FOOD
Giant pretzel and beer at Hofbrauhaus, Munich
In addition to the scenery, history, and art, we were all looking forward to experiencing European cuisine. Breakfast at the hotel was included in our tours and was always very good. Most other days we would have one meal together as a group and the focus was on giving us an opportunity to experience a wide range of local specialties. For example, at our first meal together, we had the escargot pictured above. (Pretty darn good!) Our guide did a great job of suggesting food and drink unique to the area we were visiting and, for the meals we were on our own, where we should go to experience it.
HOTELS
Our room at Hotel Morgan in London
One of the absolute best things about Rick Steves' tours is that the hotels they use are all located in the heart of the areas you want to explore. We wasted no time getting to the places we wanted to tour and the neighborhoods we stayed in were themselves an attraction. We were cautioned not to expect amenities we might be used to from hotels, but that was not our experience. Our rooms in Paris, Lauterbrunnen, Tuscany, and Rome were large and very well appointed. In Beaune, Munich, and Venice, they were unique and fun, and more than adequate. All served fine breakfasts that were included in the cost of our tour. (Click on a hotel name to go to its web site.)