Thanks to the BelTourist for the "masterpiece" organization of the Minsk-Lviv tour for the New Year!
Everyone understood that there could be a long queue at the border due to the holidays and took measures to eliminate the risks as much as possible. BelTurist also made sure that everyone remembers about their services for a very, very long time)
Only they decided to allocate a 2-storey bus to the most expensive Georges hotel, in which even the microphone does not work and therefore there is simply zero information from the attendant even about the reasons for the stop or when they are planned, so this "miracle" developed the MAXIMUM speed even on the Minsk-Brest highway only 72 km \ h. I.e. the Minsk-Mokran road it took 7.5 hours (the normal time does not exceed 5 hours).
The escort was very talented and thoughtfully chose all the stops so that the group of 70!!!! a person necessarily stood in one working toilet and each stop took at least 80-90 minutes.
The road from the border to Lviv took 8+ hours (with a sane organization 4-4.5 maximum), because the bus was traveling at an average speed of 45-50 km / h on the territory of Ukraine and on country roads, not on highways.
The total travel time on the Minsk-Lviv route was just over 26 hours in a bus without air conditioning and during a period of increased morbidity, thanks for having managed to get to the hotel BEFORE the New Year, and not after, and for giving 1.5 days out of 3 in the city, and not going straight back.
The tour program was completely thrown out, instead of three days and 2 nights in the city, all tourists got 26+ hours on the bus en route there, 2 nights at the hotel, 1.5 days in the city and 24 hours on the way back. i.e. the bus became their home. On the way back, I also thank the attendant very much, who considered it superfluous even after a breakdown (the front wheel broke off and even tore out part of the bus lining) and almost drove a 2-storey bus into a ditch (remember that the bus does not travel through Ukraine for more than 50 km /h), 2 hours of repair and downtime to get people to a sane a gas station where there would be at least hot tea and coffee, but stayed exclusively where there was one toilet and nothing could be purchased.
Anticipating the comments of the representative of the company about force majeure at the border, I note: tourists on other buses did not have such problems. The bus that was standing on the border right in front of ours left Minsk 1.5 hours later than us and arrived in Lviv more than 4 hours earlier.
You knew for sure that this bus has such characteristics, because you operated it more than once in your tours, even the day before. To think of making a group of 70 people in one bus for the New Year is nothing more than your extreme degree of greed and complete disregard for your customers and tourists. I hope people will appreciate your attitude towards their customers and choose the tour operator who thinks about something else, and not just how to earn more "under the radar" during the holidays, even deliberately deceiving people and putting their lives at risk.
P.S. regarding the situation and the bus, separate written requests will be submitted to the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus and to the Ministry of Transport + Traffic Police, as far as this bus can be operated for such purposes at all.
I wish all tourists to find worthy tour operators, as well as the like of a well-deserved public "gratitude" and well-deserved peace in the complete absence of customers!
While I was vacationing in Belarus, I went on a tour to Brest thanks to them. I looked at interesting places and had a great time. At 7:45 we were gathered at the exit from the Druzhnaya railway station. At one o'clock we were at the fortress, at half past two we reached Brest. We saw a lot of churches and sights. We got an active guide and we weren't bored with him at all all this time. I recommend.
A terrible travel agency. NEVER, DO YOU HEAR? never! there! DON'T GO! The manager constantly ignores any calls. To communicate, you need to order a call. We were booked for a trip, we had already paid the tourist fee, and we were waiting for a trip to the embassy. A couple of days before departure, no one called, and when they started calling themselves, they said that we were not registered. That is, all the documents were collected in vain, all the money was spent in vain. The mood is ruined, and so is the vacation!
Due to the covid pandemic, many countries are closed. But you can travel around your native country and discover interesting pages of its history. Recently, my daughter and I bought a weekend tour of the castles of Belarus on the Belturist website for only 90 rubles per person. We enjoyed the trip a lot. A comfortable bus, cool excursions to Mirsky and Nesvizh castles, a delicious lunch. Thanks to the organizers, everything was on the level.
There is no respect for customers. Read the agreement carefully. Its signing is the fact that the tour service has been rendered)))) This may be the end of it. They reworked it))) If you have paid for a tour service, it will not be refunded to you. A typical dilettante office with talking robots. I wish them the same services that they provide themselves, and the same rest.
