A 600-mile Nile cruise, an introduction to Albania and a guided tour of the UK’s Roman sights were among the most popular tours from our best holiday companies.
We know these are the best travel companies because we asked thousands of holidaymakers to tell us. They rated nearly 100 holiday providers. Each of the seven companies below was rated the very best at providing each type of holiday listed, from escorted tours to rail holidays, and you can be sure they will deliver a great holiday.
We asked each of them to tell us which of their tours is most popular with holidaymakers. They told us about wildlife-spotting in Costa Rica, railway explorations in Northern India and more inspiration for big trips in 2026.
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This option is particularly good for you if you prefer tour flexibility. Inghams holidays include two full-day guided walks per week: in Mayrhofen, you can choose between at least 10 different walks, including Little Tibet (which feels as Himalayan as it sounds), the mountainous panoramas of Rastkogel, and family-friendly walks along Finkenberg Almenweg and the waterfalls of Stillup Valley. For the rest of the week, reliable local transport makes independent exploring straightforward, as well.
Inghams came top of the table for smaller and independent package holiday providers in our survey, with an impressive score of 85%.
Booking information:
7 nights from £1,244pp, based on two sharing. Price includes half-board accommodation, flights and transfers. Departing 23 May 2026. Book via the Inghams website.
With the Yen still weak against the pound, it’s still a good time to visit Japan, even if it feels like everyone else has the same idea. The mistake many well-meaning visitors make is poor planning. Avoiding overcrowded areas and knowing how to navigate etiquette are crucial to making your holiday in Japan successful.
That’s where Audley, Which? members’ favourite self-guided tour company can help. Its experts have lived or travelled extensively in their specialist countries, meaning they’re well-placed to plan your tailored holiday — that’s why the company scored five stars for its tour descriptions matching reality.
Audley also offers itinerary ideas that you can tweak and customise with insights from the team. For example, one 14-day itinerary the Audley team suggests is a rail tour of Tokyo, Tsumago, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Hakone and Mount Fuji, with wishlist experiences, such as bathing in hot springs and strolling imperial gardens, all ticked off at a comfortable pace.
Booking information:
This sample trip costs from £6,895pp (based on two travelling) and includes flights, transfers, train travel, accommodation and excursions. Book via the Audley website.
At the top of the table for walking holidays in our survey was HF Holidays, scoring 87%. Which? members were impressed by its exceptional customer service and well-organised walking itineraries across various difficulty levels.
Because it owns 15 country houses across the UK, the company’s bread and butter is UK walking tours. Its most popular tours in 2025 were of Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in North East England, which offers fascinating insight into life in Roman Britain, especially when accompanied by a knowledgeable guide.
HF offers a few tours of these ruins to pick from. First, there’s the Hadrian’s Wall Guided Walking and Sightseeing, a six-night trip at a walking grade of three out of six. Or, if you prefer to increase the amount of time spent actually hiking, there’s the Hadrian’s Wall Complete Guided Trail, a seven-night trip coast-to-coast walk along the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail (walking grade four out of six). In 2026, HF will introduce a new tour, Discover More Along Hadrian’s Wall, with a greater focus on visits to top attractions and museums along the wall.
Booking information:
6 nights from £1559pp, including full board accommodation, including packed lunches, guided tours, transportation where needed and entrance fees (apart from for English Heritage/National Trust properties). Book via the HF Holidays website.
Regularly hailed as the next great bargain beach break, there's a lot more to Albania than cheap beer on the Med.
The tour explores everything from UNESCO-listed villages with stunning Ottoman-era architecture to scenic spots along the Albanian Riviera, including a mini-peninsula cruise, castle visits and a winery tour. Albania has some of the oldest vineyards in the world.
One Traveller is Which? members' favourite solo tour operator, specialising in solo holidays for mature travellers. With zero single supplements and a full five-star rating for its tour guides’ customer service, it's an excellent choice for a solo getaway in Albania.
Booking information:
7 nights from £2,190pp. Price includes flights, accommodation, most meals and drinks, excursions and 24/7 access to a tour manager. Departure dates in May, June, September and October. Book via the One Traveller website.
