About Riviera Travel

This review is for the italian Lake Como trip Aug 1-8 Wow what a trip. Riviera from start to finish were excellent the booking and help line answering questions were very good and clear. The travel booklet you get is laid out that it is simple to read and follow with step by step info from booking in to flights to meeting the guides. Our guide Matt Purse was just the best guide and real credit to Riviera with his knowledge and straight forward approach to running the trips. Matt kept us informed and told us all the sort of info you want to know without going over the top....This chap should teach other reps ..thank you so much. The coaches they use are all clean and well equipped with usb chargers and have aircon. The places chosen to visit were well researched even down to where coaches park or drop you off. The Bernina Express was the highlight for our family and matts photo tip was welcomed. The only down point was the hotel,a little dated and evening meal in main restuarant was a bit of a let down. I think we were lucky with our room on level 7 and with balcony as the walls are very thin and noise travels. We would book again with riviera

I have been on three trips with Riviera Travel so far, with two more booked during 2024. Highly recommended. Excellent tour guides. Great program of visits. Great hotels used.

Presently in Croatia staying at Arauana Hotel, supposedly a 4 star property, but wouldn't give it any star rating. Rooms are small and dirty. Wallpaper blistering. Meals served in a shed like lean-to. Food like warm, greasy and always self service. Second holiday with Riviera this year and neither at standard advertised. Have travelled with them previously and everything was fine, but standards have really dropped. Have booked a holiday with them next year and now dreading it. Certainly don't provide the standard advertised. We have never stayed in such a hovel and have visited youngsters in back packers accommodation which was far better than this supposedly 4 star accommodation. There are no indoor bars or lounges only a shed as a so called restaurant. Absolutely disgusting. Won't be boking with them again

Just returned from my first Riviera tour ,Valencia and the orange grove coast for solo travellers an̈d despite challenges due to two public holidays and things closing, it was managed excellently by the tour manager. Would not hesitate to use Riviera again. Pleased to find a replacement after very bad service from Titan in the past.

What a fantastic holiday to Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise. If you are thinking of booking this do it right now. From start to finish everything was great. The hotels, the transport and the cruise. The rep was absolutely fabulous. If you have ‘B’ as your rep you will make a friend. She is so full of knowledge. We went on this trip with strangers and left it as friends.

Thankyou Riviera and all the staff on the William Wordsworth Danube River cruise. My husband and i have just travelled on the Danube to celebrate my husbands 60th and we had such a lovely experience. We were younger than most of the travellers but we met so many lovely people so this wasnt a problem. The staff were so lovely and professional. The service we experienced was so high. The boat was beautiful, the food amazing and the excursions were informative and well managed. I would definately recommend riviera as a company. In fact we are now considering their Japan holiday.

We have just returned from the most wonderful holiday in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Sri Lanka is such a fascinating place to visit; the people, the sights, the food, the wildlife are extraordinary. Riviera have created a super itinerary which includes notable sights including visits to an Elephant Sanctuary and Yala National Park, whilst staying at top notch hotels. The Maldives leg - 7 days on a boat visiting numerous deserted islands and sandbanks, night time fishing expeditions, snorkelling, barbecue on the beach etc.....it was simply out of this world. i cannot praise Riviera too highly. Thank you.

Fantastic small boat cruise from Split to Porec and then by catamaran to Venice. Well done Riviera for another wonderful holiday. Would recommend this company and all their small boat cruises (just completed our 3rd!).

First River Cruise and the first time with Riviera but it won't be the last. The holiday exceeded our expectations. From the reps we spoke to when booking, to the staff and crew on board, they were all very friendly and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. Everything was well organised and made for a very enjoyable holiday. The boat was very clean, plenty of space in the cabin and on deck and the food was some of the best I have ever tasted. Plenty to see along the Rhine, with castles, towns passing by at a nice sedate pace and watching the other craft using the Rhine. Highly recommend.

