School music tours to Tuscany

Overall Review

"Hannah has offered, clarity, confidence and capacity all the way through the process of booking the tour. She has offered support at all points. Alberto planned a schedule that was thoughtful. Where there were changes that needed to be made, he did this ahead of me even contacting him! The online portal is very helpful and thorough.  A very warm thank you from me; it was a very enjoyable few days indeed and well organised. Easeful, fun, beautiful surroundings. Thank you for your help and we look forward to planning some more tours in the future."

Accommodation Review

It was lovely to be in montecateni. A town I did not know, it offered variety and beauty.

Overall Review

All staff I dealt with were helpful with information. I was impressed with the patience of staff having to change our itinerary! Club Europe continue to be helpful and organise exciting tours.

Concerts Review

[On a concert in a reidential home] Students loved performing for the residents and they gave us presents afterwards that they had made themselves. We were able to stay for refreshments afterwards.

Accommodation Review

Great location. Staff in the hotel were helpful.

Overall Review

Felt very secure in the hands of Club Europe, the tour company is professional and very experienced.

Concerts Review

[On a concert in a cathedral] To see and hear our pupils perform in such a special, beautiful setting brought tears to the eyes.

Rep Review

Vivian was always helpful and attentive to our needs; a joy to work with, always smiling throughout. Calm and kind.

Overall Review

Hannah was excellent as always. Very helpful and the PowerPoint for our info evening was really informative. Alberto was excellent. Our itinerary was fantastic and he was very helpful with the booking of items and with advice about where to go. Everything was really clear, the portal is a very handy tool and it meant that I could check documentation at any time without the fear of losing anything! This was my 8th tour (I think!) with Club Europe and it was better than ever! A fantastic cultural and musical experience - a big thank you to all of you at Club Europe both at home and in Italy for making our tour such a great success.

Concerts Review

[On a concert in a church] Fantastic. It was ideal! It was a complete success. The choir really enjoyed their performance and they also enjoyed listening to the other choirs. It was a lovely church with very welcoming people. The Italian choir presented us with a gift at the end of the concert which was lovely! [On a concert in Pisa Cathedral] Fantastic. We did a cappella pieces and these worked really well - the singing carried right around the space. A highlight was seeing that one of the priests came to watch and was really complimentary. We also bowed to the alter before and after our pieces (being Catholic we knew the drill!) and I would maybe recommend that even non-Catholics groups do this as it’s a mark of respect – the Priest looked pleased with this!! It was the highlight of our trip, being from a Faith school and the whole experience was amazing.

Accommodation Review

Very suitable for school parties. Much better than our expectations – very clean and practical. Absolutely excellent – the first tour I have been on where not one student complained about the food and where they were constantly asking for seconds!

Rep Review

Joshua was very professional, but caring towards our students and they responded well to him. He helped to translate so that we could communicate with the technicians and the priests and he helped to carry our rather heavy equipment! He also encouraged the students to sing loudly and was very complimentary to them about their performance afterwards. He was one of the best Tour Managers we have ever had, so he exceeded our expectations by a mile! He made the Tour by making it very easy for me while we were out there. He had great local knowledge and this really helped in Florence in particular. He took us to a food market with a food court for lunch and the girls loved it so much they asked for more time there after lunch! He was always on hand to translate for us and he made the whole experience fun and informative with his local knowledge.

Transport Review

Excellent. Really good. Ron kept us entertained with jokes and pointed out interesting views on our journey which helped the time to pass. They were also very accommodating with the stops and length of time at stops.

Overall Review

Alahree and Alberto were excellent – very supportive and knowledgeable, made the process very smooth. I was most impressed with the level of information available at an early stage. The whole experience was amazing for staff and students, possibly the most successful school trip I have ever been on or had the pleasure of organising.

Concerts Review

[On a concert in a piazza] The highlight was the church bells going off at the same time as the choir sang ‘I can hear the bells’. There was an excellent atmosphere and superb staff who arranged food for us and helped navigate the coach. We were also presented with awards for participating in the youth music festival which was a lovely surprise.

Accommodation Review

Excellent, Montecatini Terme was a gorgeous town, easily accessible with lots of facilities. The hotel surpassed my expectations.

Rep Review

Letizia was fantastic, communicating with all parties professionally and she was very well informed about the concerts and excursions and sorted out any hiccups. She presented the concerts in Italian and helped arrange layouts with the staff there. She was brilliant.

Overall Review

“We have built a good relationship over a number of years and Alahree has always been prompt and effectively dealt with any queries or problems.

Alberto has again put together an excellent programme and our communication has been excellent. Well organised, value for money, facilitating a great experience for our students, one that they will never forget.”

