Spain & Portugal
Reviews
We had an awesome time! Portugal is a wonderful country, the weather was perfect, and the food, history, scenery, etc. were all amazing. Our tour was superb. Our guide Luis was great. His professionalism and knowledge of his country were top-notch, and I greatly appreciate his attention to managing the myriad details of our experience while keeping our focus on that experience. The hotels were very good. All logistical arrangements were executed perfectly. As has been the case with our previous Gate1 trips, the buses were extremely comfortable and the drivers courteous and professional. We look forward to our next Gate 1 tour!
John C.Was an outstanding trip !!
Iliana H.My trip was one of the best I've ever taken. It was my first time as a solo traveler. I was apprehensive about it but the group was wonderful and inclusive and I met two other solos who were terrific. I thank Gate1 for a fantastic guide, meals, and sites. I also appreciate that the solo rate was reasonable so that solos can afford to travel.
Rebecca H.Our trip was amazing! Our guide, Alex, did an incredible job of showing us the sites, guiding us, and making sure everyone was safe. Every time we go on a trip with Gate 1, we think the guides are awesome. Each one seems to outdo the previous one. The itinerary is spot on for what we hope to see. We have compared itineraries of other tours and keep coming back to Gate 1. I spread the Gate 1 word with family and friends!
Patricia L.We just completed our 15 day Portugal/Spain tour. It started out rough, as our flight was delayed due to crew scheduling, which caused us to miss our connecting flight to Lisbon. As a result, we arrived a day late and missed the orientation dinner and the morning tour of Lisbon. Our tour manager, Alex , left a message at the front desk for us and followed up with a phone call, to make arrangements for us to meet up with the tour as soon as possible. From the first point of contact, to our last goodbye, Alex was there for each and everyone of us on the tour. He has a special gift of making everyone feel special, and cared for during the tour. He arranged for us to have a special dinner in Lisbon, the same dinner that the group had the night before, which helped us to get over our rough start, and put us on the right path to enjoy the rest of our trip. Alex was very knowledgeable about each destination and I enjoyed learning about the history, culture, landscape, economy of both Spain and Portugal. He was very thoughtful in preparing us for each destination and we always arrived at each destination on time. This is our 3 trip with Gate 1 and Alex is a shining star of a tour manager. He is a large part of why we had the most enjoyable experience on our tour of Portugal and Spain. Alex has a gift of working with people. He has the perfect combination of composure with grace, a sense of humor, patience, compassion, and has a gentle way of talking to people. At the same time, he's very organized and everything went off without a hitch. He's very endearing, and I'm so grateful to have had him as our tour manager. We look forward to booking another tour with Gate 1, and we hope that our paths will cross again with Alex. We'd love to do another tour with him.
Lawrence H.It was wonderful! Portugal & Spain have so many beautiful and historic sites. And our guide, Alex, is truly amazing. So, patient and organized, always a smile on his face, and very knowledgeable. He definitely made the trip fun for everyone! It was our first Gate 1 trip, but it will not be our last.
Kimberly R.Had a FABULOUS Time with Gate 1 to see Portugal and Spain. Our tour manager, Alex was a top notch leader with extensive knowledge of culture, food and sights. One of our best tours ever. Will travel with Gate 1 in the future !
Selma J.This most recent 10-day Portugal tour with Luis, whom by the way, was the very best tour guide we have ever had in all of the tours in the past with your company and with other tour companies we've had in past years!! He made the tours exciting and with all the historical background information, the tour is one that will never be forgotten! The bus driver was kind and very considerate of all the travelers on the bus!! We rave about your tour company to many people on our way back home on the planes we traveled on home from Lisbon! You are the best! We can't wait for this August when we tour Ireland and Scotland with your tour company! Can't say enough good things about your company! Thanks for all you do to make it the best experience ever and always!!
Angela K.This was my 6th tour with Gate 1, and I have never been disappointed! On my last tour to Spain our guide Nicholas was incredible! He is a true professional, knows how to do his job well and clearly loves his job with Gate 1. He took care of everyone so well and was so knowledgeable. I hope his manager at Gate 1 is aware of his hard work, dedication, and excellent skills. You are very lucky to have him in your employ. Because of him our trip was perfect! I'm looking forward to planning my next Gate 1 tour!
