Not bad at all

On fresh tracks, I'm talking about the Three Musketeers tour (May 17-24).

Initially, they wanted to go to "Elegant Paris" (first of all, they were interested in 2 nights in Paris), but, unfortunately, the group did not get enough and had to eat what they give.

The train from Kharkov arrives in Lviv in the afternoon (13:30), which did not suit us, because. the bus departed at 8:30 from the railway station, so we arrived in Lviv a day earlier.

If you have the opportunity, then come a day earlier, Lviv will have something to surprise you with. Still, it’s better to go on a day trip after a good night’s sleep, and not after a night on the train. There are no problems with hostels-hotels in Lviv, there are at least a few dozen of them only in the historical part of the city, and prices per night start from 70 UAH per night per person, a double room will cost a little more.

If you rent a room in a hostel, it is better to find it in the Rynok Square area - close to shops, cafe-restaurants, and sights are concentrated mainly on this patch, and it takes 10-15 minutes to get to the station by taxi (moreover, the cost is relatively democratic - about 20 UAH). Who will need it - write, I will share the turnout numbers of taxis and hostels :)

I highly recommend the beer at the Royal Brewery on Old Jewish Street! However, there are enough establishments where you can eat well and drink beer (or something stronger) - Kumpel, Stargorod, and Kriivka (Don’t even try Zenik) ...

It can help a lot in finding sights and orienting in the so-called. "Dovidnik-traveler LVIV, panorama of the historical center"! Pretty good travel guide.

So, the tour itself!

The first day. Meeting at the station with a representative of Algol at 8 in the morning, a friend escorts to the bus, we load things (and water!

If you are traveling in the summer, buy a pack of water, because in Europe this is not the cheapest pleasure), get acquainted with the accompanying guide and drivers - and off you go! Departure at 8:30, the bus is quite comfortable, there are not many people (there were 32 people in our group - this is understandable, the euro exchange rate has increased 1.5 times in a few months) ...

Then moving to the border and customs clearance. Depending on the circumstances, this can take from 40 minutes to several hours. We were lucky, and we went through the whole procedure in about an hour. There is an opportunity to look into duty-free shops and buy something on the road, this is something that is more interesting for someone, alcohol for someone, and sweets for someone :) After crossing the border, do not forget to set the clock to Central European time, however, the guide will definitely remind you of this nuance.

This is followed by a day trip with several stops across Poland. At about 21:00 we arrived at the transit hotel in the city of Legnica.

So if you have the strength, desire and mood, you can wander around this town for an hour before going to bed.

The hotel itself is one of the Qubus chain. It is positioned as a 4-star, and by and large, justifies its stars with a stretch, in my opinion by 4 with a big minus. Minus because of the modest breakfast :) You won't leave hungry, but you shouldn't expect culinary delights either.

Second day. Breakfast at 7, hand over the keys and departure to Berlin at 8. You can easily find out the distance between points on the route - either ask the drivers, or navigate using gps on your phone or tablet. But expect an average speed of about 75 km/h.

Around noon we arrived in Berlin, the bus went to rest, and the group went on a sightseeing tour. If you have already been to Berlin and you have your own plans, and the guide in the city is not very interesting (we had Zhanna, everything was boring) - it is better to walk on your own.

The beginning of the survey was at the Reichstag, the end on the Museum Island (approximately 2 hours duration of the tour). We didn’t order electives, so I’ll tell you in a nutshell what we did in our free time in Berlin (which is about 9 hours).

First of all, we went to Pergamon, the entrance ticket is 12 euros, the audio guide is free, so we reasonably decided that there was no point in ordering an elective on Pergamon for 25 euros. Then we walked to Checkpoint Charlie - lunch at the Sony Center on Postdamska Square - climbing under the dome of the Reichstag (it's free, but you need to order a pass on the Bundestag website in advance) - the railway station (where you can have a bite to eat and look into the grocery supermarket). And at about 23:00 meeting with the rest of the group at the Reichstag ... and overnight transfer to Amsterdam (about 630 km).

The third day. Arrival in Amsterdam around 10 am. We had a not very interesting survey in Irina (if I'm not mistaken), with a stop at a diamond factory shop.

2 excursions were offered - Vollendam-ZaanseShans and a boat on the Amstel. We only went by boat, so we had 4-5 hours of free time, which we spent wandering around the streets of Amsterdam and going to the ICE BAR near Rembrandt Square. At 17:00 meeting with the group on the boat (15 euros). We rode the canals for about an hour, I can’t say that it’s particularly interesting, but this is more a question for the organizers of these excursions, because there is zero information content, and an awning could be made, the sun bakes quite strongly. However, a hat and a couple of cans of beer can improve the perception :) At 18:00 - meeting with the whole group and checking into a hotel. We had a 3-star Botel, a former motor ship - now converted into a hotel. The rooms are small, but the view of the bay from the windows compensates for this inconvenience. There is a free ferry service from the hotel to the city center every half hour.

So if you have the strength, it is quite possible to go either to the third elective, or wander around the Red Light District on your own or go to a coffee shop. But the ferry runs until 23:45, so time your time, and yes! Be careful and attentive. And on the roads, because cyclists fly like Batman, and in coffee shops!)

