Rick's guides are hand-picked and passionate about teaching.
This marketplace is a listing of creative services and experiences that Rick Steves guides are offering during the COVID-19 crisis to earn some income by entertaining, educating, and inspiring our travelers.
Marketplace Directory
While we love and respect our guides, their businesses are entirely their own, and we offer this directory as a free service to them and to our travelers with no guarantee or endorsement of what they offer. It's just our hunch that you'll enjoy the travel-type experiences to be found here.
Our Market Picks of the Week
Our team of guides inspire, educate, and stoke travel dreams with passion and creativity. Among the Marketplace's offerings of travel fun and inspiration, these are our picks of the week:
The Jardines de la Taconera (Taconera Gardens) are the oldest, most beautiful, and most emblematic of all parks in Pamplona, Spain. Located near the old city walls, it features trees that come from every corner of the world and animals that roam freely throughout its 22 acres. Join Rick Steves guide Fran as he takes you on a historical stroll through the St. Nicholas Gate entrance and lets the mystery of its Versailles-esque character unfold within. (free)
Just over an hour from Sevilla, on the same train that goes to Jerez and Cádiz, most visitors zoom past El Puerto de Santa María without a second thought. But as Rick Steves guide Robert points out, its beautiful beaches, interesting architecture, and vibrant cuisine scene make for a great, non-touristy overnight stay. Explore with him as he writes about a new discovery well worth the pause. (free)
Pizza is certainly one of the most popular foods in the world, and while the world owes pizza's origins to Italy in the late ninth century AD, its popularity greatly increased when Italians emigrated to other countries a millennia later. Even today in Italy, when pizza traditionally appears as an appetizer on restaurant menus, it is now made with a variety of crusts, ingredients, and sizes. So be creative! Follow Rick Steves guide Tommaso and his mamma as they share their recipe for the most delicious pizza — fatto in casa (homemade) — for your family and friends! (free)
Saturday, May 22, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. PDT/11:30 a.m. EDT (watch live or recorded video)
Walls? Check! Amphitheater? You bet! Romanesque architecture? Aplenty! Join Rick Steves guide Anna for a virtual walk through this Tuscan walled city as we discover its Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance past and enjoy Art Deco storefronts and the locals having a passeggiata (leisurely stroll in the evening). Now that restrictions have eased, people will be out for their aperitivi (pre-dinner drink) for sure! As Lucca's the home of opera great Giacomo Puccini and a musical high school, perhaps you'll even hear an aria along the way. ($)
Alfredo leads Rick Steves tours in Italy and offers trip-planning services for Naples and southern Italy, as well as online cooking lessons of Italian favorites.
Cary leads Rick Steves Best of and Family Europe tours. She designs vacations across the globe for families and offers consulting for those traveling to Europe.
David leads Rick Steves tours in Italy and offers Italian culture classes, Italian language lessons, and live Zoom concerts with his acoustic guitar trio, Bartender.
Helen and Liz lead Rick Steves tours in Scotland. Along with friend Susan Brown, they host a regular podcast to blether (chat) about all things Scottish.
James leads Rick Steves tours in Scotland and is also a photographer offering framed images of Hebridean life, including Highland cows, thatch cottages, Scottish scenery, and wildlife.
Rolinka leads Rick Steves tours in France and offers accommodations at her Eco guest house in southern France for individuals and private boutique retreats.
Stephen leads Rick Steves tours in Ireland and offers a collection of Irish songs from his tours and travels around the Emerald Isle. He also offers accommodations at his hotels in Ireland and the Swiss Alps.
Virginie leads Rick Steves tours in France and offers accommodations at her guest house in Saint-Vérand in southern Burgundy and trip planning services.
