Viator Reviews of my Europe Tours in 2024 (One of my favorites)

I took many Viator tours when I was in Europe. So click here to read my Viator review about the many tours I took around Europe.

Written by: Soumya Nambiar

Last Updated on:

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Every frequent traveller knows this. Your travelling experience will most probably never go according to plan. There are days when you have to throw your plan outside the window and just go with the flow.

I have slowly come to realise that I do not like someone else planning the entire vacation for me. When I was planning my trip to Europe, many of my friends asked me to opt for a group tour since I was doing my first solo trip. I cringed, politely thanked them for their suggestion and went ahead and made my own itinerary.

But I have also realized over the years that we cannot leave everything to chance and we need to do some kind of planning when it comes to seeing a new place. You cannot just land up in a new city and just expect to see a new city without a plan in place.

Since I was going to be on the road for 5 weeks, that meant I needed some help in planning some details of the trip. This is where apps like Viator come in handy. I first came across Viator last year when I was booking my first broadway show. I found it to be pretty useful and I ended up going to Yosemite using Viator as well as I used them for some airport transfers.

3 Days In Belgium Itinerary Including A Day Trip To

What Is Viator?

So what is Viator? So this is what Viator has to say about themselves:

“Our team of travel insiders is obsessed with finding the best things to do everywhere we travel. From Paris to Phuket to Perth, from traditional tours to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, we have something for every kind of traveller. And we are proud to say that after 17 experience-packed years, we are the world leader.”

Viator was acquired by Tripadvisor in 2014 and is said to be one of the largest online tours and activities booking agencies. They partner with local operators and you can sit and book tours at your home for anywhere around the world. Most of the tours are affordable and can ease your travelling experience.

Viator Review of My Tours

So I used Viator 5 times this time and I wanted to give a brief insight on how all these tours went. Hope you find all these Viator reviews helpful.

Shared Arrival Transfer from Lisbon Airport to my hotel:

It has been a long journey from India and you have just reached Lisbon after a full day’s journey. The last thing on your mind is how to get to your hotel. I love this option of pre-booking airport transfers. I had used this feature (shared cab) in New York and San Francisco. So this was one of the first things I booked. I booked a shared arrival transfer from Lisbon airport to my hotel. Both the app and the website is so flexible and easy to use. While booking, you have to give details like the number of passengers, date of arrival, time of arrival, your destination, contact details etc.

Even though my flight was on time, I spent a considerable amount of time waiting to clear immigration. As I walked out of the airport, the guy was waiting for me with my nameplate. Only then I realised that it was a private transfer. The guy was extremely friendly and he gave me various pointers on what to do in Lisbon for the next few days. He dropped me safe and sound at my hotel.

That is the beauty of the app. You do not have to worry about the details. They will internally coordinate with local operators and get you the best deal. This tour cost me around 12.5$. So you can see how economical it is as well.

A Review About My Viator Europe Tours: Travel, Books And Food: Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal

Sintra, Pena Palace and Cascais half day trip from Lisbon:

I had heard so much about Sintra before I took this trip and I knew I had to go here. But when I checked it online, I realised that it takes more than 1 hour if we go there by train. Even then it was not a straight forward route and I had to first take a train to a point and then take another cab from there.

That is when I came across this half day tour from Lisbon. It seemed perfect and I immediately booked it. The minute you book any tours, you are immediately sent additional information. For instance, in some cases, you will have to reconfirm the booking with your local operator and the contact details are given in the voucher. Most vouchers are E-vouchers but in some cases, the local operator accepts only paper vouchers. In that case, please ensure that you have the hard copy of your voucher with the bar code details.

We were asked to assemble at a said place by 1:45 pm. From there, we were taken by air conditioned bus to the town of Sintra, the gorgeous Pena Palace (entrance fees were included), Cabo Da Roca and the gorgeous town of Cascais. I will write more in detail about my experience. I loved this tour and Viator along with the local operator Yellow bus made this experience memorable and hassle-free.

A Review About My Viator Europe Tours: Travel, Books And Food: Cabo Da Roca
Cabo Da Roca, Portugal
A Review About My Viator Europe Tours: Travel, Books And Food: Sintra
Pena Palace, Sintra

Moulin Rouge, Paris:

Everyone has to see a Moulin Rouge show at least once in their lifetime. It is highly entertaining and you will definitely have a gala time. As a culture vulture, I love going to shows like these and I try to visit as many as I can. But did you know that most of the Moulin Rouge shows are sold out weeks before?

This is where sites like Viator are helpful. You can go and prebook your tickets before they get sold out. In the case of Moulin Rouge, they had a 7 PM, 9 PM and 11 PM show. Even though I had booked weeks before, the 7 PM show was sold out and I had to book the 9 PM one. You can customise some of your tours. Moulin Rouge had an option to book a show with dinner included.

Recommended Read – France Travel Tips

Luxembourg Day Trip from Brussels:

Most people decide to skip Luxembourg because it is such a small country and they presume that there is nothing there to see. I would disagree. It is a beautiful country and I wish I could have spent more time there.