Fourth day. By tradition, breakfast at 7, departure at 8. A short drive (about 200 km) to Brussels. The survey was led by an excellent guide Igor (very informative and with humor!) - here Algol is credited for choosing a guide. After traditionally free time (if someone doesn't want to visit the Mini-Europe Park). I recommend trying Belgian waffles and Belgian beer, it is especially tasty there, even better than in the Czech Republic, in my clear opinion. And to make it tastier to drink, it’s better to try it in some pub, for example, in the “White Tremens” 2 steps from the Pissing Girl (there is such an “attraction” in the capital of the European Union).

Pleasure is not the cheapest, but it's worth it. We also went on our own to take a look at the European Parliament, and there was time left for a run around the shops - to buy a magnet, beer and chocolate.

At 8 pm - departure to the transit hotel in Charleroi, approximately 60 km. Accommodation in the Ibis hotel, pretty decent, I don’t remember the number of stars, but in Turkey it would definitely be 5!

If you have strength left, then again you can wander around Charleroi for an hour or two)

Fifth day. A chic breakfast at the hotel, with fresh juices, fruits, croissants and fried sausages, among other things. Departure is traditionally at 8, and ahead is 285 km to Paris. Upon arrival - bus review, I did not remember the name of the guide, sorry. The impressions from the review are the most unpleasant - Parisian traffic jams, uninteresting route and information content + a small amount of time in Paris do not have a good mood, but only annoy.

So if you were in Paris and you again have your own plans - negotiate with your guide and go about your business, knowing in advance where and what time the bus will leave for the hotel, for the settlement.

Of the electives, we chose only a boat on the Seine, so I will only tell you about our route. At the end of the Trocadero tour, we went to the Eiffel Tower. We sat on the Champ de Mars with a bottle of wine, climbed to the very top of the Tower (15 euros per person). Taking into account the queues, book the Tower for about 3-4 hours. Long, but the view of Paris is worth it. At 19:00 the beginning of an hour boat trip on the Seine. If you wish, you can listen to an audio guide, or you can just stare at evening Paris with a glass of wine, make this decision yourself.

At 8 pm transfer to the hotel, which was located in the suburbs of Paris. The Central Hotel De Creteil is positioned as a 2-star hotel, in principle, and looks the same.

It seems that everything is in the room (including air conditioning and TV), but the repair and replacement of furniture and carpets would not hurt them. But then again, such a hotel in Turkey would claim 4 stars.

Sixth day. A modest breakfast and free time until 17:00 (unless of course you have chosen electives at Notre Dame and / or at the Louvre). We got to Montmartre by metro and walked in and around the Sacré Coeur on our own, there are a lot of souvenir shops nearby, but comrades from Ternopil said that near the Opera the prices and assortment are the same, and the quality of T-shirts, for example, is better. Then we took the subway to o.Cite, looked into Notre Dame and walked in the Latin Quarter. It is best to have lunch there, because there are a lot of cafes with a set lunch (first, second and dessert) from 10 euros. Then we walked to Place de la Concorde, where at 16:00 we met with our guide - and return to the hotel. At about 18:00 - departure to Dresden, overnight crossing. More than 1000 km ahead...

Seventh day.

Approximately at 9 am, arrival in Dresden, and a pretty good overview with a guide Irina (again - informative, without excesses with dates, but at the same time with humor).

Then free time until 19:00. There is where to spend time - you can go to museums, of which there are more than 40 in the capital of Saxony, or you can spend 8 hours in a shopping center, which is more interesting for someone :) We chose the second, but still things and shoes are expensive (taking into account the euro - 16.8 UAH for 1 euro), and nevertheless, you can buy something interesting, but you need to try hard in search of discounts! And of course, you should look into the supermarkets on the -1 floor - mustards, beer (although, for me, the best beer is brewed in Belgium), cheeses (if you didn’t buy it in Amsterdam), schnapps, etc.

At 19:30 transfer to a transit hotel in Olawa, Poland. The distance is approximately 300 km, so the settlement was after 23:00. The hotel is chic, perhaps the best on the tour, although Hotel Jakub Sobieski positions itself as a 3-star. Turks have a lot to learn ;)

Eighth day.

Modest breakfast and return to Ukraine. Departure at 8:30, moving about 600 km, a little less. Thanks to our customs (we stood for more than 2 hours, despite the fact that there were no tourist buses at all!) we returned to Lviv at about 21:00…

Bus: no comments. A night move is a night one - you should not expect a full sleep. There were no breakdowns, and thank God. Tourists were not late and there were no conflicts - so we can say that we were lucky with the group.

Drivers: well done, everything is clear and harmonious. They helped both boys and girls with luggage, I have no comments at all. There were no bus breakdowns, no human factor in the bad sense of the word - a solid 5.

Guide from Algol. Also a solid five for Roman. Informative, humorous, will answer all questions and cheer you up with interesting stories about the country you are traveling in or from personal experience. All right, no comments.

The only small request is to slightly change the video library on the bus, remove “dry” programs about countries and not the most interesting Russian “comedies”, but add programs like “Heads and Tails” and films that take place in the cities of our route.

In general, the organization of the tour is at a very decent level. If we find an interesting tour to Italy, we will definitely go with Algol.

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