About Us

Established 1998
We were established in 1998 and have built up a fine reputation of reliability and quality which see our customers return time and time again. Many of our regular customers travel with us several times a year.

Comfort and Friendship

At PTG Tours we pride ourselves on the enjoyment that you get from our tours. On our special charter trains, whenever possible, first class carriages are used with a maximum of 30 people per coach giving everyone space to spread out. We only use quality hotels, normally 4 star. All our tours are limited to small groups leading to an unrivalled friendly atmosphere. Many of our customers have become good friends and return time and time again.  PTG Tours Limited was established in 1998 and has built up a good strong reputation for quality and reliability.

There is no better way to see these fascinating countries than travelling by train and staying at great hotels.

Plenty for Everyone
Our holidays are for anyone looking for something a bit different. They have a railway theme but include visits to historic cities, gardens, vineyards, port lodges, river cruises and much more. We use vintage locomotives (sometimes steam) and carriages, where available, therefore adding to the atmosphere. By using trains we allow you to see the most beautiful areas from the comfort of your seat in the most relaxing and safest form of transport. Many of the areas we visit are only visible from the railway line.

Flexibility
We have regular tours throughout the year varying from one to ten days. On most tours you have the option of joining the complete tour or just the days that interest you the most. We can also arrange extra nights if you wish to extend your stay. A single supplement is also available.

Everyone Is Welcome
On our tours we have a great mixture of men and women, couples and singles. A typical Vintage Port tour will be 32 people of which about 28 would be couples. Each day is general quite short with no early starts. A typical day on the Vintage Port Holiday for example would start at 10am and finish by 6pm. Also you can often opt out of a day and have a free day of your own time.

Douro Valley
Many of our tours include Portugal’s most beautiful region, the port vineyards of the Douro Valley. This wide river valley was tamed by a series of dams in the 1970’s enhancing the beauty of the area even more. The only way to see the area at its best is by train and river cruise. Our tours combine both forms of transport to give you an unforgettable experience. We also visit the spectacular Tamega, Corgo and Tua valleys which feed the Douro and are still served by narrow gauge railways that cling to the sides of the mountains. Visits to vineyards, the palace of Mateus and port lodges complete the experience.

Freedom and Security
On all our tours you have the services of our guides to help you as much or as little as you feel you need. Our guides are ex-pats who have lived in Portugal or Spain for many years and therefore have extensive knowledge of the areas we visit and are able to help with any language barriers in the more remote regions. All tours are fully escorted by a PTG Tour Manager except the Douro River Cruise. PTG Tours Limited is an established company with hundreds of very satisfied customers. Unlike some other tour operators we pre-pay all our suppliers (hotels, trains, coaches etc) before you leave the UK. Therefore in the very unlikely event of something happening to the Company while you were away your holiday would not be affected in anyway. A Company Director also accompanies many of the holidays. In accordance with "The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations1992" all passengers booking with  PTG Tours Limited  are fully protected for the initial deposit and subsequently the balance of all monies paid to us, including repatriation if required, arising from cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of PTG Tours Limited. For this we are ATOL bonded, members of ABTA and IPP (International Passenger Protection) Limited.

Meals
On all our tours (except to the US) breakfast is included each morning. Some other meals are included and these are marked under each day on the itinerary; B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner.

SAVE EVEN MORE !
Although we are happy to include travel from the UK to the destination company as part of your holiday booking you may be able to save more money by making your own flight arrangements over the internet. A good site to try is www.kayak.co.uk.

Who We Are
Paul and Lisa Spracklen are the Directors of the Company and help run the company from the UK. You will probably meet Paul as he accompanies many of the tours.

Janina Kufluk-Thackery (based in the UK) and helps with administration and handling the telephone.

Stephen Martin  (based in the UK) Acts as Tour Manager on some tours and works to create new tours to add to the PTG portfolio.

Marion Matthews (based in the UK) acts as Tour Manager on many of our tours including Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria and Slovenia.  Marion also helps out with administrations and telephone cover.

Graham and Marita Garnell (based in Lisbon, Portugal) are our key people in Portugal and have been leading our Vintage Port holidays from day one  (this particular holiday celebrates its 29th running in 2009). If you travel on any of our Portugal tours then the chances are that Graham and Marita will be looking after you.

Stephen Williams (based in Portugal) leads some of our Portugal and Northern Spain trips.

John Bennett and Angelina Pons are our key people in Spain, Italy and Switzerland and set up and lead most of our tours in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries such as Argentina and Cuba.

Jacobo Yuste (based in Spain) organises our hotels, coaches and other off-rail activities.

Mark Minnett and Andrew Donnelly (based in UK) help out on our enthusiast tours.