Dave, a guide in and around London...

There's a driver named David Brown who does package or individualized tours in the London/Bath/Wales area. My daughter and I spent a delightful day with him last fall in Wales. He was prompt, dependable, courteous and quite personable. In addition to that, he was a wonderful "sport". My daughter really wanted to go to the botanical garden in Wales. The weather was very, very uncooperative -- high winds coupled with sheets of pouring rain. David first warned us that we'd be spending time outdoors in that rain, then went right along with the plan -- providing huge umbrellas (which were basically useless, but appreciated) and keeping high humor in the face of being soaked and cold. Maintaining his good humor, he finished the day by taking us to some other, more dry sites. The day could have been quite a disaster, or even just satisfactory; David's good humor allowed us to have a marvelous adventure. In the meantime, he and his wife have acquired a B&B cottage in Wales; my daughter and I have made arrangements to spend 4 days there this fall. David's website is: http://www.scenictravel.co.uk.
Cheryl, Chesterton, Indiana, USA

Henri, a guide in and around Paris...

We "discovered" Henri when renting an apartment in Paris through his sister -in-law (who is an agent in Seattle). Henri is retired, lives in Normandy (where he is also happy to be a guide) and speaks fluent English. He is absolutely charming! Spending a day with Henri is always full of little surprise stops and interesting anecdotes. He will help you plan your outing, or, give him a general idea of your interests and he will go from there. One day we were driving through the Champagne area on our way to Reims and I thought it was probably time for the "vendage" -- when the grapes are being picked. The next thing we knew, we were in the fields talking to the locals who were, in fact picking the grapes! Henri Leers can be reached by phone at: +011-33- (0) 2-33-20-55-76 and by fax at: 011 33 2 33 20 44 87
Rosalyn, Chicago, Illinois, USA  

Laurent, a guide in Paris...

I just returned from a few days on my own in Paris. I had the most fabulous guide while I was there -- Laurent Guariglia. He was extremely knowledgeable about all the areas we visited and he spoke wonderful English. At the end of our times together Laurent always made sure to put me in a cab and give the driver complete directions to my hotel so I wouldn't have a problem. I will definitely contact this nice man on my next visit to Paris. Email: laurent.guariglia@free.fr Mobile: (33) 6 77 49 27 37.
Paula, California, USA

Karen, a great guide in Paris...

My friend and I recently hired Karen Henrich of Nuit Blanche Tours for her one day Paris orientation. Karen first told us lots of things by email even before we arrived, including the best way to get from the airport and how to choose a hotel which saved us a lot of hassle and money. Also before we arrived she determined our likes/wishes and then picked us up at our hotel and escorted us all around the city, made us comfortable using the public transportation, showed us her bargain shopping places and wrote down many things which helped us plan the remaining days of our stay in Paris. I would highly recommend using this guide; we felt instantly comfortable with a fellow English speaker who, because she lives there, knows the ropes of Paris intimately. We had lots of laughs and heaps of fun too! Her email is info@nuitblanchetours.com

Nan, a great guide in Venice, Italy...

I know a fabulous guide: Nan McElroy. Why is she terrific? How shall I count the ways? She lives in Venice, for a start, comes from the US so there's no language issue but of course she speaks Italian; she's written an incredible little guidebook called Italy: Instructions for Use which is a treasure trove of practical information; she's smart and sassy and knows her stuff. You can contact her via her site: http://italyinstructions.com/ I know you're going to like her!
Linda, Venice, Italy

Svetlana, a guide in Prague...

In Prague, contact Svetlana Radova at: svetlana.radova@tiscali.cz. Her English is perfect and she is licensed to guide in Prague and has the additional license to guide in the Jewish Quarter. Svetlana's partner, Ondrej is available to drive you in Prague, (they are driving us to Krakow and back) and available for airport pickups as well. I met Svetlana three years ago and we have stayed friends ever since we first met!
Rosalyn, Chicago, Illinois, USA  

Dana Chaloupka, a guide in Prague...

My husband and I recently visited Prague. Since neither of us knew one word of Czech, we were concerned about the language barrier. We learned of a guide called Dana Chaloupka from an online message board and emailed her about our pending visit. She responded with a broad range of itineraries and prices. Dana spent time in the United States and speaks English very well. She knows her history and all the sights of Prague and patiently showed and taught us about her city. We also traveled by train to a small town outside Prague (Uvaly), where she grew up. We visited her family home and her neighbor, and we went into several shops, getting a glimpse of normal life in a small Czech village. She was a wonderful guide and a very pleasant person. Dana does not work for tour companies -- she hires drivers when needed. We feel her services made all the difference in the world in enjoying this beautiful historic city. We heartily recommend her. Dana can be reached at: danachal@volny.cz / or dachal@quick.cz
Sherri, Iowa, USA  

Michael, a great guide in Prague...

I'd like to recommend guide and driver, Michael Jakubuv. I just got back from our choir tour in Prague and we found Michael to take us on a castle tour and also to take us to the airport. His prices are very reasonable and he is very informative. His English is great. I would recommend him to anyone looking for an airport pickup or a tour of the country side. You can email him at: mike.chauffeur@cmail.cz.
Cathy, Newfoundland, Canada

Ab, a great guide in Amsterdam...

Last year we found a guide in the Netherlands who was recommended by Rick Steves. Ab Walet (abwalet@yahoo.com) is a retired history teacher and he's just great. Ab took four of us on a wonderful four hour walking tour of Amsterdam. He showed us sights never mentioned in guide books as well as giving us history and background information about the usual places. My favorite was the Theater Kadinsky which looks as if Judy Garland should appear at any minute to introduce the premier of 'The Wizard of Oz.'
Pinkie, Brevard, USA