Annamaria K.My 15-day trip to Spain and Portugal was amazing. Our tour guide Peter, for the trip and the guides at all the sites and cities were so full of information and shared their knowledge so eloquently. The restaurants and hotels that were chosen were all very nice. I learned so much and just couldn't be any happier with all the Gate 1 offers.
Shari B.Our trip was incredible. We were so lucky with the glorious weather. Our tour guide Antonio was wonderful, kind, considerate and knowledgeable. Some of the tour guides were outstanding - especially the lady who took us around the amazing early Christian, Roman, Visigoth, Catholic Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. Toledo was also a fascinating medieval city, Alhambra at night from St. Nicolas Church, walking the Alicante Promenade alongside a glorious blue Mediterranean, and Valencia. Enjoyed the Flamenco and Monserrat Monastery tour a profound experience. Everything was so well planned and timed. Only question is where to go next year?
Michele F.Lisa was a wonderful tour guide. Her love for and knowledge of Spain was evident throughout the entire trip. Lisa was warm, funny, interesting, knowledgeable, and engaging. She had wonderful stories to share about her experiences in attending college in Seville, and about living in Spain for so many years. She was very easy to talk to and made our trip very memorable. Lisa got along with every member of our group and made everyone feel like we were her traveling companions and even friends. We really loved our time with her and wish her all the best as she continues this work as a tour manager.
Sheryl D.Our trip to San Miguel Was fantastic. The Hotel Atlantico was in a very convenient location, right across from the pier, with many restaurants to choose from. Ponta Delgado is a charming town, very walkable, filled with friendly people. The island itself is beautiful. We took an optional tour to Furnas; our guide Hugo was knowledgeable and funny! I would recommend this trip to anyone.
Joanne K.It was fabulous. Our tour leader Rui was by far the best I've had the pleasure of traveling with. He is professional, courteous, and conscientious. He went above and beyond to take care of us with every fine detail. I hope one day I have him again if I return. Portugal is a nice country. The tour was set up perfectly with a good mix of attractions and free time. Well, done! Say hi to Rui for us.
Maryann B.It was FANTASTIC! The architecture in Portugal and Spain is the most exquisite I have had the pleasure to see. Starting with the Belem Tower in Lisbon Portugal to the MAJESTIC Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. The people of Portugal and Spain were amazingly friendly and polite. Our Tour Manager, Hugo, was the BEST, he was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and helpful. It was another trip of a lifetime thanks to Gate 1.
Victoria C.The trip was really enjoyable (except for the weather - rain every day). The tour guides were knowledgeable and very cordial. The itinerary was packed with activities, and we were busy the entire time. Elio was great. He watched out for everyone. The local guides were VERY knowledgeable. The hotels were first class. It was a large tour but handled very efficiently. Again, the only negative was the weather, which cannot be predicted or controlled. This was our 5th Gate1 trip, and all have been great. We will travel again soon.
Jerry P.We had a great time! Everything went smoothly. Good flight, pickup at airport went well, hotel was good, optional tours were fun, pickup for the airport was right on time, and flight home was good, too. Couldn't ask for better... Gate 1 did a fine job of organizing this. Even though it was an independent tour, it didn't feel like one as we had the same tour guide on all three optional tours, and we met 6 other wonderful Gate 1 travelers.
Gloria L.Our trip was awesome. Gate 1 exceeded my expectations in every way--start to finish. And kudos to our tour manager Peter. We will definitely book with Gate 1 from now on. You guys are obviously a value-driven organization. Thanks so much for everything.
William J.FABULOUS!!!!! EVERYTHING was absolutely perfect---GATE ONE does it again!! From the moment we arrived in Madrid, we knew we had "no cares in the world" but to enjoy our well-deserved getaway and let Gate One do what they do better than NO OTHER! Carmen was the quintessential tour guide - charming and delightful, professional, knowledgeable, and capable in every way. She let nothing "slip through the cracks." From the drivers to the tour guides, the tours and hotels and restaurants and all the places we visited - I cannot imagine it could have been ANY better. Can't wait for my next Gate One adventure! Thank you, Nicole, for your assistance in making this all happen. :-) THANK YOU GATE ONE!!!!!