Great, everything is official and with the contract. Payment by bank transfer. Receipts. A reminder was sent before the trip. Everything that was planned has been completed. The only drawback is that their office needs to be found.
Olga. I went to Kiev on October 21, a great trip, I really liked everything, the hotel, the service, the excursions, super.I would like to mention separately the head Tsybina Tatiana and the driver Vitaly, Well done!!!! If I have to go, only with you!
Recently, I decided to try a vacation with us in the Republic of Belarus, as travel abroad has become less safe due to Covid-19. I took a tour to Brest and castles with overnight accommodation here, the guys did well, organized everything at a high level, a comfortable bus, an interesting program, a competent leader. I had a great rest and had a great time. Of course, you can look for some disadvantages, but considering the price tag for the tour, this is beneath my dignity
They ask you to pay for the tour service. Then they do not fulfill the conditions, they feed them with promises. And then you don't go anywhere with them! And you don't get a refund.
A good travel agency, we were satisfied with the trip, everything is set up. I wonder if there will be bus tours in Europe in the summer? I would like to repeat
The company sucks. Eternal overlays, the bus was slipped by a regular bus, not a tourist one. At the border, they laughed at us and a group of 30 people were dropped off in an open field, since there are no tourist lists. They called the police, the head of the border checkpoint, and called the consulate. In general, the rest is ruined!!Everyone got back, including with truckers and with hitchhikers, since the return bus was also not organized and not provided.
It is not the first time I have traveled around the country with this tour operator, the last time I took the "Castles of Belarus". Everything is organized coolly, the program is interesting, the road is comfortable, and the prices are low.
The worst trip of my life. The only thing that saved me was that it was New Year's Eve.
The buses are terrible, there is no room, the backs are falling apart. The organization is terrible. The hotel was changed at the last moment and taken to the other side of the city to the cheapest hotel.
A boorish attitude, maybe the girl got up from the wrong foot, but the sediment remained. Information on the tour must be pulled out with ticks about the flight, the PCR test, what are the conditions of departure, and if not from Minsk. It's terrible, as if I impose myself personally on the manager, and not at the travel agency to buy a tour. There is a lot of competition, and I will book with another company.
And to you, dear ones, tolerance!
With such an attitude to the client, it's time to close, you're probably tired, including being friendly.
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Петя
Level 2 Local Expert
July 7, 2021
A friend advised me to use the services of this travel company when he found out that I was planning a tour to Zatoka, which he had already traveled to. I did not regret at all that I listened to his advice, since everything is organized at the highest level, and most importantly, taking into account all my wishes. The service was excellent, the manager quickly did everything and explained it clearly (they were issued remotely), and the manager was always in touch when signing the contract. Initially we worked with Lisa, then the manager changed. The bus passed through the border without any problems, although we were very worried that we would not pass through the border due to the current situation.
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Show business's response
Марина З.
Level 6 Local Expert
October 5, 2020
In February of this year, I bought a bus tour to France in Belturist for 250 euros without night crossings. It is very comfortable and thoughtful. The service is at a good level. Interesting excursions to the most beautiful places. I hope to travel with you after the pandemic.
I just returned from a 4-day Vienna-Prague trip with a stop in Wroclaw. We got an excellent supervisor, Olga. She is attentive, if anything, she will help, we went on excursions on her recommendation and did not regret it, she also advised what and where to buy to save money.
I recommend this travel agency to everyone.
The only thing to note is the buses... I wish they were more comfortable... The distance between the seats is extremely small. And so everything is cool.
We went on a tour of Prague, Paris, Berlin, it's just terrible:
Sightseeing tours about nothing, especially Berlin
It is necessary to warn about various surcharges (for the hotel, for headphones)
Permanent overlays on time
There is not a word about Warsaw on the tour (why 30 people have to wait 2 hours 15 on the street), because of this they were late for the transfer and for work
The attendant did not solve any problems, instead of apologizing, she was silent
I talked to people on the bus, a lot of unhappy people. I do not advise anyone to contact this company
I will write to the Federal Tourism Agency and the Consumer protection Department
I have been using the services of this travel agency for 4 years now. I recommend it to all my friends. Professionals in their field work here. Managers do not change throughout the time, which means that they can be trusted.
