety conscious, upbeat. He also wanted to ensure our comfort, safety and that we had an excellent experience. In summary - a most excellent experience.

We enjoyed every minute of it! Most relaxing trip ever!!!! Lake Geneva area is amazingly beautiful. We were able to see all of the spring flowers in bloom along the lake! Hotel was exceptional as was the area food! Great choice for travel! We look forward to more Stay and Explore----we love the freedom and the smaller group!

My trip to Southern Spain was excellent. The hotel was fantastic in every way; food - the breakfasts were great, location, rooms, cleanliness, helpful staff and anything else one can think of. I am a foodie and the restaurant (Trattoria) in the hotel was excellent. Food quality was great as was the service, the atmosphere and the reasonable pricing. The tour guide Joaquin was superb. He went above and beyond his duties. He was very knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and any other good attribute a tour guide can have. It was my impression that he was loved by all on the tour. I believe a wonderful time on this tour was had by all.

Denmark was wonderful; by luck, we had the perfect weather the whole week we were there. The tour manager (Michael) was awesome. His 'dad jokes' were hilarious. He went out of his way to treat us with Danish local foods and even arranged a picnic during an excursion. His friendliness and professionalism helped in maintaining group harmony and timeliness. Copenhagen was an excellent spot for this 'stay & explore' tour. All the 'included' and 'optional' tours were very enjoyable and within reasonable driving/walking distance from Copenhagen.

I had a nice time. The city is beautiful. I enjoyed the tours especially Uruguay, the cattle ranch and the food tour of Palermo. Pablo was the best tour guide you could ask for. He was professional, informative and has a great sense of humor.

Morocco was wonderful. Our guide was exceptional and the people were accommodating, friendly plus helpful. Loved the balloon ride, horse drawn buggy through the old city. The cooking class was also exceptional. The local farmers marketplace and shopping. Dancing, music and singing are so entertaining.

We had a fantastic time in Bali! Our tour guide Gusti was excellent! He took care of all our needs; made sure we were comfortable and always assisted us if we needed help on our travel. The itinerary was amazing and I would encourage you to include the cooking class in Benoa as part of the itinerary. The Chefs were awesome! The cooking class brought together the taste and smell of all the ingredients we used which is Bali!! The food was so delicious! My cousin and I enjoyed this tour very much! Meka and Heri were also very helpful on this tour! They were ready to assist and Meka provided tours which were informative. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!

I would like to express my admiration and gratitude to our guide Suzy for her excellent leadership during our 9-days tour of Northern Italy. She shared her deep love and knowledge of the region, with passion and humor. Especially impressive was how seamlessly Suzy navigated a complex day in Venice with multiple activities, transfers, gondola ride, etc.

My trip was amazing! Our tour guide Nathalie was absolutely amazing! She went above and beyond what I expected and is very knowledgeable. She made my first trip abroad exceptional and very memorable. I highly recommend your company and Nathalie to everyone and encourage them to make this same trip if they can. Thank you Gate One and Nathalie!

Just wanted to let you know how impressed I was with our tour guide Nathalie. She was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, kind, and professional. She made sure guests were comfortable and well informed. She provided suggestions for leisure time and meals; on more than one occasion, she even walked guests to their destinations. Nathalie went above and beyond to meet the needs of tour guests, and I highly recommend her for future tours.

Thank you so much for reaching out. The trip was absolutely fabulous! The hotels were amazing, the group on the tour were amazing. Cannot say enough about our tour guy, Terry, who is extremely accommodating, courteous, professional And friendly! The same goes for the driver, Tony as well. Also, the car services were prompt and professional as well. I am so looking forward to my next Gate 1 travel experience in June to Scotland.

Ireland Stay & Explore with Dublin & Dingle was perfect for our 23rd Gate 1 trip. Dublin is walkable, with many sites and great restaurants. Dublin at night is a colorful wonderland along the river. But Dingle town stole my heart. It is also walkable, with lovely nearby trails and boating for the active crowd. The optional day trips provide passive scenic stops around the peninsula and beyond. The locals were welcoming and extremely helpful. And, Dingle is a foodie town! A surprise Celtic jam session during dinner was a quintessential Irish experience---- absolutely priceless!!

I really had a great time on my recent trip. As always, the tour guide made the experience special, and John did a fabulous job. He took notice of our individual interests, played wonderful music, shared insightful podcasts about Irish culture, and was very funny. My husband usually does not enjoy organized tours, but he was very impressed with John's style and attention to detail. We never had to worry about logistics like fuel; we felt that John and Declan always had everything under control. This allowed us to simply enjoy our holiday without any concerns. Thank you again for a fabulous holiday.

