Multi-day (non-Rick Steves) Big Bus Tours: 2006
There are endless options of multi-day European tours available. Which ones are the best value and why? Please Note: Questions and excessive postings about the same company will be deleted.
Jewish Ghetto Tour Rome
Mika Pavoncello's tour of the Jewish Ghetto was highly imformed by her meticulous and thorough knowledge of the area; history of the synagogue and its members relationship between the Roman Jews and the papacy, iconography of crafts in the Ghetto museum, and a knowledge and familiarity of the present conditions of the area that could only come from someone so clearly immersed in the community and its culture. Absolutely recommended and very enjoyable!
Jon Cummings
Toronto, ON CAN Thu 12/28/2006
Ghetto tour of Rome with Micaela Pavoncello
It was a wonderful tour with a very passionate & knowledgeable guide, who made the history very vibrant & meaningful to present day Jewish life.
She was very efficient in helping to organise a surprise birthday lunch !
We would certainly book her again for other tours of Rome.
Terry & Valerie Rosengarten
London, UK Thu 12/28/2006
Jewish Ghetto Tour with Jewish Roma
We spent a wonderful afternoon touring the Great Synagogue in Rome, the Jewish Museum and the ghetto with Micaela Pavoncello of Jewish Roma Walking Tours. Her passion for Jewish history, traditions and religion made centuries of Jewish life in the ghetto come alive for us. Her detailed knowledge of art and architecture kept us enthralled and she answered our questions before we even asked them! She was up to date on the latest in American culture, so she understood our background. We also visited one of the bakeries in the ghetto for a delightful treat and she gave us some background about these culinary delights as well. Highly recommended.
Mira and Darryl Temkin <email>
Highland Park , IL USA Wed 12/13/2006
Visiting Jewish Morocco
We travelled to Tangier, Marrakesh and southern Morocco in July 2005. We arranged everything with Benny by e-mail: (nicetourenator@gmail.com) he was a great Private guide, our party of 7 Loved him a Lot! informative and knowledgable who provided us with an in depth Tour of Tangier. he is very nice and was able to relate the history of the jews in Spain and Morocco to us in a concise and authentic manner. he answered our many questions and treated us as friends not tourists. We would highly recommend this tour to other Tourists who are visiting Spain and Morocco.
Even though I was visiting Jewish sites, I was warmly received by Moroccan Muslims, who offered me the traditional hospitality shown to visitors. Moroccan Jews told me that they missed the large number of Jewish tourists that visited their communities. They also told me that while they were initially concerned about the strong political opinions being voiced by Muslims in the first few months after September 11, they still felt comfortable living as Jews in Morocco.
Tangier had no formal mellah, but instead an unprotected Jewish quarter. On Rue des Synagogues, there are many closed synagogues. One of them, Temple Benatar, has been restored and is superbly decorated. Near-by is the American Legation Museum, located in the oldest American Consulate in Continuous use. Between its founding in 1829 and the establishment of Tangier as an international City in 1923, many Moroccan Jews served as American proteges, putting them beyond the law of the Sultan. During World War II, the Legation played an important role in processing Jewish refugees from Europe. Visible from the Legation Museum is Tangier's Jewish Cemetery, where the saint Mordehai Bengio is buried. The Community Center in the European city proudly displays a copy of the royal decree negotiated by Moses Montefiore in 1864 demanding that Moroccan Government officials provide equal treatment to Jews. Montefiore passed through Tangier on the way to negotiate the decree in Marrakesh. Tangier has a very visible synagogue in the center of the European city, Chaare Raphael. On the ocean cliffs are found the stone outlines of the tombs of the Phoenicians, who came with Jews to Tangier almost three thousand years ago. A short ferry ride away from Tangier lies Gibraltar, with a large and historic Jewish community.
In our short visit to Morocco, the importance that Jews once played in the country is not readily apparent. Much of Jewish Morocco is hidden from view, but with the right guide Such as Benny, a tourist Can gain a rich understanding not only of the role of Jews in Moroccan Society, but also of the fascinating role of Moroccan Jews in the Jewish world. Jews and Arabs lived a symbiotic existence until the middle of the twentieth Century.
Moroccan kings protected the Jews from harm and helped Some of them develop the wealth that sustained the monarchy for many years benny Said. Today, no more than 5,000 Jews remain, compared to 300,000 in 1950. I Visited Morocco in 2005, and have had the opportunity to visit a few of Jewish Communities and Several of Jewish sites throughout the Country.
I believe that overall the country remains a safe and secure place for the Jewish visitor or those interested in understanding Moroccan Jewish culture. The openness with which many Moroccans are reexamining their past makes it an even more interesting time to visit Morocco.
Martha & David Hanna <email>
San Francisco, USA Thu 11/30/2006
Rome
Had a freaky time in Rome. Went unprepared and was approached when I arrived to the vatican. A short girl from brooklyn solicited me and put me onto a tour called atoursrome. The guide was called Anthony. Everything seemed exagerated, but informative and highly amusing. Never bored. Anthony made the dead objects come to life. don't have any numbers, he ran out of cards but said through anthony@atoursrome.com you could book.
conceptual. Anyone have any tips for Paris, do guides appear from nowhere there too?? Steve.
Steven Meisner
New York, NY USA Thu 11/30/2006
Florence Jewish Tours
The best way to travel in the Jewish Florence!
http://www.jewish-florence.com
Samuel Masons <email>
Albuquerque, NM USA Wed 11/29/2006
Perfect Tailor Made Tour Tangier
Everything went even better than I had hoped. Nezha and Tahar were wonderful as guide and driver in Tangier. We were sad to say goodbye to Nezha at the end of a busy day. Tahar also drove us to Assilah and again I was pleased with his laid-back Calm manner midst all that traffic. The guide in Tetouan was also excellent. He imparted a great deal of information in the hour we were with him. It was wonderful to get out into the countryside and see how beautiful it is. I had not been to Morocco (once for a meeting in Casablanca), and planning this Private tour in one Single day would have been a nightmare without NezhaTour arrangement!!
Brenda
Chicago, USA , USA Fri 11/24/2006
Rome tours
My husband and I toured the Vatican City with Rahul of Roman Odyssey tours this past October and enjoyed every minute of it. We learned more about the art and history than we ever could have on our own. We took a later tour in Venice with a company there and it really showed us how special the Roman Odyssey tours were. Now I regret not signing up for their other tours while we were in Rome.
Stacey Liulias <email>
Pittsburgh, PA USA Wed 11/22/2006
SPAIN: FOOD, WINE & COOKING
Spain tapas & wine tours
We had some EXCELLENT FOOD & WINES in Spain....BUT you won't find it in the touristy places. Same thing happened to us in Italy,,,places that are in the guide books get a demand boost, prices reise, local go elsewhere, quality drops. Key is good local info! We got the inside scoop on our fantastic private guided tour package in Spain with a US company called magical spain. Had tapas & art tour + winery day trip visit in Barcelona, In Madrid and Seville we had fantastic private cooking demo / class + meals. Later we did a private winery visit+ seafood feast in Jerez / San Lucar. Contact Richard or Daniel in advance as these guys are very popular and good. Try the web site first on http://www.magicalspain.com or phone + (34) 678 72 44 68. Not cheap but private top quality profesional service never is. BUEN PROVECHO:-)
John & Britton Carlton
NYC, USA Mon 11/20/2006
Micaela Pavoncello
I spent my second day in Rome in the stimulating, even dazzling company of art historian Micaela Pavoncello. In the morning Micaela guided us through the old Jewish Ghetto and the exhibits of the synagogue there; her commentary was vivid, rich with information, and absolutely riveting. She kept not only my friend and me engrossed, but a family of five with three children ranging from five to fifteen years of age. We feasted on traditional kosher Roman food for lunch. In the afternoon Micaela took the two of us on a tour of her favorite spots in Rome, which ranged from the Pantheon to the best cafe. We had the fabulous sense that, briefly, were were not tourists but Romans. We were only sorry that we had not arranged to tour additional sites, such as the Vatican, with Ms. Pavoncello. I will certainly do so when I return to Rome. (See JewishRoma.com)
Andrea Rosen <email>
Washignton, DC USA Tue 11/07/2006
Tuscan Tours
Tuscan wine Tours My girlfriends and I spent a glorious Friday with Rebecca and a mother and son from Ohio. I am not sure what the best part was? The vineyard, the homemade lunch (all garden fresh, made by the chef including the limitless wine, the monks, the impromptu stop at an out of the way cheese shop, my girlfriend getting dog poo on her shoe and laughing at her as Rebecca pulled the van over to allow for cleaning and pictures....)I know the best part Rebecca she is awesome as is her tour 100 E is a Steal!
http://www.tuscan-wine-tours.com/wine_tours.htm
mary McLaughlin <email>
havertown, pa USA Mon 11/06/2006
Daniel Tour Guide Tangier Morocco
Tours Other Than Rick Steves' lead us to the most fabulous tour with Daniel in Tangier, Morocco. In fact, all the worries and Concerns about going with my 2 daughters to Tangier Morocco was immediately absent the Moment we got off the ferry.
Daniel Corresponds via Email Promptly, he is a wealth of knowledge, friendly, Patient and makes you feel extremely comfortable. He definitely was the best part of our vacation and feel like we have a new friend.
I highly recommend everyone who travels to Tangier Contact Daniel he is wonderful!
Daniel gives a wonderful tour in English. You can contact him via e mail to arrange the tour ahead of time. His e mail is: tarifatravel@gmail.com He really brings this ancient city to life in a short period of time!
