Trailblazing Switzerland

In Europe, every season has its own characteristics, there is no one straight forward answer to when is, the best season to visit Europe. Every season can be a good time to visit, you just need to know what to expect during each season and what to expect.

The best time to visit Europe depends on what you wish to see during your visit, budget and the temperature range in which you’re the most comfortable.  

Below is an overview, of what to expect in different parts of Europe in each season of the year.

All European tours, involve walking on daily basis. Depending on the cities, sightseeing that you are visiting.

• The independent plan is customized itinerary, in which your choice of destinations/ activities/ sightseeing is incorporated on your preferred travel date.
• Independent travel always allows you more freedom, as you are the one who makes and fixes your schedule from the suggestions we provide, you get to control every aspect of it. Therefore, you can adjust it according to your preferences, special conditions, etc. Customized travel plan is a trip also means that you get to decide which and how many places you visit. The independent plan is curated as per your taste & budget and the selection of hotels & activities are offered accordingly.
• There is no Tour escort, in these independent tours; you will not have the services of a tour manager to assist with any on tour services.
• Every itinerary for each destination differs from each other in terms of transportation, hotels , amenities & services
• Traveling independently means that you are on your own, You are guided for the same by us prior to your departure. 

Below are the different types of tours:

Sic Tours:

• SIC tours stands for Seat-in-Coach Basis Tours, which means you will share a coach or van with other tourists and you will have an English-speaking tour guide to take you to all the scenic spots listed in the Itinerary that day.
• In SIC Tours you are required to reach the departure point on your own.
• Pick up and Drop point of SIC tours may not be the same.

Walking tours:

• A walk of a historical or cultural site undertaken on foot, frequently in an urban setting. Short tours can last under an hour, while longer ones can take in multiple sits and last a full day. A walk can be led by a tour guide, as an escort.ing tour is a tour
• Example: Walking tour of Florence, Walking tour of Venice, Walking tour in Vatican City etc.

Hop-on- hop-off bus pass: 

• Hop on Hop off Bus Pass means you can jump on and off the bus at its designated stops as many times as you want, within your ticket validity.
• For Example: We have over 45 stops right by London's best attractions, and with buses arriving regularly you're free to explore at your own pace, then simply rejoin the tour when you're ready.
• You are required to reach the nearest departure point on you own.

Private van tour: 

• PRIVATE TOUR simply means your tour, where all ground services are provided by your very own personal guide, with a private vehicle and chauffeur, exclusively for your party  nobody else

• According to driving laws of Europe a driver cannot drive more than 8 Hours and required 15 Minutes break after 2 Hours of Driving, 45 Minutes break After 4 Hours Of Driving. 
• Hours of Operations will be Maximum 11 Hrs strictly inclusive of all the compulsory breaks in between.  There is no way to extend the hours.
• The Car is booked for the service mentioned and as per the Itinerary provided by Flamingo only.
• If Passengers need to use the car for any additional services, Additional, charges is to be paid. The same has to be paid directly and the services should be within the driving hours only.
• The drivers speaks basic English and he is a driver and not a Guide
• It is compulsory for all the passengers to wear the seat belt in Europe. Failed to Do so will get the driver fined and will be charged to the passengers. 

A rail pass and a train ticket are two completely different types of travel documents.

Train Ticket: 

• A train ticket is valid for a single journey between two cities. Many tickets also include a reservation, which mean that they are valid only for a specific train, on a specific date and at a given time.

Rail Pass:

• A rail pass, on the other hand, is good for travel in an entire geographical area (1 country, 2 countries or more). With it you can take as many train trips as you want within that geographical area, for as many travel days as you purchased, within a set period of time (the pass validity period). 
• Some sectors/ routes/ panoramic trains. Will still need to have a mandatory reservation, to board the train, even if you are holding a rail pass.

Apartments:

Are generally not serviced and self contained.

