smarTours Reviews

4.4 Rating 1,658 Reviews
86 %
of reviewers recommend smarTours
4.4
Based on 1,658 reviews
Customer Service
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Under An Hour
Customer Service
3.7 out of 5
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About smarTours:

smarTours is a leading provider of direct-to-consumer, affordable travel experiences to exotic global destinations. The Company offers travelers curated, pre-packaged itineraries to over 50 destinations across the globe. By offering tours directly to consumers, the Company provides premium-quality experiences at value prices, and as a result, has cultivated a highly passionate and loyal community of repeat travelers. More than 200,000 travelers have taken a smarTours trip since the founding of the Company in 1996. smarTours is… the smarter way to see the world.

Phone:

800-337-7773

Email:

info@smartours.com

Location:

500 7TH AVE, 8TH FL,
NEW YORK
New York
10018

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smarTours 5 star review on 13th April 2024
Dana K
smarTours 5 star review on 13th April 2024
Dana K
smarTours 5 star review on 8th April 2024
Michael C
smarTours 5 star review on 7th April 2024
Margi G
smarTours 4 star review on 1st April 2024
Shontay
smarTours 5 star review on 16th March 2024
Krista M
smarTours 5 star review on 16th March 2024
Krista M
712
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
From start to finish, the tour went smoothly, with good communication between the tour leader and the travelers, events occurred on time, meals were good and activities were exactly as described.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Thank you John!
Posted 1 year ago
We experienced the worst guide in my extensive travels on our trip to Greece. SmarTours should change their contract travel agency in Athens. Our first guide, Gina, was disorganized and droned on forever repeating unimportant information, making most of the travelers tune out. Then she was quite upset when someone missed important information. She lost 3 guests, on the way back to the bus, at the initial dinner in Athens and the entire group was delayed an hour while she tried to find them. After returning from the cruise portion we replaced Gina with a second very good guide, Stratos. However, at the final dinner, the agency sent a third guide with whom we had had no previous contact. The cruise and hotels were an excellent value as was the Emerates flight from Newark to Athens. Excellent itinerary, except a listed stop at Epidaurus, one of the sites on the mainland on the way back to Athens was not made. This had the best preserved Greek amphitheater in Europe!
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Hi Glenn. Thank you for your feedback. We strive to provide wonderful experiences and it sounds as if this tour did not live up to expectations. We will be investigating further regarding the issues reported with the tour guide. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the cruise and hotels. We will also look into the stop you mentioned. Thank you for joining us!
Posted 1 year ago
Poorly planned, with an island cruise on a past its prime ship, with island stops lasting only a few hours. Trip needs to be longer to allow for less exhausting days. Some situations were inexcusable, such as having us haul our luggage from the ship to the port, a quarter mile, in a cold, howling wind. To top it off, many in our group, including my husband and I, came home with covid. That was my last trip with Smartours
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Posted 1 year ago
Hi Lee. We are disappointed to hear your feedback. We strive to provide wonderful experiences and it sounds as if this tour did not live up to expectations. We will be investigating further regarding the condition of the trip, and we are currently working on updating our pacing.
Posted 1 year ago
While the weather and places were awesome, the smartours organization was often confusing. Gina was great, Stratos okay but impersonal.
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Posted 1 year ago
Hi Pamela- thanks for your feedback! We're happy to hear that you enjoyed Gina. We will further investigate the issues you mentioned. Thank you for joining us!
Posted 1 year ago
The tour to Costa Rica was very well planned out and executed. Our guide, Vinicio was knowledgeable, humorous and kept everything running smoothly and our driver, Wilmer, got us places some smaller vehicles would have had trouble going. Vinicio shared information regarding the country which provided us greater insight to the people and customs that we experienced. We met some delightful individuals and made some new friends we will keep in touch with. We are looking forward to our next smarTour trip.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that Vinicio and Wilmer were exceptional!
Posted 1 year ago