Concerts Review

“[On a concert in a piazza] Superb stage setup with lights, electrics ready to go and they even found me a conductors podium! Brilliant – the atmosphere in the piazza was magical and the local people were incredibly friendly, helpful and generous. This was a fantastic venue!”

Accommodation Review

“Excellent position in town and easy access to all the important cities and towns in the region. Particularly friendly staff who were extremely good humoured and helpful. They produced a fantastic birthday cake for one of our students on the last day with overnight preparation.”

Rep Review

“Josh without doubt contributed greatly to a highly successful tour. Although we have had many excellent tour managers, he was without doubt the best. Not only making sure the tour ran smoothly but looking to make it just that bit more, looking for chances to engage students with the culture and language as we went along.”

Overall Review

“Hannah was really helpful and efficient and Alberto was a fun person to be in contact with and seemed genuinely interested in the repertoire and groups requirements whilst on tour. I liked coming to the office for a meeting and felt this was a personal and thorough touch to the booking process. Our tour was a fun and exciting trip filled with interesting excursions, great performance opportunities and lots of sunshine.”

Overall Review

“Alahree was excellent, answered all questions, Made the booking stress free. Alberto was also excellent, answered all questions promptly and had excellent local knowledge of the area we travelled to. Everything was well organised. All queries dealt with in a very professional manner. I was impressed with all the professional and well-informed members of Club Europe staff.”

Concerts Review

“[on a concert in a piazza} Beautiful enclosed courtyard with lots of seating on church steps, Fantastic acoustic. A great success.”

Accommodation Review

“Excellent, within easy walking distance of the town. Very safe.”

Rep Review

“Martina was fantastic. Well organised and prepared. She mixed well with the whole band and was popular with everyone. We even had her playing the last note in our final concert on cymbals!”

Overall Review

“Excellent throughout – very careful planning, flexibility when needed, always ahead of the game which made such a difference.”

Accommodation Review

“Excellent – safe and pleasant for touring parties. Plenty to see and to do there. Safe, secure storage for large instruments and the passports. We used the swimming Pool in the nearby Hotel Royal Palace.”

Rep Review

“Duccio went beyond our expectations in his willingness to sort out very minor issues at the hotel and also acted as something of a guide in his home town of Siena.”

Transport Review

“The drivers were friendly, courteous and very helpful at all times. They really appreciated the music and the behaviour of the girls.”

Overall Review

“Hannah has been outstanding throughout, always acting promptly and capably and going the extra mile to make things run smoothly. Club Europe are very supportive and always go the extra mile to help.”

Accommodation Review

“Absolutely brilliant. The staff are really lovely. The place is clean, we never felt uncomfortable or on edge being there with teenagers. The location couldn’t be better, super, safe and central. Montecatini is a lovely town, with a buzz, green areas, good shops and no traffic.”

Rep Review

“Alessandra was absolutely super with everyone. She introduced the choir and talked to the audience at the start of each concert. She was impressively willing, attentive and full of initiative, always striving for things to run smoothly and very much aware of all the administrative responsibilities she had to fulfil.”

Overall Review

“Hannah and Alberto were excellent. The tour was a great success on every level, largely due to the detailed preparation and advice from Club Europe.”

Accommodation Review

“The hotel was excellent, good to have a room there for practising.”

Rep Review

“Alessandra made a significant contribution. She was outstanding.”

Overall Review

“At all times Hannah was professional, helpful, efficient and flexible. This all contributed to making it a fabulous trip. I have run many trips over the last twenty years and this was one of the most enjoyable and memorable. If I could have envisaged the perfect trip this would have been it.”

Concerts Review

“[On a church concert] Excellent. Beautiful venue. Their hospitality after the concert was wonderful with snacks and refreshments for all.”

Accommodation Review

“Montecatini was the perfect base for us with everything (excursions and concerts) within about 45 minutes away. Central position, friendly staff, great food, all we could have wished for.”

Rep Review

“If I had had to write the perfect job description for a tour manager to have looked after us during our trip, then Duccio would have been it. I cannot begin to tell you how good he was. He was always available, showed great initiative, was flexible and accommodating. He was a real star.”

Overall Review

“Hannah made the process of booking and arranging the tour smooth and hassle-free. Arranging the tour was a real team effort between myself and Club Europe and I was confident my queries and requests for information would be dealt with promptly and satisfactorily. I was really impressed with so many aspects of the Club Europe experience. We had a fantastic week of Italian culture and enjoyable concerts.”

Concerts Review

“[On a garden concert] This was by far the most spectacular venue we have ever been fortunate enough to perform in. The girls were blown away by it and produced music to match the venue’s majestic appearance!”

