Smaller text Larger text

Destination: Uncategorized

Posted on

Video: Building a Gothic Church with 13 Tourists

One of my great joys as a tour guide is teaching art and architecture in a way that makes it both fun and meaningful. And a good way to do that is by building a Gothic church out of 13 tourists. Join me here with my happy tour group, just before going into Sainte-Chapelle in Paris (a cathedral of glass built about 750 years ago to house the Crown of Thorns), as I prep my group for this wonderful experience.

Video: thetravelphile.com / facebook.com/thetravelphile

I am so happy that each year our team of guides at Rick Steves’ Europe Tours share their passion for European history, art, and culture in creative ways like this with nearly a thousand tour groups — each one as fun-loving, curious, and eager to learn as mine has been. Happy travels!

(Thanks for following along here on my blog and on Facebook as I guided our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.)

Posted on

Touring the Louvre

Europe’s greatest museum is the Louvre in Paris. It was a thrill to take our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour group there to enjoy its unforgettable collection of paintings.

Line outside Louvre

Paris is relaxed in October. And — even on the once-each-month free day, with heightened security and a sizable line — we got the group inside with just a 20-minute wait.

 

Under Louvre pyramid

Just gathering our group under the iconic pyramid entrance was exciting.

 

Crowd at Mona Lisa

Experiencing the Mona Lisa is more than just seeing a famous painting. It’s a spectacle, with seething crowds and a commotion of cameras. It’s the only painting anywhere where you actually hear its crowds before you see it.

 

Painting close-up

Along with seeing the iconic paintings of the Louvre, I enjoy just wandering and finding works that are overlooked and underappreciated — like this one, entitled Death of Mondale.

 

Tour members with map

After we led our group through the highlights of the Louvre’s collection, our tour members were free to explore. We like our travelers to be capable and independent — and they are. Here, Larry and Fran recharge with a coffee and review the many options within an easy walk of the Louvre.

(Thanks for following along here on my blog and on Facebook as I guide our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.)

Posted on

Experience Is Good Travel

Every time I huddle with my guides, exploring ways to improve Rick Steves Europe Tours, our goal is the same: “How do we maximize the experience?” There are many clever ways to pack each day with lifelong memories and cultural lessons. While standard-issue tour guides often don’t go beyond the basic sightseeing schedule, a Rick Steves guide is constantly finding creative ways to carbonate the experience with fun little extras.

p18-carousel-rick-steves

So many towns in Europe have classic carousels on their main squares. Why not buy tickets for the gang and enjoy a chance to be kids again…and another rich travel memory.

p15-osteria-al-mascaron-venice

A good guide steers tour members away from the tired sandwich for lunch, and into a characteristic local bar where you’ll enjoy a plate like this: At my favorite bar in Venice (Osteria al Mascaron), just ask for the mixed seafood antipasto plate. It’s €16 and — unless you’re squiddish about fish — a delightful lunch.

p16-cellar-des-ramparts-beaune-france-rick-steves-tour-group

You can’t travel through France without a good wine-tasting. Here in Burgundy, we enjoy sharpening our wine-tasting skills in a classic cellar under our favorite hotel with a local wine expert.

p17-vatican-holy-door-jubilee-year

Anyone who dreams of going to St. Peter’s Basilica will consider a chance to go through the Holy Door (open only in Jubilee Years) a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As 2016 happens to be a Jubilee Year, our group got to do that with our Vatican visit. As I see it, it is the responsibility of a professional guide to know when these opportunities present themselves, and not to miss it.

(Thanks for following along here on my blog and on Facebook as I guide our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.)

Posted on

Three Hardworking Guides: Rick, Trish, and Ben

For me, a big part of the joy in leading this three-week tour has been collaborating with two fine guides: Trish Feaster and Ben Cameron. We tag-teamed the tour and learned from each other all along the way. We have well over 100 guides at Rick Steves Europe Tours — both Americans and Europeans. I encourage them to play to their strengths, while studying in areas where they may be weak. Ben and Trish beautifully covered for me when I was weak, and that gave me a great chance to learn.

Trish with tour members

Trish takes the mic and engages our group as we cruise down the highway.

 

Ben in subway with group

Photo: thetravelphile.com / facebook.com/thetravelphile

On a Rick Steves tour, you learn to use the public transportation. Here in Rome, tour guide Ben coaches the group as we master the Roman underground.

 

Ben with group in Alps

Hiking through the Alps with a good guide (like Ben Cameron), you know where the farm-fresh yogurt and tastiest cheese is, you relax knowing you’re on the right trail, and you know just which mountain vistas are not to be missed.

 

Rick Steves and Ben with group in Rome

Photo: thetravelphile.com / facebook.com/thetravelphile

Here in Rome, Ben and I make sure all 28 of us get on the packed bus #280 as we head from St. Peter’s Square to dinner in Trastevere. One of the exhilarating challenges of being a guide (at least, a Rick Steves guide) is giving our tour members that “public transit experience”…and not losing anyone. We all made it, and the dinner was one of the best of the tour.

 

Ben Cameron, Trish Feaster, and Rick Steves

Thanks, Trish and Ben, for the great trip (and for carrying all that beer up to the top of that ruined castle to surprise our group)!

(Thanks for following along here on my blog and on Facebook as I guide our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.)

Posted on

A Great Bus Driver Enhances a Tour

If you’ve ever been on a bus tour, you know what an important part of the mix your driver is. And if you’ve ever been a tour guide, you know that the driver can be your best friend…or a real obstacle to a smooth tour. We love our bus drivers and consider them part of our traveling family. (While we can’t promise this, several of our drivers have actually fallen in love with and married our tour members.)

Rick Steves with Richard bus driver

Photo: thetravelphile.com / facebook.com/thetravelphile

Bus driver Richard plays tour guide, and lets me imagine driving his wonderful coach.

 

Richard and tour member

Each year we give our tour members a patch as a memento of their tour. About 40 percent of the more than 20,000 travelers who joined us this year were return travelers. Here, Mike — a proud six-time tour alum — shows off the six patches he’s collected over his many years of touring with us.

 

Rick Steves tour group

Travelers on our tours are limited to a carry-on-sized bag. While we don’t strictly enforce that limit, our tour members are expected to carry their own bags from the bus to the hotel, and then to their rooms. And, because we strive to have centrally located hotels in delightfully traffic-free towns and old city centers, there are many times when getting to or from the bus involves a bit of a hike. Here’s our group leaving our Florence hotel (in another newly pedestrian-friendly, traffic-free center), and ready for Rome.

(Thanks for following along here on my blog and on Facebook as I guide our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.)