Meet a local; walk, ride, eat, drink, fish, learn, bike .. experience!
| I suspect many of us think of private tours as being nothing more than taking a tour without all the other people in the way, but private tours are generally much more than that. |
Whether your focus is learning about Spain or experiencing the Spanish culture, the intimacy of a private tour adds an extra dimension to the activity. In a private tour you get to have a one on one exchange with your tour guide and even control your itinerary. It is more like meeting a friend in Spain, who shows you around, sharing their insider secrets.
Photo right - my wife and our Madrid guide in the plaza mayor. |
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| The variety of private tours are endless, limited only by the imagination of the traveler and the connections of the guide. |
Photo above - inside an exclusive San Sebastian gastronomy club. a visit arranged by our guide.
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The most common private tour, likely is, the city tour. City tours are particularly helpful to the traveler that has limited time for visiting a city. A private guide can make the most efficient use of the time you have available, making certain you see the main sights while pointing out the easily overlooked but possibly more significant landmark. The guides ability to add historical and cultural context to your travel means you do not just "see it" you get to "understand it".
During our 2006 trip to Spain we received a private tour of the city of Valencia. On our own there is no way we could have covered the city as efficiently as we did with our guide. The result was a rather extensive Valencia City Guide while spending but two nights in the city.
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The other popular private tour for Spain is the Gastronomy Tour. Entering a tapas bar in Spain can be rather intimidating for the novice, often tapas or a Spanish lunch can be worked in to a guided city experience. The more adventuress traveler can even ask for a sample of the most exotic food Spain has to offer (read more on Gastronomy Tours) . Included in the category of Gastronomy Tours are wine tours. The right guide can open doors not normally available to the traveler.
Heritage Tours are also becoming popular in Spain. In Sos del Rey Catolico we were introduced to the history of the Jewish expulsion (late 15th century) and its effects on Spanish society. Many Jews in Sos del Rey Catolico, given the choice of expulsion or conversion, converted to Christianity. Under scrutiny as pretenders, they had to be more Christian than Christians, some carving crosses in to the exterior of their homes to show their devotion. It took our guide to point out the marks left by these converted Jews, I do not believe we would have ever found them on our own. For travelers with a family or cultural connection to Spain, Heritage tours can be a very emotional experience
Photo right - on our tour of Sos del Rey Catolico we met with a city official. |
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Go to page 2 of Private Tours in Spain
Plan your own Spanish Adventure!
Working with excellent local contacts throughout Spain, my recommended Spain Travel Agent designs special programs to open up some of the best-kept secrets of Spain. To name but a few of Madrid & Beyond services, they can arrange personally guided city tours, visits to wine bodegas, tickets for the bullfights, tickets for Real Madrid, cookery classes, tapas tours, and all types of transportation within Spain. In addition, Madrid & Beyond personally inspects the hotels that they recommend, offering accommodations to suit individual tastes and requirements. Working with on-the-ground experts can make all the difference."
Relationship Disclosure Please note - Madrid & Beyond does not arrange segments of trips, only trips in their entirety; they arrange private guides only for their accommodation booking customers. |
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