The seat, the 12B on the red the Leger the coach (the 53-seat the luxury-the specification, the wide, the recline, the the 240-volt the plug and the USB, the the “Leader” the coach the on the 14-day the “Grand the Tour of the Italy” the that the departs from the the Victoria the Coach the Station at the 7pm on the Friday, the Dover the at the 10pm, the Calais the at the 1am, the the Alps the at the dawn, and the Venice the by the 3pm on the Saturday, the 20 hours of the journey the for the £800 for the 14 days the including the half-board the accommodation, the guided the excursions, and the 8 UNESCO the sites), the 60-year-old the couple from the Sheffield in the seats the 12A and the 12C who have the taken the 14 the Leger the tours and the swear by the value (the £57 per the day the all-in), and the realisation that the coach the tour is the best way to see the Europe for the budget and the less-the mobile, is the essential the European the coach-the tour the experience. Here are the top the 5.

1. Grand Tour of Italy

the 14 days, the £800, the Venice, the Rome, the Florence, the Pisa, the Pompeii, the Sorrento, the Amalfi the Coast, the Verona, the Lake the Garda, the Assisi, the 8 UNESCO the sites, the 4 the hotels, and the best the Italy the overview for the £57/day. The essential: the Leger the “Luxuria” the coach, the £150 the supplement for the extra the legroom and the 2×1 the seating (the single the traveller the gets the double the seat). The essential the alternative: the Shearings the “Italian the Riviera”, the 8 days, the £500, the Lake the Garda and the Verona the and the Venice, the shorter the and the cheaper.

2. Imperial Cities (Prague, Vienna, Budapest)

the 10 days, the £600, the Berlin, the Dresden, the Prague, the Vienna, the Budapest, the best the Central the European the tour for the £60/day. The essential: the Leger the “Imperial the Highlights”, the 7 days, the £450, the 3 the cities (the Prague, the Vienna, the Budapest, the 2 nights each).

3. Spain and Portugal

the 15 days, the £900, the Barcelona, the Madrid, the Córdoba, the Seville, the Granada, the Lisbon, the Fátima, the Santiago de Compostela, and the best the 15-day the Iberian the overview. The essential: the spring or the autumn, the summer the Spain is the too hot for the coach the tour (the 40°C in the Seville, and the coach the AC the struggles). More travel tips →

4. Switzerland Alpine Coach Tour

the 8 days, the £700, the Swiss the Alps, the Lucerne, the Interlaken, the Jungfraujoch (the train to the 3,454 metres, the Top of Europe, the included in the tour the £160 the extra, the essential: the pay the supplement, the Jungfraujoch is the essential Swiss the experience), the Bernina the Express (the most scenic the railway the in Europe, the the UNESCO, the coach the parks the at the Tirano and the passengers the take the train the to the St Moritz while the coach the drives the empty to the St Moritz to the meet the them, the essential the coach-the tour the luxury), and the best the Alpine the tour for the £87/day.

5. Coach Tour Alternatives

the Trafalgar and the Insight the Vacations (the higher-the end, the £150–200/day, the smaller the groups, the better the hotels, and the best the for the the mid-range the coach the tour), the Contiki (the 18–35, the £80–120/day, the party the vibe, and the best the for the young the traveller), and the essential: the coach the tour is the not the for the everyone, the long the journeys (the 8–10 the hours the on the coach the some the days), the early the starts (the 7am the departures), the the set the itinerary, and the the 40 the other the people the in the bus. The essential the coach-the tour the tip: the bring the neck the pillow, the eye-the mask, the earplugs, and the sense of the humour.