We had a wonderful time in a beautiful area. The tour was so well organised and supported by charming and knowledgable Riviera guides. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Really excellent and will definitely book again.

Amazed at the cleanliness. No litter, streets always clean. No smoking in public areas, no ciggy buts, no dogs, no dogs mess, no chewing gum. All zebra crossings controlled by traffic lights. Kyoto railway station complex an engineering and architectural marvel. A wide choice of restaurants, always busy many with queues.

We would go again in a heartbeat

Oh my goodness, what a relief it was to actually get away! Full marks to all at Riviera for keeping us up to date before our trip and for the help so cheerfully and patiently given with the extra admin that Covid brought our way. We felt totally safe with the measures taken on board, thank you very much for this. Without exception, Staff were fantastic and our every need was attended to. The additional Covid testing ran smoothly, organised by our Riviera Reps. The guided tours were most interesting: the guides very knowledgeable and more importantly, interesting to listen to. We loved this trip and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you again Riviera, you were FAB!

Lake Maggiore tour was spectacular! Made even better by having Matt Purse as our guide. We stayed at Regina Palace and only comment I'd make is that we riviera peeps were fed together at 7.30 pm. The service was slow and we didn't often get out until 9.30 or 10 most evenings leaving no time to wander into Stresa for a digestif or coffee. Not a fault of Riviera and we will ensure we ask the appropriate questions next time we book. The tour itself was fabulous, SO much packed in! One minor quibble is that the day we did Cannobio and then Locarno (to take Centovalli train, which was brilliant)was that we would have preferred to have spent much longer in Cannobio which was delightful rather than 3 hours in Locarno which was not as delightful and we found ourselves kicking our heels somewhat in a very large place when Cannobio was much picturesque (in my opinion). But, it may be a logistical issue with the coaches, I don't know but certainly this needs looking at. Overall fab trip made even better with our guide Matt. I really hope we meet him again, he's a real treasure to the company.

Just returned from a wonderful holiday in Madeira. The scenery was magnificent and the tour very comprehensive. The local guide was very interesting as she gave a great deal of in depth information about all of the places we visited and the history of the island. Weather was great too. The sunrise and sunset from our hotel balcony were beautiful.

Had a brilliant time in Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga. Just the right amount of time touring/free time, excellent tour guide - Katerina De Marco, and beautiful weather. Will definitely book with Riviera again. 😺👍

Highly recommended company. Second time to book and certainly not the last. Amazing staff, all went the extra mile and beyond to please. Food, service, cabins,staff and excursions excellent. Something to suit all. You won't be disappointed if you book with Riviera Travel . Thank you all. Looking forward to our next venture with you.

Delayed writing this review as I wanted to see if my frustrations dampened but they have not and it gives me no pleasure to write the following. Have travelled with Riviera previously without issue, and in fact loved everything. However on the latest riviera cruise from Budapest the vegetarian food offering was way below par and indeed it was clear there were times they cross contaminated between veggie and meat/fish. Staff on the cruise seemed unable to improve the issues and indeed on occasion the attempt to say they were giving this full attention resulted in even worse food. On return my complaint was dealt with quickly and we were refunded what in effect would be the cost of the food element of the cruise without delay. There was no recognition however that the marketing references to fine dining were in fact misleading. The individual who dealt with the complaint mentioned more than once that she had tried the vegetarian food on another ship Riviera use (it's the same two week rotating menu all season across the fleet) and found it to be good; pleased to hear, that doesn't help me does it! And totally ignored the fact that on a cruise you can't exactly jump ashore to supplement your food if it is poor, which meant there were occasions I went to bed hungry as it was truly that bad or lacking in quantity and food is such an integral part of the trip when you are basically held captive. I even bought my own extras when ashore for the chef to add to my meals like smoked tofu which they had the audacity to present to me at the special chefs dinner as cheese they had sourced! Very poor complaint handling that lacked real empathy, did not address all the points I raised and we all know escalating to the ombudsman is pointless as they are a toothless shark. Pictures shown are a main course for dinner - Pad Thai that was actually rice sticks with carrot and pine nuts, two tiny samosas & lettuce while the non veggies had shrimp skewers that were apparently delicious and roasted vegetable pie that was two mm of chopped veg with an inch of mash in top! The cruise itself was lovely but completely marred by the food and Riviera have now lost my business.

