Riviera Travel alternatives for solo travellers: a fair comparison

If you have travelled with Riviera Travel, or are weighing up their solo holidays, and you want to see the alternatives, Spice Escapes runs small hosted group holidays where most people have booked on their own, and the host travels with you from the first evening to the last. Riviera Travel is a long-established name in escorted touring and river cruising, so this page sets out fairly what each company offers and five of our holidays that suit Riviera travellers.

Spice Escapes has no connection with Riviera Travel. Every statement about them below comes from their own website, read while this page was being written.

What Riviera Travel offers, in their words

Riviera Travel describes itself as offering escorted tours, river cruises, ocean and yacht cruises, and solo holidays. From their own pages:

• River cruising is a big part of it. Their solo river cruise page names the Danube, Rhine, Douro, Seine, Rhône, Moselle, Nile, Mekong and Yangtze, with full board dining and what they call a free all-inclusive drinks package, plus excursions with local guides.
• A tour manager throughout. On their solo holidays they say an expert Riviera Tour Manager is with you throughout, chosen for sociability and the ability to connect with solo travellers.
• Getting there is handled. Their homepage says flights and transfers are included, and that your money is protected by ABTA and ATOL.
• A room to yourself without a supplement. Their solo pages say there is no single supplement on their solo holidays and solo river cruises, with a double cabin or room to yourself.
• Company at meals. They say their solo holidays begin with a welcome dinner and drink, and that your Tour Manager makes sure you have company at mealtimes if you want it.

If a river cruise on one of those rivers, with flights included and no single supplement, is exactly what you want, Riviera Travel may well suit you better, and we would rather you knew that.

Where Spice Escapes is different

The difference is less about the itinerary and more about who is sitting next to you. On a large touring holiday or river cruise, people travelling on their own are one part of a mixed ship or coach, and much of the social side rests on the tour manager. On a Spice Escape, the whole group is built around people travelling solo. Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. Most have come on their own, so nobody has to explain why they are there without a partner.

Our hosts are part of the group, not a guide at the front with a flag. They make the introductions on the first night and make sure the quieter people are asked along. Days are looser than on a fully escorted tour: you join what appeals and wander off when you would rather. You can read more in what makes a Spice Escape different.

To be straight about cost, every Spice Escapes holiday carries a single supplement or a cost for having a room to yourself. Our single supplement page explains how it works. If paying no supplement matters most, that weighs in Riviera's favour.

If you loved the culture and the guided visits: Ancient Athens

Ancient Athens gives you 4 nights in a hotel a short stroll from the Acropolis, the New Acropolis Museum and the Plaka. The first evening is dinner together at a local restaurant. If you want the history in depth, there is an optional tour of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora with a licensed guide. Your host is Jackie Whyte. Prices are from £579, with dates 10 Mar 2027 – 14 Mar 2027 and places 16 places left. See more of our Greece holidays.

If river cruising is what drew you: India and the Lower Ganges

India: Kolkata and the Lower Ganges River Cruise is a Spice Escapes exclusive charter run with WingsItaly aboard the RV Kalaw Pandaw, a boutique river ship with just eighteen staterooms. You take a rickshaw at Kalna to a Shiva temple ringed by 108 shrines, and have a private visit to Raj Bhavan arranged for our guests only. It runs for several nights with one of our hosts, from price on request. Dates are dates to be confirmed, and places are ask us. Because the whole boat is ours, everyone aboard is part of the same group. See all our cruise holidays.

If the Italian lakes are your kind of place: Lake Como

Lake Como Discovery bases you in Como itself, at a four-star hotel ten minutes' walk from the historic centre, with a rooftop pool. Ferries run to Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio whenever you fancy a day on the water. one of our hosts gathers everyone over breakfast to plan the day, and in the bar afterwards. It is several nights from price on request, dates dates to be confirmed, places ask us.

If you would rather skip the airport: the Norwegian fjords

The Summertime Fjordland Cruise sails from London Tilbury and back, so there are no flights at all. It calls at Eidfjord, Austefjorden for Bergen, Måløy and Geiranger, with full board, the spa, pool and hot tubs included in the fare. This is a large ocean ship rather than a river boat, and your host is Pam Harte. It is 8 nights from £1,129, dates 21 Aug 2027 – 29 Aug 2027, places 4 places left.

If you want to try us on a short break first: Lisbon

A Taste of Lisbon is 3 nights with Pam Harte, in a hotel in the heart of downtown Lisbon next to Figueira Square, where you can hop on Tram 28 through the old neighbourhoods. Alfama one day, Belém the next. One honest difference from Riviera: airport transfers are not included here, because the metro into the city stops close to the hotel and we send you the details before you go. From £639, dates 15 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027, places 7 places left.

Which suits you

Riviera Travel may suit you if you want flights and transfers arranged from start to finish, a river ship with drinks included, a tour manager running a full programme, and no single supplement. Spice Escapes may suit you if what you missed was belonging to a group where everyone else came alone too, a host who knows your name by the second morning, and more freedom in the day. If you are new to travelling solo, our guide for first-time solo travellers and first group holiday guide explain how it feels from the first night. See also solo holidays for over 50s.

Questions people ask

Is Spice Escapes connected to Riviera Travel?

No, the two companies are entirely separate. Spice Escapes is an independent UK tour operator running hosted group holidays for people who mostly travel on their own.

Does Spice Escapes charge a single supplement?

Yes, every Spice Escapes holiday has a single supplement or a cost for having a room to yourself. We show it clearly on each holiday, and the team can talk you through the options before you book.

Are Spice Escapes holidays only for people travelling alone?

They are mixed hosted groups, and most people on them have booked on their own. The holidays are planned around people who arrive not knowing anyone.

Is a Spice Escapes host the same as a tour manager?

A host travels with the group, makes the introductions and keeps things sociable, while local guides lead the specialist visits where a holiday includes them. Days usually leave more room to do your own thing than a fully escorted tour.

Are Spice Escapes holidays financially protected?

Spice Escapes holds ATOL licence 9046, which covers our flight-inclusive holidays. The team will explain how it applies to your holiday.

Tell us where you sailed and toured before

If you have enjoyed Riviera Travel and want to know which of our holidays would suit you, ask us. Tell us which rivers and cities you have already done and what you would change. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts holidays himself, and the rest of the team will match you to a group and a host and tell you what places are left. Get in touch with the Spice Escapes team by phone or email.