Home > Compare Tour & Adventure Operators > Collette vs Cosmos
Collette vs Cosmos
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Collette and Cosmos.The Low Down
While new to the Australian market in 2017, Collette have actually been operating since 1918. Offering coach touring and small group explorations around the world, you won't find too many Aussies and Kiwis on their trips yet, but clients of ours that haven taken the plunge over the last season have come back with very positive reviews. Collette is very popular in the US and now has offices and support in Australia, Canada and the UK too. Collette market their trips as 4 star accommodation with 5 star service and inclusions - so if that sounds like your cup of tea, then how about this - Collette also includes a roundtrip home to airport chauffeur service for those within a 40km radius of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Darwin, Cairns and Hobart airports.
A lot of our clients aren't too fussed about their accommodation (as long as it's clean and comfortable) and are more interested in the destination. Over 1,200 past client reviews with an average 4.5 out 5 star rating, is impressive. Why? Great value and interesting itineraries. Part of the Globus Family, there are further great discounts to be had.Accommodation is 3 to 3/12 star, but a lot of our clients are pleasantly surprised at the quality. Hotels are often located out of the city centre, so prepare your trip budget to allow for transfers or taxis if you want to explore the cities on your own. Allow extra funds for some meals and excursions not included in more premium inclusive itineraries. Like our past clients, we feel very comfortable recommending Cosmos.
Stats
No. of Trips
189
No. of Departures
5,881
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$555
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Premium
No. of Trips
200
No. of Departures
3,680
Avg. Trip Length
13 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$371
Accommodation
3 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable
Trip Styles Coach Tours
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
At Collette, we consider everyone who travels with us to be our personal guest. Every moment matters to us because we know it matters to you. This may be because at heart we are a family owned company that has been in business for 100 years. It may be because our team are passionate about sharing their own love of travel and uncovering mysteries.
Choosing Collette comes with benefits that take your guided travel experience to another level. Our inclusive tours provide you more value for your money and more of what makes travel special. Let us show you the world!
At Cosmos, we like to think of ourselves as experts in ‘thrillology’ – the art of bringing you an experience, time and time again. With over 50 years of ‘wow’ under our belts and no sign of slowing down, we know how to curate value touring holidays that you’ll never forget; creating the experiences you’ve always dreamed of and showing you the ones, you never thought of. Our job is to take care of the planning and logistics, so that all you have to focus on is living your dreams!
Recent Reviews
4.4
Hi. If I’m going to be completely honest here, I was somewhat disappointed in this tour, don't get me wrong there were some fab times we had as well. Day One- the "included" breakfast was utterly terrible to the point where we didn’t eat it, and to the fact that we were sharing the breakfast buffet with another tour. The badlands was great we had a ...read more wonderful time here. The wall drug slop stop, for the money we eat in cafeteria? Couldn't understand this.
The night we were taken to another sub average hotel to eat yet another average meal, again I stress the point for the money spent, a) we are given a limited choice of food, b) told there are no modifications. c) the meal that was served wouldn't have fed a two year old, it was cold and average, a sharing plate of processed meats as a start.
Day Two & Three - Someone made the executive decision to take us elsewhere for breakfast which was very nice. The sight seeing was great, however I soon realized that we are not allowed to really stop in the bus in a National Park (I could be wrong here) or were we allowed off the bus, again my point to the money spent and all photos being taken from the window.
Day Four & Five - Tour was great, a lot more driving than I anticipated, Cody was great, would have been even better along the way if we were told that there are other things going on in the town i.e. Rodeo, but no, our meal was in a bistro of a hotel. Given there are so many places to eat along the way yet, the included meal is in the hotel.
Day 6 - This is the day that I calculated we were driving in a bus for approx. 8 hours. I’ll say no more the accommodation here was great the hotel staff and food were lovely.
Day 7 - Was great until we went to heart mountain (this could have been day 6). I would strongly suggest that this is an optional stop, I did not see this on the itinerary nor did I want any part of this, I actually can not describe how mortified I was at what I sat through, If you wanted to top off a good week, this just knocked it all over. I feel this was the most inappropriate tour stop I have ever encountered. At this point to be honest I was pretty much over the whole tour, I avoided the chuck wagon dinner (thank god) I was told I would have not been impressed, people were having to be driven back down. So overall I was very disappointed
Food- 1/10. Tour Leader - 10/10. Coach Driver- 10/10. Overall tour experience 3/10. If I’m going to be honest, I would probably never book with Collette again. Other tour members were saying that had been on many Collette tours and never had anything so sub par. Sorry to be so negative, but I’m being honest.
