- tour
- (480)
-
Nice guided tours for those who like craft beer but not that familiar with the pubs of Budapest.
www.budapestbeertours.com
+36 70 238 1306
This walk brought the history of the Thames to life for the whole family. Led by Fiona, an intertidal archaeologist we strolled along the river with stops for background facts. Then onto the part my sons had been waiting for. Clad in plastic gloves and wellies we were led down the safest path onto the foreshore outside Tate Modern and let loose to beachcomb (strictly no digging). An amazing array of items were found by the group and expertly identified by Fiona. We went home with clay pipes, a Victorian jelly mould and a piece of a 17th century 'Witch pot' tossed into the river full of pee to ward off evil spirits. And my seven-year-old son's highlight, a musket ball.
Dates and times depend on the tides so check www.walks.com and search for mudlarking. Meets at Mansion House tube. No booking needed, £8 for adults and free(!) for kids.
For macabre Victoriana take a trip round Highgate Cemetery. Sadly it is no longer open for individual roaming, but the accompanied tours are entertaining and informative. With its catacombs, statuary, grand mausoleums and famous names this latter day necropolis is a spooky but fun place to visit. Lucinda Hawksley, Charles Dickens's great, great, great granddaughter, will be giving two talks in the cemetery's chapel in February 2012.
www.highgate-cemetery.org
Swain's Lane, London N6 6PJ
+44(0)20 8340 1834
Nearest tube: Archway
Google map: bit.ly/e24iLF
Stationed outside the Capitol building in Havana you'll find some brilliantly restored convertible Cadillacs. These are available for one-hour tours for about 30 CUC. Not cheap by Cuban standards but, once you've seen them, you may just not be able to resist.
Barcelona, Havana, Cuba
+53 7 8637861
Google map: bit.ly/x1b8HR
Although we usually make our own arrangements, this time we used this local tour company. The owners, Ronnie and Raj, are young Assamese entrepreneurs who have invested everything in their travel business and own camp at Kaziranga. The service is personal, passionate and attentive.
Discovering our penchant for homestays, rather than hotels, Ronnie put us up with his own family in Jorhat. Homestays are not as popular here as elsewhere in India, but they found small, unusual hotels in Guwahati, a monastery on Majuli Island and we stayed in their own small camp at Kaziranga.
The communication before, during and after our tour was five star.
These new kids on the block deserve to succeed.
www.naturehunttours.com
1st Floor, House No-96,Borthakur Mill Road
Ulubari, Guwahati, Assam : 781007, India
+91-9435515011
The last time I visited Barcelona I had a great experience with the guys of Barcelona Photocircuits. They run a photography studio and organise photography tours across Barcelona. I spent an afternoon in downtown and they showed me very cool hidden corners and also helped me improve my camera skills. You can ask anything, they give you lots of tips and tricks to make your pictures great and deeply know the city. Very recommended.
London Walks is by far the best way to get to know the dramatic history of London. The informative and lively guides reveal dark secrets and hidden gems in a city you think you know. I’ve been on a number of walks and my favourites have been Jack the Ripper (go in the winter months for maximum spook factor), Little Venice and The Blitz – London at War. Depending on your particular interests there’s a walk to suit all tastes. End your walk with a hearty pub meal or a pint of British ale and you’re experiencing England at its best.
www.walks.com
* Sophie is our Been there local for London. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-sophie-mitchell-intro.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/SophieMItchell
Beirut is an amazing city but after a few days there I kept wondering about certain things like how the civil war affected the city, why there were parts you couldn't go through and why some buildings were still in a state of ruin. All those questions and more were answered when on the penultimate day of our stay we did the Walk Beirut tour. I only wish we had done it on our first day instead.
