smarTours Reviews

4.4 Rating 1,658 Reviews
86 %
of reviewers recommend smarTours
4.4
Based on 1,658 reviews
Customer Service
Communication Channels
Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In
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 18th January 2023
Cynthia R
smarTours 4 star review on 2nd January 2023
Rekha S
smarTours 5 star review on 28th December 2022
Jasmin N
smarTours 4 star review on 3rd December 2022
Jake M
smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022
Michael Z
smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022
Michael Z
smarTours 5 star review on 24th October 2022
Michael Z
355
Anonymous
Anonymous  // 01/01/2019
We returned from our tour toTurkey a week ago and were full of good memories about the country, Turkish people and beautiful scenery. Our local guide Aran was attentive to our needs, helped to navigate around multiple cities and provided sufficient information about the historic sites which we visited. We would recommend eliminating the lengthy trip to Ankara, as nothing was exciting to see there and add this day as free time in Istanbul. We absolutely did not have time in this fascinating city to visit the museums and places of our choice. We had a problem in Istanbul when ATM swallowed our card. Aran happened to be around and helped us to contact the bank and request that the card is canceled. we are grateful to him for his help.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your review!
Posted 1 year ago
Dear Smartours: I truly enjoyed the Treasures of Türkiye tour from May 4, 2022, through May 16, 2022, and I look forward to my next trip to Türkiye. All the hotels were fantastic as was the tour director (Aran) and the driver (Mehmet). Although I have a degree in history, I learned much and Aran brought Türkiye to life. The depth of Aran’s knowledge was evident when we started our tour at St. Sophia and he provided the history behind what led to building St. Sophia. The entire first day was the same: everywhere we went, Aran explained the history, answered our various questions, and the joy he had in sharing his knowledge was evident. After our first day on tour, I knew we were lucky to have Aran as our guide. Aran was patient, knowledgeable, humorous, and he was clearly proud to be Turkish. Even when things did not go according to plan or were challenging, Aran continued teaching, thinking on his feet, dealing with the challenges with humor, and making the best out of difficult situations. The two best examples of Aran’s professionalism and thinking on his feet: the House of Virgin Mary and crossing the Dardanelles. We arrived at the House of Virgin Mary concurrently with a group on pilgrimage. Aran worked with the situation and he was able to timely get our group through the home. We were scheduled to take a ferry across the Dardanelles; however, some of the tour group expressed concerns about crossing by ferry; therefore, he agreed to cross on the new bridge. However, the individuals who expressed concerns about a ferry crossing changed their minds and Aran quicky revised the schedule, again. Although the balloon ride at Cappadocia is not an “official” part of the tour, I am glad Smartours provided time to complete the balloon ride. It was one of the highlights of the trip. I look forward to my next trip to Türkiye and I hope to have Aran lead my next tour of Türkiye. Andrew
smarTours 5 star review on 27th May 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, Andrew! We are so glad that you enjoyed the trip and that our tour director, Aran, exceeded all expectations! We hope to see you on another smarTours trip soon!
Posted 1 year ago
Everything about this experience was lacking. Absolute disaster from the pre-trip (non)communication to the final drop-off. Avoid the company. There are better options. There is nothing here anymore beyond the name of the company.
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Posted 1 year ago
Dear Anonymous, we are so sorry to hear about your poor experience. If you feel comfortable reaching out to us at customerservice @ smartours.com, we would love to hear more about your experience so we can make improvements for future travelers.
Posted 1 year ago
GOOD STUFF: We covered a lot of ground that we would not have been able to cover on our own. The coordination of transportation and accommodations is good. The value is good. CHALLEGES: The pre-travel communication was terrible. Customer service provided textbook answers that were already located on the web-site. The final itinerary was provided VERY late leaving little to no opportunity for seat upgrades for such a long flight. The tour guides that I have had lacked diversity and sensitivity to nonwhite audiences. The cultural experiences highlighted on the agenda for South Africa were canceled and sufficient alternatives were not provided. There seemed to be a disconnect between our guide and SmarTours because he did not have most recent agenda and opportunities were missed. And we had a lot of unnecessary downtime, especially given our stop to highlight destinations were often rushed and cut short. These are once in a lifetime opportunities and I cannot trust SmarTours with my experiences again. I missed too many opportunities on this last trip that I can never get back because of lack of organization and proper communication.
smarTours 3 star review on 26th May 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
Dear Anonymous, thank you for sharing your honest feedback. We are sorry we did not live up to your expectations either prior to or during the trip. Making our tour documentation available earlier has been challenging during these covid times, as guidance changes frequently, so we have pushed our timing back on making these available. We are always looking for ways to improve our tours, so we will follow up on your feedback about the tour guide's lack of sensitivity as well as the itinerary shortcomings to see where we can make improvements for future travelers. We hope to regain your trust for a future trip with us.