Melanie G.My first European trip was memorable partly to the excellent disposition of Jorge. Jorge's knowledge of both countries was a fun history lesson. His communication skills and undivided attention to each member of the group showed that he cared for our safety and our enjoyment. Jorge's friendly personality is well suited for his tasks and duties as Manager. He made the trip unforgettable with a desire to return for more. Jorge was an AWESOME Manager and Guide.
Marie S.What an enjoyable Portugal vacation. Our Tour Manager, Americo was amazing in keeping the group and schedules in line. He is extremely knowledgeable and made sure that everybody is comfortable and having the best time. Our driver, Jose was excellent in navigating the narrow roads of Portugal and you felt safe the entire time when he's behind the wheels. The local tour guide also contributed in making our vacation amazing. We look forward to another vacation with Gate 1.
Nenita B.Just returned from the 11-day Affordable Spain Trip with Raquel as the tour manager. This tour had a great itinerary allowing one to get a good taste of major cities in Spain. Loved it and want to return. This was our 10th trip with Gate1 and Raquel was one of the best tour managers we have had. Not only does she have a great personality and sense of humor, expert organizational skills and general regard for each tour member, her knowledge and love of her country was infectious. We enjoyed the extra information that she provided with handouts of Spanish phrases, definitions of Spanish dishes and suggestions about what to do in each city. She assisted in helping with clear directions when we needed to visit sites on our own. She managed the group very well, from suggestions for ice breakers to get to know your fellow travelers to keeping you safe on streets to managing small emergencies that occurred within the group during the trip. She is a top professional in her field and a pleasure to spend a week with. We miss her!
Carol S.We had a wonderful trip! Ruí was a fantastic guide. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Every city was amazing and we fully enjoyed all the optional trips. I love how Gate1 always puts an interesting stop during travel days. Évora, Ronda and Caiscas were wonderful stops. We were very pleased with all the hotels especially their locations. Having a balcony room in Torremolinos was a pleasant surprise. I can't wait to travel with Gate1 again!
Maitee H.Our tour guide, Silvia, was excellent! She was always on time, easy to talk to, always have a smile on face, she handled problems very well especially dealing with 40 different personalities!!!! always looking for our safety, very informative and knows what she is talking about, and I can go on and on. All the other tour guides were very good! This is probably our best trip ever! We have used Gate One several times but this Portugal/Spain is my favorite! Will highly recommend to family and friends. Thank you Gate One!
Edna H.Ercilia, our tour manager, was absolutely amazing. This is the first guided Gate 1 tour that we took, (all others were independent) and me and my family enjoyed and loved it so much. You get to know and visit so much; we are in love with Portugal. Ercilia was absolutely professional, knowledgeable, respectful, sweet and kind. This experience was so fantastic that from now on we will book guided tours. Thank you Gate 1 for your excellent service, we love Gate 1.
Lina M.Every tour I take from gate 1 travel amazes me. It gets better and better. Spain hotels and food are excellent. Javier, our tour guide, was very informative, courteous, funny, helpful, and attentive to our needs. Specially mention to Riu hotel in Madrid , excellent addition to gate 1 hotel accommodation. I hope you add more Riu hotels for another destinations. We enjoyed and so much fun from Spain trip (Madrid, corpus, Seville, Granada, Valencia & Barcelona) I'm already looking/planning the next one to take!
Marita S.Thank you, thank you, thank you, Gate 1, for another memorable trip. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Spain, led by Estefi (the best!!) and driven by Ximo (so professional!!). Spain is a beautiful country, loaded with historic sights and cultural heritage...and incredible food! We learn so much on your tours and are introduced to very interesting places. We traveled from beautiful Madrid to Seville, Granada, Valencia, and Barcelona, with side trips to Toledo, Cordoba, Alicante and Montserrat. To see so much of the country in 8 days without having to drive ourselves is a great way to travel and explore...and there's still plenty of free time to wander on your own. We enjoyed our group very much, and we can't say enough great things about our tour guide Estefi. There were several situations that arose, and Estefi handled everything with ease and humor. She is a true professional, and she makes everyone feel like family. The hotels were beautiful, in great locations, with delicious breakfasts. There were several "wow" moments built in - lunch at Alhambra, the gondola ride, and of course Fallas! This was our 11th trip with Gate 1, and we have two more booked. Can't wait to travel again!