Unlike a hotel room, an apartment is equipped with a kitchen or kitchenette and a living area. Rooms range from smaller studio apartments to two- or three-bedroom apartments, which offer a separate living area, a kitchen, one or more bathrooms and separate bedrooms.

There is no room service / housekeeping / restaurant in an apartment, for intermediate cleaning you need to pay additional at the property.

There is no Reception & you have to self check in the apartments.

Apart-hotels:

Apart hotels are self catering, but serviced establishments. They provide the same services and benefits as a quality hotel. It’s actually a small apartment within a hotel.

Apart hotels gives you a home away from home, with hotel services. It’s not a hotel, and not an apartment, it’s somewhere in between. They usually have an en-suite kitchen with cooker and fridge.

They are often run as a hotel, have a day or 24 hour reception, and are usually smaller than apartment.

Hotels:

Hotels can offer breakfasts, housekeeping, laundry services, or room service

Hotels have different room types, like standard, deluxe, suites, city views, sea views, garden views etc.

All Hotels in Europe Collect Tourist city tax locally.

Yes, it’s mandatory to carry International Credit Card, as you need to provide the details at   the booked accommodation as a refundable deposit will be blocked for 15 working days and released post your check out. Any damage to the room/ property, will be charged to this credit card.

Also incase, you book a self drive car, you need to carry the same credit card that you provided at the time of booking.

When I am on FIT / Independent travel does that mean I do not have to bother about timings?

No, you have to follow the timings as per the designated itinerary

You have to abide by timings for booked attractions, train tickets, transfers.

Most of the tickets are now E-tickets and can be validated at the entrance of the attraction, in some tours it is compulsory to exchange the vouchers at the supplier office and reach the departure point, so the passengers should carry the hard copies of the vouchers along with soft copies.

Wi-Fi is available at most of the International airports, Public access areas of Hotels, cruise lines, trains in Europe. Buses do not necessarily have Wi-Fi. The speed quality and speed may vary.

Some places may have access to Wi-Fi at a fee.

Yes, most of the public restrooms need to be paid for an access.

You can check with your current network provider, and purchase an international plan with data usage,

Or you can also buy a local sim card at the airport of the country that you are visiting.

In case you are visiting multiple countries on a single trip (For example Switzerland & France), You will have to check locally, if the sim card bought in Switzerland is valid in France too.

• Coach Captains are bound by European laws and restrictions about driving hours per day and per week. All itineraries are planned as per them. Therefore it is absolutely essential for passengers to follow the time very strictly and punctually. 
• Our coaches will not have any WIFI facilities on board. 
• Final itinerary is compiled by keeping European driving laws & regulations in consideration
• Guests are required to adhere to the timings as mentioned in the itinerary.
• All services are confirmed as per the timings mentioned in the itinerary.
• Any delays will result into curtailment or complete cancellation of service.
• We shall not be responsible for any alternate or compensative arrangements.
• Guests are requested to present themselves minimum 30 minutes before commencement of any service.
• Guests are requested to carry their passport at all times & produce when required by the local governing authority.
• Any extra service/s consumed beyond confirmed service has to be paid & settled directly.
• If Tour Manager Not included then Lead passenger has to take responsibility for time/place co-ordination with the drivers, hotels, restaurants, guides, attractions entrances, etc.

• Driver is not to exceed 12 hrs on duty with the group
• The duty time with the group would be reduced as required,
• Incase the Coach parking location is someplace other than group stay hotel
• In one day, a driver is not permitted to drive for more than 9 hrs
• In one day, a driver must have 11 consecutive hours of rest
• Driver is required to have a min. rest time of 45 minutes for every 4 hours of wheel time
• One driver could drive maximum 12 days continuously then 2 days rest is mandatory.
• Coach will not remain at disposal as per clients request

• Breakfast: Your breakfast is normally a continental breakfast which usually will have Tea or Coffee, Juices, Cereals, Milk, Breads, Butter, Jam. No Indian item or Jain item may be available.
• Tap water is suitable for drinking.