I want to leave a review about the bus tour to Greece via Istanbul, which we went to on 07/14/2019. In order not to get ahead of myself, I will state everything in order. The Neoplan bus is basically normal, the air conditioners were working, the seats were folding. It is quite suitable for trips, but on steep climbs in Greece on excursions it fell a little short. But I've never broken down, which is good) The drivers are great, special thanks to them – Yuri and Oleg, they did their job perfectly, they always helped in any way they could. Our escort Maria is a wonderful girl. She was always in touch, telling interesting things, telling me where to go, where to eat, what to buy. She has well-chosen films on the topic of each country of visit. Maria tried to please everyone as much as possible, although the group was, let's say, "a little heavy." Of course, like any girl, she also paid attention to her personal affairs, but not to the detriment of tourists.
I really liked Budapest, the guide is excellent, headphones, the tour is good and the most beautiful places. There is enough free time.
Then there was a rest in Katerini's Paralia. There are nuances here: 2 days before departure, we were "suddenly" replaced by a hotel, and instead of the normal originally promised The Silk, we were settled in a "Relax". In addition to the fact that our breakfasts were held in a nearby hotel (as well as dinners), they were disgusting: this is not a buffet at all, when all 7 days of rest you are given 1 type of sausage and 1 type of cheese, incomprehensible broth, boiled eggs, coffee as diluted twice instant and the same juice. During all this time, they have never given fruit, not even a run-down apple. At the same time, we later met with tourists from The Silk and learned from them that the breakfasts were much better and more varied there. And a little more about the buffet: when something ended, they shrugged our shoulders, like, "what can we do?" And the end of our stay at this hotel was that we were evicted at 10 a.m. with our belongings and were NOT PROVIDED with a room for things and the opportunity to take a shower, although the departure was at 19:00. That is, we had to leave the sea with salty and dirty swimsuits!!! Maria agreed with the same The Silk and we were allowed to take a shower and change clothes there, in a STRANGE hotel!!!
Excursions in Greece are excellent, but it is better to take them there on the spot, since the company is more expensive by 7-10 euros each.
Next was Istanbul. Personally, I chose this tour precisely because of Istanbul. However, do not be fooled by this – instead of the stated 2 days, in fact, it turns out 1 day and on the second day the time of stay in Istanbul is from 10 to 12 hours. The excursions there are wonderful, the Bayram guide is well done, but of course there is not enough time, just this remaining day…
Then, after leaving for Istanbul, the most interesting thing began: for some reason we started to be late everywhere. We checked into every hotel in Romania after 4 a.m. Accordingly, the departures were later and later, further excursions were blurred. We got to Sagishoara only at 20:00 and the whole tour was a 40-minute run. At the same time, the exchangers were no longer working, euros and dollars are not taken anywhere there. Therefore, after a day of driving, tired and hungry, we just drove on.... We did not go to Dracula's castle for the reason that we do not have time, but in vain, since we arrived home half a day later anyway. That is, after leaving at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived in Minsk at 12 the next day, instead of in the evening, as indicated. At the same time, in order to avoid a scandal with tourists from Brest, the bus made a stop in Brest to drop them off, although this was not the case according to the program. In this regard, the remaining 37 people extended their tour by 5 extra hours.
Thus, a tour with two night crossings!!! It turned into a tour with ALL night crossings (check-in after 4 a.m. twice and just a DAILY transfer to Minsk).
I think that Belturist is aware of all this: about the bad roads in Romania and Ukraine, about hotels, and about eternal delays. It's just that they don't give a damn about their tourists: they took the money for a two-night tour, but they drove all nights. And after Istanbul, in general, no excursions took place, just one endless move home.
I do not recommend this tour operator to anyone if you want high-quality services provided for not so little money. All reviews on the site are probably fabricated or only good ones are selected. I don't hope for any apologies from the company, I just want to warn others against such torments.
Belturist, take care of your Maria, she was the only one who pulled this tour and smoothed out scandals that only you are to blame for!
Thanks to this agency, we had a good rest in Spain at the beginning of this year. Their prices are normal and the organization of recreation is at a high level.
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Наталия Бор
Level 6 Local Expert
March 29, 2022
If you have an advance payment for the tour, they will get out of it, as if in a frying pan, so as not to return it. Think a hundred times before contacting this office