Escape the bourgeois city with Crazy Tours!

Advantages: You'll learn a lot, it's fun, travel in a Trabant
Disadvantages: None

...In general I am not a fan of guided tours though I have enjoyed some excellent ones during my travels. On the whole I find the behaviour of my fellow tourists quite irritating (see a list of their misdemeanours at the end of this review) and I don't like going at a pace dictated by the guide or the other members of the group. However, when a guided tour is conducted (for the most part) in a Trabant - that iconic fibreglass car of 1960s and 1970s eastern Europe - that's a different matter entirely! I found Crazy Tours when surfing the internet looking for some background reading on the Nowa Huta district of Krakow. (I have reviewed this suburb separately on this site but, briefly, Nowa Huta is a post-war "city" - now really a suburb - that is centred around a massive steelworks, the brainchild of Stalin who wanted to make people in...

fizzytom 11.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Crazy Guides Tours, Krakow, Poland

A Tour of La Tour

Advantages: Great views, beautiful at night
Disadvantages: Not good if you're frightened of heights, there are better views of the city,

...around a corner and the Tour Eiffel stood majestically before him. Ah oui... Histoire de la Tour Eiffel There's something magical about the Tour Eiffel. It's become the symbol of Paris, the symbol of France itself, and yet it was never meant to stand for more than a year. It was originally supposed to be erected in Barcelona, but plans designed by Gustave Eiffel were rejected. Construction finally began in Paris, where the tower was to create an entrance archway for the Exposition Universelle in 1889. 120 years later...and the Eiffel Tower continues to stand the test of time, despite being branded an eyesore by many of the great French names of the day. One of its greatest critics was Guy de Maupassant, the French writer who allegedly dined at one of the Eiffel Tower's restaurant every day as it was the only place in Paris where he...

lora44 25.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Tour Eiffel, Paris

taking the tour

Advantages: accessories, ease of use, price
Disadvantages: for some the size might be a put-off

...has a clock and temperature reader. At any point in my journey I can just look down and check the time or when standing outside the school I can know just who cold it is! The wheels turn easily and smoothly. It used to be that some 4-wheel buggies were hard to navigate but this one has no trouble turning a corner. Just to give you an idea I was in town today with my usual Starbucks in one hand and piloting the buggy with the other. I purchased my Graco travel system from Babies R Us for £260 and there was a promotion to get the £100 accessories pack free. There are various Quattro Tour systems and at very different prices. I think the cheapest of which is around £150. The accessories pack made it so I had the buggy itself, the car seat, one car base, changing bag, foot cosy, carrycot attachment, and rain cover. Was a great deal and I saw...

znh3ra54 16.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Graco Quattro Tour Travel System

A "guided" tour of Discworld

Advantages: Great read | Introduces Discworld and it's inhabitants
Disadvantages: Not as complex as later books

...imagine that it's grown hundreds of tiny legs and a gaping mouth with teeth !! Then add a touch of vicious determination to satisfy it's desire to follow and protect it's master and you almost have The Luggage. There is so much more that could be said about The Luggage, but I'll leave it there so that you can discover this piece of baggage for yourself. ---About the Story--- As the book opens we are transported to the twin cities of Ankh-Morpork, which just happens to be on fire, and our eponymous heroes are attempting their escape not only from the flames but also various parties that wish them dead. As the book continues we are treated to a "guided" tour of Discworld, as we follow Rincewind & Co. as they struggle to survive the rigours of the ultimate in alternative tourism. ---About the writing style--- The writing style in...

sandemp 10.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett

Grand Tour of LA!

Advantages: get to see lots in short space of time
Disadvantages: don't get much time in each place

...distance to cover and explore in a short time your tour guide will give you. After this stop it is back onto the bus and towards the music centre where you will see theatres, Walt Disney Concert Hall and water fountains. We had a brief stop to take a picture of the unique Walt Disney Concert Hall with its odd shape and steel like exterior. It really is like no other concert hall I have ever seen before. Back onto the bus again and we drove through Chinatown getting to see the Chinese quarter with all the small Chinese style shops. Again we did not stop here but instead onto Marina Del Ray which is the largest man-made small boat harbour. We then went to see an old Mexican home which was interesting and different. Overall I enjoyed this tour as you did get to see a lot in a short space of time. I do this however feel it was slightly...