• Unlike Asian or other countries most of the hotel rooms in Europe are relatively small and not all hotels have air-conditioners or fan due to climatic conditions.
• For the Hotels booked for you, a chart will be provided with all specifications like star category/ room size, ac/ non ac / rating/ distance from city center.
• Please note that size of the Double and Triple rooms are usually the same. In Triple room, third bed is typically a roll- away bed or an extra bed. Generally rooms in European hotels are very compact and small in size( Approx 15m2-18m2).
• Please note that standard check in time is 1400 Hrs and Check out is 1100 Hrs in Europe. (It may vary from Hotel to Hotel). Early check in requests are charged additionally by the hotel 
• Room Rates are based on Standard Rooms. Supplement cost will be applicable for Sea Facing /Lake Facing / Deluxe / Suite Rooms.
• Not All hotels in Europe Offers Free WIFI and if required it must be purchased directly from the reception.
• Every hotel charges, Tourist tax, also called ‘city tax’, usually consists of a fee that applies per person, per night. The tourist tax is payable locally, and usually at the time of check in or check out from your accommodation. The European cities have implemented this tourist tax to improve the tourism sector. The taxes are considered as resources to protect the environment, cultural heritage, or social purposes of a destination. 
• Allocation of the Rooms is done only while check-in by the Hotel Front Desk and are not in our limits.  Adjacent rooms/ Rooms on same floor cannot be committed or guaranteed.
• Cooking anything in the hotel is strictly prohibited, in case of not following the rules, heavy penalties are levied to the passenger.
• Any damage caused by the passengers in the hotel or apartment rooms. For example: Breakage of any assets, oil stains in the rooms, scratches on the glass or wooden flooring. Heavy penalties will be charged by the hotel to be borne by the passengers. Such penalties will be charged on the refundable deposit paid at the properties or asked additionally.
• As tap water is drinkable in Europe. Hotels do not provide complimentary drinking water.
• Tea Kettles are not provided in all the Hotel Rooms, we suggest to carry your own.
• No room services/ No bell boy / No proterage at any Hotel / Apartment
• On check in, in Apartments & Hotels, Refundable Deposits are blocked at every Hotel / Apartments on forex card or Credit card only. It may take upto 15 Days to 1 Month for the deposit to reflect back into your account.
• Incase of Apartment Booking immediate 25% cancellation charge will be applicable in any case & further cancellations will be applicable as per policy and a few apartments are also non refundable kindly check at the time of Booking 

• Seat in coach tours have a city centre pick up. City centre point to be reached on your own, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that they reach on time at the designated place of pick up & If you are unable to reach on time then it will be considered as no show & no refund will be given for any unutilized service & customer will have to make their own private arrangement of missed tour at their own cost.
• SIC tours have fixed route & itinerary & will not deviate from the same
• Optional sightseeing has to be booked in advance by paying an additional cost.
• All Monuments entrances are not included in SIC tours unless specified
• It is very common to have major events, strikes, cycle races or marathons or heavy traffic or due to any unforeseen circumstances some part of cities are not accessible to general public. In a case like this if sightseeing/ local transport is disrupted, there will be no refund for the unutilized services.

• Please note in case your itinerary includes an internal flight, the baggage allowance will be limited, depending on the airline & sector you are issued on please check and pack as per the allowance, even if you are allowed more luggage in the main flight. Generally most of the airline allow 20 kgs Check in and 7 Kgs Hand luggage.
• Please note it is compulsory to web check in for all internal flights, in case you do not web check in, the check in is chargeable at the airline counter.

• If you book your Tour knowing your or one of your family members passport is expired or in renewal we will not confirm your seat in particular tour date. 
• If you want particular travel date only, in that case if passport do not come on time or appointments are not available to do the visas, cancellation will be applicable. Flamingo Transworld cannot be held responsible for the same.
• If you wish to avoid such cancellation please confirm the date once passport is received as per availability at the time.