This was a fantastic trip. Mr. Terry was our Tour Manager. Terry was very professional and he was fun to be around and very helpful. I appreciated that he gave us as much time as possible when we visited different sites. I loved his strategy, he would give us the information on the bus and as we're driving up an orientation. This was my second time at Bunratty Castle but my first time having time to explore the grounds without racing around. The local guide did an excellent job. In the castle she took us to the two rooms we could all fit in, gave us a brief history of the castle and orientation of things to see within 20 minutes. It was perfect. The lunch at Dirty Nelly's was excellent. This was my 3rd time at the Cliffs of Moher but my first time having time to visit both sides of the Cliffs, enough time to take in the views without rushing, and visit the shops outside the visitor center. This was my first visit to the Aran Islands. The lunch was fantastic, I enjoyed the tour around the island and again, we had time without having to rush. Finally, I liked that the hotels gave us pertinent information like breakfast schedules, wifi information, and etc in a one pager. I've attached one from the Morgan, but we also got one from the Galway hotel. This saves time, and you have something to refer to. Because Dublin and Galway have so much too offer, I look forward to taking this trip again and will definitely be looking at more "Stay" trips in the future.

Trip was wonderful.... Ljubljana is a mythical city. The country Slovenia is beautiful. The people are warm and friendly. It was a special trip and the guide BENA was fantastic not only was he very, very knowledgeable and kind and caring. It was also very funny. -Made the trip very special. This was a winner!!!!

We recently returned from a Stay & Explore tour in North Macedonia, and I wanted to share our experience. Our tour manager, Darko, was one of the best we've had in our 19 trips with Gate 1. He was genuinely kind, patient and understanding, always willing to help everyone. He also made the trip especially meaningful by sharing many of his own experiences with us, answering questions about lifestyle, economics, food, and local culture. Thanks to him, we feel we learned so much about this fascinating country and its rich history. The hotel location was excellent - we were able to walk easily to the Turkish Bazaar, museums, main square, and numerous restaurants. We participated in all the optional excursions and are so glad we did. We visited many interesting places, and the boat rides were especially memorable. Our bus driver, Remzi, was very professional and cautious, and we always felt completely safe. As always, we made new friends, and enjoyed sharing Gate 1 travel stories together Thank you for consistently providing such well-organized, enjoyable, and affordable travel experiences.

There wasn't a place to let you know how fantastic our tour manager and driver were on our trip last week. Amanda took such good care of all of us. She made sure we all knew what time to meet, how long we had to venture out, what time we'd be leaving and what we'd need for the day. After the first day she wasn't just our tour manager she was part of the family, and we were so fortunate that our group of 20 was the whole tour group. We were so spoiled having her lead us through her beloved country. She is so knowledgeable about Ireland, and you can tell how deeply she loves her country and its history. And what can I say about Justin. What a champ of a driver he is. The roads in Ireland are so small, and he maneuvered those roads like he was the only driver on the road. He was able to get us through crooked streets with other buses coming towards us. I never felt afraid while Justin was driving. He was going to keep us safe no matter what. Here we are on our very last day. Our entire group along with Amanda and Justin. What a week!

This was an amazing trip but especially because the guide. Kaew made me feel very safe. She spoke well with the group and made interactions with the local people very easy. She showed us beautiful parts of Thailand that I could have never experienced on my own. She made sure we constantly had water and cooling pads as the weather was very hot. You could see the passion she has for Thailand, and this energy was contagious. She took her job very seriously and the years she has put into this company was reflected in her amazing quality of service. I would 100% do this tour again, especially with K.

We just completed the stay and explorer in Bali... what an amazing trip! We LOVED our tour guides, Wina and Amara!! they were so welcoming and kind and made us feel safe the whole time we were there... I will highly recommend this to her two family and friends. Great job Gate 1!!

KajaNe in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, along with the staff and accommodations, were excellent. I rarely rate anything 100%, but this experience came very close. Winna was amazing and genuinely cared about our well-being and happiness throughout the trip. Our driver did things with that bus I didn't know were possible. The value and itinerary will keep us coming back. You have a great recipe-don't change it.