Reply From Collette:Thank you for choosing Global Journeys and Collette for your recent America’s Cowboy Country tour. We are grateful you took the time to provide valuable feedback concerning your tour experience. Your comments about the tour are being reviewed by Collette’s Product Development and Product Design Teams for this region. All feedback is encouraged as it allows us the opportunity to identify areas of concern and strive to make the necessary enhancements. A member of our Traveller Relations Team will be contacting you to review your concerns.
The night we were taken to another sub average hotel to eat yet another average meal, again I stress the point for the money spent, a) we are given a limited choice of food, b) told there are no modifications. c) the meal that was served wouldn't have fed a two year old, it was cold and average, a sharing plate of processed meats as a start.
Day Two & Three - Someone made the executive decision to take us elsewhere for breakfast which was very nice. The sight seeing was great, however I soon realized that we are not allowed to really stop in the bus in a National Park (I could be wrong here) or were we allowed off the bus, again my point to the money spent and all photos being taken from the window.
Day Four & Five - Tour was great, a lot more driving than I anticipated, Cody was great, would have been even better along the way if we were told that there are other things going on in the town i.e. Rodeo, but no, our meal was in a bistro of a hotel. Given there are so many places to eat along the way yet, the included meal is in the hotel.
Day 6 - This is the day that I calculated we were driving in a bus for approx. 8 hours. I’ll say no more the accommodation here was great the hotel staff and food were lovely.
Day 7 - Was great until we went to heart mountain (this could have been day 6). I would strongly suggest that this is an optional stop, I did not see this on the itinerary nor did I want any part of this, I actually can not describe how mortified I was at what I sat through, If you wanted to top off a good week, this just knocked it all over. I feel this was the most inappropriate tour stop I have ever encountered. At this point to be honest I was pretty much over the whole tour, I avoided the chuck wagon dinner (thank god) I was told I would have not been impressed, people were having to be driven back down. So overall I was very disappointed
Food- 1/10. Tour Leader - 10/10. Coach Driver- 10/10. Overall tour experience 3/10. If I’m going to be honest, I would probably never book with Collette again. Other tour members were saying that had been on many Collette tours and never had anything so sub par. Sorry to be so negative, but I’m being honest.
Reply From Collette:Thank you for choosing Global Journeys and Collette for your recent America’s Cowboy Country tour. We are grateful you took the time to provide valuable feedback concerning your tour experience. Your comments about the tour are being reviewed by Collette’s Product Development and Product Design Teams for this region. All feedback is encouraged as it allows us the opportunity to identify areas of concern and strive to make the necessary enhancements. A member of our Traveller Relations Team will be contacting you to review your concerns.
Collett tour itinerary was excellent Hotel stays were not bad, some bedding was poor quality. Tour bus was horrible, small bus with little comfort, shocking suspension, very rough. Meals were very good. The island of Salina was the best.
Cruising the islands was the true highlight of this trip. We loved going ashore in the evenings and exploring local fare in a great variety of restaurants. The boat was excellent with friendly staff, good food and a relaxed pace down the coast. We enjoyed swimming off the back on several occasions. Ports were getting busy and early June is as late as ...read more you would want to take this trip. Or wait till October. Have a decent budget for onshore meals. Our only gripe was a bit of penny pinching by Colette, with only one glass of wine with included dinners and rather expensive options. Would still do it again in a heartbeat.
My friend and I had a great time on this tour. We loved our tour manager Rosario, he was excellent and showed us elements of Sicily & Malta that we could never have done on our own. We also loved our bus driver Antonio, he also was excellent and had the added bonus of being a great musician, entertaining us when he finished driving for the day, much ...read more appreciated! We met new friends in our lovely group of 22, they were fun and interesting, mostly from USA with a couple of other Aussies. We were very sorry to leave them all & plan another tour for hopefully next year. Our hotels, guides & pre planned meals were all top notch. Thank you.
It was our first time in Norway and we’re so glad we chose this tour. The number of people in the group was just right. We enjoyed all the excursions we had in all the places we visited: from Oslo to Flam to Loen to Bergen. We were able to experience Norway’s National Day in Bergen which was a real treat. The trip to Geiranger village/Geirangfjord was ...read more something special too.
Accommodations selected were in the best possible location, close to the where the actions are. Our tour director was approachable, knowledgeable and very helpful. Everything went alright for us in this tour and would not hesitate to recommend this to our friends and relatives. We took the post-tour extension to Iceland too. Great place to visit but our local tour guide there was not as great as the one we had in Norway. Apart from that we enjoyed our trip overall.
Accommodations selected were in the best possible location, close to the where the actions are. Our tour director was approachable, knowledgeable and very helpful. Everything went alright for us in this tour and would not hesitate to recommend this to our friends and relatives. We took the post-tour extension to Iceland too. Great place to visit but our local tour guide there was not as great as the one we had in Norway. Apart from that we enjoyed our trip overall.
