Ffestiniog Travel Traveller Reviews

A 16 day tour of Germany by rail, taking in a number of preserved steam and diesel railways.

The booking was handled very effectively, the only problem was that the tour manager did not speak German, something that would have been very useful when there were a few problems on the tour.

A completely new venture for us, and we booked a Railway holiday through Ffestiniog Travel. This came as a recommendation from a friend, and it all worked out extremely well. All the arrangements went like clockwork, and it was a pleasure to travel on the routes suggested.

Ffestiniog travel were extremely helpful at every stage of the planning and preparation, and flexible to meet our requirements. The paperwork for the rail and hotel accommodation was excellent and the locations met our every need.

Run by railway buffs for railway buffs.The tour leader in our case (given free holiday and expenses)had no knowledge of India or places on the trip outside of his railway expertise. Despite having done the same trip four times it appears he makes no recommendations to the Company for improvements and did nothing to adapt to conditions on the tour. The tour was organized a month too early;indeed Simla was almost cancelled because of the Party having been snowed in the previous year.Timing presumably made to save money for the Company. Travelling logistics ,other than the Hill Railways incredibly poor and naïve. But my major complaint as a single traveller was the scandalous application of a single supplement of £995 (21%). This equated to over £50 per hotel night.This ,when I obtained published hotel tariffs from all the hotels we stayed in ;I emphasise the SUPPLEMENT-EXCEEDED the price of nightly rates of almost all accommodation.Three were as low as £23,£29 and £42. Ffestiniog confirmed we were booked in single occupancy rooms. Don't forget the holiday price already included an hotel room charge based on a shared double room rate. They also claim their booking are done through an Agency in India and they receive no discount themselves. I find this difficult to believe. Either they are being economical with the truth or they are totally naïve. They refused any sort of refund whatsoever or to make any sort of token goodwill gesture. AITO want a fee of £140 to go to arbitration. The Holiday Media have ignored my requests for help or advice. I would like my comments published on the AITO website to forewarn other single travellers. It is a disgrace.

Amateur, naïve,inflexible and exploitative. They seem to have little knowledge of India and the logistics necessary to travel there and clearly unwilling to employ professionals, obviously dominated by cost control. This was not a cheap holiday. Even their comments on hotels were totally out of date.In Delhi we didn't even visit the Red Fort but they took those that didn't know to the Red Fort in AGRA instead and in Darjeeling ,a run down tiny green tea station when there was a superb proper tea garden on the edge of town, with proper guides and a museum. I have travelled extensively in India;done a lot of business there and holidayed, including 5 tiger safaris.Never have I been disappointed or let down by any tour company.

The Isle of Man is charming; everyone is so friendly. We had tickets to ride about in buses, trains and trams all week and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I particularly liked driving a tram. The hotel was good; the meals were first-class and the wine was decent and not over-priced. The bed was most comfortable. Our guide tended to our every whim and everyone did their best to make our trip worth while. The scenery was wonderful - glens full of bluebells and mountains covered in miles of golden gorse flowers - never seen such a display in my life. The rail connections to and from our airports were impeccable, but it ought to be recorded that Manchester Airport is dreadful. It is a fair distance from the railway station to the departure point, the travolators don't work and it is uphill with the baggage to pull. Distinctly not recommended. It used to be quicker to go to the Isle of Man by boat from Llandudno than it is nowadays by train and air. On the return, Birmingham Airport did not have connections to the aircraft so again, a deal of steps and long walks. Ronaldsway (IOM) was OK. In short, Ffestiniog Travel were impeccable, the Isle of Man in enchanting, but airports need to pull their socks up, especially Manchester.

We have been using Ffestiniog Travel for forty years and have found their service faultless. Only place in North Wales where you can buy tickets for the Channel Tunnel. Many of the staff have become friends over the years; nothing is too much trouble for them. First class.

Ffestiniog Travel provided an exceptional tour of places most foreign tourists never see. Their primary guides (Anthony Robins - a long time member of the Japanese Railway Society - and his wife Ari) provide excellent daily briefs and educate well a wide range of topics relating to the current Japanese culture.

Ffestiniog Travel was meticulous in arranging my abbreviated version of the normal tour. All my questions were answers competently and in proper detail.

An excellent itinerary with many opportunities to see interesting and historic places, city and countryside as well as riding an amazing variety of trains. Well organised, no glitches and conscientious guides.

The administration by Ffestiniog was good and the local knowledge/guides were the icing on the cake.

Snow on the Alps. That marvelous blend of guidance and freedom (Swiss Pass in this case) the Ffestiniog Travel organises. I love being 'ferried' there, with some fixed excursions (necessary bookings, and then train hopping as much as I please on the 'free days'.

Ffestiniog Travel - the right balance between guidance and freedom.

The holiday experience was in general satisfactory. There were some issues with trains, not of Ffestiniog's fault. there were however issues with two hotels used on the tour, one the Inter City at Wuppertal was dirty, secondly we arrived at our last hotel, The ibis at Euston, where no payment had been made. Both items were sorted out, the inter city gave us another room, that was better but still not top class and the reception desk, did resolve the payment issue with Ffestiniog. Just things we should not have encountered.

Ffestiniog Travel.

For my wife, daughter and I this was the first time we had spent Christmas and new Year away from home. It has been an unforgettable experience. There were excellent hotels and the travel arrangements worked perfectly. Having a choice each day of either a planned trip or doing our own thing made visiting Switzerland well worthwhile. Ffestiniog Travel did a great job. David and Margaret Roberts

Ffestiniog Travel based in Wales and plans and organises rail holidays.

Though somewhat marred by poor weather we had very good and conveniently located hotels both in Vienna and for overnight stops en route. The tickets provided were most useful, particularly in Vienna and for the optional tours. The freedom for personal choice at all times was much appreciated. The group was a friendly mix of singles and couples which helped two long train days to pass convivially.

The concept of Ffestiniog Travel as a semi charitable organisation which passes on any profits to the Ffestiniog Railway Company has my full support. They are efficient in arranging the tours with brochures giving full and accurate descriptions of what one might expect on the tour. Office staff were most knowledgeable with phone enquiries and the tour leader gave timely and good guidance at all times without requiring conformity to his wishes. One days without included dinners, tables were reserved in hotels or restaurants if a very late arrival was planned.