Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > CIE Tours vs Trafalgar
CIE Tours vs Trafalgar
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of CIE Tours and Trafalgar.The Low Down
CIE Tours are specialists in guided coach tours through Britain and Ireland. With over 80 years of history the team at CIE certainly have the local ties and experience to deliver you a top notch touring experience through Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. They have recently dipped their toes into new regions within Europe (like Iceland and Italy) but for now Global Journeys only sell their trips on the mainland of the UK. CIE are relatively unknown in the Australasian market but are very popular in the rest of the world, so you're fellow travellers are likely to be from all around the world, but perhaps with more American's onboard than Antipodeans. With itineraries designed to be fully inclusive, putting your hand in your pocket for optional day trips and activities is not something you need to worry about.
Accommodation on each trips sits at the 3 to 3 1/2 star level, with breakfasts (along with many lunches and dinners) also included. There's a maximum group size of 44, but look out for selected departures on selected trips that are designed for small groups. Also keep a lookout for CIE's Tour of the Week Deal which runs year round and offers savings of up to 15% off the normal retail price.
Over 350 coach tours around the world, and one of our clients most popular Operators, Trafalgar is part of the Travel Corporation, which includes under its umbrella the sister brands of Insight Vacations, AAT Kings, Uniworld, Contiki & Costsaver. With a worldwide presence and local operations in Australasia for many years, you'll enjoy the company of many nationalities aboard your coach, including those from Downunder. Sitting between Insight and Costsaver, Trafalgar pride themselves in touring innovation, introducing 'Insider Experiences' (where you get to know and dine with the locals) and travel styles to suit those that prefer smaller groups or those that prefer a more leisurely itinerary.Look out for Trafalgar's Early-payment savings where you can save up to 10% on your trip as well as further savings if you are a past passenger on any of the aforementioned sister brands.
Stats
No. of Trips
66
No. of Departures
3,528
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$458
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Premium
Trip Styles Coach Tours
Regions Explored UK & Ireland
No. of Trips
401
No. of Departures
8,545
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$537
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Premium
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
When you travel with CIE Tours, you will get the warmest of welcomes and all the benefits of our 87 years of experience. The itineraries are locally crafted - we set our own high standards for delivering excellent holidays with state-of-the-art luxury coaches; the best hotels; carefully chosen authentic experiences and entertainment.
Our outstanding local tour directors are ready to share their knowledge, stories, passion for their home places - they are our greatest assets. Many of our tours spend 2 nights in each location, and our flexible itineraries include a great balance of escorted and free time. We include full breakfasts, most dinners and some evening entertainment. No one has to worry about paying for optional extras on the trip. It’s all included, no hidden extras.
We know how much these trips mean to you and we want to ensure that this is a trip you will treasure forever.
We are the world’s leading and most awarded travel brand spanning all 7 continents of the globe. From the iconic to the unexpected our guests connect to the real depth of the places we go. They will break bread with the locals at our exclusive Be My Guest experiences and unlock local secrets of our Travel Directors and Local Specialists. Everything is taken care of, so they travel with true ease and get the real thing without worrying about a thing.
We consider how we can positively impact the communities we engage with. Through our JoinTrafalgar initiatives powered by TreadRight, guests don’t just leave footprints on the ground, but leave a lasting legacy for the betterment of locals and the future of their communities.
It’s 72 years of destination experience and feedback from over 5 million happy guests that fuels our innovation to continually delivery simply the best holidays.
Recent Reviews
4.6
CIE are a great tourist organisation. All costs were in the price quoted , no added extras like some tourist organisations. The tour covered big and small venues, cities and towns whilst the places used for accommodation were of great value. I would recommend CIE.
Loved every minute of the trip. Sam our driver was amazing. Jaquie our guide was fabulous. Couldn't recommend them any more. Would do it again in a heartbeat. A must do trip to add to your bucket list.
Stunning scenery in the wilds of Scotland, with some logistical challenges. 2 Norm, VIC, Australia, Aug 2023
This was an excellent itinerary to see the stunning landscapes that Scotland offers. Isle of Skye, Glencoe and Orkney were standout locations, The trip also had a liberal dose of castles and stately homes, both functioning and derelict. The tour guide provided an immense amount of history and perspective, to bring locations alive with their significance. ...read more Overall a very worthwhile experience.
On the downside, the tour company, CIE, chose to deliver our 'welcome pack' to the first hotel, rather than to our home. This appears to be their practice for Australians. This was in the least inconvenient as it meant we would not have the benefit of the provided backpacks for our outward journey. All other participants, who were from the USA, had their packs delivered to their homes. The impact was exacerbated by the packs not being there when we arrived, so we were without backpacks, name-tags, maps etc for the whole trip. It was only after pestering our guide that we finally received our packs on the very last day of the trip.
Our other concern was that the the quality of some of the hotels was below our expectations, with cramped rooms and bathrooms lacking power outlets etc, This is understandable in small remote towns, but the worst examples were actually in Glasgow and Inverness. We shared those hotels with other tour companies, such as Trafalgar, so we were not alone in the experience. The multiple tour groups also made meals, especially breakfast, a bit of a bunfight and far exceeded lift capabilities. We chose to walk up 5 flights at one stage, Would we do it again? Probably not with CIE. Their offices are in Ireland and USA and they appear to be not well geared for Australian participation.
