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That sense of adventure to discover the world is at the heart of Jules Verne. Established in 1978, our innovative small group escorted tours offer authentic travel with a twist for people who love to see the world. Packed with special touches and little extras, our expert guides will show you the true character of each destination and take you beyond the norm, whether your chosen destination is closer to home or far-flung. Fully ABTA and ATOL bonded and winner of many travel awards, our expert staff organise every detail so you can book in complete confidence.
• Inspiring tours to all seven continents
• Small groups and privately guided tours
• Knowledgeable local guides
• Expertly planned and organised
Jules Verne Sightseeing
This most important of Key Features indicates that sightseeing is tailored just for our group, taking into account your preferences and our experience over many years and not combining with other visitors. Sightseeing is undertaken by expert local guides and escorts who we consider to be the best source of information. A few programmes such as cruise or rail programmes will show ‘Excursions Included’, indicating that sightseeing may be shared with non-Jules Verne guests.
Special Events
To enhance the experience of Jules Verne travellers, we arrange exclusive and memorable special events, illuminating the country and peoples you are visiting. Attend a special ceremony, performance, meal or drinks party at characteristic and spectacular locations; learn about cooking and the local way of life; discover less-visited corners or special locations not normally open to the public.
New Tour/Improved Itinerary
Following our customers’ feedback from our questionnaires and other sources, we improve itineraries and introduce new tours, taking into account special opportunities and changed accessibility.
No Single Supplement
We offer a range of destinations and dates where there is genuinely no single supplement (limited availability, so early booking is recommended, excludes privately guided tours). Additionally, we try to minimise the single supplement charged by hotels, cruise and rail companies.
Solo Groups
Following requests from single travellers, we are introducing on selected tours, departures with No Single Supplement where the group is comprised only of single travellers, following the same itinerary and accompanied by a UK or local tour manager. We are negotiating with our hotels to increase the number of solo groups. Please check tour price panels for Solo Groups departures.
Small Groups
Travelling as part of a small group you will enjoy a more intimate and sociable atmosphere, benefit from more personal attention from our guides and delve into your destination in more detail, getting closer to the places visited and experiencing local life in a more personal and informal setting. Our small group sizes also avoid the congestion caused by travelling in a large group. Most tours have a maximum of 25 guests at most and many are 15 guests or fewer. However, we normally operate tours even for very small groups and our average group size is just 10 people.
Hotels
We offer hotels which enhance the experience of the destination. Look out for: Historic/Heritage Hotels, former noble residences or classic hotels of note and for Central Hotels which allow the evening to be also an experience whether for a stroll or to visit a local restaurant, café or bar. We indicate the local hotel ratings and check hotels for health & safety. Hotel ratings vary worldwide and some standards may not reflect those in the UK.
Privately Guided
Enjoy a more personal experience with family or friends, visiting all the programmed sights with your own private vehicle and driver/ guide, generally allowing better access and more flexibility than larger groups/vehicles. Choose a published departures or request an alternative date (same weekday start is recommended due to possible issues with pricing, opening times and flow of itinerary). Supplements are per person based on two but reduced ‘pro rata’ for groups of 3 or more (details on request). For special rates for 8 or more guests travelling together please see below.
Groups
If you prefer the company of your choice, we normally offer a private departure on an existing tour or a tailored arrangement. We offer a discount of 3% for groups of 8 or more passengers, rising to 5% for groups of 15 or more travelling together on one of our tours. Our experience, expertise and excellent rates are advantageous for study groups, societies, incentive groups and closed groups of friends. Groups Contact: 020 7633 6799 or groups@vjv.co.uk
Extension Options
Whilst our tours follow of necessity a fixed itinerary, you can personalise your visit by adding our pre-or post-tour extensions as indicated. Where dates and logistics allow, you can combine two tours or two extensions (extra nights/flights may be required or recommended).
Extra Nights
Extra nights at the first and last hotels of tours and extensions (or on a ‘stopover) are normally available to allow you extra time before or after the tour to relax or explore. Please see tour page for details.
Meals
Given the wide range of cuisines popular in the UK, we believe in creating opportunities to sample local cuisine of your choice rather than the more standardised hotel fare. Breakfast is, of course included, plus on occasion lunch or dinner for a special event or for convenience (shown in the itinerary as B, L, D).
Choice of Flights
Where practical, we include scheduled flights from multiple airports or with ‘low cost’ airlines. Brochure prices are based on specific routes but other flight options may be available – let us know if you are looking for an alternative routing or timing and we will endeavour to match your request (extra nights or transfers may need to be added). Connecting flights via London or other cities are available on many long haul tours. We also offer ‘Business Class’ upgrades with benefits such as more leg room, a wider seat, separate check-in, ‘fast track’ route and airport lounges. Some airlines offer a ‘Premium Economy’ (e.g. British Airways World Traveller Plus) offering more space and comfort.