Brenda McGuire
Waterloo, IL , USA Sun 10/29/2006
Turkey
Pascha tours very great value I enjoyed my tour of western Turkey
John Brangwin <email>
Bellevue, Wa USA Thu 10/26/2006
Bicycle Tours
Wanderlust Bicycle Tours lists itself as "Luxury European Bicycle Tours" with duluxe accomodations. They are definitely NOT luxury nor are all their accomodations deluxe (several were totally inadequate). This Father and son company do not have any native speakers, nor do they know the history of the areas they tour. They seem more interested in riding than in providing service. The bikes (Wilmot) were only adequate, and the Wanderlust folks provided only minimal bicycle service (tires were flat, bicycles were not covered and seats got wet overnight rain, bikes were not ready as staff were still eating, offered minimal van support, missed rendezvous, wasted our time with some very short, unnecessary rides). They are very, very nice people, but very, very inadequate as a tour company. I would not recommend them and am sorry I used them.
Paul
San Diego, CA USA Fri 10/13/2006
Tour Companies
I have toured with Peter's Way tours twice (Rome in 2003 and Ireland this past August -2006). I really enjoyed the Churches and singing we did in the various cities in Ireland (including Northern Ireland). They were the greatest and the memories-excellent
Marge <email>
Milwaukee, Wi. USA Fri 10/13/2006
Vatican Tour
We booked a tour with Rahul Raghavan to the Vatican. Rahul was a wonderful guide. He is very knowledgeable in everything about the Vatican. We learned so much more by having a good guide than we ever could doing it on our own. If you can get Rahul as your guide I promise it will be worth the extra money. He was very kind and courteous and answered all our many questions. We very much enjoyed his tour to the Vatican. Thank you Rahul!!!
Mr and Mrs Gifford
OK USA Sat 09/30/2006
Morocco by Nezha arrangement
This write-up intends to tell the world about how tremendously satisfied we are with the services of NEZHA [visitmorocco2@gmail.com]and so We've been very, very blessed with that. Their service In Tangier is effective and profitable. we always know we get value for our money ... The way they interact with their clients is far above the norm, in terms of professionalism, and in sharp contrast to our experience with other Tour Guides. Many Tourist guides are effective, but not particularly professional in how they deal with Visitor. Nezha is Fully Licensed, and very Professional. we've been treated very well by everybody involved. Nezha has a great team and was very helpful with Practical concerns as well, such as... where to find the best produce markets..personal needs ect! she arranged reservations in Casablanca for Lunch in a wonderful/Authentic Moroccan Restaurant, made reservations at Chez Ali Fantazia, and arranged for a great walking tour in Marrakesh . All experiences were fantastic.
and so We've been very, very blessed with that. I recommend her warmly.
George & Diana P.White
San francisco, CA USA Fri 09/29/2006
Franco Wine Tour
Thank you Franco for such an exquisite tour. We loved the Poggioantinora Tour and the Chaniti wine very much. Thank you for taking such great care of us. We will do another tour with you again when we get the chance to come back to Italy. You are awesome my friend.Thank you so much.
Sam & Gail Byers
Waynesville,, NC USA Thu 09/28/2006
Brunello Wine Tour
My husband & I had the most perfect day with Franco Fadda francofadda@hotmail.com when we toured the beautiful Brunello wine reqion of Tuscany. Franco went out of his way to make our day perfect. He was very patient when I wanted to stop every few minutes to take pictures. When we go back to Italy we will make sure to take another Franco wine tour.
Sally Shallean
DeWitt, Ia USA Thu 09/21/2006
Touring Rome's Catacombs
I visited the roman Catacombs with Kate from Romearound tours. She was extremely pleasant and knew everything! She gave us a lot of tips to look for before entering the catacombs and this was extremely helpful. Kate was a great tour guide and if you have a chance to take any tours with her don't miss the opportunity.
Rob Shultz <email>
Hammond, IN USA Thu 09/21/2006
Romearoundtours Rome Collisium
I had the pleasure of taking a tour with Roberto from romearound tours through Rome's Collisium. Roberto really knows his stuff and injected humor into the tour in the right places. I stumbled across the tour outside of the collisium and was extremely pleased. Don't miss this tour if you have the opportunity!
Rob Shultz <email>
Hammond , IN. USA Thu 09/21/2006
Spain tours
Hola! My family of 4 and I had a fun deluxe tailor-made trip in southern Spain with perfect planning, hotels, transport & private guides along the way thanks. They are an American compnay in Spain and in Ricks book and also have a 7 day small group trips in Spain monthly. We organized with Richard at www.magicalspain.com
Happy travels,
Hillary
Hillary Compton
Chicago, USA Tue 09/12/2006
Victory Tours -Normandy D-Day Beaches
We had the pleasure of private tour with Roel as we were the only ones booked on that day. We did the half day tour and it was amazing. Roel's knowledge of the area and battles was very informative. He has a great personality and sense of humor.
If you are looking to take a tour of the Normandy beaches and area don't hesitate to call Roel at Victory Tours.
Our only regret is we didn't have time for the full day tour.
Mandy & Anthony <email>
Toronto, On CAD Mon 09/11/2006
Roman tour guide
I was recently in Rome and had been recommended by my co-worker to take a tour of the city with Scot McFiggen from vaticanartwalks.com. My wife and I had a great time and Scot was funny and informative at the same time. When we go back to Rome, we'll definitely do it again!
Doug Plunkett <email>
San Francisco, CA USA Sun 09/03/2006
Tuscan Wine Tours - Rebecca Christophersen
My wife and I went for a private tour with Rebecca Christophersen of Tuscan Wine Tours a few weeks ago. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy.
Rebecca, along with having many years of experience in the restaurant and wine business, is a joy to spend a day with. Her English is excellent, no doubt the product of her fine semi-Canadian lineage. She focuses on English-speaking tours, and has a large client base of Americans and Brits.
We did the Chianti Classico region tour. We went to 3 wineries, a small town with a vinegar shop, another small town for a stroll and coffee, an Etruscan tomb, and a vist to....The Most Famous Butcher In The World. Our lunch was at the 2nd winery, and it was simply fantastic. They even made a special effort to make gluten-free pasta for my wife.
This was more than just a tour, it was a day we will always remember, with a wonderful person. My wife and I whole-heartedly recommend it.
P.S. - If you go on it, have a substantial breakfast before you leave, because you will be quaffing wine before noon.
Alan Beaulieu
Alan Beaulieu <email>
Calgary, Albert Canada Fri 09/01/2006
12 day Umbria Tour Off the beaten track
I just returned from a small group tour of Umbria which included a luxury hotel in Perugia 1/2 of the time and a very charming B&B in Montefalco the rest of the time. The weather was divine (never higher than 85F even though it was august) and the tour was always interesting and packed with spectacular destinations: hill towns, craftsman workshops, fabulous meals (most included in tour cost). I've traveled with Palladio Tours before to Capri and I highly recommend them (I only travel with them now to Italy). Rita the tour guide is a sweetheart....always helpful and very flexible. Her English is perfect too. http://www.palladio-tours.com/
Manda
Chicago, USA Sat 08/26/2006
Perfect Tailor Made Spain Tour...
Muy Buenos Dias!
Kudos to American Spain resident Richard Harris and his folks at MagicalSpain.com who planned a most interesting, educational & fun northern Spain vacation for us. Friends of mine did a 7 day small group tour in Andalucia - southern Spain - and recommended them.
We are into food , wine , art and walking. We who wanted to learn about more about Picasso + spanish wines + keep the teen kids enertained and got that + local contacts + great hotels + much more...
Not cheap because they are in demand, are pros and they open doors that only a long term resident can. Try tem at www.magicalspain.com :) Joseph Stevens
Los Angeles, USA Sat 08/26/2006
Tour Guide in Italy
Franco Fadda francofadda@hotmail.com is the absolute best --- he is charming, patient, and oh so knowledgeable. He took us around the Tuscan hills in early June - 6 women. I will call Franco every time I'm in Italy.
Sue Woodruff <email>
Arvada, CO USA Thu 08/24/2006
Rome Tours - Highly recommended..made our trip even better!
There is so much to see and do in Rome that it is so easy to miss something if you try to plan your itinerary yourself. We did tours with Through Eternity and it absolutely was the best decision ever! The best thing I appreciated was how Through Eternity doesn’t tour for the masses as compared to other tour companies. It is more of a personalized attention and the group size was just right as it was easy to be able to hear the tour guide as well as other people’s questions. Danny was a great guide for our Colosseum/Forum tour as he was incredibly knowledgeable about so many aspects of the Roman history that you would have never known otherwise. Marle was an amazing guide for the Vatican tour! She has so much insight to share on the Vatican and her passion for art made the tour extra special. The Twilight Tour is a great tour to do when you first arrive in Rome as Rob does a great job in introducing the city to you. I highly recommend the three tours Twilight, Colosseum & Vatican especially if you only have limited time in Rome on your holiday. You can tell that the tour guides at Through Eternity truly love what they do in which their passion for Rome and Roman history is contagious! Thank you for a wonderful experience!
Reece
East Lansing, MI USA Thu 08/24/2006
One-day London Tours
In London, there is a company called London Walks (www.walks.com). They offer guided tours of the city that are divided into various categories and interests. Also they offer day trips to such destinations as Bath (this was very interesting). The city tours begin and end at or near a tube (subway) station, making it easy to get around the city. Also, for the day trips out of the city, you begin and end at a major, easily accesible tube station. The tour to Bath started and ended at Paddington Station, which has tube and train connections. The guides are very knowledgable, friendly, and entertaining. Questions are welcomed without hesitation.
Kelly
Plano, Tx USA Mon 08/21/2006
Tours
So, I just got back from my one day Salzburg trip (in which I had a great time! Thank you Rick Steves- were you not married, I would propose! =D), And I have to report that Bob's Special Tours is the BEST Sound of music tour you can take! Friendly, funny tour guides, very comfortable small bus (try and sit in the front- better view and jokes with the tour guide), they pick you up, 24 hour phone service- all for 35 euro. And you get to see the lake district around Salzburg, which is ganz shön (totally beautiful!)
Happy traveling!