We just returned this week from our 9 Day Taste of Bangkok Gate 1 tour and the four of us in our travel party thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would like to go on future Gate 1 trips. Our tour manager, Jack, was such a key part of our positive experience! He was so friendly, fun and considerate of our interests and needs. He set a friendly open tone for the entire group. He was always anticipating our needs and willing to go the extra mile, whether personally bringing us to where we could get local currency or making detailed helpful suggestions for our free time. We loved that he was able to share so much about his Thai culture, whether it was helping us to understand historical or cultural aspects of sites we saw or sharing samples of local treats as we toured. We have done many cruises with Viking, which we enjoy because of their emphasis on cultural learning but we feel there was so much more depth in our cultural engagement having Jack as our manager. He definitely was a central part of our very positive tour experience!!!! Looking back on our tour, we all feel like Jack was not only an excellent tour manager in all the aspects the survey asked, he became a sincere friend - exuding a genuine care and hospitality for his visiting guests!

The tour managers on all our previous Gate 1 trips were very good, but we would like to specifically recognize this tour manager, Cesar. His knowledge of history, excellent presentation skills, and wonderful sense of humor were truly outstanding. He made the experience both educational and enjoyable, and we greatly appreciated his professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the tour.

Jelena our tour guide made us fall in love with Croatia. She embraced us like family and fully immersed us in the Dalmatian culture. Due to highway construction traffic, Samir the bus driver, diverted us off the beaten path which allowed us to experience more charming Croatian towns. This bonus exceeded our expectations. I learned so much through all senses, loving every moment of it to point of thinking of migrating there. This unforgettable memory will forever remain in our hearts. Please mention this to Jelena and Samir.

I especially liked staying in same hotel for entire trip. Malcolm was an excellent tour guide. He was very accommodating and always thinking of our safety. I can't say enough about our driver, Erik. Excellent. Was extremely talented in his driving skills. My first trip with Gate 1, and I will be using it again.

My trip was fantastic! This was my first journey to Southern Spain, and I hope it won't be my last! Our Tour Manager, Antonio, was wonderful- patient, kind, organized, fun and very informative! We absolutely loved him and he did an outstanding job! The hotel was lovely with a big comfortable clean room, gorgeous breakfast each morning and wonderful dinner at the beginning and the end. Perfect spot! Really beautiful! Air transport, provided through Gate 1, was on time and very good! No bags lost! Transfers were great- on time with courteous drivers and comfortable vehicles! And the excursions were all just excellent! Marbella was charming and beautiful! Mijas was stunning. Our journey to Malaga and the Picasso Museum was fun and interesting! My absolute favorite was The Alhambra in Granada which I have wanted to see since my childhood. Majestic, beautiful, serene and geometrically perfect, this place dazzles. And Ronda was just exceptional! I loved it! Frigliana and Nerja were gorgeous and fascinating and magical. And Gibralter was so different and interesting. It was all absolutely wonderful from start to finish- a great hotel, fantastic TM, nice group of people, incredibly magnificent places, perfect organization and execution, great bus driver. I cannot offer a more positive review. This was, in every way, perfect! Thank you for offering me such an incredible experience! I shall remember this trip always!

Our 9-day Taste of Bangkok tour was nothing short of extraordinary! From the moment we arrived, we knew we were in excellent hands - and that's all thanks to our incredible tour manager, Dek. We had a one-on-one meeting with Dek the day after our arrival, where he provided us with a detailed booklet outlining each day's activities. Everything was organized to perfection, thoughtfully planned to ensure we experienced the very best of Bangkok - from iconic landmarks to meaningful cultural experiences. Dek truly made this trip exceptional. He called us "family," and we genuinely felt his warmth, passion, and dedication. His love for Thailand - past, present, and future - shined through in every story he shared. He answered every question with patience and insight and went above and beyond to make sure each of us had an unforgettable experience. This company, established over 45 years ago, clearly knows how to deliver excellence. This was our second tour with them - and certainly not our last! We stayed in top-rated hotels and traveled in upscale motor coach buses where drivers greeted us daily with a smile, a cold bottle of water, and individually wrapped cool towels. Every detail was thoughtfully handled. Not once did we have a complaint. Booking was seamless and stress-free. Our booking agent was knowledgeable, responsive, and just a phone call away whenever we had questions. The best part? This is truly a full-scale vacation. No stress, no searching endlessly for flights (unless you choose to) - just pure enjoyment from start to finish. If you want to save time, eliminate stress, and experience Bangkok with a first-class company that treats you like family - book this tour. We're already looking forward to next year's trip!