Does anyone have a recommendation for a private tour guide to take us on a day trip to Ludwig's Castles from Munich?

Also, has anyone had the experience of a European tour guide asking to transfer funds to his bank account in order to confirm a booking for a tour in advance? I had been communicating with a tour guide in Munich for a few weeks and when we finally decided on particular tours and dates, he e-mailed me that I must transfer funds in the amount of half of the cost of the tours in order to reserve with him. I have booked tours in Budapest and Prague and have never even been asked for a credit card.

Hi...we just got back from Munich last week. I booked a privite walking tour with www.munichwalktours.de and our guide was great. As I booked so late, they didn't even require a deposit - just took my word that we would be there. They also do Neuschwanstein, and many others. The name of the man I dealt with was Ralph. Hope this helps....

Thanks Reid...I went to the website but didn't see any reference to private tours, only lots of group tours. Did you e-mail them directly about the private tour?

Also, did the walking tour include most of the important/interesting sights, or did you need more time on your own to see everything? We have three days and were planning a general walking tour the first day, a day trip to Neuschwanstein the second day and Terezin on the third. Is there anything else you recommend based on your recent trip?

We were considering one of the pub crawls at night. Did your group happen to do this?

We hired John of John's Bavarian Tours last year and totally enjoyed our full day tour, including a wonderful lunch at a little place we never would have found on our own in a small village.

There were 4 of us and it was a highlight of our trip. We had been to Munich before and this was the first time we splurged on a private car and guide and it was worth it!

Hi; We returned from Munich on Thursday and did Sandemans three hour free tour of Munich. Very good tour guide. They also have tours to the destination of your choice. www.newmunich.com/nm Richard

Hi again....yes, I emailed them and they set up a tour to our specifics. You can book them for as many hours as you want and tell them what you would prefer to see. Also, some of our group took their guided tour to Dachau, and were awed by the experience.

Sounds like this tour company does not have credit card capability (this can be expensive for a website) and that maybe they have had problems with people cancelling at the last minute after they have planned a tour out and turned down other jobs. Now they want to insure that you show up when you say you will. This doesn't seem any different then giving a hotel your credit card number, and many people pay for their tours ahead of time with a credit card.

Hi Mainhattengirl,

I agree that paying, or at least putting a security deposit, in advance with a credit card is common and fair. That's quite different than wiring money into the overseas account of someone you have never met. With a credit card there is a certain legitimacy and an opportunity for dispute in case the tour guide doesn't show up!

Anyway, we worked it out (with a credit card) and we will also take a group tour to Dachau and a walking tour of the city. Thanks to everyone for your help.

Credit cards do seem a lot better, and I don't believe I have heard of wiring money for a tour either, though I know some hotels ask for this. Glad the tour company was able to work this out and be flexible.

Do let us know how the tours go and enjoy your trip to Germany!

Hi Everyone,

We're back from a wonderful trip to budapest, Prague and Munich (also Bratislava and Regensburg). We had wonderful tour guides in Prague and Budapest, but I'll write about those on a different sight.

On the first morning in Munich we had a three hour private tour with a tour guide (Kathleen) from Radius Tours ([email protected]) She was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

We enjoyed her tour so much that we ended up doing a "beer tour" with her one evening. This group tour was a lot of fun, starting with the Beer Museum, more information than you ever thought existed about brewing beer and Octoberfest, beer tastings and finally, a great family style dinner at a traditional Bavarian restaurant. There were twelve of us from all over the world and it was a wonderful evening.

We also did the group tour of Dachau with Radius Tours and that was also outstanding. The tour guide (Steve) is a history major with an emphasis on WWII, so he was also very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge, all done in a very sensitive way, appropriate for the subject matter and sight.

We toured Ludwig's Castles with John from John's Bavarian Tours. This was very different from the previous tours inasmuch as John was, in our situation, a driver who told us a little about the sights we were going to see as we drove, but did not actually conduct a tour of the castles. When we got to the castles we had to purchase entry tickets and go on the tours provided by the castles. We saw only two of the three Ludwig castles and spent a lot of time driving to a restaurant (owned by a friend of his) in Austria. While it was a very convenient way to get to our destinations and it was a very nice day, with a lovely lunch, it was a very expensive way to accomplish our goal of seeing the castles.

Thanks to all for your input. I hope that my information will be of help to someone!

Thank you for coming back and sharing your travel and tour experiences. I have heard that Radius tours were good, but had never heard anything about John's Bavarian tours. So, is great to have some feedback about them.

We booked John for a full day last December and had a great day!

Based on my research, I choose Linderhof as the one castle we would visit since it was finished and it was small, a consideration as we were traveling with my elderly mother. I expected to pay entry fees as John never indicated that they were included.

He apparently took us to the same restaurant, which we found delightful. My mother expressed an interest in churches so he took us off the beaten path to a beautiful small church in the countryside on the drive back to Munich followed by a visit to a charming little bakery where my husband indulged his sweet tooth.

We knew the cost of the day upfront and it was the only day in our 10 day trip that we splurged on a private car and tour. For our group of four, it was a good investment and we enjoyed ourselves totally.

I have visited Munich several times and been to Dachau twice on my own. I don't like group tours as I like to move at my own pace with my own priorities in mind so when do book a tour, it is always a private one.

Kfusto,

We also saw Schloss Linderhof, which I would recommend. I felt that it really gave insight into Ludwig II's eccentricities and the grounds were so very beautiful. The other castle that we saw with John was Hohenschwangau, Ludwig II's childhood home, also beautiful and interesting. On John's advice, though, we did not go into Schloss Neuschwanstein, the famous Ludwig II castle that the current Disney castle is supposedly designed after. John had suggested that we view it from the outside, but the view was from very far away and in the end, I regretted not seeing it up close and inside. Oh well, like I said, it was a nice day and a very convenient way to get from castle to castle.

One last thing for those of you with an interest in castles and palaces (like me). We went on our own, by trolley, to Schloss Nymphenburg, the 17th century summer palace of Bavarian royalty (including Ludwig II). It's laid out in a formal French style park and there is, in addition to the furnished inside of the palace, a hunting lodge and Museum of Royal Carriages that can be viewed. It was a great afternoon venture!

Aug 30, 2010

Dear Mainhattengirl and all to other who see this.
Tour guides in Europe work on a cash basis. Since some people book tours and do not show up or cancel the night before; the only way confirm a booking, when a credit card contract does not exist; being via bank transfer ( often used in Europe). This is a good system and a legal one; here you have receipt showing that you have paid the deposit with your transfer. Since the guide wishes to serve his or her customers and have a good reputation, he or she will be there at the appointed meeting place and time. Most guides collect the remaining fees are at the start of the tour day which is another reason why they will show up.
Sadly guides do not work with credit cards firms which are very expensive and not good for small business people in Europe. Please note that what is written on forums should be read with a grain of salt as only one side of the story is stated. It is very hard for a guide to tell his or her side of the story, should some person wish to hurt a guide this way, there nothing they can do.
Thank you for taking time to read this.

Why have you chosen to respond to this year old thread? I am not quite sure what your point is, nor why you have addressed your post especially to me? What side of the story are you talking about? Many established tour companies take credit cards, but not all of them.