Posted 1 year ago
While Ireland is still a beautiful country, the long days of travel by bus were extremely tiring. Not enough time was given at most stops to enjoy them.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for this feedback, Linda. We appreciate feedback, both positive and constructive, as we are always looking for ways to improve. We've noted this feedback about the pacing and will keep that in mind as we review and update this itinerary.
Posted 1 year ago
the magical ireland tour was indeed magical. the place is gorgeous. however the drawbacks were two: lack of a true tour director with updated postings and the truly poor administration of the returning covid tests have caused me to rate this tour 3 out of 5
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback, James. We've historically had great success with our driver guides in Ireland, but your feedback is noted and we are reviewing our setup. We're sorry for the poor experience with the covid return tests. This has been challenging to organize as things keep changing, but we will note your experience with our local partners to see what we can do better.
Posted 1 year ago
Some hotels were too far out of town. Our guide Edith was great. Provided dinners and lunch were lackluster. At two dinners we were served the same entree.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your honest feedback, David. We are always looking for ways to improve our itineraries, so the feedback on the hotels and meals is much appreciated.
Posted 1 year ago
We were disappointed that 2 of the 3 optional tours were canceled due to lack of participation and our tour guide was not allowed to help us find substitutes. It would have been better if we had been notified of these cancellations before we departed from the USA - we were told the first day of the trip, so I know SmarTours knew in advance. Disappointing to say the least! The food in the hotel was not very good either. However, it was a great trip and our guide Diana was extremely knowledgeable and considerate.
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Posted 1 year ago
Dear Anonymous, we are glad to hear you had a great trip, and your guide lived up to expectations. We are so sorry for the last minute cancellation of the optional tours. Sometimes it's difficult to get out ahead of the messaging when things change, and we know we fell short this time. Guides are not restricted in any way from making suggestions for free time. We will follow up to be sure that is clear for any future departures. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
Posted 1 year ago
Exceptional tour! Knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful tour guides.
smarTours 5 star review on 21st May 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 21st May 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 21st May 2022 smarTours 5 star review on 21st May 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
We're so glad to hear you had a great experience, Karen! Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos!
Posted 1 year ago
Great trip, and tour guide, but only fair food.
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Posted 1 year ago
Glad to hear the trip and guide were great! Thank you for the feedback on the food - we are always looking for ways to improve.
Posted 1 year ago
I enjoy my trip to Dubai. Please send me a broucher to my address for other trips. Thanks.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you Winston!
Posted 1 year ago
Treasures of Portugal exceeded all my expectations. Diana Graca was our tour director. Every city was rich in heritage, history and its own quaint appeal. The people of Portugal were warm and helpful. The food was delicious. Taking the extension to Azores Islands was the highlight of the trip. If you are thinking about taking this trip, please consider the Azores extension. It was like a completely different vacation from the mainland. The variety of activities was a good representation of the country, and we tracked alot of steps each day. Our group was nice and cordial and always looked out for each other. I would return to Portugal again in a heart beat. Thank you for the wonderful memories.
smarTours 5 star review on 18th May 2022
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Posted 1 year ago
Hello Charrise! We are so glad to hear you had a wonderful experience! We hope to see you on another trip in the future!
Posted 1 year ago
Great selection of hotels and excursions. Excellent commentary from our guide Johnathan! Small group allowed us flexibility. Great mix of wildlife, culture, and history.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your review!
Posted 1 year ago
From the time we hit the ground in Portugal, everything was wonderful. Mina was a great tour guide, the itinerary was just right for us and we enjoyed the beautiful country and its people. BUT we did not get the proper preparation from Smart tours. The information we were sent said after checking in and before arrival in Portugal, we needed to fill out a Portugal locator form. NOT TRUE! this form is needed AT checkin and is very difficult to fill out on your phone at the airport! This was very stressful and added over an hour to our checkin because of the problems doing this form on your phone. We are thankful for the help of the airline personnel who helped us. Without them, we may not have made our flight! All this stress could have been avoided if Smart Tours had given us the correct information before we left out house!
