Friends & Links
Friends of mine run excellent local tours all around the world and I highly recommend their services to you. Like me, all the guides mentioned here also guide on Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door tours – www.ricksteves.com/tours – a clear sign that they are among the best in the business. These short half-day and full-day excursions may be just what you are looking for to complement your independent travels.
Czech Republic
Jana Hronkova lives in the beautiful historical city of Prague and has worked as a licensed guide for more than 13 years. With Jana you will discover all the different architectural styles of Prague, walk across the Charles bridge, visit St. Vitus Cathedral, learn about the fascinating Jewish history of Prague, talk more about recent history and life under Communism.
www.experience-prague.info
Katerina (Katka) Svobodova runs a small company, PragueWalker, a group of local experts and professional guides (her good friends) who are eager to share their knowledge, experience and love for their city and country during private traditional, tailor-made or specialized walking tours of Prague and day trips around the Czech Republic.
www.praguewalker.com
England
Mark & Toni Seymour guide personal small group tours 1 day tours of South West Britain. These are fully customized tours which include your own driver and guide as well as pickup and drop off at all major UK airports and railway stations.
www.afootinbritain.com
France
Arnaud Servignat is a licensed French guide since 1990. He provides mostly museum & walking tours in Paris and surroundings. Airport transfers are available upon arrival or departure in any Paris airports.
www.french-guide.com
Originally from the Netherlands, Elisabeth van Hest is a licenced guide-lecturer in France since 1975. She led many tours through Normandy, Brittany, Loire valley, Burgundy and other French regions in English, German , Dutch and French language. She designs personal tours in Paris and it’s surroundings to suit each client, using mainly public transportation.
elisa.guide@gmail.com
Born in England, Julian Brown made his home in Paris almost 30 years ago. An art historian and licensed guide, he specializes in tailor-made museum visits and walking tours of Paris. He has a PhD in Southeast Asian art history and lectures on his research for museums, universities, Royal Societies and at international conferences.
julianrichardbrown@hotmail.com
Mark & Toni Seymour offer personal small group 1 day tours of Normandy and Brittany in France. These are fully customized tours which include your own driver and guide as well as pickup and drop off at select railway stations and airports.
www.afootinfrance.com
Contact Rolinka Bloeming for tours in the Languedoc, the largest wine region in the south of France with visits to Carcassonne, Cathar castles, Narbonne, Pont du Gard, Canal de Midi etc. Her food & wine tours include market visits, cooking classes and wine tastings. Also there is a possibility to stay at her fully autonomous wine property.
rolinka.blooming@gmail.com
Germany
Discover buzzing Berlin with Holger Zimmer – radio journalist and expert tour guide. Based in Berlin for 25 years, Holger loves exploring his lively hometown with you. Berlin equals history – Kaiser, War and Berlin Wall – yet is young at heart. Berlin today boasts museums, galleries and clubs – it’s thriving ! He offers tailored tours, especially art, music and nightlife explorations for groups and private clients.
delagon@gmx.de
Hungary
Eszter Bokros can offer regular walking tours in Budapest, or if there is any special interest she can adjust for that (eg. architecture, certain historical periods or Jewish heritage). eszterbokros1@yahoo.co.au
George Farkas is from Budapest, Hungary with 14 years of guiding experience. He loves what his city has got to offer; the history, architecture, culture, food &wine, spas and the exciting layers of entertainment. He is there to share all that with you when you are ready to explore Budapest.
www.mybudapesttours.com
Istvan Koteczki is a registered, licensed guide in Hungary. In his city, Szeged, he mainly does classical walking tours. Beside that he offers bike tours, Segway tours, kayak, or canoe tours and boat cruises. Upon request he can also organize gastronomic events; cooking classes, or honey-tasting for example.
www.visitszeged.eu/en/
Peter Polczman guides local tours of Budapest. Both Pest and Buda take half a day respectively, the full day tour of Budapest includes major sights on both sides. Special tours (museums, architecture & such) are available and so are day-excursions to the countryside or transfers outside the country.
www.budapestyourself.com
Ireland
Barry Moloney and Don Herlihy run the acclaimed Don & Barry’s Kinsale Historic Stroll, a daily walking tour of their hometown Kinsale, a scenic medieval town on the south coast of Ireland. Their walking tour focuses on the dramatic naval and military history. Private tailored tours including food tours, educational school/university tours and storytelling workshops are also available.
www.historicstrollkinsale.com
Ireland (including Northern Ireland)
Stephen McPhilemy, a history graduate of Queens University Belfast, has been an award winning registered guide since 1995. Stephen operates the ‘Essential Walking Tour of Historic Derry’ in his hometown of Derry (aka Londonderry). He runs guided tours of the famed Giants Causeway and Belfast city tours. He also offers guided tours of his second home – Dingle and the beautiful Dingle Peninsula. www.irishexperience.ie
Italy
Nina Bernardo is a dual American – Italian citizen living currently in Rome and conducting private Rome Daily City Tours. She loves to show Rome from her own expat perspective. Her walking tours can include lots of food & wine tastings, ancient plus modern history blended with classical & modern art.