Independent Arrival
Most tours show price reductions if you prefer to make your own travel arrangements, arriving and departing independently. Join the group at the first hotel and leave at the last (arrival and departure transfers not included but may be booked as indicated).
Jules Verne Special Events
To enhance the experience of Jules Verne travellers, we arrange exclusive and memorable special events, illuminating the country and peoples you are visiting. Attend a special ceremony, performance, meal or drinks party at characteristic and spectacular locations; learn about cooking and the local way of life; discover less-visited corners or special locations not normally open to the public.
Price guarantee & Early booking
Our 100% Price Guarantee means your holiday price is fixed when you book and you won’t ever pay more, even if our costs increase afterwards, we therefore recommend booking early so that you are covered by our included price guarantee.
Honest pricing
We take care to offer simple, honest pricing where everything is clearly explained with no hidden extras.
Guaranteed departures
All departures on many tours in this brochure are guaranteed to operate with two or more passengers, so you can book with full confidence that your tour will operate.
At any point in time, many departures on the remaining tours will also be guaranteed as already over our small minimum group size, please check with our sales staff.
We listen
Your opinion is important to us! We constantly review and evaluate our arrangements and act upon the feedback we receive from our valued travellers.
We are inspired
Like you, we are inspired and have converted our passion for travel and years of expertise to create the best possible experiences.
We have the experience
We have over 40 years’ experience of creating extraordinary adventures, pioneering voyages and inspirational journeys worldwide. We invest in our Personal Travel Experts who have genuine first-hand knowledge of our tours and destinations, and who are there to offer you guidance.
Fully Protected
All Jules Verne tours and cruises are ATOL, ABTA and IATA bonded, which guarantees 100% financial protection.
We are recognised
We are proud to have been voted ‘Best Specialist Tour Operator’ at the Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards for five consecutive years, and ‘Best Cultural Tour Operator’ by Silver Travel Advisor for three consecutive years.
At Jules Verne, we’re proud of our heritage. Our 45-year history is full of travel firsts that underline our continued commitment to extraordinary adventures and pioneering journeys.
Originally called Voyages Jules Verne, the company was founded in 1978 by Philip Morrell. His aim was to run an epic train journey from London to Beijing and then on to Hong Kong. After that successful inaugural trip in 1979, we soon became the first tour company granted permission to operate in China. This breakthrough positioned Jules Verne as the go-to organiser for tours to China, and, for the next decade, we worked with every major tour operator worldwide on their China programmes.
Following the worldwide success of that first rail journey, dubbed The Central Kingdom Express, we organised more inaugural journeys, including The Patagonian Express, The Raj Express and The Cape to Cairo Express. Yet more ground-breaking tours followed, as we continued to shape authentic experiences for travellers with a real sense of adventure.
Our clients have enjoyed a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences since we started organising stand-out tours by road, rail, air and river more than four decades ago:
The ethos of Jules Verne has always been innovation and opportunity, just like its literary namesake, famous for his Voyages Extraordinaires writings. As a tour operator we have never been afraid to step into the unknown. We were the first to operate direct charter flights into Albania; Costa Rica; Uzbekistan, Syria, the Crimea, Agra for the Taj Mahal; Aqaba for Petra; Aswan for Lake Nasser; Kilimanjaro for the Serengeti and Harare for Victoria Falls, opening up travel beyond typical tourist resorts at the time.
In 1998 Jules Verne was acquired by Kuoni Travel and in 2015 REWE Group, and its tourism division DER Touristik, took over Kuoni Group’s tour operating activities. Our escorted tours currently span five continents, and we remain firmly rooted in our heritage of crafting inspirational voyages for discerning travellers, without compromising on quality.
Featured on our website are some of the most beautiful and interesting countries in the world. We believe tourism should work positively towards protecting the natural beauty, culture and wildlife of the destinations we visit so that future generations of visitors and residents alike can continue to enjoy them.
In most cases, we arrange sightseeing to be undertaken by expert local guides and escorts. Not only because we consider local people the best source of information on the sites visited but to ensure the communities which form an integral part of our tours, also benefit from tourism.
Accommodation
Where it is feasible to do so, we utilise ‘eco-friendly’ accommodations. Whilst precise definition will vary from property to property, it generally implies environmentally sensitive architecture and operations and an active involvement in schemes to support local communities and regenerate flora and fauna. Current destinations where this has been possible include Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.
Animal Welfare Policy
We believe tourism should work positively towards protecting wildlife. We want our customers to have an unforgettable holiday experience, but not at the cost of an animal’s welfare. Working with our local suppliers, we encourage good practice, and help them in making informed choices to better protect animals, their habitats, and the communities that live alongside them. Our customers can travel with peace of mind, knowing we strive for an ethical and sustainable approach to animal tourism.
Climate Care
Jules Verne has joined forces with Climate Care to enable you to offset your CO2 by funding projects around the world. These involve:
Our Climate Care calculator helps you to take steps to reduce your 'carbon footprint' and offset what remains, helping us to protect the environment which we live in.
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VAT No. 805146159
