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Europe Through the Back Door
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
1 review for Europe Through the Back Door
Like to travel Europe but don't want to see your destination as a tourist? Well then Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door might be the perfect fit for you. Rick has been traveling Europe for the past 30 years looking for those little nuances that make a city great and then passing them on to you.
Based on the PBS programming of the same name, Europe through the Back Door is a great way for veteran and novice travelers alike to see a city (I usually do the 7 day tour but there are also 14 day tours that cover more than one city). The tours are small- no more than 20 people to a group who are then partnered with a local guide who shows you "their city" through their eyes. I have been on several- to Barcelona, Prague, Venice, Paris, London, etc and while each have been different- they all have taught me something new about cities that I had traveled to before but didn't spend the time to understand what that city is about.
As a seasoned traveler myself, I like the "Freedom in a Framework" approach that allows plenty of free time along the way to shop, explore on my own or just enjoy a libation or two with the people I meet along the way.
The structured part of the tours is usually for the museums or things that I would never think of doing on my own (the underground mine tour I did in the Czech Republic comes to mind. I am quite sure nothing like that would ever be allowed in the US!)
The people on the tour range from college kids there with their parents, to singles in their 30's, to people in their 40's and 50's- all with the same goal in mind- to get to know one of the great cities of the world.
The prices are reasonable given that they cover your lodging, most meals, a full time guide (more like a friend you invited along than a guide) and ground transport if needed.
As a side note on the guides- they are what makes these trips so much fun. Looking for the best beer joint in Barcelona, or how about an underground disco in Paris, or how to set up a riverside picnic in Prague? They not only take care of the full group-but each of them go out of their way to make sure you enjoy their city while you are there. And I love the way they know who to send us to on a "off night" so that we enjoy a special "Rick Steves" moment- for me it was dancing with a local in Venice in front of the Doges Palace in the San Marco Piazetta!
Finally- if you go- set realistic expectations for what "through the back door" means. You won't be staying at the finest hotels, nor will you be eating at the most expensive restaurants. But you will be eating where the locals eat, staying in boutiquey hotels and meeting lots of interesting people along the way. And isn't that what a great vacation is all about anyway?
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