Viator Tours

[schoolman]

Has anyone used the company Viator, for tours in Cannes, Florence or Rome? Would appreciate any feedback if you have. Thanks.

[agabbymama]

I haven't used them yet, but I have made reservations through them for Rome and Venice. They are only a middleman, the tour is actually run by someone else, but I like the fact that I have already paid in U.S. dollars, well before my trip in October '08. I have vouchers my transfers from FCO to Rome Hotel, Hop on/Hop off bus in Rome, and two tours in Venice.

 

They send you a voucher, then you have to exchange that once you get to the venue. They service everywhere. I'll post upon my return of how well it went.

[hillslife]

Just returned from Rome Aug 8th and used Viator for the "Cappuchin Crypt & Catacombs tour" - everything worked great - we really enjoyed the tour - even my 17yo DD. Tour was paid for in advance from home, US Dollars - tour guides were there, on time and very good. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

 

We bought the Hop on Hop Off bus ticket on the bus when we were ready to do the tour- it was 18E/pp and was good for 24 hours. We bought the green bus HOHO tour because the bus goes until 1100pm and we were able to catch a bus at 8pm and do a night tour of the monuments lite up for night for the same price. I believe the red bus HOHO bus stops about 7pm - and they sell a night tour for 39E/pp.

[MSPCUBS]

hillslife - Was the 18 E price for all day including the night tour? How was the bus to use? Crowded? Readily available? Leaving in Sept. and like the idea of a HOHO bus to see the city at night.

[metfan747]

I had good and bad experiences with them this past June. It Barcelona it was great. In Sicily, I contracted for a private mini van tour for 6 people for $540. We were picked up at the pier by a bus, had a guide who said his English was limitedm and driven to the Cathredral (a 5 minute ride), given a map written in Italian, and told we would be picked up in 3 hours.

[Steph27]

I used Viator 3 times but it only worked once! In Barbados our "Seaeye" trip was cancelled due to the rough seas. We disputed the charge on Amex and were refunded. In Rome I used them for their tour of Tivoli. The timing was tight as I had to take the earliest train from Civitavecchia to Roma Termini and then a taxi to the office. I barely made it. I kept calling the office on my cell phone begging them to wait for me. I was told that if I was not there by 9:00am exactly they would leave without me! I walked onto the bus at precisely 9:01am, so they did wait. The tour was great and the guide excellent. So it was well worth the extra effort. In Prague I booked Viator for the pickup at the airport. However, the directions were to go to a certain desk in terminal 1 (a long walk!) but it was closed. On our departure from Prague I went to the desk since it was open and mentioned the problem. The charges were refunded without having to contact Viator. (In Prague, book with AAA taxi when you arrive at the airport. Very easy and great service). I would book tours again with Viator but probably not a car to or from any airport.

[hillslife]

MSPCUBS - yes the 18E was for 24 hours from the first use....so we bought it one am and used it all day and then reboarded about 8pm for the night trip. We did not HOHO at night, just road the bus around to see the sites lit up. There is also an option for 48 hours that was 23E, but we didn't need it for 2 days.

 

Ticket comes with earphones and a narration of the sites - there always seemed to be seats on the top, although it was blazing hot in August. But very pleasant on the top for the night tour.

 

The bus came every 10-15 minutes. The only time we waited longer was in the evening when some buses were starting to close down and there were fewer running - that wait was about 30 minutes.

[sun&sea]

Used them for 2 tours in Rome. One was excellent, a 3 hr tour of the Colesseum and Roman Forum. The other was a night walking tour in Rome where no one showed up. I emailed Viator, got an initial response, but will dispute the charges on our credit card if I do not hear anything by early next week.:mad:

 

Janet

[threeofus]

We used Viator in Rome for a Segway Tour. Everything worked out great. No problem at all. We enjoyed the tour very much.

I can't say anything negative about them. We paid in advance and they emailed us vouchers. The meeting place changed and we were notified several times - in advance.

I would not hesitate to use them again.

[tkere]

Well since Viator is the middle man, it really depends on the tour companies they use in the different cities. I liked that I could pay in US dollars and get delta sky miles for it too.

 

I booked an Orvieto/Assisi tour from Rome on Monday, 9/22. I will post a trip report after and say how it was. The tour is booked with Viator but they are using Green Line tours.

