My best friend and I just returned from the Best of Greece + Santorini tour in October 2024. First, it was the perfect time to go--much less crowed and we had perfect weather! Charlotte, our guide, was so kind and fun to travel with. We loved all the historical sites (and the site licensed guides were all phenomenal! We learned so much and they told great stories), and all the beaches/towns we went to were gorgeous. Delphi was unbelievable, I never would have thought to go to Nafplio on my own but it was a gem, and Hydra was adorable. The catamaran trip at the end in Santorini had to be postponed one day due to winds but when we went the next day, it was an unforgettable experience. From the local places for dinners to cute hotels, we wouldn't have wanted to travel any other way!

Best of Italy 15 days for our 50th wedding anniversary ! Our first McGuffin tour. More to plan next trip. ! We were well taken care of and teamed up with 5 folks from the Denver area, Great small group.

Our guide Ilaria was excellent, well organized and detailed. Great personality and took extra good care of us by avoiding the tourist traps, selecting great restaurants off the beaten path.

Rome was overwhelming and breathtaking, hard to comprehend the history, we were glad to get out of the city and tour the smaller towns.

The hotels were first class and close enough to transportation but off the beaten path. Group dining was fun and educational as Ilaria explained the local cuisine and customs.

The wow moment was the Vatican and Basilica and seeing The David. So much to take in.

David's tour information prepared us well and by the time we departed we felt confident and well informed. We also had many daily PDF downloads to brief us on the days activities.

It was a lot of walking but we came home in great shape, exhausted but in a good way. Did not get to hear a lot of music which we wanted , there were opportunities on our free days but i did not plan ahead well for that,. We did find a couple of laundries which helped.

All in all we would go again in a heartbeat ! The preparation, the planning, guides, hotels, were well worth the cost and a trip of a lifetime. Booking and finding the flights was a bit challenging but we minimized our hops and traveled well with Delta. Security lines and checkpoints were numerous and lengthy at times.

One night we were booked into a penthouse suite in the LIDO ! overlooking Venice ! Many thanks for a wonderful trip and making new friends along the way. Thank you David,. ! Germany is next !

Castles, Trefriw mill, slate mine, ferries, trains, wine & cheese bar Scotland & Wales had it all and did not disappoint, plus we made a friend - Shout out to Evelyn. We had David all to ourselves for this trip, lucky us! Lets start.......
Edinburgh is a city but small and quite in the area we stayed in, loved the atmosphere of the restaurants and shops plus how many people can say the have been to a still lived in Royal Castle - Holyrood Palace.
Seeing my husbands face as he gazed upon St Andrews golf course in all it's beauty made me so happy for him, along with the cathedral to visit St Andrews is a quaint little town with very friendly people.
This tour is not only fun and entertaining but also a history lesson for all.
The little town of Pitlochery was one of my favorites, so clean, friendly, great shopping! Culloden Battlefield is historically haunting as you walk the grounds and visit the museum you get a true sense of how loyal the Jacobites were to their cause.
I never thought a giant catapult (Urquhart Castle) would hold my attention for so long but the thought of how genius it was to have built such a massive structure the way they did back in the day truly had me in awe, not to mention the castle is still so intact for the time period.
We unfortunately didn't see Nessie while on Loch Ness either but we ate and drank some fabulous seafood.
How many people can say they have walked in an 800 yr old Abbey, as a Christian I felt honored to see where the Book of Kells was written and speak with a nun who still lives in Iona. Iona was breath taking it it's self, I could have easily retreated to this island for a couple of weeks, I feel like to have to have visited here to know what that means. So remote and removed from today's world.
Our last few nights we stayed at Groes Inn in Northern Wales, while remote it doesn't disappoint in any way. Great wine selection and beautiful rooms help make this small inn fell homey and welcoming.
My husband and I both were extremely fascinated with visiting the Trefriw woolen mill seeing how they step by step make blankets, pillow covers etc....I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into making these now.
We got to travel on a steam engine train, first time for both of us and visit a slate mine. When you think your job is hard just research working in a slate mine and you will understand the hard dangerous work men put into their jobs trying to support their families.
Our last night with David we ate at an old church that had been renovated into a restuarant but they had left the pipe organs hanging, so beautiful and the food was great too. I could continue and go on and on about more but really you need to book this trip for yourself to see exactly what Scotland and Wales have to offer you. Stop hesitating and do it.