Amelia Custodio, Tour guide Trip to Portugal, Oct 3-13, 2022 We want to extend our deep appreciation for our marvelous tour guide, Amelia Custodio, who led our recent trip to Portugal on Oct 3-13, 2022. Our tour to Portugal exceeded our expectations, thanks to Amelia who made this trip an unforgettable experience. She demonstrated leadership skills. Within the short time of our arrival,  Amelia established the rules which created a positive atmosphere and made everyone of the the group feel very welcome. To every site which was mentioned in the Smartours daily excursion, Amelia provided a thorough historical and cultural background of the site which enriched our knowledge and experience. She also emphasized the importance of being on time and requested that all members of the tour be punctual. She was extremely sensitive to the needs of each individual. For example, if someone didn’t feel well,  she offered to help. If someone had special dietary needs, Amelia made arrangements with the restaurant to satisfy the traveler’s dietary needs. Although, the group was heterogeneous in terms of age and ability, Amelia made everyone feel comfortable and motivated.
smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
I recently returned from the Best of Spain tour, 10/1 -10/12. I have travelled with Smartours for many years, as well as made several referrals. I was very disappointed with the quality of care and service given on this last trip. This is the first time water was not available on the bus, and when asked about it only then was water made available for sale. As much as the trip costs why should the customers have to pay for water. In addition, 2 of the hotels were experiencing renovations Why would this fact not be known ahead of time so that alternative arrangements could have been made. My roommate is a pescatarian and no provisions were made for her although she filled out the form before the trip indicating her food requirements. I am very disappointed with Smartours. As far as I am concerned this will be my last trip with them.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback Maritza. We do apologize that this trip was not up to standard and did not reflect the quality you have came to expect from our tours. Our team is investigating the issues mentioned regarding the hotels. We were alerted of your roommate's dietary preferences upon arrival in destination and had our team on ground ensure that all meals following had options for them. Again, we are sorry to hear that your experience was sub par. We are always looking for ways to improve and thank you for your comments provided.
Posted 1 year ago
Generally the hotels are first class and well located. In my 10-12 tours only once the hotel was not centrally located and that was in Santiago, Chile, as part of the Patagonia tour.
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Posted 1 year ago
Hi Diego! Thank you for your feedback.
Posted 1 year ago
Dependable, well-planned, PETER and VINCENT!
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you Kathleen!
Posted 1 year ago
Outstanding tour. Stunning country, incredible guide, and very well planned. We experienced so much in such a short time. Big cities, small towns and villages. I used Facebook daily for the first time while traveling because I had to share the the exquisite sites. A trip to be remembered.
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Posted 1 year ago
We love to hear this Rosalind! Thank you so much for traveling with us!
Posted 1 year ago
Jewels of the Adriatic tour was splendid, tour director Mirna made each day delightful for us. First snd last hotels were the best but all had their charm snd I enjoyed each one. The local guides are well chosen and informative. I have enjoyed each of the several SmarTours I have taken and refer friends too.
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Posted 1 year ago
We are delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful trip Jo! Thank you for traveling with smarTours!
Posted 1 year ago
"Turkey trip was excellent! We always felt very safe and were extremely impressed with everyday life in Turkey! It was enhanced by the professionalism of our tour guide. The historical sites were amazing and the city of Troy truly exists! Hot air ballooning was not to be missed! Cappadocia was my favorite with the cave tunnels that have existed since about 2000 BC. From swimming in the Mediterranean in Antalya to the bazaars in Istanbul, trip was amazing!"
smarTours 5 star review on 26th September 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 26th September 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 26th September 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 26th September 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 26th September 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
We are absolutely delighted to hear this Kathy! Thank you for sharing your feedback from your time in Turkey!
Posted 1 year ago
The Canadian Rockies tour was exceptional. What made it a success was our leader Glen, driver Kris and most importantly the tourist of the group. The tour was exceptional. You got to enjoy the exceptional spots we visited. Glen was exceptional with the history of the Rockies and of other area in Canada. Would recommend this tour to everyone.