Maureen M.Thank you Gate1 we had a marvelous trip , Luis our tour manager was excellent he made sure everyone in the group had everything we needed making sure everyone is having a great time, answering all our questions and even to our departure day waking up at 3am to see that everyone that have early flight have our packed breakfast from the hotel and see us off to catch our flight back home and our wonderful driver Alex the best driver he make sure we get to our destination safely and water is ready when we get back from visiting all the beautiful places that Gate1 prepared for us to visit. Thank you and we are looking forward with our next trip with Gate1.
Maribel R.It was great. Our tour manager was Olga and there are not enough wonderful adjectives to describe her. She made an otherwise great trip, wonderful. Friendly, attentive, knowledgeable, timely, informative, caring, and proud of her country are just some of the adjectives that come to mind. Gate 1 is lucky to have her as a tour manager. The accommodations were great and the optional tours just awesome. The schedule can be a bit hectic, but it is completely understandable under the circumstances. As tourists, we want to see everything and also rest. Both are mutually exclusive, and a compromise has to be made. Your excursions are planned perfectly and on top of that add Olga expertise and experience made our trip one wonderful and pleasurable vacation. Onwards to our next trip with Gate 1!
Vicente S.Overall my experience with Gate1 was phenomenal, may it be independent tour or escorted. I already told my friends about it and Gate 1 didn't disappoint and 100%recommended. I was very impressed how seamless were my vacations were. And I will be going again the next few months with Gate 1...that speaks how very satisfied I am!
Karen R.Trip was amazing! Jose manager tour guide was so professional, kind and amazing too!! The driver is wonderful! Overall it's much more than I expected... I'm so thrilled with hotels and their breakfast. My first time with escorted trip. Last 10 years I have told to ppl so much about gate one..my friends and family are very very pleased after they have tried. Thank you for doing that. Best of best.
Tina V.This is the second time I traveled with Gate 1. This time I traveled to Spain with my husband and 10 of my friends who had never traveled with Gate 1 before. Some of them were first time travelers to Europe. Gate 1 went above and beyond their expectation. First, we have a knowledgeable, friendly and professional tour guide, Andrea. He made sure that we are all safe. He was kind and patient enough with us. He made sure too that we have fun in every destination that we visited. The hotels are clean, accessible to transportation if we need to go to places that we love to see during our own leisure time. We had sumptuous breakfast everyday and the dinner provided for us was also world class. We were even surprised with a free lunch. That was a great experience indeed. Spain is an amazing place to visit indeed, especially with Gate 1. My friends would love to travel with Gate 1 again. Thanks to Gate 1 for the excellent service!
Jeaneth P.Just wanted to let you know how pleased we were with our travel to Portugal and Spain the end of Feb. March. It was fabulous!! Alex, our tour manager, made us feel welcome and safe throughout our time. Our bus driver Marco, was also great! We enjoyed all the tour guides and their information in every city we visited. Everything was so organized and well planned. I've been telling everyone what a wonderful time we had and to use Gate 1. I had read some of the reviews beforehand and wasn't sure, but this trip changed my mind and I hope to travel again soon. We met so many wonderful people in our group. Terrific experience!!!
Susan P.My wife Jennifer and I just returned from our trip to Portugal and Spain. Our guide Lisa was amazing! In fact, all of the guides and drivers were wonderful. I have already recommended Gate1 to friends who were looking to travel to Spain. This was our second trip with your company, and I am so impressed. We are planning many more tours with Gate1!
John S.My trip was fabulous. Our tour guide, Rui facilitated a flawless tour of Portugal. I cannot say enough good things about the planning, preparing and implementing of this magical journey. Ruiz's knowledge was beyond impressive; he was kind, personable, thorough and humble. Because of this, I can highly recommend Gate One travel without equivocation, and I look forward to more travel with your organization.
Virginia PRui was an extraordinary tour guide he was knowledgeable about everything we visited. He provided context, and history. He was very engaging and our time together was really fun and interesting. We all got along well and Rui helped make our time in Portugal both welcoming and memorable. We will definitely travel Gate 1 again. Well done. Our driver Philippe was incredible. He navigated a large coach bus through terrain with ear and grace. He did it well and he did it safely.