A fast paced tour showing what Italy has to offer. Commencing in Rome we basically had 2 nights stay at Sorrento, Florence, Venice and Stresa. We had stops along the way to such places as Pompeii, Pisa, and Verona. My highlight was the 1 hour bus trip each way up to Simplon Pass in the Swiss Alps whilst staying in Stresa. We had 42 in our group and ...read more it was a very friendly tour consisting of 35 Americans and 7 Australians. Clarissa was our fantastic Tour Leader and Gian Carlo was our excellent coach driver. You have to be reasonably agile and fit for this tour as there is a lot of walking on uneven cobblestone streets and paths. Although there was a lot of distance covered every couple of days, it was a great tour and we would travel with Collette again.
4.5
Cosmos as usual offered a comprehensive circuit of Germany featuring impressive major cities, historic villages and countryside. Lots of walking was needed which enabled a sound appreciation of the sights. Early rises and punctual departures maximised our sightseeing. Kristina the tour guide was always pleasant and well organised. G our driver was totally ...read more professional. Highlights were Berlin, Dresden and Bavaria -we were in awe of post war re-construction. Thanks to Georgie Walpole for the effective booking arrangements. Highly recommended.
We had a group of 40, with most being Australian, with a few English and Americans. The region is covered in olive groves and vineyards, although we did drive through some pretty farming country on our way back to Naples. There were many lovely old town centres to explore, and I particularly loved seeing the Truli houses in Alberobello. Be prepared ...read more for quite a bit of walking on cobbled streets (often quite steep), in the old towns on this tour. On a couple of occasions we were given time for lunch and to explore on our own after our guided walking tour, but many felt these breaks were too long. Be warned that in Italy there are very few public toilets, and even if an actual tourist attraction has onsite toilets, they often don't work. When you do manage to find a public one, there's often a huge queue and you have to pay (anything from 50c -1.20 Euro). The recommendation from the tour guide was to sit down to eat or have coffee at a cafe, as they always have a free toilet.
Optional tour - "Apulian Delights" Farm Fresh Dinner & Pizzzica Show - I had expected that going to a farm we would be shown around the farm itself, but we were just given a short tour of the farm buildings and a brief history, followed by a dinner made from farm fresh ingredients, with about 3/4 hour of music & local dances - guests were encouraged to join in the dancing. Although I enjoyed the evening, I felt it was a bit pricey for what it was.
Optional tour - Caves of Matera with Altamura - took 2 hours to drive there, but the countryside was pretty on the way there. I enjoyed the walking tour of Matera to see the ancient cave houses, (we even saw a movie being made there), but felt that the walking tour of Altamura was a bit of a let down. I very much enjoyed the day, and felt this tour was worth the money.
The accommodation on the tour was fairly good, except for the location of the Holiday Inn in Naples - it's in the central business district, which isn't in a very pleasant area, with empty and derelict buildings surrounding it, and no food shops anywhere near. If you're a solo traveller I wouldn't recommend walking to the railway station on your own. Naples is very dirty, with garbage and graffiti absolutely everywhere, so except for using Naples as a base for visiting Pompeii, I personally wouldn't recommend spending much time there.
Cosmos no longer pay for portage, so you have to take your own suitcase to and from the bus each day, so I recommend you don't have a big or heavy one. Our coach driver was very good and I felt safe in his hands, as he maneuvered the huge bus through tiny streets and tight corners in the old towns. Our tour guide hasn't being doing it for very long, and to me it showed, (other tour members agreed with me). Unfortunately she wasn't as flexible as she should have been with passengers who requested a bathroom stop, or those who were struggling doing all the walking.
All in all an interesting and enjoyable tour, but not the best Cosmos tour I've been on. Thanks to Tracey for helping me organise the trip. I look forward to booking my next tour through Global Journeys again.
Optional tour - "Apulian Delights" Farm Fresh Dinner & Pizzzica Show - I had expected that going to a farm we would be shown around the farm itself, but we were just given a short tour of the farm buildings and a brief history, followed by a dinner made from farm fresh ingredients, with about 3/4 hour of music & local dances - guests were encouraged to join in the dancing. Although I enjoyed the evening, I felt it was a bit pricey for what it was.
Optional tour - Caves of Matera with Altamura - took 2 hours to drive there, but the countryside was pretty on the way there. I enjoyed the walking tour of Matera to see the ancient cave houses, (we even saw a movie being made there), but felt that the walking tour of Altamura was a bit of a let down. I very much enjoyed the day, and felt this tour was worth the money.
The accommodation on the tour was fairly good, except for the location of the Holiday Inn in Naples - it's in the central business district, which isn't in a very pleasant area, with empty and derelict buildings surrounding it, and no food shops anywhere near. If you're a solo traveller I wouldn't recommend walking to the railway station on your own. Naples is very dirty, with garbage and graffiti absolutely everywhere, so except for using Naples as a base for visiting Pompeii, I personally wouldn't recommend spending much time there.