Kate McGuire <email>
Bad Tölz, Bayern DE Sun 08/20/2006
Private Tour in Turkey
Having no time to plan the details of a trip to Turkey, and finding no RS or other organized tours to fit our schedule, my husband and I opted for a private tour through Privo Tours of Turkey. We had friendly, highly informed guides for 3 different regions that we visited: Istanbul, Capadoccia and Ephesus. Our accommodations were wonderful, and later when we took a group 1-day tour to Delphi in Greece, we realized there was no comparison. It was our first time not traveling on our own and the experience of a top-notch guide enriched our trip immeasurably.
anon
San Mateo, CA USA Tue 08/15/2006
Victory Tours -Normandy D-Day Beaches
We took the advice of friends and this website, and took an all day tour given by Roel Klinkhamer of Victory Tours. Besides being a personable, affable sort of Dutchman, Roel has a true passion for the subject, which is readily apparent during his tour. He knows the area intimately, and includes stops others probably don't. We did the full day tour with our two 15 year old daughters, who are not into history at all. While my wife and I enjoyed all of the tour, I would recommend the half-day tour if anyone in the group doesn't have a real interest in World War II.
James Byland <email>
Brentwood, TN USA Sun 08/13/2006
Exceptional Angel Tour of Vatican
What a great experience we had with AnnaMaria from Angel Tours for a private Vatican/St. Peter's tour. She was funny, very informative and really kept the attention of our two teenagers. She was well versed in the history and also provided lots of wacky historical bits that kept our kids asking for more!! She tailored the tour to our requests and offered very helpful suggestions. We saw lots of larger tours with people on the edges looking bored. A private tour, especially with AnnaMaria, is definitely worth the extra money.
skiobx
hopedale, ma USA Sat 08/12/2006
Italy Services Tour Operator
Italy tourists beware of a tour operator called Italy Services. Initially they were very responsible. However, throughout our stay, we had to change arrangements that altered the cost of the tours. They now owe me a refund and they have delayed the processing of that refund three months. They even replied "we do owe you a refund", but their excuses have been they are too busy. They weren't too busy to take my money. I do not recommend conducting business with this company.
Vince <email>
Ft Lauderdale, FL USA Fri 08/11/2006
factory tours Rome,UK, and Paris
Trying to find factory tours in Paris, London and Rome for this fall. Also olive oil tasting and one day cooking classes in any of those places
Tania <email>
Kansas City, MO USA Thu 08/10/2006
Bath UK Guide
Ray Bennett gives custom tours of the countryside surrounding Bath UK. We chose to visit churches, a castle ruins and some small villages. Ray was open to adventure so we took him geocaching on our tour. We traveled in comfort in his air conditioned van. If you use his services you are also welcome to stay at the beautiful Hessle House. The price was good and the food was great. Best of all is the company. Ray and Sheila are wonderful hosts. Sheila also runs a health spa on the lower level of the house. Contact Ray at: http://www.bath.co.uk/classicsights/
Tracie <email>
Redding, CA USA Sun 08/06/2006
London Guide
Sally Botwright was a wonderful guide. Normally she takes groups on tour. I was her first solo traveler and we ended up spending the day as friends. She tailored the tour to my tastes. I was not interested in standing in line at major tourist sights. Sally found the perfect spot to get pictures of the guards of Buckingham Palace away from the crush of people. I love architecture and she shared stories of the houses that made the history of London come alive. Sally helped me lay out my solo day including transportation. She even called to arrange my theater tickets. If you ever need a friend in London contact Sally Botwright at http://www.sallybotwright.co.u
Tracie <email>
Redding, CA USA Sun 08/06/2006
Capri Italy tour
Capri Italy-toured with CapriTime Tours (capritime.com). Took a 1/2 day boat tour with Rebecca, the best day ever to see Capri by boat. Swam, saw the white, green and SWAM in the blue grotto. Worth every cent, you will never forget this tour, guarenteed! check out the website for prices/pictures.
Michele Buonomo <email>
dunedin, fl USA Sun 08/06/2006
Roel Klinkhamer Victory Tours of D-Day Beaches
We just returned from a two week trip to Greece and France. One of the biggest highlights of our trip was a one day tour of the D-Day beaches with Roel Klinkhamer of Victory Tours. My parents stayed at Roel's B&B in 2001 and raved about his tour. I can now echo their sentiments. Roel has so much knowledge about the area, the war, and some personal stories, as well, that his tour really makes as impact on you. You see places that the big bus tours can never get to and the info he shares really brings the day, weeks, and months of the summer of 1944 together.
Tracy Herand
Stamford, CT USA Sun 08/06/2006
One Day Private Tour Tangier-Daniel
One Beautiful and Warm Tuesday Morning we took the ferry to Tangier,
We had two wonderful Tours arranged by Daniel. The WalkingTour and the GranTour, Both Tours were very Nice and Surprised us with how excited He Was to explain things in detail. he obviously love his job. Our guide showed us the Market halls, the Souk, historical Places and Typical Morrocan Coffee Shops.
We were a little Nervous when we weren't able to show up for our first tour due to a Ferry strike, but he was very understanding and let us Pick another tour later as we had already Paid. It was a very interesting and Peaceful day without the usual bazar-running which we knew from organised Tours.
I would highly Recommend him. Daniel has a New air Conditioned Vehicule for Max 12 Prs and can be Reached at: tarifatravel@gmail.com
Jessica D.Simpson
Santa Barbara, CA USA Sat 08/05/2006
Stonehenge
The ultimate highlight of our England trip was a special-access tour of Stonehenge. Each dusk (and dawn), the site allows a group of 20 (or so) people to enter the site and around RIGHT UP TO THE STONES. This is much better than the standard restriction of staying 20 yards away!
There appear to be several companies that coordinate these special tours -- we used Astral travels and were very happy. If you want to use another, google "Stonehenge special access". Definently worth the price!
Becky Takano <email>
Redmond, WA USA Wed 08/02/2006
Chianti Day Trip
I highly recommend a Chianti wine tour with Franco Fadda. It was the highlight of my trip to Italy!! The castle, the vineyard, and the small Chianti villages are a must see. Franco is full of information, but does not overwhelm. He makes it very fun. He has a great charm about him. We were not rushed and we were allowed to make decisions in what we wanted to do. I had a blast and will definitely be calling him when I return to Chianti. I have a new found love for Italian wine that I didn't know I had!! In addition, he was great with my 16 year old brother, and we know how teenagers can be!! To book a tour, he can be reached at francofadda@hotmail.com or on his website francowinetourexperience.com
Brenda Barrett <email>
Indianapolis, IN USA Mon 07/31/2006
Chianti wine tours
For a tour of the Chianti wine country (along with a great introduction to the history of the area) sign up with Franco Fadda. He can be reached at www.francowinetourexperience.com or via email at francofadda@hotmail.com
He is a guide par excellance and his warm style (and love of wine) will make your day (or more) the highlight of your trip.
Henry E Beckmeyer <email>
Grand Blanc, Mi USA Sun 07/30/2006
Aventura Bellisima/Tour Italia
Aventura Bellisima (through Tour Italy)offered us several meaningful excursions from FLorence and Venice that expanded our fun and knowledge of mid/ northern Italy. We went by private van to Cinque Terre on the Italian Riveriera for a day, another time to the hill towns of Veneto (including a medieval castle village that re-enacts human chess games), and a full day hiking in the Dolomites--visiting mountain lakes, chapels, hiking paths, and of course, lovely Cortina--the ski village. Can recommend the driver/guides of this company highly, including the choice of itineraries, travel comfort, timeliness, and local knowledge provided.
G B Grunzweig <email>
Spokane, WA USA Wed 07/26/2006
FLorentia Walking Tours, Florence Italy
Our deep interest in Florentine art and history led us to Simone Gaddini and Simone Anchini of Florentia. Simone A, our docent, was a tireless source of art history and FLorentine history, making the legacy of the era of the Medici patronage come alive. Our tours of the historical orgins of the city and the art of the Uffizi and Barghello sculpture collection were highlighted at the end by introduction to the world's most fabulous gelato--"Brun's" near the Duomo Cathedral.
Grunzweig Family <email>
Spokane, WA USA Wed 07/26/2006
Experience Paris with the Locals
While in Paris, I found a new bike tour company called French Connection Bike Tours. It was great to pedal through the city with local guides who really know their stuff. Their trendy folding bikes were also perfect for Paris' tiny streets. The great lunch by the river really capped things off. It's a Paris must.
Jospeh Harris <email>
Seattle, WA USA Sun 07/23/2006
Excellent Presentation of Tangier and Morocco
I am delighted with the great time Abdul provided for us in Morocco. his Email is: tangierguide@yahoo.com he is an excellent guide/Tour Manager; he Made our trip an outstanding Success and a most memorable experience. We were very impressed with his knowledge of history, Customs and ideology of the People; and his ability to make visitors from all over the world feel very welcomed. Abdoul went out of his way to make Sure that all our wishes, both expressed and implied, were fulfilled; and it allowed us to be carefree and fancy-free with the reliability and our well-founded confidence that he would take care of everything.
I Really Can't tell how much fun I had in Tangier Morocco. Abdoul(and his site) helped us more than Norm. Morocco was the best Part of our trip. I had a lot of fun touring around the sites with him, seeing things that most tourists don't get to see. I have had a few different tour guides in the places around the world I have been to, but Abdoul is the best one I've come across. I will definitely use his Services again, and recommend him to anyone coming to Morocco for a holiday!!!