Cherie D.Had an amazing 10 day Affordable Spain trip! Gate 1 does an awesome job with all of the travel arrangements. The hotels were all extremely nice and centrally located within walking distance to many of the local sites, restaurants and shopping. The itinerary was great as it allowed us to visit many of the beautiful sites from Madrid to Barcelona and everything in between. Carmen, our tour guide, and Pedro, the bus driver, were absolutely wonderful. Carmen is extremely knowledgeable and kept the tour on schedule. I absolutely loved having Carmen as our tour guide. This was my 4th Gate 1 tour and I'm certain it will not be my last.
Tania H.Our guide Adriana was a history professor, BBC documentary host, and cruise director all in one. The driver Thiago was made us feel safe cruising the narrow, hilly pathways of the medieval towns. The food and the wine was excellent. An overall unforgettable trip.
Hayna R.Affordable Spain was great - first time of my now 54 G1 trips that I have taken the Affordable option (but really they all are!), but it was a winner - all the benefits and inclusions of a Classic tour just taken in the off-season, with fewer crowds and so great to escape the frigid NE winter with warmer temperatures for a week. A circle tour that starts and ends in the capital Madrid, which makes for easy flight connections. I have been to Spain several times, but loved revisiting places like Toledo and the Alhambra in Granada, without the high season hordes of people. And the one new place for me on this tour, Cordoba, I just loved - the Mezquita de Cordoba is amazing to see. A very well paced tour with a visit and walking tour of a major city or sight each day, and then also enough free time to be able to explore more and to find interesting places for lunch and dinner on days they are not included. The hotels were all excellent and well located, and rooms were spacious and modern - breakfasts were buffet style and delicious and plentiful and loved the added Spanish touches like hot chocolate and churros! Finally - our group of 31 was driven safely and courteously by the very personable Manuel and led with style and perfect organization by our tour manager Ana, who was lovely and helped make everything run flawlessly. Thanks as always and for me now a January Affordable trip will become a regular occurrence!
Lorraine P.This was my first complete vacation tour. It was amazing and Alex , our tour guide was beyond fantastic. We had a fabulous time, learned a lot and had tons of fun. The group was amazing and we felt safe, attended to and it could not have been a better experience. I have told many friends about this tour and that they should experience the same with Gate one. Please give Alex a huge thank you and if possible a huge bonus - he was the best person and tour guide I have ever experienced. He is a gem.
Allen R.This was my first Gate 1 trip and I didn't know what to expect. Our tour manager was fantastic (César) and our bus driver was very punctual and professional (Alex or Alejandro). César went out of his way to ensure the entire group was comfortable and got along well together. This was truly an outstanding first-time experience. Looking forward to future travel opportunities and will let others know about my wonderful trip because of Gate 1. The ability to add hotel days at the start and end of the trip were a huge bonus to explore the city independently.
Jennifer L.It was great! Our tour manager, Catia, was 5 star all the way. She was so knowledgeable and organized everything beautifully. The drivers and additional site guides were so fun and made the trip exceptional. All the hotels and meals were wonderful. I especially liked that the hotels were all so centrally located so walking was convenient. The "on our own time" was perfect. Thanks, and hope to go on another trip with Travel Zone again.
Barbara V.I just wanted to sing the praises our tour manager and driver for my recent trip to Spain. I feel like I hit the jackpot with this dynamic duo. I know I'm misspelling their names, Ai-maya and Timo, but I just want to make sure they get credit for being so wonderful. Both have fantastic personalities that make you feel part of a family and not just part of a tour. I've taken quite a few group tours over the years (with Gate 1 and other companies) and this one is favorite because of all of their hard work ... so I want to make sure I recognize both for being so amazing. Cheers to these two ... and of course, beautiful Spain!
Lisa G.Estefania was the absolute best travel guide for our entire tour. She was organized, friendly, very knowledgeable and took EXCELLENT care of our group. We hand some schedule changes and she handled everything efficiently and smoothly. She added some "WOW" moments for our group (pastries, tapas and an aerial gondola ride down Montserrat) that made us feel special and very lucky indeed. We all became great friends and by the time the trip was over, it was hard to say goodbye to everyone, and most especially Estefi. She is just such a wonderful person and guide, we LOVED HER. Let me know what other tours she will be in charge of in the future and we will be sure to sign up. Gate1 Travel, you've got a rare diamond in Estefi!! She is nothing short of amazing!
