Since 1947, Trafalgar has been taking travelers on incredible guided tours across more than 70 countries and six continents. Families looking for a unique vacation with something for everyone in the group will love that there are more than 240 different itineraries to pick from. These range from safari tours in Africa and food tours through Japan to castle tours in Ireland.
Guided group tours are a seamless way to travel and Trafalgar makes it easy for everyone. All you and your traveling party need to do is show up on time each morning. Everything from meals and route planning to exciting activities and behind-the-scenes looks are all planned in advance by incredible guides. You’ll also learn quite a bit about the destination you’re traveling to thanks to insights from locals who lead some activities.
And don’t worry if you think guided vacations are just for older travelers. Trafalgar tours bring in a wide demographic of travelers, varying in age and background. So while you’re trotting around a new destination you may even meet a few new friends too.
Trafalgar Tours: What You Get When You Book
Two hallmarks of the Trafalgar Tours brand are authentic meals and unstructured conversations in the homes of locals as part of the “Be My Guest” experience. I’ve found breaking bread with people from around the world to be a true privilege and a big reason why I continued to gravitate toward Trafalgar tours in 2024.
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All on-trip transportation, transfers, and accommodations are included, plus many meals and experiences. With someone else taking care of tedious details, you’re free to relax and enjoy the sights. The maximum number of participants on a Trafalgar tour is between 20 and 52 people, depending on the destination. On the low end, Africa trips max out at 20, while North American trips can have up to 52 people.
The Best Trafalgar Tours for 2025
Trafalgar is launching four all-new tours in 2025, plus an updated itinerary on its Best of India tour. If you’re thinking about taking a guided group vacation in 2025, these 12 Trafalgar tours are worth taking a look at. These tours all highlight uique destinations and experiences, plus offer great value for budget-savvy travelers.
1. Alaska Northern Lights
With all the talk of the Northern Lights showing off in the lower continental United States in 2024, we’re betting that more and more people are going to travel to Alaska to see the Auroa Borealis next year. With Trafalgar’s new Alaska Northern Lights tour you can spend seven days in the state searching and following the night sky’s dancing light show.
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The adventure starts in Fairbanks, where you’ll have two nights to try to spot the Northern Lights, plus make a stop during the day at the Museum of the North. Then you’ll move to Talkeetna, where you may be about to spot Mount Denali and you’ll get a lesson on photographing the Northern Lights from a local photographer. The trip ends in Anchorage where you’ll learn about the Indigenous peoples of Alaska and visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
- Length: 7 days
- Starting price: $3,850
- Average group size: can be up to 52 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
2. Highlights of Germany
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the history of Germany or see the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Disneyland Park castle, then you’ll love the Highlights of Germany tour from Trafalgar. The eight-day tour takes travelers to eight cities, so even though you’re always on the move you’ll see a lot of the country. The tour starts in Berlin, where you’ll spend the first two days of the tour exploring and seeing everything from the Brandenburg Gate to the Berlin TV Tower.
The tour then continues to Mödlareuth, where you’ll come face-to-face with an original section of the Berlin Wall. Day five brings you to Heidelberg, where you’ll go to the edge of the Black Forest and see how cuckoo clocks are made. Continue the tour with a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle before ending in Munich to explore with the group or on your own.
- Length: 8 days
- Starting price: $2,196
- Average group size: about 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
3. Best of India
One of Trafalgar’s newly updated tours is the Best of India, which is 11 days of exploration through the country. The tour begins in Dheli, where you’ll have three days to see sights like the Red Fort and the Chandni Chowk market. Day four is the big day on this trip. It’s when the group will get to take in the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal.
The tour continues in Ranthambore, where you’ll have two game drives around the Ranthambore National Park to spot tigers and other wildlife. In Jaipur, you’ll have dinner with a local family for regional cuisine and visit the City Palace. You’ll spend the final three days of the trip in the sacred city of Varanasi. Here, you’ll take a cruise down the Ganges River, learn about silk weaving, and see the Kashi Vishwanath Temple before departing for home.
