Barcelona to Berlin small group vacation

Planet

One of the great things about our Barcelona to Berlin trip is that it runs entirely on public transport – crossing through six European countries by train, tram, bus and on foot. Train travel is considered the most sustainable mode of transport, not only because it has the lowest level of CO2 emissions when compared to air and road travel. But it also requires relatively low-level energy consumption, employs the best use of space and has a lesser noise impact on the environment.
That’s why on this tour we travel on public transport to every destination we discover. For instance, to get to our hotels in Avignon and Paris we jump on the Metro. In Luxembourg and Brussels, we use local buses, and in Amsterdam we travel by tram. It’s worth noting that most of the hotels we stay in are centrally located and therefore the amount of travel required between attractions is minimal.
Minimising waste is very important. Sadly, it’s nigh on impossible to reduce our waste production to zero, but we encourage our passengers to think carefully about the products they use. We always suggest bringing a reusable water bottle as this really helps cut down on plastic waste. We also give out canvas bags at the start of each trip. Our travelers can then use them every day, whether to go shopping for souvenirs or for carrying those daily essentials. These bags go home with our travelers too in the hope they’ll continue to be used long after their adventure with us comes to an end.

People

Supporting local suppliers is a major part of our philosophy, which might sound difficult or almost impossible whilst traveling through big, European cities – but it’s not. Firstly, we aim to use small, family-run hotels as opposed to big, well-known chains. Secondly, our amazing leaders will always suggest local eateries or smaller restaurants, and their strong local relationships mean they have the inside scoop on where to grab the best tapas or currywurst. Thirdly, we favour heading to local markets over global supermarkets for our picnic lunches and relish the opportunity to practise our language skills by interacting with the sellers there. Plus, if we need to catch the occasional taxi, or hire a guide to take us around an interesting site, we’ll call our local friends to ensure we get the best and most knowledgeable service.
Whilst on your journey from Barcelona to Berlin you’re almost guaranteed to spot one thing – plenty of tourists. And it’s no wonder as these places are beautifully charming, full of character and history, packed with great restaurants, cultural hotspots and more. But there’s one thing to remember – there are local people going about their everyday lives in these destinations too. We do everything to make sure our groups have a minimal impact on that, starting with the size of tours. We travel in small packs of no more than 16 people, making us different to the usual large busloads of tourists flooding an attraction all at once. We also make the effort to teach our travelers basic language phrases and advise them on how to dress when visiting churches and other religious sites. One final thing we try and do is schedule our departures so that we’re not visiting the most popular places over weekends in an attempt to try and give the locals a bit of space.