Saint Johns Festival Band UK tour, 30 June - 8 July 2024.

From Glasgow to Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands to the Lake District, and onto Liverpool (and Wales!) for our performance, this was an absolute grand tour of the UK. With a group of 51 students, parents, and band leadership, this was by all means a major event. David and his team executed with flawless precision! If you are thinking about a custom event, David McGuffin's Exploring Europe is your solution!! David puts you where you want to be, coordinates movement, lodging, food, experiences, and even schedules private events; this was an absolutely amazing turnkey experience that will never be forgotten!

Thank you to David and all the Exploring Europe staff who made this happen!!

Charlie, Carly, Grant, and Reid

Our whole family went on the trip including four of us who had never been before. We are planning another trip soon.

This was our first trip to Europe and it was everything we hoped for! John and Audra were the tour guides. They went above and beyond to answer all questions and tailor the experience to our requests. The group dinners were very good and let us see things we could have never found on our own. John and Audra both took the time to make sure we understood the public transportation in both countries so we could fully enjoy our free days. They even researched places for us to go based on our wish list. I could not recommend David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe and more highly. Thanks to everyone for a great experience!

We traveled to Scottland & Ireland on a McGuffin tour. The tour group was small making it easy to navigate the two countries as compared to larger tour groups. He included tours to many “off the beaten path” towns which differentiated this tour from others we have done. Having a half-day to explore stops on your own every day also made this tour a wonderful experience.

The Best of Ireland - September 2023

My wife and I just completed the Best of Ireland Tour and it changed our whole attitude about doing a tour. We loved being in a small tour group where everyone gets to know one another. We had a fantastic group and it was by far, one of the best and most informative trips we've ever been on.

From day one, each trip was carefully planned with an abundance of daily tours as well as needed downtime and though I have a hearing loss, David spoke louder to accommodate. We NEVER waited in lines for ANYTHING. Anytime we showed up for a reserved tour, we were immediately escorted thru.

Our dinner locations were chosen by David because of the charm, the history and the personality and DID NOT disappoint. The food was always outstanding with great selections available because of varying tastes, and we never expected wine and spirits to be included as part of the dining experience.

David also picked some out of-the-way locations to stop where the town was not overrun with tourists and where the larger buses were too big to travel. We had to endure some rainy days that required walking in the rain but that's just part of it. Unless we stopped to check into a hotel, the bags always stayed on the bus and if we couldn't check into the rooms early, the hotel had no problem storing our bags for us...at no charge.

We can't say enough about the quality of our tour guide and the entire tour itself. It has totally changed our opinion about tour groups and well never visit another city in Europe unless it's a small group tour!!!!!!!

The Best of Ireland  - September 2023

My husband and I just traveled to Ireland with David for 12 days along with our friends and we had the best time. Every detail is streamlined in advance so you have no surprises. You receive an email or WhatsApp update every evening with your detailed schedule for the next day, so easy. Breakfast is included every morning, lunch on your own with plenty of options and fun group dinners half the time. David always listened to our opinions about what we wanted and didn't. We loved how he didn't bog us down with nonstop activity and gave us free time to explore on our own. We were so impressed with his company we immediately booked another tour with him. This is a no brainer for us because all you have to do is pack your bags, book a flight and he does everything else simple as that. If you can't have fun with EE,Inc you're not trying.

David provided a private tour for my family and myself. Our tour included Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. My favorite location was Mykonos. The Villa we stayed in Mykonos was gorgeous.