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback, Joan! We’re very sorry for the frustration you experienced and have updated our documents based on the most up-to-date information we have. We appreciate your candid comments as we rely on travelers like you to continually improve the travel experiences we offer. We’re so happy to hear the rest of your tour in Portugal went well and that Mina was a wonderful tour director! We hope you’ll consider traveling with us again in the future!
Posted 1 year ago
We were disappointed with the organization of the walking and motorcoach tours. One guide made us walk nearly 8 miles, with no comfort breaks or rests. Most of the participants were retired, older folks and their needs were not noticed. Several guests needed taxi rides back, at my request. Several participants got lost trying to find their way back to the bus, and boat. Walking times were much longer than the guides explained. One group of four adults demanded to turn back, because they were exhausted. I walked the whole time, but my body is paying for it now and I needed a cane by the end of the trip. We got lost at Kuchen Hof gardens, and barely made it to the bus on time. No one told us that there were two parking areas. We should have had the starting point marked on our map. The sights were great, but the walking tours should have included going inside historic places, not just walking past them. One tour guide was supposed to show us the exterior of the Anne Frank House, but never did that...which was the main attraction for me to go on the tour. Overall, directions back to the boat should have been more specific. Public transit did not end up close to the boat location. We took wrong turns and had to backtrack to get across the canal. I had high expectations, and this trip was no where near meeting them.
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Posted 1 year ago
Hi Robyn, thank you for taking time to provide feedback. We are sorry to hear that the shore excursions did not meet your expectations and were too fast-paced. With a short amount of time and a lot to see, sometimes the guides get carried away trying to cover as much as possible. We have also addressed with our team how we can do better with this and provide clear directions for returning to the boat, and navigating the city in general, which can be stressful. We truly appreciate your feedback and please know we take comments from our travelers very seriously as we rely on feedback like yours to help us plan our future tours and update our internal processes and procedures to ensure a wonderful travel experience. We hope you’ll consider traveling with us in the future!
Posted 1 year ago
When I called Stephanie 2 weeks before departure to ask about the Travel locator form for the Azores, she said she would get back to me.(The link did not work!) She did. While we were driving, in traffic, on our way to the airport. Too late!! The transportation was wonderful. Drives were adept and punctual! Tour guides provided lots of useful information.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback! It was a pleasure to host you!
Posted 1 year ago
I've never joined an organized tour. But my wonderful experience has opened my eyes. The tour was packed with activities every day. Their accommodations were top-notch. The choice of restaurants and eating venues was impeccable. Tour guides were very educated and knowledgeable about practically all subjects on the tour. Most of all, connections, transfers and road trips from one town to another were seamlessly organized. All I had to do was show up. What a breeze!! Thank you smarTours and most especially to our very calm and organized tour director Claudia!
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback! It was a pleasure to host you!
Posted 1 year ago
After 2+ years waiting and 5 different bookings we finally went on the Spectacular Greece trip. We really enjoyed the history and amazing sites that Greece and the islands have to offer. If you are an archeologist at heart this is the trip for you. Emirates airline was certainly a step above other airlines as far as service and amenities, especially in the economy cabin. At the airport we were greeted by Mama Gina our tour director for the first half of the tour. She was amazing. She made sure we knew where to be and at what time. She also made a point to know all our names. The only part that was disappointing to us was the cruise. The food was not what I would have expected. Secondly, going to 6 islands in 4 days was too much. We would have rather arrived in the morning at an island, spend quality time there...do a tour, shop, eat..or how about relax!!! The rest of the tour was fantastic and we are planning a trip back to Greece for our 30th anniversary in a few years. And I do want to say that Gina is the G.O.A.T... Greatest Of All Tour directors. Thank you Gina for a great time.
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback, Scott! We’re sorry to hear that the food on your cruise was not as expected and we have addressed this issue with the cruiselline. We understand that the pacing for the cruise is quite fast and have added a new version of the tour that includes three nights in Crete allowing for that slower pace in the Mediterranean Sea that you’ve mentioned here. We’re so glad to hear the rest of your experience in Greece and with your tour director, Gina, was amazing! We hope you’ll join us again soon!
