Last year my family went to Rome and we booked an afternoon with Francesca Caruso (one of RS tour guides). She gave us an amazing tour of the Roman Forum. It was a great, informative and thought provoking experience. We are planning a trip to Spain for next summer and I would like to book another guide for a private tour but not sure which location would get us the best bang for our buck. We will be visiting: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Malaga with a day trip to Granada.
If you were booking a RS tour guide for one one of these locations which location, who would be your guide and why? Also, would there be a specific area of focus or expertise you would like on your tour?
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
The local guides who work with Rick Steves tours are independent contractors, often recommended in his guidebooks. If you check your public library for the RS Spain guidebook you'll find recommendations for each city. I'd particularly recommend Concepcion Delgado for Seville because she's knowledgeable, personable, and speaks excellent English. And I'd recommend Javier Menor for Madrid for the same reasons.
My own major interests are history, art, and architecture, so I'd want a guide who knew a lot about those things. Others might prefer someone with expertise in food, wine, popular culture, or something else.
Posted by
Rochester NY
40 posts
We did the Rick Steves Barcelona and Madrid city tour in September 2022 with Federico Barroso, who is also recommended by RS as a private guide. We knew very little about modern art before this tour, but Federico’s wonderfully dramatic explanations and thorough stage setting turned us into Spanish art aficionados! We enjoyed our tour so much more than we expected because of his over the top guidance. He is friendly, funny and absolutely fabulous!
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2726 posts
I second Concepcion Delgado in Sevilla - she was a local guide for my RS Spain tour and took us to the Alcazar. She was a particular highlight of that trip for me - warm, engaging, knowledgeable.
As Dick noted RS often recommends local guides in his books, but not all of the people who guide his tours do private guide work. Look for the latest Spain tour guide for his current references and contact info. As for your question about where you should hire a guide, that is entirely up to you and your budget. If you have a particular interest (e.g., Gaudi architecture in Barcelona, food in Madrid, etc.) you can probably find a guide to suit you.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8882 posts
Margarita in Granada made the Alhambra come alive. Both my sister and I were so glad to have hired her.
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