References 2013 - Johns Bavarian Tours

Welcome to my references page; all my clients opinions are important to me.
After you have completed your tour, please send me an email with your personal commentary of our time together. 

Allow me to help plan your vacation in Bavaria from beginning to end!


Excellent 2 tours with John: Salzburg and Zugspitze
I had 2 tours with John and both were wonderful time for me.
 First tour was to Salzburg, a fantastic birth town of Mozart. John walked me into many impressive sites, including an amazing lunch at oldest restaurant in Europe. He explained me in detail about visited sites and as a bonus we could make a quick stop to see Chiemsee lake when we return.

Second tour was to Zugspitze, wonderful landscape on highest mountain in Germany, particular on winter. We could see skiing activities from the top of the mountain meanwhile had a nice hot chocolate. Day was glorious and afterward we also visited Garmisch and its nice wall painted houses. 
As I had an appointment at Holzkirchen, John managed to show me all this and also deliver me sharp on time to my appointment.


I recommend John's service for a wonderful time in Bavaria!

Adriana
Sao Paulo, SP


Totally unique Bavarian attractions!

I recently booked Johns Bavarian Tours for a special Big Birthday, one-day, one-of-a-kind "discover Bavaria" event. My guests were coming from the US, Poland, Ireland and even northern Germany hoping to see something off the beaten path that would be a conclusion to several days of celebrations and parties.



Little did I think that we would get such a terrific, unusual day as the one John Wetstone put together for us. First he collected us a hotel in downtown Munich. Then we quickly went out in his commodious van heading for the Alpine foothills, where we went to a local treasure near Lake deep in the Bavarian Alps where a Olympic Gold medal winning skier has built an outdoor 
Bavarian folk art farm museum.
This recently-opened property encompassing several acres tucked away in a valley with towering 1,000-ft "foothills" offers insights into Bavarian farm culture dating back hundreds of years. Here he transported four- and five hundred year old cottages, farms and workshops to this location, reconstructed them with all sorts of genuine artifacts and memorabilia, and staffed them with guides and artisans in accurate replica costumes. Working kitchens, pottery shops, blacksmith forges and kitchens show how Bavarians lived and worked from Medieval times until just a hundred years ago. -- there is nothing quite like this anywhere else. Truth to tell, we seemed to be only non-Germans viewing this fantastic day in the Middle Ages. We even enjoyed Bock beer brewed on the premises!


John also took us to a local distillery where modern day Bavarian whiskey and other liquors, cordials and schnapps are made from fruits, herbs and roots. Highly unusual to say the least. 

He later brought us to a destination high above Lake Chiemsee giving us a panorama of a broad stretch of southernmost Bavaria extending to Austria, a view only locals seem to know and cherish, way off the beaten path.

Needless to say, my friends and I were delighted to do something so different from what 99% of all tourists usually see. With only very limited German, my friends' needs were easily taken care of as John handled all the descriptions and information in English.


Johns Bavarian Tours made my last day of birthday celebrations and unforgettable finale. My guests were extremely impressed with his knowledge, expertise and ability to find really interesting new destinations.

We certainly recommend John Wetstone very highly.

Tom L
Syracuse, New York

 


Munich and More

We just spent 2 days with John while we were in Munich.
The first day we went to Salzburg and visited the Eagle's Nest; the following day we visited the BMW showroom, drove around Munich, went to Dachau. Both days we ate exceptional meals. The restaurant in Salzburg, St. Peter's, was beautiful and the food was outstanding. I have to say it's nice to enjoy a lovely meal in an ancient monastery that the normal tourist would not find just walking around. Because John is well known by the management we received even better service. Wonderful meals like that are oftentimes what we remember when we look back on a trip. Expensive? a bit; Worth it? I would say Yes. Perhaps Europeans enjoy meals and conversation more than others. There is no way we could have done the things we did on our own. Just driving in a foreign country has it's challenges, especially when one doesn't speak the language or know the way. We live in Europe so traveling by car is not a problem; traveling in a country with a different language is a Big Problem. John took all that stress away from us.
Our time in Munich was highlighted by the trip to the BMW factory/showroom/museum. Again, it's not something I would have planned on my own but something all of us really enjoyed. Dachau was one of the places we wanted to see and we appreciated being with someone to show us around.
John seems to be well-known by the people working in all the tourist locations and we were able to skip many long lines. He recommended a great beer garden, St. Augustiner-Keller, for dinner and it was more fun than we could have imagined; a perfect end to a full day.

Betty & Cesare
Italy


Awesome time with John!

I recently traveled to Munich with my parents (age mid 70s) and my husband and we spent three days with John. We were able to see and do so much more than we would have been able to do on our own. His knowledge of the best ways to see different sites was exemplary. For example, at eagles nest, John avoided the crowds and we saw most of the site on our own. We also never waited in lines!
John selected wonderful places for lunch! He was also wonderful with my parents and took them to the airport for me, making sure they got in the right check in lines. We can't thank him enough for our great experiences in Germany and Austria!

