Minibus or 2 Minivans for Large Group?

[andovertravelers]

Hello, have any of you had experience with a private tour in Marseille or Villefranche? We are a family of 14 and it is cost effective for us to do private tours (rather than the ship ones). We are just beginning our research, but some tour companies are telling us that if we choose a single mini bus we will have to meet it far from the ship at port, and it will not be able to bring us into many cities but instead will drop us off as far as a mile away from city sights. Those companies suggest that we instead hire 2 minivans and split our group up for the ride.

 

I am posting an identical post in the Italy forums.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have!

[4cats4me]

Yes, what they've told you is correct.

the big vehicles simply cannot get close to many sites. We had a lot in our group and split into two and three minis. That was the only way to go, as far as we all were concerned. It was quicker all around. With 6-8 per vehicle, getting on and off the vehicles is quicker, unlike having to wait for a larger group get on and off. Even though 14 per vehicle doesn't sound like a lot of people, it actually is, when time is of the essence. Private touring in smaller vans was the best way to see more. One example I can give is when we went to Pisa, we pulled right up to the backside of the tower by a couple hundred feet, while those on busses small and large, had to park way out and walk half a mile. Not sure if you've traveled in this region before, but many streets are extremely narrow, necessitating a smaller vehicle. Another example is when we went to the Amalfi Coast, our driver was able to drive us down a narrow lane into Positano, and park in the covered parking garage. That simply would not have been an option with a 14-passenger vehicle, as WE barely made it.

In Florence, no way would a bus be able to get into the heart of the city. You would spend a lot of wasted time parking far out, and then walking unnecessarily long distances, where you could have taken a train instead which would have dropped you in the heart of Florence.

While traveling along the French Riviera, same thing, smaller vehicles have an easier time getting closer parking spots. Basically, everywhere we went that was the drill, Greece, Turkey, Italy, et cet.

 

 

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Edited May 15, 2017 by 4cats4me

[TMLAalum]

When is your cruise? We have a group of 16 touring out of Villefranche this October with Sylvie.

 

She gave us the option of 2 vans or a minibus. The vans held 8 each with seating as follows:

driver + 2 pax, 3 pax, 3 pax. We've toured in that type van elsewhere in Europe and there are drawbacks especially with 8 in a group: if the driver/guide has no mike system, the road noise drowns him out, it is cramped even with just 6 in the group, views are limited from the way back and getting in/out is a challenge. Needless to say we chose the minibus! Even if we have to park on the outskirts of Eze, Roquebrune & La Turbie and walk a bit, we will have a comfortable ride, especially since the minibus can hold up to 25!

[Pushkin]

We used Ingrid of Kultours for our Villefranche port stop a couple of weeks ago. She picked us up right at the tender landing. We went to Nice for a couple of hours and then to St. Paul de Vence and Monaco. There were 14 of us and we were all in one vehicle with a driver and Ingrid as our guide. It was great!