On the downside, the tour company, CIE, chose to deliver our 'welcome pack' to the first hotel, rather than to our home. This appears to be their practice for Australians. This was in the least inconvenient as it meant we would not have the benefit of the provided backpacks for our outward journey. All other participants, who were from the USA, had their packs delivered to their homes. The impact was exacerbated by the packs not being there when we arrived, so we were without backpacks, name-tags, maps etc for the whole trip. It was only after pestering our guide that we finally received our packs on the very last day of the trip.
Our other concern was that the the quality of some of the hotels was below our expectations, with cramped rooms and bathrooms lacking power outlets etc, This is understandable in small remote towns, but the worst examples were actually in Glasgow and Inverness. We shared those hotels with other tour companies, such as Trafalgar, so we were not alone in the experience. The multiple tour groups also made meals, especially breakfast, a bit of a bunfight and far exceeded lift capabilities. We chose to walk up 5 flights at one stage, Would we do it again? Probably not with CIE. Their offices are in Ireland and USA and they appear to be not well geared for Australian participation.
Very organised. tour. Excellent hotels. Would book with Global Journeys again. My travel advisor Jemma Rosen was excellent answering concerns I had.
Amazing journey through Scottish Highlands and Isles, getting to see parts of Scotland that I would normally not have considered going to. Went in May and weather was fantastic. The accommodations (with the exception for the Balmacara Hotel) were very ordinary and well below expectations. Whilst I would recommend this trip, I would hope that the tour ...read more operators review the accommodation options and provide better options in the future.
My experience with Global Journeys was excellent along with my travel consultant Jemma Rosen. Very helpful in answering all my questions and I would definitely book with Global Journeys again in the future. Enjoyed my trip with CIE which I thought was good value.
4.5
Highly recommend to combine the best of Greece with a Celestyal cruise, ideally after but either way will be well worth it. Overall taste of Greece, by Land and Sea.
I would book future travels with Global Journeys again. Hannah was very helpful and always responds promptly. Always an easy and hassle-free experience when I book through Global Journeys.
The Trafalgar tour was also amazing. Our travel director (also named Hannah), was always very helpful and considerate of her guests. There were 39 people on the ...read more tour and we all generally got along and enjoyed each other's company. Would definitely book another Trafalgar tour, this was my 3rd one. It has always been an enjoyable and fun time.
The highlights for me in Croatia was Plitvice National Parks with its beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Definitely a spectacular place to visit. Opatija was a quaint and relaxing coastal town that is worth a visit to explore and enjoy great seafood. Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik were interesting cities with lots of history and great places to wander and get 'lost'. I travelled in April and the weather was interesting. Arrived in Zagreb to 30 degrees celsius, which is very hot for spring in Croatia but the rest of the trip was much milder temperatures below 20 degrees celsius with patches of rain.
The highlights in Slovenia was Lake Bled and the great food. Lake Bled is absolutely spectacular and the island in the middle of the lake with its cathedral is definitely worth a visit. The Bled cake is also one not be missed. The weather in Slovenia was also very interesting. It snowed the first night in Lake Bled but the next couple of days were 'normal' weather for spring.
The Trafalgar tour was also amazing. Our travel director (also named Hannah), was always very helpful and considerate of her guests. There were 39 people on the ...read more tour and we all generally got along and enjoyed each other's company. Would definitely book another Trafalgar tour, this was my 3rd one. It has always been an enjoyable and fun time.
The highlights for me in Croatia was Plitvice National Parks with its beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Definitely a spectacular place to visit. Opatija was a quaint and relaxing coastal town that is worth a visit to explore and enjoy great seafood. Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik were interesting cities with lots of history and great places to wander and get 'lost'. I travelled in April and the weather was interesting. Arrived in Zagreb to 30 degrees celsius, which is very hot for spring in Croatia but the rest of the trip was much milder temperatures below 20 degrees celsius with patches of rain.
The highlights in Slovenia was Lake Bled and the great food. Lake Bled is absolutely spectacular and the island in the middle of the lake with its cathedral is definitely worth a visit. The Bled cake is also one not be missed. The weather in Slovenia was also very interesting. It snowed the first night in Lake Bled but the next couple of days were 'normal' weather for spring.
Will always travel with Trafalgar, one of the main reasons would be having a local as the tour director. I learn so much more. Ako san was an excellent guide. Very informative, patient, gentle and a genuinely super nice person. First time I used Global Journeys. Hannah Perry is so efficient and easy to work with, see you soon, Hannah! Arigato
Croatia and Slovenia are really worth going to - every location was so picturesque. Glad we went at the start of the season, which was already busy in key cities and attractions - it would've been very crowded during peak season. This tour allowed us to go to many locations in Croatia and Slovenia. Tour was well-organised and comfortable but hotel locations ...read more in Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik were well outside the Old Town areas in residential zones. This significantly reduced our food and shopping options if we didn't join the optional excursions. Tour pace was very slow, would have been good to have more options for those wanting to do more, especially at Plitvice Lakes.
From the time we arrived in Italy, the Trafalgar Group looked after us like VIPs, our flight was delayed into Rome, however their team stayed back 15 min to transfer us to the hotel. The optional experiences are good value, created great memories of our trip to Italy.
It was a well organised trip entirely. The tour director was knowledgeable and caring, the driver was excellent. We cannot complain Trafalgar tours. As always, thank you, Hannah from Global Journeys, for organising this trip for us. You made it easy! We had wonderful time!
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