Christy
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
USA


“Truly charming trip to the Bavarian countryside and castles!”

Our 10 day trip to Central Europe was to start in Munich, just as a jump off point. Not having a lot of time yet wanting to see rural Bavaria and the bewitching castles we'd heard of, we ended up fortunately on Johns Bavarian Tours website.
We discussed by email at length about what we wanted to see - as much as we can soak of the Bavarian countryside and the castles in a day. John was crisp and clear and guided us in making the trade-offs and choices. We started early to beat the crowds at Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein; he showed us bits and pieces that normal guides wouldn't have bothered about; guided us on where to linger and what not to miss. Then, in a move that delighted us, he skipped the highway route to Linderhof and instead drove us via side roads along the border with Austria including along Lake Plansee. He took us to Alpenhotel in Ruette; not a standard roadside hotel; but a true alpine restaurant/hotel liked by the locals; having gourmet lunch watching the alpine countryside was certainly not something we'd even imagined in a hurried day trip. And then on to Linderhof; he knew the place like the back of the hand and even in the intermittent rain, took us everywhere including his own special tour of the grotto where the official guides ask him to guide us on his own. Truly exceptional giving us great opportunities for special photographs.

Given our significant travel experience with both guided mass tours and private tours, John turned out to be spectacular. He helped plan well without promising everything; seemed to know everyone every place. Great conversations that mixed culture, history and architecture; his passion truly shows. And in the end, worth every penny.

Hopefully we'll be back for more trips, John!

Parthi
San Jose, CA
USA


Girls Trip to Munich

My merry band of seasoned travelers set out on our tenth "girls trip" in June, with Munich as our first stop on the journey. Using the trusty internet, I was lucky to connect with John Wetstone, who proved to be a well informed and resourceful guide.
Importantly, he monitored our flight into Munich, which was an hour early arriving, and was there to greet us. As we had coordinated earlier (thanks to his call to me prior to the trip,) he delivered us to our hotel to drop our bags, so that we could make the 11:00 Glockenspiel in the square. The remaining details are equally positive ...
John is particularly knowledgeable around the history at Dachau, as well as the castles of Ludwig. I highly recommend John if you plan a trip to the Munich area.

Claire
Tenn, USA


Great Day with John

I spent a wonderful day with John touring King Ludwig's Castles. John promptly picked me up at my Hotel and we set out from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle. The day was cloudy and drizzling. We hope the weather would clear by the time we arrive at the castle.
On the way, we stopped in Steingaden, a lovely, little village with the most amazing church. The exterior is very plain but the interior is a riot of baroque roccoco, all white and gold. Very unexpected.
We arrived at Neuschwanstein late morning. Unfortunately, the fog and drizzle had not subsided and the top half of the castle was wrapped in fog. I was naturally very disappointed, but I guess those are the chances you take when you travel.
We left Neuschwanstein for a quick trip into Austria and stopped in Breitenwang for lunch at the Alpenhotel. We had a great meal which featured Kurbiscremesuppe (pumpkin cream soup) Weinerschnitzel and Schokosoufflee (chocolate souffle) for dessert. Service was excellent. John knows the owner and he treated us very well.
We then headed to Linderhof castle. The weather had improved greatly by the time we arrived here. It was sunny and a nice change from the fog and drizzle. Linderhof was beautiful and I got many great pictures.
We headed back to Munich and John dropped me near Marienplatz in time to see the famous clock in the city hall strike 5:00.
John was the perfect host and provided great commentary throughout our day together. Everywhere we went, John knew the guides and shop owners. All seemed to really like him and appreciated seeing him. His driving was excellent, always courteous and safe.
I highly recommend John's services if you're looking for a personal guide who can take you places 'off the grid' and to the normal tourist areas and provide excellent back ground information about what you're seeing.

Randall
Dallas, TX
USA


Bavarian Buffalos, Black Madonna and the hearts of the Bavarian Kings

This was our third tour with John’s Bavarian Tours and it was a very unusual treat.
We are from the Munich area and John always finds something new and different to show us.
To begin with we drove into the Bavarian Pampas. Though tiny villages with roads to match. John is an excellent driver and we felt so comfortable in his van with his careful driving skills.
First we went to visit a bavarian farm where Buffalos are raised. From this farm we drove to Altötting, a famous pilgrimage location, where a wonder took place 1489.
We saw the Black Madonna in the small chapel located in the village square. The hearts of the Bavarian Kings are also located in in this chapel, buried in beautiful heart-urns. This included an golden urn holding the heart of King Ludwig II, the dream King.
Our return trip was through pouring rain and snow with poor visibility. We arrived home on time, save and sound.
And this all in one day!

Petra
Munich, Germany