James Tilbrook <email>
Waukesha, WI, USA Tue 07/18/2006
Granada/Tangier
In Granada, We Stayed at Alhambra Palace Hotel, We adored this Hotel and think it is one of the best we have ever stayed, for sheer professionalism and comfort. The staff were really helpful and on the ball. We booked ourselves, by email, and found the reservations staff efficient and helpful. Our Day trip to Tangier Morocco was a wonderful experience thanks to Our guide Daniel. He Spoke English very well and was so energetic and knowledgeable. Daniel took excellent Care of us from beginning until we departed and Recommended a Nice Tour Guide In Tangier, Nezha Email: [visitmorocco2@gmail.com] The booking is easy, I did it on line with No problem. She is Prompt, reliable and understand what you like and arranged accordingly. The Price She quoted was fair. She is true professional. It would be even simpler if She Take Credit Card. The driver's van was so attractive, Neat, and Clean. We really had a phenomenal trip. The tour exceeded all of our expectations. Our tour guide, Nezha, was waiting for us on the platform when we arrived so we had No Worries about trying to find her in a crowd of people. She is, Perhaps, the best guide I've had Since Coming to Europe. She Possessed Extensive knowledge and was able to provide an incredible amount of detail not only about the places we visited but about the Country and history. We learned more in the Five hours than we had in the previous Weeks of traveling here in Europe. We also appreciated NOT being taken to many different factories and shops. She selected a factory that was unique to the north and made sure we were willing to go as we had previous expressed our unwillingness to be taken to places like that. She made an excellent decision as we found the Carpet bazaar to be fascinating. We also appreciate her honesty when it came to Pricing. She was Very helpful in giving fair Price ranges. It Made our Shopping experiences all the more enjoyable. The sights we visited were spectacular. It was wonderful having a chance to see historical Moroccan places as so many of them have been destroyed here in the North. The Great Wall at The Kasbah was just as it is pictured in books and movies. It's truly an awe-inspiring place. We are back to our very busy lives of demanding jobs and raising two young boys, so I'll have to keep this short! In general, we liked all of the meals that were prearranged. Particularly the ones with a set menu, as I think they have figured out what "Westerners" like to eat. At the times when we needed to order ourselves, it would have been helpful if the guides had been able to provide us some good suggestions, as we didn't always know what we should try. But it was nice that we Could try Several things, so even if we didn't like one of them, we had plenty to eat. The Guides/drivers in Spain and Morocco were all very professional and accommodating.
Nancy K.Tort
West Beverly High School. , USA Mon 07/17/2006
Tangier Master Guide
We are very often asked whether it is worthwhile to go 01 day excursion to Morocco. To find out we spent one day there with a private guide who was recommended by a friend of us. Our day turned out to be very exciting because it was not the typical tourist trap as are Most organised Tours to Tangier. We Spent a Very Pleasant day there and would like to let our readers share some of our impressions of the short trip: One beautiful and Warm Wednesday Morning we took the ferry to Tanger. We were very Curious to Meet our Licensed Guide Charif, his Email: [masteramrani@gmail.com] who was waiting for us at the Port. Our guide showed us the Market halls, the souk, historical places and typical Morrocan coffee shops. Finally we went to a Moroccan Restaurant/house where a very rich lunch with vegetables and fish was served by a Family. It was a very interesting and peaceful day without the usual bazar-running which we knew from organised Tours. Besides, Charif helped us to find the places where we could buy the gifts we had in mind and at reasonable prices. Of course he will get his commission but who minds if the The Quality Is Good & Price is okay. Charif Speaks Spanish, English and French very well. He is very enthusiastic in giving information about his country, his culture and religion. For us it was an exotic and thoughtful experience which we were glad not to have missed. We were on a trip, only 14 kilometers away from Tarifa, and in another world completely exotic and totally different. We highly recommend this Excursion if only to meet Charif.
Larry J.PVelder <email>
Beavercreek, OH USA , USA Sun 07/16/2006
Tours in Rome
Back from Rome: We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the Vatican and St. Peter's with Eternal City Tours (eternalcitytours.com)
Our tour was made very special because of our guide, Gabriel. Gabriel was so knowledgeable,
articulate, energetic, and enthusiastic that he made our tour especially memorable. I was the
only member of our group that had been to the Vatican, but, I can honestly say that until our
tour with Gabriel, I really had not experienced the Vatican or St. Peter's.
James Levero <email>
USA Fri 07/14/2006
Tuscany Wine Tours
Had fantastic Chianto Classico wine tour with Franco Fadda francofadda@hotmail.com last week in Tuscany. What knowledge, got us into vineyards that are impossible, first name basis with all the folks, couldn't imagine a better tour guide. Grazie Franco
Joel Kahn <email>
West Bloomfield, MI USA Wed 07/12/2006
Museo del Prado
We took a guided tour at the Prado and were extremely impressed. The name of the tour guide is David Ruiz and he works for Madrid Original (www.madridoriginal.com).
His knowledge and enthusiasm made all the difference. He customized the tour to our interests. A week later he emailed us a summary (with illustrations) of the pieces we had seen. We highly recommend him.
Enrique and Monika Spindel <email>
Austin, Texas USA Tue 07/11/2006
Rome tour well worth it.
Alessandro Celani gave us an unbelieveable tour of Rome on our recent trip. He has a background in ancient sculpture and archeology and is also polite and very good company for the day. We saw so much so quickly, and got so much extra information that a book could not have given.
He was suggested by Anne Robichaud, who Rick talks about in his Assisi chapter, and he didn't let us down.
Also for you ladies, in the words of Anne and my wife, he looks like a "Greek God".
If you want to reach him, you might search the internet or go through Anne Robichaud.
In my opinion a guide in Rome is worth the splurge since there's so much to see, and Alessandro was great.
Nathan Rau
Waterloo, IL USA Mon 07/10/2006
Umbria Tours - Anne Robichaud
When you go to Italy for the first time like we just did, you need to hit the big sites. Definitely do so, but I also advise you to go on a tour with Anne Robichaud in Umbria to get some unique, local, off-the-beaten-path information.
We went to Bevagna with Anne and she is fantastic. She's very knowledgeable, but more than that she's enthusiastic about everything. She knows the locals you meet and it all added to the whole experience.
Beyond her tours of Assisi, Bevagna and other parts of Umbria, she can even help you with travel questions and trip planning.
She's in Rick's book under Assisi. I highly recommend her for anyone looking for a day away from the hustle and bustle.
Nathan Rau
Waterloo, IL USA Mon 07/10/2006
Tanger
Rick's book lead us to the most fabulous tour with Aziz Begdouri in Tanger, Morocco. In fact, all the worries and concerns about going with my 2 daughters to Tanger was immediately absent the moment we got off the ferry. Aziz corresponds via email promptly, he is a wealth of knowledge, friendly, patient and makes you feel extremely comfortable. He definitely was the best part of our vacation and feel like we have a new friend. I highly recommend everyone who travels to Tanger contact Aziz, he is wonderful!!!!
Rhonda Lawrence
Woodinville, WA USA Sun 07/09/2006
best time to visit the Vatican
I did that Vatican walk with the Angel Tours group on a Saturday. They did write on their site and in emails about the problems on Saturdays. Weekends at the Vatican are famous for being crowded. I hear that sunday is even worse.
We had to do the saturday tour because we had to leave sunday morning. The guide was excellent and did pass the line. She did say that they are not always allowed to pass it on weekends. I think that a weekday at the Vatican is best from what we are told, go after 1pm to St Peters, and later to the Museums.
The Colosseum is better at 9am, its less crowded.
Rome is very very very hot and humid these days.
I hope this helps
Jason and family
Jason Simspon
USA Fri 07/07/2006
Private Guide in Prague
We visited Prague in May, but had little time, so we hired a private guide (for the first time). She was most knowledgeable and helpful and saved us a lot of time. Would highly recommend her. Check out Sarka Pelantova, www.prague-guide.info
George Swerdlin <email>
Sarasota, FL USA Wed 07/05/2006
Roman Odyssey Tours - Rahul Raghavan - info@romanodyssey.com
WOW! I just returned from a 12 day cruise of the mediterranean on RCL. Prior to leaving we made arrangements with Roman Odyssey for private tours in Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Isle of Capri, and Venice - all through Roman Odyssey. They met our ship dockside in airconditioned coaches precisely on time, there were 16 of us and EVERY one of us were more than pleased. The professionalism of the tour guides, and the luxurious coach in which we were escorted was top of the line! I had been to most of these locations previously but never received such terrific overviews and background information on each location...the guides were walking history professors! The ease in making arrangements and payment was also terrific...I would not hesitate to highly recommend Roman Odyssey!
Debra DiPrimio <email>
Santa Clarita, CA USA Mon 07/03/2006
Vatican Tours- Private After Hours
Vick- I signed up Helen at Italy with us for a private after hours tour of the Vatican. From the reviews on another forum, it is suppose to be so awesome that it is incomparable to any other Vatican tour. Imagine no lines as it is after hours, small groups, no other people and the entire Vatican is free from other tourists. How great does that sound. Here is the link. http://www.italywithus.biz/pages/VaticanTour.htm
Dawn
USA Tue 06/27/2006
Angel tours-don't do the Vatican with them on a Saturday
Our tour guide was good; however, we did not start our 10am Saturday
tour until 12:30, spending much of that time in the long line to the
Vatican museum. The website says that they "skip the lines", but this
certainly was not true on the Saturday that we toured with them. If we had
it to do over, we would have just toured on our own (with Rick's book!) and saved the 25 euro each. That said, on a weekday afternoon (when the lines are reduced), I think touring with them would be worth it.
vick
miami, fl USA Sat 06/24/2006
Private Guide In Tangier Morocco
We have all returned from our absolutely INCREDIBLE trip to Morocco BY Nezhatour at:[visitmorocco2@gmail.com]
I can’t wait to go back. Our guide was really FANTASTIC with us the whole time and knew a lot about the places we visited. He did an excellent job above and beyond his required work. He took us to special places not on the original itinerary and his surprise side trips were just fantastic and some of the highlights of the trip.
It was truly and amazing trip. We wanted to let other Travelers know that the service was excellent. We couldn’t imagine a better guide or driver. They really made our trip Special and we will miss them and their beautiful country and recommended NezhaTour to all who asked who had booked our trip. They were fun surprises all along the way, Nezhatour Guide was also great. Very well informed and full of great information. Would I do it again, YES, in a heartbeat.