When we left Madrid, we were not decided on spending 10 days in Morocco but we were wrong. Abdel picked us up from Casablanca airport and right away the smile and hospitality was present and we felt like someone we could trust was there to look after us. The 10 days took us to pretty much all the major sites including the deep south of Morocco (Sahara Desert). If anyone wanted to see Morocco without spending too much time, then certainly this 10 days was a great way to sample the best. More importantly, all our tours were private, we didn't cram into a tour bus, we had our own private 4x4 that took us everywhere (of course camels were our second mode of transport in the desert - ; ))
I did a food tour of East Los Angeles that is hosted by a group called Melting Pot Tours - it's their Latin Spice Tour. My guess is very few tourists go anywhere near this part of town so if you're looking for something different, and off the beaten path, check out this LA tour. The food was great, the guide was a hoot and I got to see a cultural side of Los Angeles (East, Latino, authentic) that most of us usually only get to drive by. It was wonderful, just loved it.
www.meltingpottours.com
8484 Wilshire Blvd, Ste. 220, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
+1 (424) 247-9666
Google map: bit.ly/tnuGmg
Toronto’s downtown core has an underground tunnel system that links over 50 buildings and office towers, five subway stations, six hotels, parking garages and major attractions in the city, all with underground passageways full of places to shop.
According to the Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex linking 28 km (17 miles) with over 1,000 shops and services. Once a year, the PATH hosts the world’s largest underground sidewalk sale. The underground system also provides a great haven from the elements, with heating in winter and air conditioning in summer.
I love taking the PATH in the cold, winter months, where I can walk without a coat for miles
at a time. I must admit, it can be a bit confusing getting around, but that’s all part of the fun.
Wandering around, not really knowing where I’m going on a lazy day, browsing shops, sitting in a café, it’s all great fun when the weather outside is dreadful.
To help you get around easier, each letter in the PATH is a different colour and represents a
direction: P is red and represents south, orange, A, directs pedestrians to the west, blue, T,
directs them to the north, and the H is yellow and points to the east.
www.toronto.ca/path/pdf/path_brochure.pdf
* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti
Looking to see Toronto through the eyes of a local? Sign up for a free visit to one of Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods, led by a friendly greeter who shows you a different perspective of the city.
Toronto Greeters are not professional tour guides, but volunteers who love their city and want to share with visitors the special places that mean something to them. Visitors can select one of over 50 neighbourhoods that they would like to discover in-depth, or they can select one of 14 themed visits, exploring public art, architecture, music, and the waterfront. If you don’t know what to select, you can opt for “Greeter’s Choice” and be surprised.
Want to know where to go for the best shoe shopping? Where to stand to get the best shot of the CN Tower? Where the best walking trails are? Seeing a neighbourhood through the eyes of a local allows you to learn things you wouldn’t pick up on your own or read in a guide book.
This service is offered year-round to individuals, families, and groups of up to 6 people. Visits are offered in over 30 languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Marathi and Tagalog.
How to sign up: Fill out the online form, located on the City of Toronto website, at least one
week before arriving: https://wx.toronto.ca/inter/city/tap.nsf/VisAppl?OpenForm.
Visitors are matched with greeters, based on language, age, interests, and neighbourhood. E-
mails are exchanged in advance to ensure the volunteer understands what the visitor is hoping to learn from the experience.
www.toronto.ca/tapto
* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti
Opened in 2000, this microbrewery produces a premium pilsner lager with only four natural
ingredients: spring water, malted barley, hops and yeast – all GMO-free.
Located in the historic John Street Roundhouse, just south of the CN Tower, the building was built in 1929 and functioned as a Canadian Pacific Rail steam locomotive repair facility. Tours with tastings are offered seven days a week, where you can learn how pilsner is made,
the history of the building, the green initiatives taken by Steam Whistle, and much more. A
45-minute tour costs $10 per person. Reservations are accepted Monday to Thursday, and are on a first-come basis on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations can be made at josh@steamwhistle.ca
Some of Steam Whistle’s more recent awards include: Canada’s Most Admired Corporate
Cultures, Canada’s Greenest Employers, and Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies.
www.steamwhistle.ca
255 Bremner Boulevard, Toronto, M5V 3M9
+1 416 416 362 2337
Nearest subway: Union station
Google map: bit.ly/vPEwtI
* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti
London sightseeing in a black taxi. The guide is a licensed black cab driver and tour guide. He knows all of London and is able to take you off the beaten track too. A great idea for tourists and for seasoned Londoners - I took my boyfriend as a birthday present. Just a wonderful afternoon out.
This is an amazing trip - and unlike some of the others I've done - you actually get an astronomer to guide you, so you know what to look for and when! I did it last year and was so impressed I've already booked for this year too.
