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Peter is a fabulous guide. I do a lot of walking tours in the cities I visit to learn about the history and get a sense of the place. Peter provided everything I look for: small numbers, delightful style, warm personality, excitement for his subject matter, in-depth knowledge, easy presentation, teasing and humorous bits. I came away feeling I had really spent my time well and learned a lot, Definitely a tour guide to seek out!
Not my favorite tour unfortunately and I take a lot of these type tours all around Europe. The tour guide was, however, timely, very friendly, bright, energetic and delightful. It’s just, for me, there wasn’t much substance to the tour. We visited the Mannekin Pis and heard the history and various legends and stories about its history. That was very interesting and delightful. However, that was really the last of the “stories” until near the end of the tour when we learned interesting history and stories about King Leopold II. In between those two highlights, we walked to quiet spots to learn about about Trappist beers and general overview of beers available. Interesting, yes. Then had a stop to order beer and take about a half hour break about 1.5 hr into tour. Perhaps a welcome respite on a really hot or otherwise unpleasant weather day, but seemed unnecessary. The time spent there, however, did not subtract time from the actual tour. It was a large group (25-26 people), which the guide handled well. I prefer the option for smaller groups, but I couldn’t seem to find such in Brussels.
Bummer! Was really looking forward to this tour my first day in Brussels as a nice introduction to the area. But I was notified early afternoon that it was cancelled due to the scheduled guide having a bike accident that put him out of commission for that evening’s tour. The Company did offer to let me transfer to the later tour in same evening, but I knew I’d never make staying up that late having had no sleep on trip over. Perhaps another time. Best wishes to the banged up guide.
Ivan’s tour was fantastic! Just what we were looking for and hoping to have: a very knowledgeable guide with great personality and presentation. It is our habit to seek out a walking tour in the places we visit. We have developed a preference for small groups led by a historian or at least someone very familiar with the local history. Ivan was perfect. His presentation was clear, organized, coherent (which can be tricky with all the various rulers and peoples governing Split over all these centuries). He explained misconceptions, gave additional information and answered questions knowledgeablely and acknowledged when he didn’t know an answer. We were so disappointed that he was off the day we wanted to book a tour with him when our sister came to town. We would all recommend Ivan as a guide in a heartbeat!