- Length: 11 days
- Starting price: $2,220
- Average group size: about 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
4. Impressions of South America
Trafalgar’s 2025 Impressions of South America visits Brazil and Argentina. It starts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the glittering waters of Copacabana beach lure you in for a trip of a lifetime. In the city, you’ll also have the chance to summit Sugarloaf Mountain and get up close to Christ the Redeemer, the latter of which is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. A quick flight brings you to the thundering roar of majestic Iguazu Falls before crossing into Argentina.
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From the natural wonder of the Falls, the group will venture to Buenos Aires. You’ll have the chance to visit the Pink Palace, learn the art of tango, take part in a wine tasting, and watch a goucho demonstration all before flying home.
- Length: 9 days
- Starting price: $3,556
- Average group size: 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
5. Best of Italy with Trafalgar
Live la dolce vita on Trafalgar’s Best of Italy tour. Marvel at Rome’s iconic Colosseum, see the Sistine Chapel above your head, visit Pompeii with an expert guide, and soak in the breathtaking scenery of the Amalfi Coast, including celebrity-studded Capri. Landlocked Assisi is a perfect complement to canal-laden Venice, where you’ll watch master craftsmen blow glass just as they have for centuries in the latter.
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Visit fashionable Milan and serene Lake Como. In Tuscany, admire Pisa’s Leaning Tower and watch a leather-making demonstration in magnificent Florence. A stop in the Instagram-worthy hill town of San Gimignano is icing on the cake before you depart home from Rome.
- Length: 13 days
- Starting price: $3,375
- Average group size: 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
6. Wild West, Cowboys, and Buffalos
History and nature are in the spotlight on the Wild West, Cowboys and Buffalos tour, a fine choice for guided family tours. From Salt Lake City, Utah, to Rapid City, South Dakota, you’ll be surrounded by grandeur at national parks including Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands, and Mount Rushmore. Your family won’t soon forget tasting potato-flavored ice cream in Idaho, watching Old Faithful erupt, seeing a herd of bison, and exploring the Oglala Lakota Living History Museum.
For a truly incredible experience, stay up late on night seven for the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore, then the following day enjoy a meal and educational experience with a Lakota Sioux Tribe Member.
- Length: 9 days
- Starting price: $3,443
- Average group size: 45 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
7. European Traveller from London to Rome with Trafalgar
If you want an overview of Europe and don’t have a lot of time to commit to each country, the 2025 iteration of Trafalgar’s European Traveller will satiate your wanderlust. You’ll experience the pageantry of London then cross the English Channel by ferry to savor the elegance of Paris as you see everything from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame Cathedral. Then enjoy the Alpine scenery in the lakeside Swiss city Lucerne where fondue is on the menu for dinner.
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In Italy, you’ll visit the trifecta of Venice, Florence, and Rome. While in Venice, take a gondola ride to snap some iconic photos for social media. Then in Florence, you’ll enjoy the rolling hills of the Italian countryside and the chance to see Michaelangelo’s ‘David.’ The tour ends in Rome, but not before you go inside the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.
- Length: 10 days
- Starting price: $2,543
- Average group size: 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
8. Best of Portugal with Trafalgar
Portugal will continue to be a hot spot in 2025 thanks to its beauty and fabulous culinary scene. The Best of Portugal itinerary from Trafalgar starts in Lisbon, a sea of pastel-colored buildings perched on seven hills. It then ventures to the Algarve Region, where you can indulge in a home-cooked lunch at a stud ranch. Traverse the Douro Valley’s cute towns with terraced vineyards punctuated by castles before settling in gracious Porto for a few nights, with the chance to taste the city’s namesake fortified wine.
The tour ends with a visit to the historic and charming towns of Coimbra and Tomar to explore with local experts. The trip ends back in Lisbon, but you’re last meal will take place at an award-winning vineyard as you sip on organic wine and reminisce with new friends.
