Germany - Boris Dusek Takes You To Sites Around Germany's Romantic Road, Bavaria, and Munich with Insight and Friendly Efficiency
Company Name: Munich Driver Guide
Principal Guide: Boris Dusek
Services:
Transportation Services
Tour Planning
Private Guide Services
Contact Information:
Munich Driver Guide
Finkenweg 2
85716 Unterschlei iBheim
+49 151 57119951
Languages:
Proficient in English and German
Visiting Munich and the Surrounding Sites of Bavaria
The German region of Bavaria includes some of the country's most popular places for visitors to enjoy. Munich has grown into one of the leading cities in Central Europe with a population of 1.5 million people and transportation connections throughout the region. It boasts corporate headquarters, a surprising number of cultural and historic landmarks, and people who enjoy outdoor life and festivals. The leading landmarks there include the medieval marketplace called the Marienplatz and the 260-foot-high clock tower show at the New Town Hall, along with sites such as the Residenz Palace complex that served as the city residence and government center of the royal family for centuries and the five-hundred-acre Schloss Nymphenburg Palace and Gardens built by Bavarian kings in the 17th century for summer lodging. Germans love to relax by visiting beer gardens at places like the Viktualienmarkt and attending the 16 day long annual Octoberfest Festival. Outdoor activities center around parks in and around the Olympic Village and the English Garten used for picnicking, hiking and river surfing. Art galleries, luxury shopping on the Maximillian Strasse, the BMW Museum, and an impressive science and technology museum called the Deutsches Museum round out the places to see in the city.
One of the best features of Munich is that it can be used as a central base for touring the entire area. Rather than traveling by tour bus from place to place and hotel to hotel, it is easy to stay in one hotel and then take day trips from Munich with a driver guide to some of Germany's leading destinations. Places like King Ludwig's palace at Schloss Neuschwanstein, Hitler’s Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden, the Zugspitze Mountain, Nuremberg, Salzburg, and the Romantic Road towns of Rothenburg ob. der Tauber and Dinkelsbuhl, are some of the popular destinations located less than 120 miles away from Munich.
Guide Background and Experience.
It is helpful to use private transportation and a trained guide to get around a large city such as Munich and to be able to fully experience the sights and culture that Bavaria has to offer. Boris Dusek has been providing guide and transportation services for ten years. His background and education include working in the IT and telecommunications businesses before specializing in tours. He is certified as an official tour guide and a certified taxi guide by the Munich Tourism Authority. Boris explained his interest in the tourism field this way: "I have always loved the City of Munich and Bavaria because of their rich histories and varied landscapes which include numerous lakes and the Alps next door. After 20 years of working in sales, in 2016 I decided to take over my father's taxi and transportation business. A conversation with a passenger from the tourism industry sparked my interest and I pursued it gradually step by step."
The best way for a prospective customer to understand Boris' passion for travel and the scope of his services is to visit his website. It describes in detail each of the fourteen principal tours which he offers and provides information on the tour duration, travel time, starting and ending times, maximum number of participants, and the price of a private tour. Most helpful is that the website contains a short video for each tour showing some of the places you will see and suggesting alternative stops for the customer to select with each tour.
The fourteen main tours offered by Munich Driver Guide are:
Neuschwanstein Castle Private Day Tour
Rothenburg and Romantic Road Private Day Tour
Zugspitze and Garmisch Private Day Tour
Salzburg and More Private Day Tour
Eagles Nest and More Private Day Tour
Regensburg and More Private Day Tour
Herrenchiemsee Private Day Tour
Nuremberg Private Day Tour
Munich Highlights Private Walking Tour
Best of Munich City Tour by foot and car
Munich and the Third Reich Private Walking Tour
Munich Layover Tour
Private shore excursion on a Munich River cruise
Private transfers to and from Munich and other major destinations
An important characteristic of Boris' tours is his willingness to provide insightful information about the sites visited rather than relying on generalizations or fables that may not paint a complete picture of events. For example, many people exaggerate tales about the obsessions of troubled King Ludwig or the perception that the Eagles Nest was a holiday retreat built for Hitler rather than the second seat of the official government of Nazi Germany. Boris also explains the many changes which took place to turn Munich from a town less than one-half square miles in size in medieval times to a modern city with Germany's third largest population. Boris says that one of his goals in serving clients is to find "the right balance between providing information and entertainment" during his tours. Finally, Boris can help his guests find a qualified colleague if he is not personally available on a given date or for a given tour. As a member of a local network of selected certified guides, he can find the right fit for each customer.
My Family's Experience
I contacted Boris by email about providing us with guide services for five of the six days that we were planning to stay in Munich during a recent trip to Prague, Germany, and Milan. I selected him after seeing the comprehensive information and videos about his tours on his website and reading many favorable reports from U.S. travelers who had used his services. After arriving from the airport the night before, he met us at The Kempinski Hotel on the royal avenue of Maximilian Strasse the next morning. Since we were traveling to Germany during early September, which is still prime tourist time, Boris had recommended switching the itinerary for our two most distant destinations to weekdays rather than facing weekend traffic there which worked out fine. On our first excursion, we visited two of the many palaces built by the famous King Ludwig of Bavaria including the mountainside Neuschwanstein Castle at the foot of the Bavarian Alps and the Linderhof Palace in the same area constructed by Ludwig as a baroque pleasure palace dedicated to the French King Louis the 14th and the composer Wagner. There was plenty of time to get acquainted and talk about the political intrigues that Ludwig faced in trying to keep his crown and avoid domination by the aggressive royalty of nearby Prussia, while pursuing the construction of several extravagant residences. Few of Ludwig's palaces were completed. Ultimately, he was taken into custody and removed to the Palace Berg at Lake Sturnburg where he died shortly thereafter under suspicious circumstances.
The second day of our tour also involved hours of driving followed by a delightful stop at beautiful Lake Konigssee beneath the Alps. An electric boat ride across the glistening lake at the foot of mountain cliffs was a wonderful way to spend a morning followed by lunch at the monastery halfway across the lake. The rest of the day included a trip to Salzburg to visit the castle, cathedrals, shopping areas, majestic music venues, and landmarks of Mozart's life and The Sound of Music movie sites scattered through the city.
Over the next two days we spent time with Boris walking around the city of Munich, visiting the interesting sites in the old town and checking out several of the popular palaces and other landmarks. Lunch at the touristy Hofbräuhaus, a famous beer garden, was enjoyed along with stops at the sites of the Oktoberfest and the 1972 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Park was preserved for sporting and music events such as a recent Taylor Swift concert. Many people would be surprised to see how much outdoor life takes place in Munich. This activity includes thousands of people sunbathing and wading in the river in city parks and a famous spot where river surfers try to manage a swift current for interested onlookers. Another highlight of our time with Boris was driving along Germany's increasingly popular Romantic Road which connects several World Heritage Town sites northwest of Munich. Most of these communities avoided damage during the 30 Years War in the 1600s and the great wars of the 20th century. This enabled them to preserve the medieval cobblestone streets, walled cities, and picture postcard houses. These places like Rothensburg and Dinkelsbuhl draw both German and international visitors for browsing, eating, and shopping.
In addition to enjoying the places we saw in and around Munich, it was relaxing to spend time with an experienced guide who speaks excellent English and was interested in talking about a wide variety of issues. Boris and I had time to talk freely about the changes going on in our countries and enjoy each other's company. He also did an excellent job scheduling each day so that both my wife and I could focus on the activities that we were most interested in. He was attentive to reducing the number of long walks and climbing often required in Europe's older cities. I left Germany fully satisfied that I had been able to see the places and have the experiences I had hoped and having made a new friend on our trip.