Guided city walks. Smart ways to explore great urban destinations

“Guided walks in London, Rome, Paris, Dublin, New York and San Francisco are now available on increasingly popular iPods, but a live tour can provide a much richer experience…

Or so says Paul Bennett, owner of the highly acclaimed Context Tours, who maintains that “there’s no substitute for the impromptu interaction with a knowledgeable and personable guide — best of all, one with a Ph.D. in the topic! Socrates had it right…

When you can ask questions and engage in a real dialogue, learning happens.”…

On a guided walking tour, travelers are not only listening, but also seeing, hearing and feeling….
Most guides are constantly researching and thinking of clever ways to explain historical background and current happenings in a city.
If a new building is going up, they know about it. If a place has just been renovated, they will tell you why and how.

Unlike the voice on the iPod, live guides live right in the city and know the enchanting alleys and shortcuts. After the overview a guided walk provides, it’s much easier to return to places along the way. And walkers learn a lot while they are strolling along.

The tours themselves also provide entertainment. On a route through Dickens’ London, a guide, fully costumed in a long dress and bonnet, will act out scenes from novels like “Oliver Twist.”

On a tour of Rome’s Forum and Coliseum, you may go to a special panoramic location with a knockout view of the ancient city’s temples, palaces, courtyards and government houses.

On the French Revolution Walk in Paris you may stop in front of Le Procope, the café where Voltaire, Robespierre, Marat, Ben Franklin and others often met, and be treated to rich, anecdotal history. ” (via msnbc.msn ) by Emilie Harting (FORBES TRAVELER)

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