This extended 17-day small group tour was Trailfinders’ top small group tour of 2025, and it’s easy to see why. The trip combines city stays and headline attractions such as Angkor Wat with exceptional local experiences, such as an overnight junk-boat trip and sleeper train rides.
Trailfinders is not only a Which? Recommended Provider for tailor-made tours like this, it's a Which? Recommended Provider in eight different holiday company categories, and the Which? Travel Brand of the Year. Customers recommend it highly both for its insightful and knowledgeable staff who can help you book the right trip, and its superior customer service.
Booking information:
17 nights from £2,499pp. Price includes flights, and is based on two adults in a twin/double room, including 15 nights’ accommodation, one night on a junk boat, one night on a sleeper train, 20 meals, activities and excursions, and access to a tour leader (price for a selected May departure). Trailfinders is currently offering a 10% discount. Book via the Trailfinders website.
CTA? Which? Travel members can currently claim £100 off with Which? Recommended Provider and Which? Travel Brand of the year, Trailfinders, on any holiday that includes flights and at least seven nights’ accommodation. Book by 27 February. For more details and T&Cs, see which.co.uk/trailfinders
Egypt is one of our best destinations in 2026, and we can’t think of a more fascinating way to explore its cultural riches than a fortnight spent cruising down the Nile, through palm groves and past cliffs of Gebel el-Silsila.
Highlights of this tour include a visit to ancient Thebes, modern-day Luxor, known as the world’s greatest open-air museum — complete with a tour of an illuminated Luxor palace, and an optional hot air balloon ride. The tour covers Egypt’s headline sights: the catacombs, the pyramids and the great Sphinx of Giza. And perhaps best of all, you’ll end things in Cairo with a visit to the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
Jules Verne is consistently trusted by Which? members to deliver complex long-haul holidays of this type. The company is not only a Which? Recommended provider, but top of the table for cultural tours, scoring the full five stars for overall tour quality and organisation.
Booking information:
12-14 nights from £6,000pp. Price includes flights and transfers, 12/14-night cruise, full board on cruise vessel, itinerary as described, excursions, and access to an Egyptian tour manager/Egyptologist and local representatives. Departure from London Heathrow, dates available throughout 2026. Book via the Jules Verne website.
Railway holidays have plenty of margin for error, and for that reason can be intimidating. The stress of navigating unfamiliar train stations (and potentially missing trains) can taint your trip. So, it’s sensible to take complex train holidays as part of a tour.
Great Rail Journeys scored five stars for its organisation and tours, and was awarded an excellent customer score. So, if you’re planning an overland adventure, look to the specialists.
This wide-ranging introduction to Northern India was Great Rail Journeys’ bestselling trip of 2025. You’ll spend time in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, the Golden Triangle and visit landmarks, including the Taj Mahal in Agra, Jaipur’s Amber Fort and Jama Masjid mosque.
You’ll even venture into Ranthambore in search of the famed Bengal tigers. But you’ll also have plenty of time for everyday experiences, such as rickshaw rides and navigating colourful markets.
Booking information:
13 nights from £2,499pp, including flights, transfers, rail and coach travel, accommodation, breakfast and dinner, plus six lunches, excursions and entertainment. Book via the Great Rail Journeys website.
Adventurous trips require adventurous planners, and Exodus has 50 years‘ expertise in the area. It received the highest score of any adventure/activity holiday company in our survey, 92% overall. Customers rave about its customer service and small-group approach to trips.
Its bestseller trip, Discover Costa Rica, caps numbers at four to 16 members, plus a leader, and you’ll only ever stay in privately owned lodges that cater for small groups, making for a more personal and less crowded experience.
The 15-day tour prioritises animal-spotting and its knowledgeable guides promise to help attendees seek out tough-to-spot fauna, from nesting turtles to sloths, toucans to screaming howler monkeys. But you’ll also visit volcanoes, waterfalls and rainforest zones.
Booking information:
14 nights from £3,349 (excluding flights). Price includes accommodation, breakfasts, eight lunches and six dinners, all listed transport and activities, arrival/departure transfers and a tour leader. Multiple 2026 departures available. Book via the Exodus website.