Sparpa@hotmail.com
Tommaso Pantè, an experienced and licensed Tour Guide, specializes in half- and full-day tours in Sicily. If planning for a trip or cruise ship stop, contact Tommaso about customized excursions. He also offers 4 holiday apartments: Casetta Rosetta in Milazzo; Villa Greca (3) in Salina on theAeolian Islands.
www.sunway.it
Tricia Brady lives in Le Marche, Italy and offers full and half day private driving tours of this beautiful region of Italy. She also has a stylish farmhouse for rent in Le Marche and an apartment for rent in a nearby 14c monastery in the hill town of Sant Angelo In Pontano.
t.brady1953@gmail.com
www.italiantourguide.com
Portugal
Cristina Bessa is a licensed tour guide with an experience of more than 25 years. She is based In Coimbra. Coimbra’s University became the 16th UNESCO World Heritage site in Portugal. Cristina provides not only walking tours in Coimbra, but she’s an expert on the Barroc Library tours.
ccfb64@hotmail.com
Cristina Duarte is a licensed Portuguese guide with an experience of more than 20 years. She is based in the Lisbon region and provides walking tours in complement with regular city public transportation (private transportation also available). City Museums, Old/Down town Lisbon, Belem district and Sintra are some of her most popular tours.
www.lisbonbeyond.pt
Scotland
Enjoy a private tour of Glasgow with Scottish ‘Blue Badge’ Guide, Colin Mairs. Experience the culture and humour of Scotland’s largest city with a native Glaswegian. City centre and West End walks, guided visits of Glasgow Cathedral, Kelvingrove Musem, Glasgow University, Burrell Collection, Riverside Museum and more… Available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish for full day and half day tours.
www.excursionscotland.com
Liz Lister is a Blue-Badge Scottish Guide, who provides walking tours around central Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and St Andrews. She aims to bring contemporary Scotland alive for her visitors through an understanding of the history, culture and folklore of this intriguing small country. Happy to tailor these short tours to particular interests, she is also able to co-ordinate transport for the less mobile or those who wish to travel further afield.
www.jaggy-thistle.com
Slovenia
Tina Hiti and Saso Golub are experienced licensed tour guides, specialising in half and full-day tours around Slovenia. The tours focus on Slovene history, nature, traditions, culture and gastronomy. They can organize hiking adventures and many other outdoor activities. Another popular theme that they help travellers with is researching their roots.
www.pg-slovenia.com
Spain
Francisco Gesrural is part of a team of guides that tour Pamplona and the region of Navarre. They specialize in the week of the running of the bulls “SAN FERMIN” where they can help getting guides, balconies to watch the running, tickets for the bull fight… Almost anything!
www.novotur.com
Javier Menor runs The Guiding Company who offer customized day or half-day tour of Madrid or Barcelona. They have extensive experience in cultural tours for schools and universities.
www.theguidingcompany.com
Nygil Murrell runs Madrid Tours & Tastings which offers guided walking tours of Madrid’s historic centre, as well as gastronomic tapas tours and wine tastings that help you make the most of your visit to Madrid. He also writes a fascinating blog on Spain and its exciting capital, covering historical locations, bars and restaurants, and traditional shops.
www.madridtandt.com
Turkey
Aysegül Ünlü runs day or half-day walking tours or bus tours of Istanbul.
aysegulunlu14@gmail.com
Mine Karahan Taner and Mert Taner run walking tours in Istanbul which cover Byzantine Heritage, Ottoman Heritage, Muslim Heritage, Christian Heritage, Roman Heritage and Jewish Heritage in a half day and full day basis. They also guide passengers from cruise ships for half or full day tours. They run daily cruise ship tours in Kuşadası (Ephesus) area as well.
www.guideistanbul.net
Yaren Turkoglu is a professional tour guide based in Istanbul, Turkey. She is an art historian and an archaeologist. She guides daily walking tours in Istanbul. yaren.turkoglu@gmail.com
United States of America
Chicago Detours, founded by travel writer and tour guide Amanda Scotese, brings people to explore the architecture, history and culture of public art, building interiors, historic bars, Chicago neighbourhoods, and jazz and blues history. Chicago Detours offers a variety of private group tours, and walking tours are offered daily to the public.
www.chicagodetours.com
Worldwide
Reid Coen has been a tour guide, travel consultant, and speaker for Rick Steves’ Europe for the last 18 years. He runs Imprint Tours where they “Travel with Intent”- taking a reflective approach, connecting with the cultures they visit, and balancing the enjoyment of discovery with responsible travel. His ever expanding tour portfolio includes Thailand, Vietnam, Southern Africa, New Zealand, India, and Bali. www.imprinttours.com
Accomodation Provence
Self Catering Apartments in the historical center of Avignon
www.autourdupetitparadis.com