- Length: 11 days
- Starting price: $2,195
- Average group size: 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
9. Best of Scotland
Scotland’s scenery is spellbinding. Heather-covered hills, rugged coastlines, and wide-open skies, plus castles dropped in for good measure, add to the panorama. Trafalgar’s 2025 Best of Scotland tour traverses this bonnie country. Start in Edinburgh, where you’ll visit the namesake castle before venturing off to the Highlands to see St. Andrews and learn about farming with border collies. Of course, no trip to Scotland is complete without a visit to Loch Ness to see if Nessie is actually real. Continue on to Glasgow for a whisky tasting and a tour of Stirling Castle.
- Length: 7 days
- Starting price: $1,616
- Average group size: 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
10. Wonders of Kenya with Trafalgar
With its pioneering conservation efforts, Kenya is one of the best countries to view Africa’s Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo. Wonders of Kenya is a safari adventure that starts and ends in bustling Nairobi. Visit Aberdare National Park and Samburu National Reserve, the latter of which is home to species of giraffes and zebras only found in this region. You’ll also stay in a unique accommodation, The Ark Lodge, which was designed to resemble Noah’s Arc from the Bible and offers great views of the park.
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A stop at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary, sheds light on efforts to fight poaching. At Sweetwaters Sanctuary you’ll get acquainted with orphaned chimpanzees, then watch colorful birds fly at Lake Nakuru National Park. Spend two nights at Maasai Mara National Reserve, where pods of hippos can be seen at the lodge’s watering hole. A full day of safari and time spent with the Maasai community are highlights. The final activity of this incredible trip is a bush banquet with the local Maasai tribe entertaining guests with traditional dances.
- Length: 9 days
- Starting price: $4,875
- Average group size: 20 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
11. German Christmas Markets
Mulled wine, oompah bands, and holiday merriment await when you book the 2025 German Christmas Markets tour from Trafalgar. While you may be familiar with river cruising to Germany’s Christmas markets, this land-based tour gives you access to more markets with fewer tourists. In addition to touring the markets, you’ll visit Frankfurt and enjoy Hansel and Gretel-style country landscapes.
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The guided tour starts in Frankfurt, where the evening markets are abuzz. Then in Nuremberg, you’ll be able to shop for the iconic gingerbread hearts that hang from stalls. One of the mos unique market stops is in Weimar, where you’ll get to visit the Eisenach Christmas market* held in the UNESCO World Heritage Wartburg Castle.
In Dresden you’ll learn all about Germany’s oldest Christmas market before walking down the stall-lined streets yourself. Your trip ends in Berlin, where a sightseeing tour shows off top sights such as the Brandenburg Gate. Dinner with a local family offers a glimpse of what it’s like to live in this thriving metropolis.
- Length: 8 days
- Starting price: $2,385
- Average group size: 40 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
12. Treasures of Thailand with Trafalgar
From golden temples to sizzling street food, Treasures of Thailand is a plunge into this country’s heart. The itinerary is rich in experiences from the very beginning. On your first full day in Bangkok, you’ll learn the art of T’ai Chi before seeing the city’s oldest temple. You’ll also visit a local market then take a cooking class with the ingredients you picked up.
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Visit a floating market in Damnoen Saduak, where merchants paddle along canals in their sturdy canoes laden with fresh fruit and vegetable. Ride a train near the waters of the Kwai River in Kanchanaburi. Then, explore Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Old Siam, and Sukhothai, a city that helped to shaped modern Thailand. The final few days of the tour are spent in Chiang Mai. Here, you can enjoy the colorful Sunday market, join a family in their stilt house for a Thai-style lunch, visit a sacred temple, and spend time with a local monk.
- Length: 11 days
- Starting price: $4,948
- Average group size: 25 people
- How to book: Book directly through Trafalgar
Editor’s Note: This story features contributions from Allison Tibaldi. Read more of Tibaldi’s stories on TourScoop here.