Sonia F.Comb
Boston, USA Sat 06/24/2006
Battlebus Normandy Tours
Our 1 day American Highlights tour of Normandy with Battlebus was a highlight or our France vacation. There is no way we could have seen all of the sights and been so well informed if we had tried to drive everywhere on our own. Our guide, Stuart, was passionate about the history of the area and made the day quite unforgettable.
Nick D.
Anaheim, CA USA Wed 06/21/2006
Hop-In Tours
HOP-in TOURS
If YOU ARE THINKING OF USING THIS COMPANY ……… DON”T
I am writing you on behalf of the 8 person group that toured with Hop-in Tours. We took the “escorted” Night tour of Athens on March 16th.We believe strongly that the tour that was provided for us was not of the standards that were expected of Hop-In Sightseeing tours, the tour company that Rick Steves recommended!
1) The tour pick up was 35 minutes late arriving at our hotel. 2) The tour did not begin until the 4 groups of people from the afternoon tour were returned to the four different hotels that they were staying in. This delayed the start of our tour even more another 30 minutes. 3) Next we were taken to the Syntagma subway station for a walk through without the “guide” providing any tour type information. 4) Upon leaving the subway station we were led to cross Vas Amalias, a six lane very busy street, in the middle of the street, not at a crosswalk. There were 10 tourists dodging on coming traffic. We got stranded on the 24-inch cement median between lanes of traffic before continuing to cross in front of two buses and just being missed by a motorcycle scooting between the buses. We were exposed to the potential for a very serious accident. 5) We watched the changing of the guard in the dark with no explanation of their purpose or history. 6) We returned to the bus and we circled the Parliament three times in heavy traffic before passing the University and the Academy of Arts. Each building was pointed out with just the name and no further information given. 7) The guide thought that we did not know Greek so she spent her time arguing with the driver that he did not know where to go. He did not and the argument was upsetting to us to witness. 8) We passed the National Gardens and the bus stopped at the light at Vas Konstantinou. The guide offered us a “vote.” We could walk around the Athens Stadium and forgo the Bouzouki music, show and dinner or go to the show. We requested to continue to the show as planned and did not see the stadium. 9) The bus driver then got the bus stuck driving down an ally and had to back out into busy traffic. 10) We were informed that we would be dropped off three blocks from the restaurant and that we could find our way back to the bus by ourselves as the guide was going home. We protested being unescorted after the show. The guide informed us “ I have been up since 6:00 in the morning and I want to go home.” After further protest from our group the “guide” arranged for a waiter (!) to walk us back to the bus and then she left us. 11) We arrived SO LATE to the restaurant that the only seating left was so far to the side of the stage and so far back that there was no view of the stage. We were in a low ceiling corner next to the staff and dancers that were chain smoking. There was no ventilation and the smoke was choking. 12) We were so late that the people had already finished their meals. We were served reheated food. The fried food is greasy when reheated and the meat, shoe leather. When we left we noticed all the tour guides from other tours collecting their groups. Ours was home in bed.
I have been touring for years. Tours that I have taken in the past provided a guide that gave information about the sites as we passed and visited. I did not expect a theater quality show but I did expect to be able to see the show. I did not expect five star foods but I did expect something eatable and I DID expect that the SAFTY of the group would be imperative. J- walk crossing a busy street in the middle of heavy traffic and not being escorted late at night in an unfamiliar city was unacceptable and dangerous.
I contacted the tour company and asked for restitution, an apology, or at least a response. My requests were ignored. I received no response.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that any and all travelers AVOID HOP-IN TOURS.
ASK959 <email>
Atlanta, Ga USA Mon 06/19/2006
Tours other than Rick's-Dingle
Don't miss the archeo tours in Dingle provided by the father and sone Collins family. You can book the tour at the Kirrary B and B on the corner of Dykegate Street. I have forgotten the son's name, but he was our tour guide for a Saturday 10 a.m. 2 1/2 hour tour for 20 Euros that was one of the highpoints of my visit. The ancient history in Dingle is fascinating.
Chere <email>
Kelso, WA USA Thu 06/15/2006
New Berlin Tours
The New Berlin Tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was the high-light of my trip to Berlin. Our guide was a Canadian named Kristian. He spoke fluent German. It was a six hour tour but I was not bored for one second. He brought history to life for me.
A few weeks later, I took an expensive tour to Auschwitz/Birkenau. The tour guide was unenthusiastic and offered a walking speech - not a tour.
I learned more about the Holocaust from my inexpensive tour with New Berlin Tours. My tour guide was well-infomed and he had a demonstrated passion for European History.
Katherine Richman
London, Ontario Canada Thu 06/15/2006
tours other than Rick's
Verona: Marina Menegoi gave us excellent tours of the city and then the Bertani winery the next morning. She speaks English like a native. Highly recommended.
Rome: I would not recommend the Twilight Walk from Through Eternity Tours. It was overly long and not that interesting (better eat before, if you go!). On the other hand, the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Walk from Rome Walks was excellent. Lastly, we had an excellent tour of Ostia Antica finished by a lovely lunch on the seacoast organized by Guilio at Land and Sea Emotions.
Charles Faulkner <email>
Brentwood , TN USA Thu 06/15/2006
L'Open Tours - Paris
May '06 Just returned from my first visit to Paris, WOW! My hotel recommended L'Open Tours buses. For a fixed fee for one or two days, you can get on and off as many times as you want. They do not offer tour guides per se but the drivers are very helpful. Their main loop (Green Line) covers a large number of popular sites and in my opinion gives you a good feel for the city, especially if you ride on top! Thye offer three other loops which connect with the Green Line that go into other sections of the city.
I paid 28 euros for the two day pass and found it to be superior to anything else.
Val Valentine <email>
Everett, WA USA Wed 06/14/2006
Roman Odyssey Tours--Fantastic service ethic!
This is about Roman Odyssey (romanodyssey.com), a company that offers tours of Rome.
My comment is about Roman Odyssey's extraordinary service ethic. Basically, even though I wasn't a customer, Roman Odyssey took the time and trouble to make some telephone calls on my behalf to help me obtain my luggage. It had disappeared from my bed & breakfast in Rome just before my flight home to London. The b&b proprietor spoke very little English, and I very little Italian, so it was impossible for me to find out what had happened to my luggage when I telephoned the proprietor upon my return home. I was desperate for help.
Searching for a bilingual intermediary, I stumbled across Roman Odyssey's website and telephoned them to beg for help. To my surprise and delight, they agreed to telephone the proprietor for me. And this was without my ever having had any sort of relationship or contact with them whatsoever. It was purely from the goodness of their hearts. Long story short, I got my luggage back!
Next time I go to Rome, I'm definitely going to take a Roman Odyssey tour. If they have this kind of customer-oriented service ethos, their tours must be extraordinary.
Randall
London, UK Wed 06/07/2006
Palladio Tours
Responding to Wanderlust, thanks for the great tip! I just want to add that I contacted Palladio Tours and they don't plan trips more that 6 months in advance so they're particularly great for late planning. This was a relief to me because at this point (june) I thought I'd have to wait till 07 to go to Italy and it's hard for me to plan that far ahead. However, I'm actually working with them now on putting together a 10 day tour for this coming September 06. It's going to cost around $3,400 for the whole package. Not bad considering the current exchange rate. A final note: I've been to Italy before and have seen all the major attractions so I want to go to the countryside this time and see something completely different (also as a way of avoiding English speaking environments and all the millions of other tourists). I plan to practice my very rusty Italian. I'll report back.
Pia
New York, NY USA Sat 06/03/2006
Bavaria with Clark
Our family had two great tours in Bavaria and Austria with Clark. He is a guide in Munich with Autobus Oberbayern, the Munich Grayline affiliate.
I highly recommend his tours and his web site www.munichclark.com. He has a great advice page and he is also a successful songwriter with songs on his site.
Martina <email>
Seattle, WA USA Fri 06/02/2006
Re: Walking Tour of Florence that was posted May 30 has an incorrect web address. The correct one is:
www.italy.artviva.com
USA Wed 05/31/2006
Florence tour
If planning a trip to Florence, Italy, "Walking Tours of Italy" is a must. We booked an all day program comprised of a 3hr.'Original Walk of Florence', a 3 hr.tour, 'Masterpieces of the Uffizi', and a tour of Accademia, home of the original 'David'. Groups were small, guides were fantastic and there was no waiting in line. Prices are reasonable for providing such a great experience. Book as early as possible at their site: www.italy.artiva.com
USA Tue 05/30/2006
Touring Bath, England
If you go to Bath, England do not miss the Bizarre Bath tour. It is a comedy tour of Bath at 8PM each evening and lasts about 1 1/2 hours. I haven't laughed so hard in years.
Wayne Schwartz
Los Angeles, CA USA Mon 05/29/2006
Budapest private guide
On a recent trip to Eastern Europe, we allowed a few extra days in Budapest to see the city before beginning a river journey on the Danube. With a reference from the Rick Steves' Graffiti Wall, we contacted Gabriella Torok (gabriella@privatetoursbudapest or www.privatetoursbudapest.com)and arranged a two day private tour of Budapest. It was a delightful experience and we enjoyed sights and commentary we could not have captured on our own. Gabriella grew up during the Communist era and brought insight that was most interesting. Gabriella was a delightful hostess and a most enjoyable guide. We would use her again without hesitation.
Ron & Sue Tichy <email>
Houston, Tx USA Mon 05/29/2006
Madrid Segway Tours
When in or travelling to Madrid be sure to check out Madsegs.com segway tours. In just three hours you get a pretty good view of most of the city centre without breaking a sweat. No hassels with the guide as he was native english and seemed to know much more than the two locals along for the ride-or is that glide. We enjoyed the segways so much we lost interest in the history early on and are still talking about them......