Cosmos no longer pay for portage, so you have to take your own suitcase to and from the bus each day, so I recommend you don't have a big or heavy one. Our coach driver was very good and I felt safe in his hands, as he maneuvered the huge bus through tiny streets and tight corners in the old towns. Our tour guide hasn't being doing it for very long, and to me it showed, (other tour members agreed with me). Unfortunately she wasn't as flexible as she should have been with passengers who requested a bathroom stop, or those who were struggling doing all the walking.
All in all an interesting and enjoyable tour, but not the best Cosmos tour I've been on. Thanks to Tracey for helping me organise the trip. I look forward to booking my next tour through Global Journeys again.
My husband and I had a great holiday/tour throughout Canada with Cosmos. We call it a tour as you are up early and on the go, not much time for sleep ins. We appreciated the stays of 2 nights, as it gave us a chance to relax and explore. Our tour guide Sharon, was always on hand to answer any questions and give advice when needed. Sharon was very helpful ...read more and full of knowledge. The Rocky Mountaineer Gold Leaf was exceptional - staff are wonderful and the scenery stunning.
There are some places we would of preferred to have had a 2 nights stay, eg Whistler. When you do a bus trip, you get to see a lot of wonderful things but it is only a taste of the beauty of the places you visit. The hotels I thought were quaint and clean and all that we needed to rest at the end of the day. Our only hotel which was not to our satisfaction, was the Sandman City Hotel in Vancouver, old decor with dirty carpets. We would happily book again with Global Journeys, we both had an amazing time.
There are some places we would of preferred to have had a 2 nights stay, eg Whistler. When you do a bus trip, you get to see a lot of wonderful things but it is only a taste of the beauty of the places you visit. The hotels I thought were quaint and clean and all that we needed to rest at the end of the day. Our only hotel which was not to our satisfaction, was the Sandman City Hotel in Vancouver, old decor with dirty carpets. We would happily book again with Global Journeys, we both had an amazing time.
Well organized tour of the Canadian Rockies and Alaskan Cruise. 1 Bruce and Lyndall, VIC, Australia, Aug 2024
This tour was a good balance between group sightseeing and built-in free days to explore on our own. Special mention goes to our bus driver Mike who drove us safely on winding mountain roads and through tight city traffic, and also our tour Leader Ken who kept us entertained and informed throughout or trip. We learnt so much from him about Canada that ...read more we never would have known had we travelled on our own. Our accommodation was clean and comfortable, with some locations actually well exceeding our expectations.
The weather this time of year was mostly sunny with only a couple of rainy days, and the Autumn leaves were just starting to change colour. We were unfortunately not able to visit Jasper as planned due to the recent wildfires, but Cosmos strived to compensate us with another night in Banff and a complimentary lake cruise, which we appreciated.
We enjoyed our Alaskan cruise with Holland America, and we were impressed by how clean the ship was and how smoothly everything seemed to run. Our travel advisor Maisie from Global journeys was easy to communicate with and responded quickly to any questions we had. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Cosmos and look forward to travelling with them again some time in the future.
The weather this time of year was mostly sunny with only a couple of rainy days, and the Autumn leaves were just starting to change colour. We were unfortunately not able to visit Jasper as planned due to the recent wildfires, but Cosmos strived to compensate us with another night in Banff and a complimentary lake cruise, which we appreciated.
We enjoyed our Alaskan cruise with Holland America, and we were impressed by how clean the ship was and how smoothly everything seemed to run. Our travel advisor Maisie from Global journeys was easy to communicate with and responded quickly to any questions we had. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Cosmos and look forward to travelling with them again some time in the future.
We were very happy with the service provided while on our Canadian Masterpiece Tour. Everything was as described in the itinerary. Our tour director and bus driver went above and beyond their duties to ensure we saw everything and to ensure our satisfaction. The service on the Rocky Mountaineer was also exceptional. We would organsie our travel with ...read more Global Journeys again.
I feel the Vancouver section of the tour should have been completed before the cruise and included Whistler or Capilano as this was a highlight - we did this ourselves, I also feel like we were dumped before the cruise and tour should have included sights of Vancouver. The accommodation in all places was excellent , the train journey to Edmonton was ...read more excellent and the food on the train was amazing. I felt parts of the tour overall were a little rushed. When we arrived in Vancouver we had a day before the cruise and 2 days after, I feel we should have had all the days before the cruise and there were places to see that should have been included like Capilano or Whistler. Overall it was a wonderful holiday.
Popular Trips
13 Days Zagreb to Zagreb
Operator: Collette
From 4,284
Save 343
8 Days Seattle to San Francisco
Operator: Collette
From 4,603
Save 196
19 Days Vancouver to Vancouver
Operator: Cosmos
From 8,291
Save 291
