Is going alone in an unknown area the right way to go, or do you want a tour guide to show you the highlights? I think that you can combine the two ways in one trip and have the best of both worlds. The best purchase we made was for a bus tour that would take us around the capital and point out all the main sites. That allowed us the next day to travel on foot to the ones we especially wanted to see.
Let's look at the San Francisco Bay Area which is another one of my favorite vacation spots. Some areas are so familiar to tourists that it's possible to view the attractions on your own. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are good examples. Just by walking a few blocks, you can tour Aquarium of the Bay and the Riptide Arcade on Pier 39.
If you go to Alcatraz Island, you have a choice of going alone, having a live tour guide or being guided by earphones. I would recommend the live tour guides. I went all three ways, and I received more enjoyment by someone telling me items of interest I know I had missed on previous tours. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look of colorful Chinatown. The tour covers history, traditions of the local people and culture that you probably wouldn't know or see by travelling alone.
You can go alone to attractions or take a guided tour. It's your choice and you can choose whichever would give you the most memorable experience.
A. I recommend both. B. It's possible to drive to the area and go alone. C. One trip we recently took was to Washington DC. D. That allows you to take your time and go at your own pace. E. Chinatown Walking Tours are a tour-guided must-see. F. Some attractions are worth having a tour guide for. G. The tour guides know what we have never found out on our own. |
