Specialist operator Jules Verne has launched its Worldwide Collection for 2027/28 — a catalogue of more than 120 small group tours covering over 80 destinations, with a batch of new itineraries added for 2027. The programme spans escorted tours, rail journeys, river cruises and wildlife trips, and groups are capped at 16 travellers.
The new-for-2027 line-up is where the interest lies for anyone planning a big trip. China Highlights (11 days from £1,795) strings together Beijing, the Great Wall, Pingyao, Xi'an's Terracotta Warriors and Shanghai using high-speed rail. Japan by Rail (18 days from £7,995) runs from Fukuoka to Tokyo by bullet train, taking in tea fields, onsen towns and meetings with monks and artisans. The Five Stans: Grand Tour of Central Asia is the longest and priciest newcomer — 21 days across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan from £8,995. Closer to home there are new tours to Venice, Malta and Madeira, plus a Croatia & Bosnia Explorer (8 days from £2,195) linking Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Sarajevo, Mostar and Dubrovnik.
Returning favourites include a nine-day Highlights of Algeria tour from £1,995, covering Roman ruins at Tipaza, the gorges of Constantine and Berber villages in the Kabylie Mountains as the country gradually reopens to tourism. There's also a 13-day full Nile cruise in Egypt from £5,670 and an eight-day Ancient Albania itinerary from just £1,065, taking in Kruja, Berat, Gjirokastra and Butrint. Prices cover accommodation with breakfast plus some meals and a local guide throughout; flights are quoted separately.
To mark the launch, two early booking incentives run until 31 October: £250 off each 2027 booking with the code EARLY250, and a reduced deposit of £27 per person at the time of booking.
Why it matters: Jules Verne has nearly 50 years in escorted touring and is a Which? Recommended Provider for escorted tours. Small groups of 16 mean less coach-herding than typical mass touring, and the operator is notably solo-friendly — solo travellers make up over a third of its customers, everyone gets their own room, several tours carry low or no single supplements, and some departures are solo-only. That combination of small groups, single-friendly pricing and off-the-beaten-path destinations (Algeria, Albania, Central Asia) makes this collection worth a look if you want structure without the crowd — and the £27 deposit makes reserving a 2027 spot cheaply quite appealing.
