One of the major stress points of travel is where to eat. There can be so many choices, it’s dizzying. What if you only have two nights in Florence? Ideally, those two nights should include some memorable dinners, right? With experience verging on four decades, European Focus Private Tours’ owner James Derheim can provide tips, […]
Tag Archives: guide
A visit to Siena, Tuscany
Visiting one of Tuscany’s most beautiful places on a hot day in June requires some creativity and planning. First – find a place to park that is not too far of a walk from the city center. With help from the hosts at our luxury villa hotel outside of Montepulciano, check. On this visit I […]
Open Letter from Rick Steves to all Canadians
From our friend in travel Rick Steves. An Open Letter from an American-Owned Tour Company to our Canadian Travel Buddies Recently, we’ve heard from a few of our longstanding Canadian customers who signed up for a 2025 Rick Steves tour but are now considering canceling. They still love our style of travel, but they’re struggling […]
Let European Focus Private Tours Open the Door to Adventure
The 2025 Season is here and it’s going to be another exciting one. I have tours lined up in Spain, France, Italy (four trips to Italy this year) Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Poland. Joining me in Europe will be several repeat clients, some on their 5th and 6th trips. This kind of easy, […]
Gang of Six Return for Tour 2 – This time Bella Italia
Three couples from my home state of Minnesota return to Europe, this time to Italy. Their first trip was in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in September, 2024. Now they will experience Rome, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Parma, Pisa, Montepulciano and more over two weeks in the spring.
Reserved for Billy, Jodie and Family return to Europe
A family of five returns for more rollercoaster fun (one of the family members has ridden more than 120 of them in his 17 years) along with medieval towns, soaring Swiss Alps and more.
The Mrak Family Tour in England
What a tour! This trip was put together in October, 2023 for June 23 arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport. Putting together various interests from all members of the group of five was a challenge, definitely, but it was a fun one! I’m able to leverage more than three decades of experience to mold the best […]
Driving on the Left? No Problem.
The stories my guests and I hear while touring around Ireland or England are all the same. Americans, unprepared and inexperienced with “driving on the left” telling their stories of pure terror. Recently, five adults in their 60s admitted they had given up trying to do it on their own and hired a driver to […]