DeniseKelly40 07.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hollywood VIP tours (Grand Tour of LA)

Don't get duped, take a quality tour

Advantages: Quality tour with a live guide
Disadvantages: The heavily historic nature of the tour may not suit everyones tastes

...Guide Friday operate tours all over the country although this article is essentially based on their tour of Cambridge. The real selling point of their tour is the live guide and whilst this may make them slightly more then their competitors, (some of whom are so desperate for passengers they will undercut further!) helps greatly in a number of ways. A live guide will have no problem synchronising a tour to the surroundings however fast or slow the bus moves around the city. They will also be able to adapt a tour in order to take account of diversions or recent changes. Both or these things are where tape commentary is really lacking and whilst the latter may not normally be encountered you will certainly find that the former presents a problem for taped bus commentaries every day. Textbook problems aside though its the pure quality...

Briz_Hatchings 10.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Guide Friday Cambridge Open Top Bus Tour, Cambridge

A guided tour of happyland (Est. 2000)

Advantages: Well made, great for little hands
Disadvantages: A little pricey

...Welcome to Happyland, a town in miniature, I'm Sandra and I'm your guide for the day. Founded in 2000, the town has grown up around the emergency station, which began service on the second birthday of the founder (Michael). For the last five years the fire engine and police car have been regularly attending all the local emergencies, ably assisted by the helicopter, and the sirens have been regularly sounding from the actual station, which houses our three brave rescue workers, the fireman, policeman and the highly skilled helicopter pilot. It's hard to believe the station is actually five years old as it's in such wonderful condition, surely a testament to the quality of the builders (The ELC), and it was built at such a bargain price too, costing the town forefathers the extremely reasonable price of £15. Moving on, we can see...

sandemp 08.03.2005 (09.03.2005) · Read review
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Review of Early Learning Centre Happy Land Sets

Compact Guide to Croatia

Advantages: Compact size and waterproof cover
Disadvantages: Disjointed and hard to find information.

...I am the sort of person who enjoys planning for their holiday. I love researching our destination and I devour as much information as I can before I go as I find that if I am knowledgeable about a place I enjoy myself much more. Embarking on a cruise last year was my idea of heaven as it gave me ample opportunity to research lots of different places. One of our ports of call was Dubrovnik and it soon became apparent that this would be a suitable destination for an independent sightseeing tour. I read quite a bit on the internet but decided that taking a guidebook with us was probably a wise move. My local bookshop only had one book covering Croatia so that?s how I came to purchase the Berlitz Pocket Guide at £4.99. Appearance First impressions of this guidebook were very positive. It is, as the name suggest, compact in...

Meggysmum 15.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Croatia Berlitz Pocket Guide

A True Magical Mystery Tour!

Advantages: Some good visual aids, fab music and mildly comical
Disadvantages: A lot of rubbish that is hard to ignore...

...THE BEATLES: MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR WHERE THIS FITS INTO MY BEATLEMANIA MONTH OF MAY: Possibly the greatest failure of the bands career?! (Please note that this is a 'Film Only' review, hopefully displayed in the right section!) It is pretty fair to say that up and until the December of 1967, everything the Beatles touched turned to gold; they'd had over ten number one singles in the UK and albums to add to their resumes with two pretty comical yet critically acclaimed movies. 'A Hard Days Night' and 'Help!' may seem as if they lack plot and depth but in essence what held them together was undeniably the bands music and obvious dry, witty sense of humour. Yet, I don't think anybody was quite prepared for the bands third movie release. 'Magical Mystery Tour', broadcast for the first time on television on Boxing Day 1967, was...

MizzMolko 07.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour (DVD)

Was 'satisfaction guaranteed' on this Magical Mystery Tour?

Advantages: A brief insight into the home city of the Fab Four
Disadvantages: A little rushed; it wasn't as interesting or as inviting as I was hoping it would be

...?re booking for a party of ten or more. It does sound a little bit pricey, but when you consider that you are paying for over two hours worth of Beatrivia* (in theory) for a guided tour, I don?t think it?s all that bad. Plus, when you are a dedicated fan, it?s easy to spend your parent?s money on such fanatical goodness! Purchasing your tickets is fairly simple, as long as you are familiar with the internet service of Paypal. That is another snag of the tour from the customer?s perspective as you can?t pay on arrival. It?s good for the company because even if you can?t go for some reason or another, they?ve still got your cash but to be able to pay, you must email the company first in order to reserve the seats on the bus for the desired day. The seats are only confirmed once the Cavern Club company has emailed you back and given you a link to...

MizzMolko 26.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, Liverpool