When you want more than a tour
Published: April 5, 2012
As you began your European tour of duty, it’s no wonder your first instinct was to head for the sights you had only dreamed of visiting. And who’d blame you? Remember the moment you first laid eyes on such wonders as the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum?
Following visits to several such renowned landmarks, however, you might have felt the urge to step beyond the usual tourist hot spots and really get beneath the skin of a destination. If that’s the case, Context Travel, a travel business with a much different philosophy, might well be of interest to you. Context Travel aims to connect intellectually curious travelers with the elusive local knowledge that makes all the difference between seeing a city through the eyes of a tourist or truly making a connection with the environment.
Context Travel is made up of a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals who lead walking experiences in 18 cities throughout the world. European cities include Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, in Italy; Paris; London; Edinburgh, Scotland; Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; Berlin; Istanbul, Turkey; and Athens. Even the language the company uses to describe what it offers is telling --- you participate in a walking seminar, as opposed to taking a tour; the seminar is led by a docent, rather than a tour guide. You may book a place on a group walk, which will include no more than six participants, or you can opt to hire a guide for your own private party. The outings are based on a particular theme. You could, for example, choose “Savoring Rome- A Culinary Stroll” or “Topography of Terror, Nazi Berlin.”
Context Travel has recently begun offering a series of walks known as Tours in the Public Interest, which aim to acquaint visitors, and, in some cases, even residents, with seldom-explored corners of major cities. In addition to helping visitors connect with their destinations on a different level, these tours represent an effort to drive demand away from over-crowded monuments. The walks are offered for the largely symbolic price of just 5 euros or pounds, depending on the local currency. The cost of these walks is underwritten by the Context Foundation for Sustainable Travel, a charity that funds projects to mitigate the negative impact of tourism.
In Europe, Tours in the Public Interest will be offered this season in Rome, Berlin and London. Once a month, between now and October, a visit to a normally off-limit site will be offered in each city. In Rome, that might include the Pyramid of Cestius or the Cistern at Trajan’s Baths; in London, that could be an Italian villa on the Thames or a glimpse of the city’s hidden past amid today’s urban sprawl; in Berlin, you could trace the remnants of the old divided city. These are just a sampling of the walks offered as part of the series. They sound like an ideal way to get closer to the heart of a city with the help of just the right people to guide you.