Bruce
Madrid, Spain Australia Sun 05/28/2006
An amazing walking tour in Florence
My husband and I just returned from a trip to Italy... Rome, Florence and Venice. We took walking tours in each city. The tour in Florence was the highlight of our stay in Florence and possibly the week in Italy. It was a 3 hour tour and we found ourselves hanging on every word the guide was saying. She succinctly gave interesting historical information, told wonderful stories about traditions and legends, and gave a great deal of fasinating information. We did not want the tour to end. If you are heading to Florence, you truly must go to www.artviva.com and book 'The Original Walking Tour of Florence' given by the 'Original and Best Walking Tours' company (I think they are also called Artviva). Enjoy
Myra
Vienna, VA USA Sun 05/28/2006
rome, icon tours
Last tuesday my son and I visited Rome. St Pieter and Vatican museum. Our tour guide was Steve, Icon Tours. He did a wonderful Job. Even my son who is 12 kept interested and excited for over two hours. Sure, thats something!
l te velde
dordrecht, Netherlands Sat 05/27/2006
Night Time Bus Tour of Paris
Last Friday we took the ParisVision "Illuminations" tour. It was shorter by about 15 minutes than advertised, had sketchy recorded descriptions of sites that were out of synch with where the bus was at the time, and contained some incorrect into. Don't know the options, but this one was nothing extra.
Richard Anderson
Newington, CT USA Tue 05/16/2006
Thanks!
Thanks, Rick, and all the contributers, for making our trip to Tuscany and Rome so enjoyable. We especially liked the walking tours and 2 page "highlights" section for major cities in the "Italy" book. Keep up your good work!
Svend and Pat Esborg
Bowie, MD USA Thu 05/11/2006
Spain minibus tour April 2006
Myself and two other friends booked a daylong minibus tour from Sevilla this April and had a great time. Paul McGrath will tour up to 8 people in his minibus through some beautiful quiet villages in southern Spain. It's a wonderful way to sit back, watch the scenery and not worry about driving around very narrow streets. Paul is listed in Rick's Spain tourbook. It is worth every penny.
J. Anderson
St. John's, NL Canada Wed 05/10/2006
Normandy D-Day Tours
We spent 3 days with Battlebus Tours in Normandy. The 2-day American Experience and the 1-day Band of Brothers Tour were exceptionally informative. All their guides seem to get good reviews, though we especially enjoyed Dale. It seemed a bit expensive when booking, but was worth every cent! I sense that we could take this same itinerary a year from now and it would have additional stories. They take you places you'd never find on your own.
Patty O'Grady <email>
Steilacoom, WA USA Mon 05/08/2006
Alhambra
I'm going to Granada, Spain at the end of the month. I was thinking of using a private guide for the tour of the Alhambra. Can anyone tell me if this is necessary or can it be seen easily with a good guide book? If you've been on a group tour, I'd also like to have your thoughts.
Jill Boerger <email>
Coppell, Texas USA Mon 05/08/2006
Great Tuscan Tour
My husband, daughter and I had a wonderful tour of the Tuscany area above Siena including Monteriggioni, Castello di Brolio and wonderful wineries and other gorgeous villages. Franco Fadda of Franco Tours was so patient, well-informed, organized and friendly. It was definately the best day of our Italy trip. Contact him at francofadda@hotmail.com
Marion Van Kirk
Flat Rock, NC USA Sun 05/07/2006
Free mp3 audio guides London, Paris and Barcelona
www.iAudioguide.com offer free city audiotours for so far three cities to download from their ewbsite in mp3 format (map included).
Torsten
Brussels, UK,ES,FR Sun 05/07/2006
Tuscan wine and food tour
For a great time touring the Tuscan wine country, I highly recommend Verbena blu Viaggi. My wife & I had an excellent time on our 4 day private wine and food tour. We were based in Montalcino, the center for Brunello. The hotel Il Giglio was endearing, a real mom & pop place with father & son running the hotel and the mother as chef. Our tour included a hands-on cooking lesson! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the wines and the region. Highly recommended if you don't want to deal with driving, & need an introduction to the area.
http://www.verbenabluviaggi.com/
Paul Garfield
Costa Mesa, Ca. USA Sat 05/06/2006
tuscan wine tours
In october of last year i enjoyed a tuscan wine tour with franco fadda of franco tours. it was truly the highlight of my trip. he was so knowledgeable and spoke wonderful english. i would recomend franco tours to anyone who wants a really dream vacation to tuscany.
phyllis fuschak <email>
san marcos, texas USA Wed 05/03/2006
Pompeii-Naples Arch. Museum Daytrip
Visited Rome in March and can't be more thankful for the Pompeii-AND-Naples Archeological Museum DAYTRIP (yes! it can be done in a day! and this is the only tour group I found who would include both) offered by ContextRome. While it was much pricier than I expected to pay for a tour, it was MORE than worth it to have a small group (we were 2 of 4) led with great care by our knowledgable, friendly guide Iris. It proved to me that the finer tours are an investment, not an expense, on a European trip...The difference between our ContextRome tour and the cattle-stampede Travel Bound tour was tremendous. When I return to Italy, I'll be booking more CR tours, definitely. They also offer tours in Paris, Naples & Florence.
Sarah <email>
Farmington, MO USA Wed 05/03/2006
Fun Spain Walking & Eating Trip!
Hi, we 2 (55+ youngsters) had a WONDERFUL trip to Spain in April - We did a 6 night easy walking & eating trip in southern Spain with a small group took such good care of us! We met numerous Spaniards like a flamenco dancer, learned to make a Spanish dinner and went to places we would never have found alone! Our guide, a 10 year resident, was American Dan O'Beirne (5*) from www.MagicalSpain.com . They are listed by Rick in the Spain book!
Sean & Maria Healion + family
Sean & Maria Healion
USA Mon 05/01/2006
Tuscan Wine Tours
I've just returned from an amazing trip to Tuscany. If you're planning a trip there, you must take a tour with Franco from Franco Tours. I can highly recommend him! He is the best tour guide we've ever had and our day touring Tuscany with him was the single best day of our trip. He was accommodating, personal, knowledgable and honest. You can reach him at francofadda@hotmail.com.You will NOT be disappointed!
Cathryn
Austin, Texas USA Sun 04/30/2006
Dublin Walking Tours
Have iPod (or other MP3 player) and going to Dublin? Check out www.visitdublin.com before you leave home. Look under "Self Guided Walking Tours" or try this link: http://www.visitdublin.com/SeeAndDo/Tours/SelfGuidedWalkingTours/selfguided.aspx?id=281 . These are downloadable files for your MP3 player (just like Rick's Paris Tour and radio show podcasts). They are narrated by a local author and a free, easy way to take a walking tour without the guide or guidebook. I'm going in August and will be sure to give the tours a try. Happy Travels!
Melissa <email>
Troy, MI USA Sat 04/29/2006
Jewish Florence tour
We wanted a tour of Florence that concentrated on its Jewish history and art as well as a general tour of the city. Our travel agent put us in touch with Giovanna Bossi-Rosenfeld (http://florence-jewish-tours.com/index.htm). What a find that turned out to be! Giovanna has an incredible background in art, art history, architecture and is a teacher at one of the universities in Florence. She grew up in Florence and has a special interest in its Jewish history and art. She has a wonderful sense of humor and is perfectly fluent in English. She took us all over including some of the little seen or known corridors of the Ufizzi over Ponte Vecchio. We had a fantastic time. We highly recommend her tours.
Randy Fishleder <email>
Cedar Rapids, IA USA Thu 04/27/2006
Paris tours
This past March we enjoyed four wonderful walking tours compliments of Oriel and Peter Caine of Paris walks. Even though we have visited Paris on a number of occasions we learned many new things about the city and its history thanks to them. The Marais and Gallerie tours were especially enjoyable. By all means, give them a try. Steve, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Steve
Dayton, USA Sun 04/23/2006
Original & Best Walking Tours of Florence
I can heartily recommend the Original & Best Walking tours (in Florence). (www.artviva.com) - we took two of their tours. "A Perfect Morning in Tuscany" was a great hike in an old quarry in Fiesole (just outside of Florence), it included a Renaissance villa tour & a hearty Tuscan lunch, with wine. Very personable guide, small group, lots of fun (and exercise!). It was a nice way to get out of the Florence crowds for a day without a long bus ride or renting a car. We also did "Masterpieces of the Uffizi" - a focused and very informative tour of Renaissance art highlights. It kept this magnificent museum from being overwhelming and exhausting - plus I learned a lot about the Italian Renaissance. The tours were small, very well organized, fun, informative, with knowledgable and personable guides - definitely worth checking out.
Janet <email>
New York City/Northern NJ, NJ USA Wed 04/19/2006
Tour of the Vatican-Jewish Walking Tours
Brenda Bohen of Jewish Roma Walking Tours provided us with a tour of the Vatican that was absolutely perfect. As a group of eleven, ranging from six children aged 8 to 14 and five adults all of whom had toured the Vatican before, one might consider us a difficult group to keep engaged for five hours - but Brenda had no problem. In fact, she offered so many interesting and amazing facts – we all felt we learned so much about the history and art in the Vatican. The depth of her knowledge and her ability to answer questions was so impressive. It takes a truly wonderful tour guide to be able to keep children’s attention and provide new and exciting information to adults at the same time, and she was masterful at doing both!
Laurel Wright
Manhattan Beach, CA USA Mon 04/17/2006
Tuscan Wine Tours
If you are going to Florence, I highly recommend booking a day trip to Tuscany through Tuscan Wine Tours, www.tuscan-wine-tours.com, owner and guide is Rebecca. I read the review on this forum before leaving for Florence and it sounded like a great tour. It was very intimate, only four of us, and it was so personalized. It sounded a bit pricey but after the tour I was so glad I did it. You are not pressured to buy anything but there are plenty of samples of both food and wine and the lunch was one of the best we had in Florence.
There are many other companies giving Tuscany tours but you will be very happy with this one, I guarantee it. We did the "Chianti Classic" and even if you aren't into wine, the scenery is just breathtaking.
