The importance of Sight Seeing

The importance of Sight Seeing 

How many times we visit a new city and we are confused and lost; disoriented?
I can tell you; many times. If I visit a new city, I need to relocate my brain in order to move in there.

As a travel guide in The Netherlands, and particularly in Amsterdam several years ago, I had the opportunity to learn to know people all over the globe. 

Money savers often think that touring with the group is annoying, expensive and it is easier by on their own.  I have to disagree with it. To plan an itinerary takes time. And time is money.
Just to mention my last year's trip to Amsterdam for a weekend. Although I was "at home", all I could actually do in the weekend was to visit two or three neighbourhoods using rented bicycles.
With a city sight seeing I actually would enter to a church or museas.

When I am visiting a location for just a weekend, by doing it on my own, I miss actually everything. And concidering travel costs, it is a huge waist of time and money. 
Specially if I sit the whole time in a tube. Like when visiting London. Just to move from one spot to another one takes time.

Two ways to make sure I do not miss a thing is to take a guided city sight seeing tour, and use the local "hop on hop of": Both of them.

photo www.tours-tickets.com

With a guided tour, I may have answer to a question, get a story of the city I visit told in different perspective and get ideas to organize my itinerary. