SOLO TRAVELLER COLLECTION 2018 & 2019 EUROPEAN & WORLDWIDE TOURS, SHORT BREAKS & EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISES 1 UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEYS WHY TRAVEL ALONE FOR SOLO TRAVELLERS WHEN YOU CAN GO SOLO WITH RIVIERA TRAVEL? The thought of travelling alone can be daunting, but with We want you to relax, knowing you are in safe hands, • Our tour managers are the best in the industry and are with you all the way Riviera Travel, you can rest assured that you will be taken so you get the most from your holiday. Whether you care of at every step on our tours. Since 1984, we have prefer to mingle with others or strike out on your own, • Every detail of your tour was inspected and hand-picked by us been carefully curating holidays for customers, many the choice is solely yours. You will never be pressured of whom travel on their own, so we understand what into any awkward social situations. Should you have • You’ll travel with like-minded people, so you’re never alone unless you choose to be makes your experience that extra bit special. We are any questions or if a problem arises, your dedicated delighted to offer the same passionately created holidays tour manager is always on hand and happy to help. • Enjoy convenient return journeys via your local airport or regional rail station - that our customers have come to love, especially for you will be met at the airport by a member of our team at check-in those who wish to travel solo. We’re delighted to launch an expanded range of tours and river cruises for 2018 and 2019 to fascinating • Our holidays offer exceptional value for money destinations. Whether you are new to Riviera Travel or one of our many regulars, we look forward to • We guarantee there are no additional single supplements and no last-minute discounts welcoming you soon. • We have been delighting travellers for 34 years • Riviera Travel is the Which? ‘Travel Brand of the Year’ David Clemson Managing Director • 97% of our customers would book with us again, according to Reevoo Riviera Travel • Our tours are fully bonded by ABTA, ATOL and IATA protection for complete peace of mind HOW TO MAKE AWARD-WINNING A BOOKING REPUTATION Since our inception in 1984, we have consistently Contact your preferred won awards for outstanding service, industry- travel agent to book. beating quality and exceptional value. Most recently, we were named Which? ‘Travel Brand Visit rivieratravel.co.uk/solo of the Year’. to see our complete range of solo holidays. ABTA Number V4744 Perast 2 3 WE'RE WITH YOU FREQUENTLY ASKED ALL THE WAY QUESTIONS WILL I HAVE TO DINE WHAT IS THE LIKELY ARE THERE ANY JANE ON MY OWN? AGE RANGE OF THE OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS? GROUP? I’ve been with Riviera Travel for nearly four years, having spent 20 years in the Not at all. Your tour manager will make Generally, we do not offer optional industry. I am part of the team that responds to phone calls from our customers, sure that you never dine alone, unless Whilst our holidays appeal to people of excursions, as our itineraries have been helps them with any queries and makes their bookings. Having personally been on a that’s what you prefer. We include a all ages, most of our customers are in carefully created to include the best sights. number of our tours means that we understand exactly what happens, so we can give welcome dinner with all our solo tours to their 50s and 60s, but to them age is just However, on occasion we do offer some helpful advice and allay any concerns. I really enjoy chatting with customers about help you settle in and get to know each a number – what is most important is slightly more special interest options. other. We find that even when meals are sharing the experience of discovering an Details will be provided before you travel, their upcoming holidays with us and love to share in their excitement. not included, people still dine together, awe-inspiring destination. of course. giving you the perfect opportunity to RESERVATIONS share your experiences. WILL I HAVE TO SHARE WHERE WILL I MEET A ROOM? THE TOUR MANAGER? MIKE No, never. On our solo holidays every Your dedicated tour manager will often customer has their own room all to meet you at the airport or Eurostar station when you check in and travel with you to I’ve been a tour manager for over 18 years on many European tours and I love it themselves. All of our tours include use of a double room for sole occupancy. your destination. On occasions where this as much as ever. There’s something incredibly enjoyable about introducing people to Rest assured, all hotels have been is not possible, a team member will greet amazing sights for the first time, but I also love sharing my personal tips for getting to personally checked by us to guarantee you to help you check in. the heart of a destination. As tour managers, we know all the best things to see, not a comfortable stay. to mention the best places to eat! ARE ALL MEALS IS THIS A MATCH- INCLUDED? MAKING SERVICE? TOUR MANAGER All of our solo holidays include all Certainly not. People travel alone for many breakfasts and a welcome dinner, but not reasons, be it by choice or circumstance. all meals are included for every tour. This Our holidays provide a safe and enjoyable is because some places have a fantastic environment for solo travellers to discover array of dining options that we really think the world. AMY you would like to discover, and trying out the local food is an enjoyable way to I work in our product department, where we’re responsible for selecting every get to know an area and your travelling CAN I TRAVEL WITH A element of your holiday. We never use a hotel or take you on an excursion unless companions. Your tour manager will gladly IS MY MONEY GROUP OF FRIENDS? we’ve seen it for ourselves, which means you can sit back and look forward to your recommend a number of choices to make PROTECTED? it easy for you. holiday with us, knowing we’ve done all the hard work for you. When so many of Our solo collection is designed to help our clients write to tell us what a wonderful holiday they’ve had, we know we’ve Absolutely. Riviera Travel has been solo travellers make the most of their time operating since 1984. We are fully bonded done a good job. away, and getting to know your fellow by ATOL for any holidays that start with IS THERE AN ADDITIONAL travellers really enhances the experience. a flight and by ABTA for any rail journeys. PRODUCT ASSISTANT SINGLE SUPPLEMENT We also find that your holiday is much This means that if the unexpected TO PAY? more rewarding when you travel in groups happens, you won’t be out of pocket or of no more than two people. If you prefer left stranded abroad. No, all our solo tour prices are fully to travel in a larger group, we highly recommend our regular tours. inclusive with no single supplement ABTA No. V4744 to be added. Whilst hotels generally charge a little more for single occupancy rooms, we never charge you extra for meals, excursions, flights, rail journeys or transfers. We are confident that if you compare our prices, you will be pleasantly surprised – we create superb tours that offer real value without any compromise on quality. We will never inflate our prices to later offer artificial discounts, as it has always been our policy to be honest and transparent with customers. 4 55 CONTENTS BRUGES .............................................................8 NEW JERUSALEM, GALILEE Traditional Belgian chocolatier, Ypres, World War I battlefields & THE DEAD SEA ........................................... 38 Caesarea, Acre, Capernaum, Masada, Nazareth, Bethlehem ROUEN, HONFLEUR & NEW NEW YORK ..................................................... 40 THE HIGHLIGHTS OF NORMANDY ................. 10 plus Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, High Line park, Greenwich Village food-themed tour Bayeux Tapestry, Benedictine Palace, Arromanches, World War II D-Day beaches BERLIN, DRESDEN SOUTH AFRICA ............................................. 42 MEISSEN & COLDITZ ..................................... 12 Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Zulu battlefields, Hermanus, Winelands, Cape Town The fascinating cities of Berlin and Dresden, the heart of Saxony CLASSICAL SPAIN: INDIA & SHIMLA ........................................... 46 SEVILLE, CÓRDOBA & GRANADA .................. 14 Delhi, Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Ranthambore Tiger Safari, The Alhambra, the Mezquita, Ronda, tapas evening Amber Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Shimla railway CLASSICAL ITALY: FLORENCE, SRI LANKA ..................................................... 50 SIENA, ASSISI & ROME ................................... 18 Kandy, Sigiriya Rock, Dambulla monastery, Nuwara The Uffizi Gallery, Arezzo Eliya, Elephant Transit Home, Yala National Park NEW LAKE GARDA, VENICE & VERONA ................. 22 NEW A GRAND TOUR OF CHINA ............................ 54 The Dolomites, ‘Classic’ or ‘Undiscovered’ tours of Venice & YANGTZE CRUISE and Verona, wine tasting Beijing, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Guilin, Panda Research Centre, Shanghai NEW PORTUGAL’S DOURO VALLEY NEW VIETNAM & CAMBODIA ................................ 58 TO LISBON ..................................................... 26 Phnom Penh, Angkor temples, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, plus Oporto, Sintra, Coimbra, Aveiro, Batalha, Lamego, Obidos, Halong Bay cruise, Cu Chi tunnels, Mekong delta Ericeira, Nazaré, wine tasting NEW CHARMS OF THE BALTICS ............................. 30 NEW THE BLUE DANUBE RIVER CRUISE: Rīga, Rundāle Palace, Vilnius, Trakai, Kaunas, Jūrmala VIENNA, BUDAPEST & SALZBURG ................. 62 Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, Bratislava, Esztergom, Dürnstein, Melk Abbey NEW MONTENEGRO’S RIVIERA NEW BURGUNDY, THE RIVER RHÔNE & DUBROVNIK ............................................... 34 & PROVENCE RIVER CRUISE .......................... 66 plus Budva, Cetinje, Kotor, Church of Our Lady of the Rocks, Lyon, Arles, Avignon, Popes’ Palace, Vienne, Beaune, Old Bar, fisherman’s dinner Ardèche Gorges, Pont du Gard PRICES & DEPARTURES ................................