Accommodation Review

“The hotel was in a superb location. The town felt safe and friendly, the staff at the hotel were helpful and welcoming and the rooms we were given were clean, sizeable and comfortable. We had a fantastic stay.”

Rep Review

“Marcella was indispensable. She was proactive in all our visits and concerts and had a fantastic sense of humour, allowing her to build a great working relationship with staff, students and coach drivers. Having a native tour manager made a huge difference to the tour and allowed us to access Italy in a way I don’t think we could have without her.”

Transport Review

“Bev and Leigh’s driving was careful, considerate and safe. By the end of the week, they became part of the group. They were friendly and courteous to staff and pupils and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. I cannot recommend this coach company enough. We were genuinely sad to leave our drivers at Dover and felt brilliantly looked after at all times. They were incredibly helpful in helping us move instruments (not part of their job!) and in negotiating the coach as close to our venues as possible. They also dealt fantastically well with the very high spirits of the girls in some testing navigation situations. They have the patience of saints!”

Overall Review

“Hannah is fabulous. Everything was just perfect. We had a wonderful tour, thank you all so much for what you did for us.”

Accommodation Review

“Hotel Manzoni was fabulous. The catering was magnificent and the location brilliant.”

Rep Review

“I cannot fault Duccio. Nothing was too much trouble. He worked so hard for us at all times. He was absolutely fantastic!”

Overall Review

“Hannah provided her usual efficient, friendly service, and we appreciate how flexible she was able to be over certain deadlines and over changes we were obliged to make. It was a wonderful trip which the students enjoyed immensely.”

Concerts Review

“[On the first church concert] We were made very welcome. The American priest was very friendly and helpful, and gave us a brief introduction to the church so the students could understand more about the venue. It was a beautiful church with a lovely acoustic.”

Accommodation Review

“The hotel was very pleasant, providing a safe and secure environment for the students, with good quality food and facilities which enabled them to relax between rehearsals, concerts and sight-seeing. Quality of food was very good, the quantity was excellent, and the restaurant were both helpful and flexible in dealing with dietary requirements.”

Rep Review

“Alessandra gave considerable help and support to ensure the logistics of the tour were in place and ran smoothly.”

Overall Review

“Thank you to you, Alahree, Alberto and all the staff at Club Europe for all the work and preparation which went into a magnificent tour and one which the pupils will undoubtedly always remember.

Every single aspect was brilliant from the concerts, the hotel, the travel and of course the amazing Dario. He found out when he was with us that he had been nominated for UK tour manager of the year and I sincerely hope he is successful - he certainly deserves it.

Your company has once again reminded me of why we always put our trust in you to prepare experiences of lifetimes.”

Overall Review

“An excellent overall experience that was enriching socially and culturally. We have a long partnership with the company and we greatly appreciate the care and attention to our requests.”

Visits Review

“The drivers were undoubtedly the most courteous and approachable staff we have ever worked with. Their ‘nothing is too big a problem’ approach and the manner in which they set about all their tasks was really faultless.”

Accommodation Review

“The proximity of the accommodation to the centre of the town was a great advantage. It meant that we were able to walk to venues and take full advantage of the morning time prior to our return journey.”

Rep Review

“Hannah was excellent at all times. She was appreciative of our music and it mattered to her to afford us the best opportunities to perform well. She was focused on our needs and went the extra mile. Her professionalism and no fuss / no flap attitude contributed very much to the success of the tour.”

Overall Review

“Very enjoyable - a wonderful part of the world to play to some fabulous audiences.”

Rep Review

“Marcella was great: she gave us a friendly welcome and the kids liked her. She liaised with the hosts, made suggestions and translated to the audience where relevant.”

Overall Review

“It was without doubt our best tour to date! The hotel was excellent, the concerts were great (especially the one in Florence) and the day trips were super. It was the perfect location, not too big a town, but of sufficient size to have everything we needed, plus it was well located in relation to trips and concerts.”

Concerts Review

“We had a massive audience in the Piazza, there were between 1500-2000 people - it was amazing.”

Accommodation Review

“It was above expectations, friendly staff, good food, comfortable beds and air conditioning - luxury!! Food was very good, with plenty to go around and the staff were happy to adapt to dietary needs - they were great.”

Rep Review

“I have to single out Simone our tour manger who was outstanding, nothing was too much trouble and made life very straightforward for us. He was very professional and always had a smile for everyone. Without a doubt he was the best tour manager we have had - professional, efficient, effective and friendly with lots of great local insight.”

Overall Review

“A very well-organised tour, with excellent concert venues.”

Overall Review

“We had a good tour. The excursions to Pisa and Florence were good and a highlight was the visit to San Gimignano and the concert in St. Agostino church. “