Suzanne H.Optimo!! Very organized. The tour guide, Francisco, was excellent. Responsive to every inquiry and went above and beyond. Our driver, Ugo, was courteous, professional and extremely skilled driving in very narrow streets. Our guide in Porto, Marta, was very knowledgeable and friendly. Her passion for sharing her beautiful hometown with us came across as she pointed out landmarks and attractions. The optional tour of Sintra was great. A beautiful town of castles and spectacular scenery. The accommodations were very comfortable and convenient for exploring on our own. Above and beyond the sights and attractions we visited, surprises like our stop at the Christ the King statue and Ugo getting us natas in Belem, hot out of the oven, were special moments that enhanced my experience with Gate1. This was my first time in Europe and my first time talking a tour of any kind. At the recommendation of one of my sisters who has used Gate1, I looked into this trip. I am extremely satisfied with the experience and value that Gate1 provides. I would not hesitate to recommend Gate1 travel to friends and family.
Raymond C.just a quick note about our recent trip to Portugal. Carla was our tour guide and she was exceptional!! Her knowledge, communication, sense of humor and just caring about every traveler went way beyond! This is our 3rd trip with Gate1 ( we had always used other tour companies on previous trips, Viking, Grand Circle etc) but Gate1 far exceeds all these tour companies. We recommend to all our family and friends! Basically what sets you apart are your tour guides!! We can't wait for our next trip with Gate 1!!
Brenda T.We loved Portugal. Our guide, Adrianna, was so welcoming and very well versed in every aspect of the the history, politics, education and economics of Portugal. My husband and I love really learning about the places that we visit and Adrianna did a fantastic job of explaining the history and background of everything we viewed. We would also like to compliment, Vincent, our bus driver. Gate 1 seems to have a way of finding bus drivers who can make the buses bend around corners and operate like much smaller vehicles. This 8 day tour was more of an appetizer than a longer trip would have been. We went in 4 days early and stayed 2 days after the end. It allowed us to arrange a few more in depth tours of Lisbon and Porto. All in all we thing that we got a great deal of insight into Portugal. Both of us oved every minute of our trip.
Joan S.Our Portugal Gate 1 Tour was fantastic. Miquel was endearing, super organized, super knowledgeable, and super engaging. He kept the whole group upbeat and fascinated with Portugal, its history and culture, it's folkways and food. Miquel's "mojo" kept the rain away, too! That's why our Douro River cruise was so remarkable and memorable. Louie was a skillful bus driver. Portugal is beautiful and Miguel, as well as local guides in Lisbon and Porto, made its history come alive. This was a lovely, compatible, friendly group of fellow travelers, led and inspired by Miquel and that always makes a Gate 1 tour special.
Francine C.They were 13 unforgettable days, full of history and culture of the Iberian Peninsula. From Lisbon to Barcelona, every day was an experience and a journey through time. Portugal is beautiful and its people are friendly and hospitable. Spain is full of culture and history, with monuments, parks and museums that describe the passage of time. The landscapes, buildings, and places we visited transported us back in time, and everything was masterfully presented by each tour guide. Eva, Isabela, Monse, Juan, Egui and José, all of them, in an excellent and professional manner, presented relevant details of the facts and historical details of each area we visited. The performance of the tour manager, Daniel, was exceptional, and not forgetting the bus drivers, who diligently took us to different places and took care of us in safe manner. The hotels were in perfect locations, close to everything, easy access, and good quality service. I can't put into words how much we learned and fun we had, the places we visited, the people we met and shared, and the atmosphere we had. Everything was beautiful and exceeded all our expectations. We left Spain and Portugal, with a sweet taste in our mouths, and dreaming of returning, because Spain and Portugal are beautiful. Thank you Gate 1 and Daniel, for designing such a spectacular tour with high quality service.
Teresa C.I want to tell you that Rui was one OUTSTANDING guide. He was friendly, knowledgeable, funny, passionate about his country and very professional. Communication was efficient & reinforced verbally & written with daily schedules. I just can't say enough about him! He made me love Portugal & want to return!
Patricia H.