Posted 1 year ago
After traveling to Spain in 2017 with Smart tours I came away from that experience highly satisfied. I recommended smart tours to many people. The Greece tour was not what I had expected. I did not enjoy the Greece cruise although the staff and crew were excellent the food was mediocre. Gina our tour guide in Greece the first half was wonderful. Very concerned and always made sure that everyone was happy. I feel we spent too many hours on buses traveling from site to site. I was hoping for more downtime and time by the Mediterranean which did not happen. Mykonos was a total bust spending two hours at the most at night in Mykonos. Our tour guide for the second half of Greece was extremely knowledgeable and knew his material inside and out but not very engaging with the 13 tour people. The most disturbing part of the trip was when two of our Tourmates tested positive for Covid and could not leave Greece. Smart chores did not step up to the plate to help them at all which was extremely disturbing. Not sure if I’ll be traveling with Smartours again
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Posted 1 year ago
Thank you for your feedback, Nadine! We appreciate your concern for your fellow travelers and are happy that you were able to return home on schedule. As soon as we were advised of any positive COVID cases on your trip our partners at Tour Greece and our team in the US reached out to the affected travelers as we worked to extend their hotel stays, and change their return flights. We rely heavily on our destination partners to assist our quarantined passengers because they are there in destination with you and have much more direct access to the resources that travelers need. Any travelers testing positive for COVID-19 must be cleared for travel before they can enter the U.S. and while these requirements can be frustrating, we are required to follow the protocol set by the U.S. government and CDC. We’ve also noted your feedback about the cruise portion of the tour and have already addressed the food issue you mentioned with the cruise lines, as well as the 2nd guide not being as engaging. We take this type of feedback to heart and will be looking to make improvements. We have created a new tour that follows the same itinerary but adds three nights in Crete at the end, which we hope will appeal to travelers like you hoping to spend more time in the Mediterranean at a more relaxing pace. We truly appreciate your feedback and please know we take comments from our travelers very seriously as we rely on feedback like yours to help us plan our future tours and update our internal processes and procedures to ensure a wonderful travel experience. We hope you’ll consider traveling with us in the future!
Posted 1 year ago
Aside from the activity of the Greece tour being a little more aggressive activity wise than outlined in the description, it was a pretty good tour. Until I contracted covid the day before departure, the greecetours side did a great job in negotiating the hotel, providing a few meals and transportation to the airport. The smartours us side gave us the run around for 5 days and would not rebook our plane tickets. Most of the agents were pretty uncaring. We felt abandoned by your team and let our tour mates know of the poor treatment. The day before we are supposed to leave based on our quarantine ending, negative covid test and hotel stay ending we book our own ticket. 1am the day of our travel we receive info for new tickets. Now we are going through the refund process with emirates, which could take 30 days. Bad customer service.
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Posted 1 year ago
Meredith, thanks for taking the time to provide us this feedback. We’re glad to hear that your tour experience was good, up until you tested positive for COVID-19. We rely heavily on our partners in destination to assist our quarantined passengers because they are there in destination with you and have much more direct access to the resources you need. We’re glad to hear Tour Greece was able to help. We are sorry that on our side, our customer service did not live up to your expectations and came off as uncaring. We are following up with our team and working to improve our service through additional training and feedback to our representatives. While we do our best to rebook passenger flights as quickly as possible, we are subject to the terms of the airline group contract, and must abide by their change fees and return documentation policies when a passenger tests positive for COVID-19, as well as seat availability for booking a return flight. We are also constrained by the business hours of Emirates’ group air support desk, which is only during business hours Mon-Fri. This limits how quickly we can turn things around, often resulting in delays of a day or more before we can respond with material updates. We are working with our air partners to improve this, but all are constrained by staffing shortages, so expect some challenges to persist for some time. The recovery of travel from COVID has been rocky at best, and we acknowledge that we have some ways to go in restoring our service to the level we want it to be. We truly appreciate your feedback and please know we take comments from our travelers very seriously as we rely on feedback like yours to help us plan our future tours and update our internal processes and procedures to ensure a wonderful travel experience. We hope you’ll consider traveling with us in the future!
Posted 1 year ago
smarTours is rated 4.4 based on 1,658 reviews