smarTours 5 star review on 23rd September 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 23rd September 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 23rd September 2022
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for sharing your review and photos with us Charles! It was such a pleasure to host you on our Canadian Rockies Adventure!
Posted 1 year ago
I’ve already sent a review but you asked for another. Although the trip was beautiful, your ability to replace a tour guide was lacking. Thank goodness we’re we’re a group of 12 vs. 40. Once Andrew got Covid things went down hill. Our bus driver Olaf was great.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Hi Jill. We are disheartened to receive your review regarding your trip. Our team worked tirelessly to try and mitigate them including finding new guides for each phase of the tour. However, we know that there are some details that should have been addressed in order to create a less stressful experience for our guests. We have opened an investigation into how our team on the ground could have handled the situation better. Unfortunately, COVID has caused an enormous impact on our industry and we are still dealing with its ramifications. We are truly sorry for your experience.
Posted 1 year ago
Our tour director got Covid and I know you had to scramble to find subs. However, you could not do the simple thing of assigning spouses to the same cabin on the Copenhagen ferry and our tour guide had no idea where to get boarding passes for the Stockholm ferry. He had a meltdown and got into a verbal altercation with a bystander. We felt we didn't have the information we needed for that trip e.g. not knowing our dinner reservations times etc.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Hi Arvid. We are disheartened to receive your review regarding your trip. As noted per our emails, there were some issues that occurred outside of our control and we readily acknowledge those. Our team worked tirelessly to try and mitigate them including finding new guides for each phase of the tour. However, we know that there are some details that should have been addressed in order to create a less stressful experience for our guests. We have opened an investigation into how our team on the ground could have handled the situation better. Unfortunately, COVID has caused an enormous impact on our industry and we are still dealing with its ramifications. We are truly sorry for your experience.
Posted 1 year ago
I have now been on 14 Smartours and will leave for Portugal and the Azures in 2 1/2 weeks with Smartours. This trip was not my favorite. There was a lot of concern about who was going to meet us at each stop or how were we going to board the cruise ship from Stockholm to Helsinki. Even our guide (the poorest one we had) had no idea he had to pick up our boarding passes to get us on board the ship. He was making many calls and apologizing and saying he was going to have to go to church and pray a lot. I just flowed with the punches but others were really concerned and complained and worried, etc. I hope my next tour is better or I will be looking for another tour company.
smarTours 4 star review on 29th July 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
The Ireland trip was overall great. My issues were the included dinners. There was a set "tour" menu, which was very limited. The regular menus in each included restaurant had other similar-priced entrees but many more options. None even had Irish stew, lamb or salmon which is what Ireland is known for. I would have skipped the included meals had i"d known. We should have had the flexibility to order off the regular menus. Also, the substitute Irish dinner which was cancelled and rebooked moved to a pub due to cancellation was a complete rip off. You charged $60 per person for a 25 dollar meal. Every pub in Ireland has free enterainment already included. This should have been cancelled and refunded since the original event was cancelled.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Hi Ashton! We're happy to hear you had a wonderful time in Ireland! Thank you for your feedback regarding the food options. I have brought this to the attention of our tour development team to reassess both the restaurant and dinner choices. We truly value comments like yours so we can continue to curate tours that provide top-notch experiences for all of our travelers.
Posted 1 year ago
Enjoyed our trip to Alaska. Had a most unique, fun and well versed tour guide. Made our experience all the better.
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Posted 1 year ago
Happy to hear! Thank you Margaret!
Posted 1 year ago
I already submitted my "experience" a few days ago.
Helpful Report
Posted 1 year ago
Hi Santo-We're sorry to hear this. If you would like to speak to someone regarding your experience, we would be happy to have a member of our customer care team reach out.
Posted 1 year ago
Excellent tour director
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your review!
Posted 1 year ago
smarTours is rated 4.4 based on 1,658 reviews