La Grotta del Vento in the Apuane Alps is named for the draught that blows through it owing to one entrance being 1000m higher than the other and thus at a very different temperature. Now the only time you feel the wind is when the steel doors at the lower entrance to the cave are opened to allow access. There are a choice of one, two or three hour guided tours. We went on the two hour tour which takes you through galleries full of stalactites, stalagmites and other glittering structures before a long descent down a vertical abyss to an underground river. It's a fascinating trip and the accompanying audio tour in English provides lots of interesting information about the discovery of the cave and its use for psychological experiments and health therapies as well as the various natural formations. Those looking for something more challenging can go on an adventure tour which uses ladders and ropes to visit parts of the cave not accessible by walkways and staircases.
www.grottadelvento.com/ENG/home.aspx
Grotta del Vento, 1
55020 Vergemoli (LU) Lucca
+39(0)583 722 024
Google map: bit.ly/qI5mxA
Postojna Cave, near Ljubljana in Slovenia is one of the best showcaves in the world. The cave is a network of 20 kilometres of passages, galleries and chambers. Some of the stalagmites are at least fifty feet high and the views are amazing. An underground train takes you to the walking section of the cave, where you then follow the tour through the chambers which can be visited. The cave is full of amazing calcite formations, stalactites and stalagmites in a variety of shapes, colours and age. At the end of the tour you can see an aquarium tank which contains several Vivarij Proteus, cave salamanders known for their long lifespan. The guided visit lasts an hour and a half approximately.
Postojna is located in the south-west of Slovenia. There is a bus connecting the Postojna railway station with the Postojna Cave or you can get a bus from Ljubljana.
www.postojnska-jama.si/eng/
+386 5 7000 100
Google map: bit.ly/nWB7GR
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is only 80 km from Krakow and a great experience. The mine has been producing salt since the 1200s and was the source of one-third of Poland's total income under King Kazimierz the Great. In the 1800s the miners started creating sculptures and even carved the largest among underground chapels carved in rock salt and embellished with salty sculptures, salt chandeliers and bas-reliefs. There are over 200 miles of tunnels and chambers that are currently maintained by former miners. The tour inside the mine is informative and fun. Also, if you suffer from asthma or breathing problems (like me) you will love being down there as the air in the mine contains large quantities of sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium ions which help control and improve the respiratory system. This is also the reason why the salt mine has its own Underground Rehabilitation and Respiratory Treatment Camp.
Daniłowicza Street 10, 32-020 Kraków, Poland
+48 12 278 73 75
Google map: bit.ly/qSBb3k
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is only 80 km from Krakow. There are organised tours which take you there or you can catch a local bus www.krakow-info.com/wielicz.htm
The Respiratory Rehabilitation Camp has its own website: www.kopalnia.pl
A network of underground river caves that are certainly not for the faint hearted! Entering these caves must be done with a guide from one of the local hostels, which considering the nature of the caves is probably a good thing. A two hour adrenaline filled trip, scrambling over rocks and stalagmites, wading through pools, climbing up gushing waterfalls, swimming through narrow channels, squeezing through tiny holes and if your're needing a little more adventure a cliff jump into a pitch black pool! Naturally, all this is done while holding a trusty candle above your head for light and clinging onto your flip flops which have been loosely tied on with string! If you're keen for adrenaline, like uncertainty and are willing to put your trust in a small Guatemalan lad with a candle, then this is undoubtedly the best and most unforgettable cave experience in the world!
Semuc Champey, near Las Marias hostel, Guatemala. Reached by bus from Lanquin.
www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/1139/41961/KanBa+River+Caves+of+Guatemala?destId=358403
Descend through the four subtly lit chambers hosting a multitude of impressive snowy white stalactites and stalagmites, before arriving at one of the world’s largest subterranean lakes.
There is a magical atmosphere as the darkness and silence are punctuated by the pockets of light and the sounds from the classical musicians floating by on their boats. Despite verging on the kitsch, this is a breathtaking and very special excursion.
www.cuevasdeldrach.com/
Ctra Cuevas s/n - 07680 Porto Cristo - Mallorca (Balears) Spain
(+34) 971 820 753
Google map: bit.ly/mQYiHR
Is this your business?