Rebecca was awesome and I am so glad I read the reviews on this board.
Candace Clark
Heidelberg, Germany Mon 04/10/2006
A Great Time at the Pantheon in Italy
I loved Angel Tours, the group which arrived at the appointed time was 50 to 60 people, so the guide who was more like a warm hostess called the office for "backup" within minutes the groups was divided into groups of ten, with a guide in each one. We passed all the lines, even the Vatican staff let us skip some rooms to avoid going around in circles as the museum is a one way system. This enabled us to see the Rapheal rooms. We just steped in and out without walking I think about an extra half mile. The staff seem to have a strong attraction to the guides who are very beautiful girls.
Then the advice they gave us about taxi drivers and the area to eat in was fantasic. They even had papal audience tickets ready for a couple in our group, we asked for some tickets and they had ten in their bag, what a service. We read about them in the Times but then here on the message board.
It was the same for the colosseum tour, we passed the line, my children loved the guide Liz. She gave my son a childrens picture book to look at along the tour walk. Their web site is so simple and beautiful, they have a policy not to advertise anyone else on it which makes it very people friendly. It also has a hidden Angels and Demons path in it if you click on certain parts of the Angel, a clue is, fire, earth, water and air. You might have to email or call them to get entry to the sites path.
I loved the free Pantheon tour the most.
They use their profits to support the Roman Rain Foundation which I think is real cool
Mari Martin
London , USA Fri 04/07/2006
English speaking guide for pompeii
Gaetano Manfredi gives a wonderful tour in English. You can contact him via e mail to arrange the tour ahead of time. His e mail is 3387255620@tim.it He really brings this ancient city to life in a short period of time!
Steve and Karen
NY, NY USA Thu 04/06/2006
Small group tours in Rome
We thoroughly enjoyed our Sistine Seminar with a Context Rome tour guide. This is a a tour early on Monday morning when the Vatican Museum opens early for licensed guides only. Our group was very small in March: just the 2 of us and the max is 6. Our guide was knowledgeable about both art and history. We had a in-depth look at the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel over three and a half hours. We're not tour people, but highly recommend Context Rome. http://rome.contexttravel.com/
Amanda
Afton, VA USA Thu 04/06/2006
Customized Cultural and Artistic Tours in Italy
I HIGHLY recommend this small educationally minded tour company run by a bilingual Italian prof. !!!! They advertise in the New Yorker, but clients come from all over.
Make your own trip!
please contact: palladio@aol.com
or visit our website: http://www.palladio-tours.com/about/about1.htm
Buon Viaggio!
wanderlust
seattle, WA USA Wed 04/05/2006
Private driver Amalfi coast-Naples
We were all over Naples, Pompei and Amafi Coast for the last 5 days using only one personal driver, Angelo Stinca . He is known by our family and he is who we call and trust over the years. It was my first time in Positano. As. He picked us up at the airport and drop us off at the hotel and asked when we would need him again and he could arrange Pompei and Amalfi coast tour if we wanted much cheaper than a typical Hotel would charge. He also took us to "Sorrento" and waited for us for about an hour while we looked and shopped. He knows all the good places to shop and places to eat; he even located a friend my wife once knew. He is very personable and prompt. His email: angelostinca@yahoo.it
His Tel: (prefix 011 from USA) 3394999884
Robert and Sally
Los Angeles, CA USA Fri 03/31/2006
Museum reservations
I am interested in making museum reservations before we leave the states for Florence, Rome and Venice. Can anyone recommend a website that is reputable and not too expensive?
Ginny <email>
Columbus, Ohio USA Fri 03/31/2006
Day tripping in Loire Valley with Acco-Dispo
In early March I finished some business in Angers, France a day early. My friend suggested we do a half day tour of castles in the Loire Valley. After reading a positive review of the Acco-Dispo company we made arrangements on their web site (www.accodispo-tours.com)for a morning tour (I think it was 9:00-13:00 or so...I'm blanking out on how much it was but I think under 40 euro). We took an early train to to Tours and checked in at the well-marked TI across from the train station. Pascal, the owner(and a pleasant trainee)picked us and two Japanese couples up at the TI. We rode in a van. Pascal was very informative and interesting. He also provided some recorded information about the area in Japanese. We visited Chenonceau and Amboise (self-guided; Pascal did not tour the sites with us) for about 90 minutes each. Our fellow travelers were signed up for the all day tour. He left the couples in Amboise and made lunch suggestions, then drove us back to Tours. I will try to get back to the area on future trips, and I'll defintely use Acco Dispo again.
Gail Gasior <email>
San Diego, CA USA Tue 03/28/2006
Amsterdam Trips, LLC – AVOID!!
I booked a tour package with this company for Feb/Mar 2006 based on information and the “typical” agenda advertised on their website, www.Amsterdamtrips.com. My experience with Amsterdam Trips, LLC is that the company’s advertising is deceptive and falsely represents a daily guided, group tour agenda for traveler’s visiting Amsterdam with Amsterdam Trips, LLC. As a woman traveling alone, I prefer to use tour groups for their safety, convenience, and the camaraderie of other travelers. In reality, I turned out to be the only traveler on the tour and was shrugged off by Amsterdam Trips, LLC on a daily basis, for 4 days in a row, once I arrived in Amsterdam most likely so that Amsterdam Trips, LLC could ensure a profit with only one traveler. The guided tours I received were on my first and last day only. I would have never booked their tour package if I knew I would be sightseeing alone and have no contact with a tour guide for all but 2 of my 6 full days in Amsterdam. It was also ridiculously unhelpful to have the bulk of the “orientation” tours on my last day and evening. Amsterdam Trips, LLC was uncooperative in responding to my request for a partial refund and their customer service is practically non-existent. Also, by cramming the majority of tours into the last day and evening, the final guided walking tours were far more physically strenuous than most travelers would ever anticipate or potentially be able to endure without significant discomfort. I do not recommend Amsterdam Trips, LLC. You will not get your money’s worth. You can go alone and hire a day guide once you’re in Amsterdam and come out far ahead and not have to deal with their horrible customer service.
Suzanne Wallace <email>
Long Beach, CA USA Tue 03/28/2006
Wine Tasting in Tuscany
I have just got back from a four day break in Florence.
Without question the highlight of the tour, despite the beauty of Florence, was the Wine Tour around Montalcino we did with Rebecca C of Tuscan Wine Tours.
The whole day was planned to perfection by Rebecca and couldn't have run any smoother.
Our day started with a visit to a large wine producer and then we went onto a much less commercialised one for a second tasting and a typical tuscan lunch. It was brilliant.
We first stopped at Fattoria dei Barbi where we had a superb presentation by one of the staff there. I was amazed to walk around their cellars; it was just so interesting.
We then all (there were 8 of us) sat round a table loaded with Bread, Olives and Percorino Cheese and we tasted four of the main wines Barbi produces. If you go, be prepared to buy some bottles - you wont be able to resist!
Therefore after some considerable purchases (I couldn't help it) and with blatant disregard for airline hand luggage allowances, we proceeded to a Monastary to listen and watch the local monks chant / sing.
This was a very interesting place to visit and also gave you time to build up your next thirst!!!!!
We then moved onto a very small producer called Piombaia where we were treated to a fabulous tasting of his Brunello and his IGT wine. They were both great and the lunch which was served for us was simply brilliant.
This is the type of place only the very adventurous or lost tourist would find. Yet due to Rebecca's tour we got to see a place I will always remember.
After we left Piombaia we then stopped off in Montalcino where we walked round the top of the Castle. The views were magnificent. We then had opportunity to look round the most amazing Italian Wine Shop I'd ever seen and then back on the Vehicle for our route back to Florence.
This was a great tour. Anybody looking for a great day out wine tasting with a lovely guide who was really friendly and knowledgeable about the area and the wine, should look no further than Tuscan Wine Tours. I'd read really good reports about Rebecca on the three main forums I use, including this one and I promise she deserves every glowing report!!!!!! You must do one of these tours.
Clive Mallender
Sheffield, Yorkshire England Thu 03/23/2006
Morocco with a Private Tour Guide
We have all returned from our absolutely INCREDIBLE trip to Morocco!! I can’t wait to go back. Our guide was really FANTASTIC with us the whole time and knew a lot about the places we visited. He did an excellent job above and beyond his required work. He took us to special places not on the original itinerary and his surprise side trips were just fantastic and some of the highlights of the trip.
It was truly and amazing trip. We wanted to let other Travelers know that the service was excellent. We couldn’t imagine a better guide or driver. They really made our trip Special and we will miss them and their beautiful country and recommended NezhaTour to all who asked who had booked our trip. They were fun surprises all along the way, Nezhatour Itinerary was also great. The Guide Very well informed and full of great information. Would I do it again, YES, in a heartbeat.The Private tour Company Can Be Found at (http://www.private-guides.com/guide/private-guide-morocco-5-586/index.html).
Nancy S.Schultz
NYC, USA Mon 03/13/2006
Prague Czech Republic
I was in Prague Czech Republic last month and it was just absolutly breath taking, alittle cold but work it. I highly suggest everyone go there. I was there for 5 days and on one of the days I booked a tour with Prague Private Guides. They were very professional and spoke perfect english. www.guidingprague.com is the website.
Martha
Marth
LA, ca USA Mon 03/13/2006
Chianti Wine T
For a great tour of Tuscan wine country, I recommend Rebecca Christophersen's wine tours www.tuscan-wine-tours.com. She took us on a private tour in February to winerys of Brolio and Fontodi and lunch in the only open restaurant in Chianti. She has taken the Italian wine course to qualify as an expert. We saw the countryside, castles and hideaways of Chianti - even a pressing of vin santo. Her English is perfect since her mother was Canadian. I can't say enough about the trip - it was like traveling with a good friend.
