Switzerland & Austria Trip Review: Salzburg, Zermatt, Hallstatt, Food and Tuk-Tuk Tours, Classical Concerts

Review by traveler

Charlene C.

9.20.2023

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Switzerland

Austria

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Working with this travel company to plan the trip was easy and wonderful. Mojca and Zala took my suggestions, added their suggestions, and a lovely trip was planned. When communicating with the company, feedback was either almost immediate or within 24 hours because of the time change. We liked the idea of having a driver with us for the trip and our driver was an excellent driver and a good person. We enjoyed him a lot. A couple of the hotels I wish had been more centrally located to the older parts of town so that it would have been more walkable, but we used taxis when necessary. Most of the guides were wonderful and knowledgeable and provided us with great tours of the cities. For Gabi in Salzburg, it was just too hot and the tour was poor at best. We were disappointed that the reservation to tour the salt mine in Hallstatt was made at the wrong location, so we did not get to do that, but we took a boat ride instead. The Tuk-Tuk tour and the food tour in Vienna were exceptional! It was a great trip, our travel agency provided us with a wonderful time, and all 5 of us came home satisfied with our experiences.
Just a suggestion---In some areas of cities when we were going on a tour, our driver dropped us off very far away from the attraction. Taxis were driving people right up to the door, but our driver did not have clearance to do that. Could that be possible?

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

There were so many wonderful experiences on this trip! In Switzerland, going to the tops of the different mountains was awesome and just showed how insignificant we all are on this earth. Oh, the majesty! Zermatt was our favorite city as it was smaller and more quaint, and we loved the hotel. In Austria, we attended two classical concerts and both were wonderful. The food tour and the tuk-tuk tour were outstanding and we could not have been happier with them. We enjoyed everything we did (except Gabi in Salzburg) and I could have named a lot more from both countries.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

What would I do differently? First, I would not have packed a few days as full as they were so we could have had a little more down-time. I would have looked to see if there were more city tours like the tuk-tuk tour as that was so much fun and we got to see the sights. As I stated above, a couple of the hotels were not centrally located in the older parts of town so I would have researched better and asked for hotels in different locations. The older we get, the more important location is!

Travel Company Comments:

Dear Charlene,
We want to express our gratitude for taking the time to provide feedback on your recent travel experience with us. Your input is invaluable to us as we continually strive to improve our services.
However, we must admit that some of your comments have left us surprised. Our dedicated driver has been an integral part of our team for over a decade, and it is genuinely surprising to hear about any concerns regarding his performance, as you are the first person to express such feedback in the past 10 years of his service. We hold him in high regard and believe in his commitment to ensuring a safe and comfortable journey for our clients.
Regarding your accommodation, we understand that you had specific budget constraints, and we did our best to accommodate your request to lower costs. Nonetheless, we diligently arranged for some of the finest 4-star hotels in central locations that would meet your needs. We genuinely wonder if there was anything more we could have done to enhance your stay, given the budgetary constraints. We believe that, considering these limitations, we provided you with the best available options.
When it comes to the Salt Mine tour, we wholeheartedly share your aspiration for perfection. Occasionally, despite our best efforts, unforeseen challenges can arise. We did offer you an alternative tour of the Salt Mines the following day to make amends for any inconvenience you may have experienced. Regrettably, you declined this offer, and we respect your decision.
Once again, thank you for choosing our travel company for your adventure, and we are elated that all five of you returned home with overall satisfaction regarding your experiences. Your valuable suggestions will undoubtedly contribute to our ongoing efforts to enhance our services. We sincerely hope to have the privilege of arranging another memorable trip for you in the future, surpassing your expectations.
Warm regards,
Mojca