 

Most of the reviews of this tour are ok, some people were not happy they were not brought back to their hotel on the return trip. I don't care about that, so hopefully it will be fine.

[debbeck]

My daughter and her husband live in Sweden. They are Americans and are using this time living abroad to travel to as many European cities as they are able. Needless to say, I am very jealous! They have booked alot of tours through Viator and have not had one negative experience. They also use Expedia's activities service and have only had one "clitch" there. I have to agree with the previous poster on this thread that the blame really lies with the contrated tour company and I would imagine that refunds for tours not provided are pretty easy, but it would be disappointing to get to your destination expecting a tour and not get it. The great part is that you are able to pay in dollars at their online sites and print your voucher. When you get to the tour, just present your voucher and you are ready to go. The alternative is to wait until you arrive and find the tour, see if there is availability and pay in EUROs. Or you can take the cruise line tours!! Heaven forbid!

[cruisemom42]

I've had similar experiences with Viator. I've only taken a few of their tours -- a couple were very good, and one wasn't so good (didn't cover what the description said). I reported my dissatisfaction with this tour when I got home and was promptly refunded a portion of the cost.

 

I guess my feeling would be to read the description and reviews posted carefully and realize that it's probably not going to be at the level of a private tour such as some that are frequently recommended here. However, for a brief overview at a reasonable price, I think they're fine.

[SteveNorthampton]

My wife and I used Viator to tour the Vatican and Sistine Chapel in February. I would thoroughly recommend them to anybody. Our guide was a young History of Art student who was clearly passionate about the whole place.

We met at the bottom of some stairs near to the entrance, then walked past the queues (400m+ in Feb) and into the Vatican.

Beacause we had been given radio earphones he was even able to whisper a commenatry to the fifteen of us in the Sistine Chapel where NO TALKING is supposed to the rule.

Steve.:)

Northampton UK

[voltdoc]

Has anyone used the company Viator, for tours in Cannes, Florence or Rome? Would appreciate any feedback if you have. Thanks.

 

I think "Viator" is a good company to take tours with. Although you don't get a "private" tour, you are with 40 to 50 people, you get more than you pay for. That is what we saw.

I had the misfortune to book my tours with "Tourcrafters" and it was a nightmare. They also are middlemen for booking tours. They lied to me and never resolved the complaints we had. I booked them because it is a company in the USA and thought it would be more reputable, I was wrong.

After being on tours, and "Viator" was conducting tours next to us we saw a big difference on how other companies conduct business. Go with "Viator" and have a good time.............voltdoc

[blingbling]

Used them for 2 tours in Rome. One was excellent, a 3 hr tour of the Colesseum and Roman Forum. The other was a night walking tour in Rome where no one showed up. I emailed Viator, got an initial response, but will dispute the charges on our credit card if I do not hear anything by early next week.:mad:

 

Janet

 

Was the tour of Trasvetare/Jewish Ghetto tour by any chance? We have 4 persons booked for next month on this 6pm tour and wondering if we should call before leaving to "confirm" again that this will take place.

[deeinaz]

Used Viator twice in the Med...

once in florence--skip the line tickets to the academy and the Ufizzi...

and then the skip the line at the Vatican...

both were great.

 

We got a tour for the price of just tickets in Florence...it was great.

 

Their tour guides are really great and the tours were well organized.

[sun&sea]

Was the tour of Trasvetare/Jewish Ghetto tour by any chance? We have 4 persons booked for next month on this 6pm tour and wondering if we should call before leaving to "confirm" again that this will take place.

 

Read the fine print! Remember that Viator is just the booking agent. They book tours using tour companies from all over the world. In our case, once I actually had booked this night walking tour of Rome (after I printed out my voucher), there was a line on it that suggested I call a certain number at least 24hrs prior to confirm my exact time and date!!! I would never have paid for a tour that left the date and time up in the air!!! Especially when I was on a cruise ship the day before, as I would have known there would be no way to call.

The good news is, Viator has refunded our money!:) Therefore, I would have no problem booking with them in the future. The second tour we went on was wonderful, and it was nice to have some of these tours paid ahead of time. Good luck with your tour, and enjoy!

 

Janet

[tahoe782]

We are taking a Viator tour in Rome in Sept.

The voucher gave a phone # to call 24hrs in advance and also the name of the company we are using in Rome.

I emailed them and they returned guite promptly with the reconfirm.

I feel much better now knowing they are expecting us.

 

Tahoe782