Nancy WIlson <email>
Lynnwood, WA USA Fri 03/10/2006
day trip from paris to salon-de-provence?
hello!
just wondering if anyone has ever done a day trip from paris to provence? we're on our honeymoon and would love to check out the soap tour at Savonnerie Marius Fabre in salon-de-provence. just trying to figure out how we would fit it into a day.....tgv to marseille then find some way to get to salon-de-provence? does any have the name of a tour guide for this area? TIA!!
jpk
san francisco bay area, ca USA Wed 03/08/2006
Tour Guides in Berlin
I also highly recommend Nick Gay in Berlin.
http://www.berlinwalks.com/
Lee
San Ramon, CA USA Fri 03/03/2006
Tour of Poland
I have found a tour of Poland that interests me with Orbis tours. Does anyone have any experience with Orbis in Poland?
Jim <email>
OH USA Wed 03/01/2006
Egypt with a private tour guide
We had high expectations for our trip to Cairo - and I'm happy to say that they were not only met, but exceeded! The sightseeing, restaurants, and hotels were all unforgettable.
We landed in Cairo airport early evening the 11th of September 2005. Here we were contacted by a travel agency and they arranged a 3 days tour for us.
Next morning a car and tour guide, Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif came to our hotel, we were off too see the pyramids in Giza.
Although we'd seen countless pictures of the Pyramids, they were still stunning up close. It's one thing to see a picture, another to stand at the foot of one, stare up and walk around it. It's amazing to think that the ancient Egyptians built such magnificent structures around 2600BC.
The Sphinx too was a marvellous and mysterious site - so little is known about when and how this mysterious sculpture was built.
We enjoyed our time in Cairo our hotel provided yummy fresh yogurt for breakfast, English breakfast, several Egyptian specialities and delicious fresh fruits.
The Egyptian Museum was amazing. It was jam packed with ancient artefacts’, so many in fact that it was completely overwhelming. We especially enjoyed the King Tut exhibit and the sheer number of artefacts’. We were so lucky that we had our own local guide, Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif with us and He explained everything too us.
Having a private guide helped us appreciate the temples and tombs even more. Our guide was very well educated; He’s been living next to Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx together with his family since his childhood and therefore it early became clear for Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif that he wanted to be a tour guide. He has a bachelor degree in tourism and Egyptology from the Cairo University. He has studied 4 years in the faculty of tourism to become a certified tourist’s guide and got a license from the Egyptian tourism police and the Egyptian Ministry of tourism to guide and help the tourists and arrange tours all over Egypt. He’s got excellent English skills and has 12 years of experience showing this wonderful country to tourists from all over the world. He even taught us to decipher some of the hieroglyphics! We, of course, had lots of questions about details and all the new things we were seeing and he was able to give us great, thoughtful answers. We felt that having a guide gave us a depth of understanding that we would not have gained had we visited the sights on our own. We felt that the guide was well worth every penny we spent.
He is callable of arranging tours every where in Egypt; Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, 5* Stars Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, Sinai trip, Red Sea, Trip to the Egyptian Oasis in the Sahara desert, you name it, he can arrange it. He always uses nice air-conditioned cars or minivans and professional tourist’s drivers. He can book nice, safe and clean 5, 4 or 3* stars hotels every where in Egypt.
The main issue in all of this is that in those 2 weeks we spent in Egypt, Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif were interested in us and our wellbeing at all hours. He is very helpful and wants to for fill every request you may have and He is always able to make you smile and laugh. He makes sure that you get the best service and when you go shopping He makes sure that you get the best quality in clothes and when you buy gold and papyrus, you get guarantee certificates that makes it very safe to buy at reasonable prices and there is no pressure of buying.
Conclusion: We had an absolutely wonderful time in Egypt and got a new friend in Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif. We will never forget our trip or Ahmed.
If you ever comes to Egypt, please use Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif as your personally guide, He is worth to contact before you go to Egypt and can help you with booking hotels, guiding and make sure that you have an unforgettable time in Egypt.
Mr. Ahmed Hamed Yousif can be contacted at this email:
ahmedhayo@yahoo.com
Sussie <email>
Copenhagen, Denmark Tue 02/28/2006
Edinburgh bus tour - 2 thumbs up
With only one weekend in Edinburgh in May 2002, we wanted a good sample of the Highlands. We decided on the "Wee Red Bus" tour (aka Heart of Scotland tours). The "bus" was actually a van that seats a max of 14 people. Our tour guide Nick was informative, energetic, hilarious and VERY Scottish. He was quick to give political opinions and get into good discussions. We loved every stop: a distillery, loch, Castle Campbell, and the Wallace Monument to name a few. It was especially convenient because we didn't have a rental car.
We highly recommend it.
Ben & Heather <email>
SLC, UT USA Sun 02/26/2006
Crazy Dublin and the Romantic west of Ireland
What a great time we had in Ireland. It started by staying at Jury hotel in Dublin Centre. They introduced us to a tour guide called Rossa from Angel Tours Dublin, he was so funny which kept us all entertained, and then to top it off he knew what he was talking about. Each day for 3 days we did a tour with him which ended in a bar with him telling us stories of Ireland and a general history of Europe. I am sure he knows alot more, he studies in Trinity college Dublin. He took us there one day, a four hour tour which was not too expensive.
Then we made our way to co Wicklow, you must see it, it is the Garden of Ireland.
In the west of Ireland, co Clare we met Willy Daly and did some pony treking..
Check them both out
www.angeltoursdublin.com
www.willydaly.com
The Jury hotel was ok.
weather was really ok, I had heard stories about the weather being terrible in Ireland, I suppose we are very lucky
Lance
Boston, USA Sun 02/26/2006
Excellent Stonehenge Tour
I took your advise and booked a tour with Mad Max in Bath, England to visit Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circle and local villages. It was a great value at L22.50 for an all day tour, very informative and, with only ten travellers sharing the trip, the perfect hands-on experience. You will not be dissapointed.
Donna Saiia <email>
Lunenburg, MA USA Thu 02/23/2006
Fantastic Tour Guide in Madrid!
After watching one of Rick's shows I decided to hire a tour guide on my visit to Madrid. I was concerned that, due to the language barrier, I might miss parts of the city I wanted to see. I am a history buff and am also interested in architecture so both these were important to me.
I can HIGHLY recommend a gentleman by the name of Pedro Hernandez, pedrohzg@gmail.com. After I initially contacted Pedro, he sent back a list of questions to determne EXACTLY what I was interested in.
I booked a four hour walking tour and Pedro even met me the evening before the tour to give me a brief overview of what we would be seeing. This was extremely helpful because it allowed me to go to the web and my guide book and read up on the areas we would visit the next day.
Pedro told me that you now have to be liscensed to be a tour guide in Spain (important to ask regardless of who you use) and pass exams on EVERY region, city, building AND monument. His knowledge was EXTENSIVE. He brought the city very much alive. He is passionate about his city and this comes out.
The four hours went buy in a flash and I honestly appreciate Madris so much more than I would have if I would have just walked around myself.
He even gave me fabulous recommendations for good tapas and other things to do in Madrid.
It was like touring with an old friend. I HIGHLY recommend Pedro Hernandez's services.
Troy
Montgomery, AL USA Wed 02/15/2006
Berlin Tours - INSIDER TOURS & NEW BERLIN TOURS
Have taken two tours so far of Berlin.
Both of them have been uniquly different, and both of excellent standard.
The 1st. Paid Tour (€12! - thats cheap!) by Insider Tour. Four Hour Walking Tour of the city with Kenny, a Scottish guide who was very informative. His tour was accedemic and thourough. It was worth every euro!!
The 2nd. Free Tour by New Tours of Berlin - a ´rival´ company. It was the same tour, 4 hour Walking Tour of city. I was fortuntae to have the New Zealans Guide Mike. He was very entertaining. Not as accademic in content, but had lots of tibits of information that were very interesting. I am so glad I did both tours, though they were the same - it gave me an even greater insight into the cities sights.
Advice - if you have time, do both!! Dont think a free tour will be ´better´ or vice versa. Both guides were excellent and I would have happily paid for them both!
Mike <email>
Rome, ITALY Sun 02/12/2006
Saved by Icon!
Had an amazing time in Rome thanks to a great tour group there called ICON. The trip started badly with pickpockets on the subway, but when we got to Saint Peters, we got invited on a free tour. We thought it was a scam! But we ended up being a great tour of the Vatican Museum, and then took their other tours, the Coliseum and the City Tour. It was wonderful, and the guides are intelliegnt, and gracious. They are all English speaking and university educated, and it shows! Thouroughly reccommend then.
We're now off to Florence! Lets hope we find a few Icon's there too!!
Katrina Hall
NYC, NY USA Thu 01/26/2006
The BEST private tour guide in Egypt
My wife and I had an unbelievable trip to Egypt thanks in a large part to our guide that we found online through other people's recommendations in travel forums on Fodors.
Ahmed Hamed Yousif, ahmedhayo@yahoo.com planned 8 days for us in Egypt. He graduated from a school of tourism and has a degree in Egyptology. There was not a question he could not answer about the sites we saw. And we saw a lot of sites...Nat’l museum in Cairo, Giza and Sakkara pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Hatshepsut, and Luxor temple in Luxor, Philae Temple, the dam, Kom Ombo temple in and around Aswan, Abu Simbel, we did a 5* Nile cruise, everywhere we went a new van was waiting to take us past all the commotion to the next site. And Ahmed was with us every step of the way, but at the same time giving us free time to explore each site on our own. When we wanted to go shopping, Ahmed took us to the most reputable shops and advised us on what to buy and what to avoid. He helped us avoid all the mishaps that one might find traveling in Egypt on your own and trust me there are many! Even after our tour ended, we had three extra days in Cairo on our own. Ahmed called each day just to check in on us and find out if he could assist with anything. He went above and beyond and we were thankful for those who recommended him. Hopefully we pass it on and either way, we highly suggest using a guide or tour company in Egypt. We have traveled to 16 countries in the last 6 months and this was the only place we have used a guide and we were very happy to have him.
Andrew <email>
Seattle, WA USA Thu 01/19/2006