But this is the only tour I did not like that I booked through Viator. I do not think that it was Viator’s issue but the issue was with Brussels city tours, who were the local operators. It was on a Sunday and they decided to cancel one town two days before the actual tour. Also, we got so little time in Luxembourg and we ended up getting lost on the way back to Brussels. We spent most of our time inside the bus and the air conditioning was not working half the time.

Viator review
Luxembourg

Bruges and Ghent Day Trip from Brussels

Even though this was also through the same local operator, Brussels City Tours, I loved this trip. I think the difference was with the guides and I loved the guide on this tour. Also, Bruges and Ghent are gorgeous towns and you really cannot find fault with either of these. We also got more time in exploring the place by ourselves on this tour. Vicki also lists some of the best group tours on the planet. Go check it out.

A Review About My Viator Europe Tours: Travel, Books And Food: Bruges
Bruges, Belgium

Disadvantages of Viator

There was one more tour that I wanted to do, a 3 day fully planned trip to Andalusia in Spain. However, this option was not available for a solo traveller and you could book this tour only if there were at least two people. I know that there is a dependence on the local operator but they should have some options for solo travelers like me who may want to leave some of the planning to operators like them.

Viator has many options in most of the countries. But in places like India, we still do not have many options to choose from.

Final Viator Reviews verdict

So four out of the five tours turned out to be great. So that is still a good score. I will definitely be using Viator once again and I believe that you should try them out as well on your next trip.

Disclaimer: I was offered a discounted price, to use and review Viator tours. However, I have used them in the past and will definitely use them in the future.
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A Review About My Viator Europe Tours: Travel, Books And Food

 Find some recommendations for guidebooks on Europe

Guidebooks for Europe

Traveling to Europe and need more guidance on which books to read? These are our recommendations for you to read before you go.

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BOOKING RESOURCES

Looking to book your trip now? Find some of my favorite resources I use while booking my trip. You can also find my travel gear here.

Book Your Flight

I am a Skyscanner fan when it comes to booking international flights. I use Makemytrip and Yatra for domestic flights.

Book Accommodation

Booking is my go to resource for booking hotel accommodation and I use Airbnb for booking my homestays. I also compare prices on Tripadvisor always. Another one I always use is Expedia.

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As an Indian, I prefer ICICILombard and I am always insured when I am traveling outside India. In addition, I have used World Nomads and SafetyWing for some of my trips.

Book Tours

I do go on a lot of day tours especially when I am traveling solo and love going on road trips with my husband.. Depending on convenience, my choices are Viator or Getyourguide.

About Soumya Nambiar

Soumya Nambiar here. I am an avid traveler, travel blogger, vegetarian foodie and entrepreneur from Bangalore, India who grew up in Tanzania, Africa. I have been to more than 60 countries and in this blog, I write about my personal experiences as an Indian traveller around the world as well as my struggles as a vegetarian. I can be reached at [email protected].

24 thoughts on “Viator Reviews of my Europe Tours in 2024 (One of my favorites)”

  1. I used to not be a tour person, but have grown to like them! Bruges is one of my favorite cities in the world, it's like something out of a fairy tale. I'm heading to Europe (England, Spain and Italy) in March and will definitely check out the tours offered there.

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  2. Viator sounds like a great option. I really enjoyed Sintra also. I spent a similar amount of time there but went to Quinta da Regaleira as it was so busy on the tourist bus that day and that castle is in walking distance.

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  3. I actually really like showing up to places without plans and letting them work themselves out! For those who aren't so spontaneous in their travels, however, it seems like Viator is a great option. 12 euros for a tour is a great price! I'd love to see the Pena Palace in Sintra myself. The colors are so unique!

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  4. I actually hardly ever book tours, prefer to travel on my own terms. Though I do opt for certain guided walks and activities from time to time. Also never heard many good things about Viator before you, so generally didn't have a very good opinion of them. Glad to know you had a good experience though 🙂

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  5. I am really not a tour person either. But sometimes when you are traveling solo, we have to realise that we are not super humans and can take help once in a while. Do check them out when you head to Europe.

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  6. That was the good thing about Viator. The local operators arranged everything, including the tourist bus to the top. We were given preference over others too.

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  7. I am like you too, most of the time. But I knew I needed some help since I was on the road for more than 6 weeks and you cannot be spontaneous all the time also. Yes some of the tours are quite economical too.

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  8. That is strange since I have heard only good reviews from people who have used Viator till now. I travel on my own terms too but sometimes for shows like Moulin Rouge, you have to prebook and for such cases, Viator is extremely helpful.

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  9. For me I find tours really vary based on the individual tour guide. I would love to do one in Sintra and I also still need to go to Moulin Rouge. Glad you had a great trip.

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  10. Great how Viator can create the unique experiences you are seeking. It is a service I am not familiar with, but will check it out for the convenience. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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  11. I'm not much of a tour person since I like planning everything myself, but I'll check out Viator whenever I do need to book something. Thanks for the tips.

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  12. Yes they do vary based on the tour guide. One of the main reasons why I did not like the Luxembourg one but liked Bruges one. Same tour operator. Different guides.

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    • Hi Atul, I think it is upto personal choice. I wouldn’t do it because I love planning every detail of my trip and 6 countries in 7 days is a bit too much.You will end up seeing nothing. But Viator has good (though expensive) packages and their tours are well-conducted.

      Reply

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