Had an excellent cruise off the coast of Croatia on the MV Corona . The ship was wonderful, cabins clean and surprisingly spacious and the lunches on board were excellent. The itinerary was perfect to see Dubrovnik , Split and the islands off the coast with a particular highlight being the daily sea swim stops in secluded bays off the islands. Would highly recommend

Although most people seem to book and pay for their holidays online, because we live close by we prefer to make a personal visit. In my opinion if they are offering this as an option they should be better equipped to accommodate visits in person. We have not been on our river cruise yet, so can't comment on that yet.

Recently returned from the really excellent Valencia and the Orange Grove Coast Solo trip. The tour manager, Tony, was wonderful, the group all got on well and the excursions were fascinating and varied. I had a fantastic time

The tour of classical Spain was fabulous! Every hotel was really comfortable and had a pool. Every destination was wonderful with some organised visits / tours and free time. Travelling between destinations was a pleasure because of the dramatic scenery. We were really well guided and looked after by the tour manager. Highlights were everything about Seville, Ronda, Granada and Mijas and the great, reasonably priced food! We loved it!

Recently went on a tour of the Deep South USA plus Texas. Before we set off on the trip we were informed that our trip On the Amtrak train would not be going ahead and we were given a £50 refund each. We were disappointed especially as there was no consultation beforehand and to only receive £50 each in compensation was poor. This was one of the reasons we had chosen Riviera Travel and may have considered another company had we been given the choice. Despite this we had a fabulous holiday, although we thought the tour guide was poor. There was no music played whilst we were traveling on the coach and when asked if more could be played we received a flat ‘no’. If we had relied on the tour guide all the time we wouldn’t have gone anywhere. However we ignored his comments that Nashville was ‘mad’ and went downtown and had the best night. All in all we had a wonderful holiday but it could have been better from Riviera Travel point of view. This is a very expensive tour and we thought the standard of hotels were very poor in some places. Probably would try a different tour company next time.

In the past I've done an excellent tour of Rajasthan with Riviera, which prompted me to book a cruise on the Danube recently. It was excellent. Plenty of interesting places to visit with excellent and entertaining guides, an extremely comfortable ship and excellent food. Very good value for the high standard.

Second escorted tour with this company. Did 5 days in Iceland tour. Everything went smoothly, excellent tour guide, Per. Extremely knowledgeable and interesting guy. Very friendly too. Highly recommend. Just let down by the room given at the hotel, but I guess the travel company doesn't have control over this.

Riviera South Africa tour - awesome

Riviera have amazing holidays and tours to choose from. The one we chose was South Africa and wow! It turned out to be our best trip ever - incredible memories we will never forget. We’ve been all over the world which was because of all our experiences, this one was awesome. The organisation of the holiday, the guide and the travel was e cells that. The choice of hotels, meals, restaurants, trips was absolutely fantastic - very good quality and character - nothing bland or boring! The Riviera guide was permanently with us along with a South Africa guide and they were both extremely friendly, professional, informative and you could ask any questions you want! I would massively recommend this holiday/trip and when you’ve experienced it, you realise how reasonable the price is. We reflect on this trip a lot and thank you Riviera for giving us such a wonderful experience.

Took a cruise from Venice to Split on the MS Stella Maris. Excellent in every way. All personnel from Tour Manager to Room Service were top class. On board food was better than first class and the various stopping points well chosen and local tours and guides could really not be faulted. The stops gave sufficient time to explore and sample the local sights , restaurants and bars. Riviera organised a very good holiday which ran smoothly and was excellently well run. This is an first rate company and they manage things very well. We have used them previously and will use them again.

