In this post I am going to introduce to you some of the best guide s here in Europe.
Tourism is full of guides, but here are some of the best around Europe
Working as a local guide you have the chance to meet some of the best guides in the world. Here is a list of friends from all over Europe and part of the world, that can help you with what ever you might need in any corner of this continent. We all work for Rick Steves, who is an expert in traveling, and for most of us a travel guru.
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.
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 or visit some other beautiful parts of the Czech Republic.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 and experience during private tailor-made walking tours of Prague. They also lead day trips around the Czech Republic and organize fully customized multi-day tours in Central-Eastern Europe.www.praguewalker.com
England
Mark & Toni Seymour guide personal small group 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. http://www.afootinbritain.com
France
Arnaud Servignat is a licensed French guide since 1990. He provides mostly museum & walking tours in Paris and surroundings and can also provide tours in a minivan around the country side. Airport transfers are available upon arrival or departure in any Paris airports.http://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, Loirevalley, 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.
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 and also leads cultural tours throughout France. He has a PhD in Southeast Asian art history and lectures on his research for museums, universities, Royal Societies and at international conferences. http://julianrichardbrown@hotmail.com
Mark & Toni Seymour offer personal small group 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. https://twitter.com/afootinfrance
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. Rolinka also offers biking, hiking and yoga vacations. 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, she is mora than just a guide.http://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. Other German or European areas on request. delagon@gmx.de
Hungary
George Farkas is from Budapest, Hungary with 16 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 and Hungary .
http://www.mybudapesttours.hu/
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. https://visitszeged.eu/
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 excursions to the countryside or transfers outside the country. http://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 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.http://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.
Italy
Tommaso Pantè, an experienced and licensed Tour Guide & Tour Escort/Manager, specializes in tours of Sicily and mainland Italy. 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 Salinaon the Aeolian Islands.http://www.sunway.it
Tricia Brady lives in Italy and gives private Driver/Guided tours of Italy. She has been a guide for 33 years, mainly in the regions north of Rome including her own region of Le Marche. She also rents a luxury villa and an apartment in a 14th century monastery in Le Marche.
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.
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.http://www.lisbonbeyond.pt
Scotland
Colin Mairs is a fully licensed Scottish ‘Blue Badge’ Tourist Guide, who guides in English, French and Portuguese. He can provide you with private walking tours of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and extended tours all over Scotland. Colin is also a driver guide and holds a PCV (bus) licence, meaning Colin can be your driver guide for a group of up to 16 people.www.excursionscotland.com
Liz Lister is a Blue-Badge Guide accredited by the Scottish Tourist Guides Association. She provides walking tours around central Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and St Andrews and is happy to help clients plan a bespoke tour, tailored to their personal interests. Working with chauffeur-drive companies she also offers extended tours across Scotland in a range of transport to suit all requirements.
Slovenia
Tina Hiti and Saso Golub are fully licensed guides in Slovenia, who guide individuals and small groups around the country. Their tours are fully customized to individual needs and include your own driver/guide. 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
Agustin Ciriza is a Tour guide in his hometown San Sebastian leading tours in the Basque Country of France and Spain focusing on Basque history, culture, traditions, food and outdoor activities. Also he offers gastronomy experiences such as Txakoli and Rioja wine tours, Basque Cuisine cooking lessons or “pintxos” (tapas) tasting tours.
Iratxe Muñoz is an oficial tour guide in Bilbao, and she is one of the few people who makes the Guggenheim museum come alive. Iratxe is from Bilbao and knows all the hidden treasures of the city and the surroundings, she can recomend you the best places to eat a formal meal or where to go for tapas in the old quarter. She loves her city and it shows.
Javier Menor runs The Guiding Company whose target market is everyone – from a family who wants a customized tour of Madrid or Barcelona to a large company that needs the services of a team of guides on a long term basis. They have extensive experience in cultural tours for schools and universities. He can also provide guiding services anywhere in Spain.http://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 tours all over Turkey and she is based in Istanbul. She offers walking tours, bus tours and hiking trips.
http://aysegulunlu14@gmail.com
Mine Karahan organizes tours, transfers, blue cruises, hotel arrangements and special group tours all over Turkey. She also organizes tailor made tours for up to 4 people as a driver guide. She runs walking tours in Istanbul which cover Byzantine Heritage, Ottoman Heritage, Muslim Heritage, Christian Heritage, Roman Heritage and Jewish Heritage.www.guideistanbul.net
Her husband, Mert Taner is also a professional licensed tour guide and he is based in Kuşadası . He conducts Biblical tours in Istanbul ,Ephesus and all round Turkey for private groups and Cruise Passengers in Kusadasi , Bodrum and Istanbul …
About.me/mert.taner
Yaren Turkoglu is a professional tour guide based in Istanbul, Turkey. She is an art historian and an archaeologist. She guides special interest tours as well as daily walking tours in Istanbul and provides tours for the rest of the country.http://yaren.turkoglu@gmail.com
United States of America
Travel writer Amanda Scotese offers the best architectural tours of Chicago. Her tours of the architecture, history and culture of Chicago explore stories and places locals don’t even know. Her tours share new perspectives in interacting with architecture to the public. She specializes in private walking tours and bus tours for corporate team-building, company outings, birthday parties, educational student field trips and family reunions.http://www.chicagodetours.com
Agustín is the best guide in San Sebastian.