Guides Offering Their Own Tours
Bulgaria
Stefan Bozadzhiev and Yuri Boyanin offer tours in Bulgaria, the Balkans, Romania, central Asia, and the Caucasus. lyubatours.com
Czech Republic
Kateřina (Katka) Svobodova offers trip planning services, private tours in Prague, and custom excursions around the Czech Republic, including UNESCO sites, Terezin ghetto/concentration camp memorial, and hikes in Bohemian Switzerland. www.praguewalker.com
Jana Hronková offers day trips in and around Prague as well as longer tours around the former Czechoslovakia. www.praguediscoveries.com
France
Arnaud Servignat offers walking and museum tours in Paris and boat trips on the Oise and Seine rivers. parisandbeyondwitharnaud
Torben Brown and Carlos Meissner offer tours of Berlin and the surrounding area including including the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial, Potsdam, Dresden, and Wittenberg. www.berlinperspectives.com
Great Britain
Elizabeth Boardman offers cultural immersion tours in England and private walking tours of Bath and the surrounding area. www.ewapuk.com
Gillian Chadwick and Robert Halkett offer tours of London and throughout Britain. greatbritishtours2020
James MacLetchie offers small group adventures and private tours in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland including archaeology, nature, and remote islands. www.igot2travel.com
Jeanie Carmichael offers tours in London and the surrounding area including Windsor, Canterbury, Brighton, and Hampton Court. jeanie.car@virgin.net
Mark Seymour offers small group tours in the United Kingdom. seymourtravels.co.uk
Roy Nicholls offers planning services and small group tours for Britain and Ireland. www.travelwithroy.com
Steven Back offers half-day and full-day tours of London and the surrounding area including Windsor, Oxford, Bath, and Canterbury. stevenaback@aol.com
George Farkas and Monika Posch offer tours in Budapest and throughout Hungary, including Eger and the Etyek wine region. www.mybudapesttours.hu
Péter Pölczman offers tours in Budapest and excursions into the Hungarian countryside. budapestyourself.com
Ireland
Dara McCarthy offers walking tours and pub crawls in Dublin and day trips nearby including Powerscourt House and Gardens and Glendalough. www.daramccarthy.com/dublin-tours/
Alfredo Cafasso Vitale offers food tours, cooking parties, rural escapes, and farm visits in Naples and the Campania region, as well as independent trip planning services. cafasso@inwind.it
Anna Piperato offers half-day and full-day tours in Siena and Tuscany. sienaitalytours.com
Cristina Pernechele offers custom-designed tours of Padua and the region around Venice. cristina@pernechele.eu
David Tordi offers walking tours of Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio. www.davidtordi.com
Elena Zampiron offers walking, biking, and kayak tours in Venice and the surrounding area. ele.natour
Francesco Gronchi offers tours of Volterra and throughout Tuscany. www.tuscantour.com
Tommaso Pante offers half-day and full-day excursions in Sicily. www.sunway.it
Netherlands and Belgium
Ellen Janzing offers tours in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain. www.ellenjanzing.nl
Portugal
Claudia Costa offers tours around Lisbon and the surrounding area. Everywhere-in-Portugal
Cristina Duarte offers walking tours of Lisbon and tailored experiences in Portugal. www.lisbonbeyond.pt
Fátima Bugarin offers small group tours staying in her home in Tomar, Portugal, and experiencing local insights. Share-Portugal-with-Fatima
Colin Mairs offers excursions in New Zealand and Australia. mondumo.com
Molly Verlin offers small group bus tours and local private tours of the Southeastern United States from St. Augustine, FL to Charleston, SC. mollysoldsouth.com/tours
Travel Blogs
Ben Curtis (Eastern Europe)hosts a blog and podcast about travel, history, culture, and politics in Eastern Europe. www.benjamincurtis.me
Carlos Meissner and Torben Brown (Germany) co-write a blog providing insights into the many dimensions of Berlin. www.berlinperspectives.com
Colin Mairs (Scotland) blogs about Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, and more. www.mondumo.com/blog
Cristina Pernechele (Italy) posts videos of Padua and the Veneto region on Instagram. explore_veneto_with_us
Francesca Caruso (Italy) is a local guide for Rick Steves' Europe who writes about the history, art, and culture of Rome's past as well as the city's surrounding areas (including Ostia Antica and Hadrian's Villa). She also gives private walking tours of the Eternal City. francescacaruso.com
Helen Houston (Scotland) writes about all things Scottish on her Facebook page. tourscotlandwithhelen
Jana Hronková (Eastern Europe) writes about life in Prague and the Czech Republic. praguediscoveries.com/blog
Lale Surmen Aran (Turkey) shares travel stories on her blog. www.lalearan.com
Lisa Anderson (Italy) writes about her her life as an American living in Piedmont, Italy. lisasdolceitalia.com
Liz Lister (Scotland) provides insights into the diversity of Scotland on her blog. www.stravaigingwithliz.com
Lynn and Paul Corken (Ireland) write about life in Ireland on their Facebook page.imagineirelandtours
Margaret Cassady (Best of Europe) writes travel stories, people profiles, and life lessons on her blog. margarettraveling.com
Margaret Monnier (Spain) blogs about life in Granada. mooninspain.com
Mark Seymour (Great Britain) writes a blog about various aspects of British life. seymourtravels
Molly Verlin (Italy) blogs about the American Southeast. mollysoldsouth.com