Just returned from an amazing visit to the Italian lakes by train. Riviera Travel and their tour manager have been outstanding throughout. Stayed at the Astoria in Stresa. Great accommodation with side view of lake Maggiore. Amazing food with dedicated Gluten free options for Coeliac sufferers.

Rhine Christmas markets cruise

Just completed a 5 day trip on the Rhine. Our first river cruise and a tester for future cruises. The boat was well appointed and the cabin and public areas were spotlessly clean. The staff were attentive and contributed to the very relaxed atmosphere on the boat. The quality of the food surpassed that which we have experiened on sea cruises in recent years. I have written little because it was a faultless experience. We have booked a further cruise (in France) on the basis of our experience.

My 3rd Riviera trip within a year and I wasn't disappointed 😁 This time it was https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/escorted-tours/southern-india-coastal-route-solo-travellers This trip, although not cheap, it really offers exceptional value for money as you see a lot of Tamil Nadu and Kerela, stay in fantastic hotels, excellent breakfasts every day as well as some lunches and dinners also included. George Bareham, our "Tour Manager" was brilliant, very professional, but also friendly and diligent. Satheeshan, our local guide was helpful and picked me up antibiotics when I got ill, he was a nice chap, if (for my taste) went on a bit and used 20 words when 1 would suffice. Mr Sweeny, our coach driver was fantastic,really professional and an exceptionally good driver. His assistant, Murgon wad a delight, always smiling and attentive. This is a full on trip, early morning starts and quite a packed itinerary, but still leaving time to laze around some brilliant hotel swimming pools. Only a couple of suggestions to improve the holiday. More shopping time in Cochin and change carriers from Etihad who, unfortunately aren't the excellent airline they used to be. But, will I use Riviera Travel again - Yes 😁

Our first escorted tour, We went to Italy and stayed in Perugia, and I have to say it was amazing, we saw so much, all explained by superb local guides and a excellent tour manager, Daniel. Really good quality hotel and great trips out each day, to Assisi, Cortona, Spoletto just to name a few. Very pleased with it and would definitely book another trip in the near future,

Cruise ship William Wordsworth: A cruise ship of excellence, very well appointed, comfortable & indulgent. We departed Budapest and cruised the Blue Danube heading to Vienna. The top deck offers sun loungers, a heated pool, golf and a place to just sit & relax. The cabins have everything you could want for but above all incredible comfortable. The staff are professional, courteous, and attentive and do everything to make your stay a pure pleasure. This is an experience you will remember for many years.

Just got back from a tour of Malta had… Just got back from a tour of Malta and had a great week. Denise, our tour guide, was amazing and looked after 50 of us. Grace, our local guide, was excellent in her knowledge of Malta. We enjoyed visiting the historical sites and other places of interest. Our hotel was very comfortable and near to shops and restaurants in the area. The food was a little disappointing. It was always buffet meals reminiscent of canteen food and a little repetitive. Nevertheless we really enjoyed our 8 day tour

The Rhine and Moselle on Geoffrey Chaucer 4th-12th September. It was our first river cruise and we really enjoyed it. We travelled by Eurostar and it was seamless, with instructions on where to go, very clear. We had an uncomplicated and stress free journey (unlike those who flew!) And we would always now choose to travel by rail to Europe in the future. It was a fabulous ship. The crew and Riviera staff were exceptional, always going above and beyond. It was very clear, that as a team, they really gelled as there was a happy atmosphere on board. The food was amazing. Only criticism is that I am now having to go on a diet! We didn't want it to end!

Trip was well organised. Booking was easy as staff very helpful. Was taken to as many places as possible in the time we had. Local guides were excellent.

My first cruise and I couldn’t have done better than my recent Seine River cruise. Carmen the tour organiser was excellent and always willing to go the extra mile to sort out any problems. The crew were amazing , friendly and helpful, the captain was great when explaining the controls on the bridge. Everything was very clean, food truly delicious and the pianist a delight and I was able to indulge my passion for dancing. My fellow guests were a delight and I made many new friends. Thank you Riviera

An amazing trustworthy company.

By the law of averages, there will occasionally be dramas with holidays when hundreds of people are on a package trip. It’s a fact of life. However a true rating measure of a travel company is how they look after the customer in these circumstances. Riviera Travel are, in my opinion, totally trustworthy and will do whatever they can within their power when there is a problem. In fact, to a degree that is actually above and beyond the call of duty. I would thoroughly recommend them, and look forward to our next Riviera holiday in 2022.

First time with Riviera and had a fantastic experience. Andalusia is stunning and Seville may be my current favourite city. The tour manager was fantastic, the itinerary was busy but do-able and the organisation was first class. We’re already looking at Italy with Riviera for our next holiday.

Riviera tour was brilliant. Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga are all wonderful places, each in its own special way. We had plenty of free time and organised activities were very good. Hotels good standard and fairly close (walking distance) to centres. Our brilliant guide Alex made the tour extra special.

Croatian Islands Cruise

We have just returned from a very enjoyable cruise along the Croatian coast on the Il Mare. Everything was extremely well organised and it was a very relaxing holiday. We had a week of excellent weather, also being organised for us by Riviera! I would definitely recommend this type of cruise to anybody considering something similar as both the scenery and stops at the numerous islands were very pleasant.

Excellent cruise on Thomas Hardy. First time on a river cruise after many ocean cruises, but it won’t be the last. Riviera are an excellent company to deal with.

This is for the 3 day Swiss extension followed by Rhine cruise from Basel to Cologne between 3rd and 13th September 2023. The flight was fine but for some strange reason the driver of the lorry carrying our cases from Geneva to Zermatt managed to get airside and caused chaos. Fortunately we managed to get past him and meet Riviera's excellent tour guide Maggie who got everything sorted and us on our train in time. Maggie was brilliant throughout the extension and we had an amazing time in Zermatt and on the Glacier Express. The hotel in Chur was a bit dated with low beams in the room but otherwise good. The first full day on the boat was very rushed with a 2.5 hour coach trip to Lucerne (where we only had an hour which was not enough) then another to board the train up to see the mountains of the Bernese Oberland. The train was crowded and uncomfortable (especially in 32° temperatures) and our time at the top again too short but the views were stunning. Another long ride down then a 3 hour trip back to the boat was just too much. The excursions on the other days and our time on the ship were much more relaxed and enjoyable. The ship itself, our cabin, the food and the amazing cruise were everything we had hoped for and more. I don't know if we will do another river cruise but if we do I would certainly be happy to travel with Riviera again especially if Maggie is our guide.

We had a week in Croatia on the Adriatic Sun .The boat was fantastic but be aware the lower cabins are affected by engine noise . Also in busier ports the boats stack alongside each other this means you have to jump between boats there is a step on one boat but often still a big gap . A passenger on our boat tripped . The food was great though as the itinerary was changed due to weather it seemed pointless going off and then coming back so we missed some meals . The places we visited were amazing and I definitely want to revisit some . I wanted to do swimming this wasn’t always possible due to weather. The captains night was great fun despite him not speaking English . I loved being on a smaller boat and the other passengers were great which added to the experience as being a smaller boat you do get to chat . As the boat sails in the day you have time at sea but the coastline was so beautiful it was not an issue. The tour guide from Riveria was really helpful but I think at times she struggled with timings due to the captain not speaking English . I would definitely do another trip like this .

I had done three trips with this company and all of the trips have been excellent. Before the trip there is great communication. Trips are well organised too. Accommodation consistently to a high standard. Would highly recommend. And the Blue Light discount also is a bit of an added bonus. Our guide Michele was also a superstar.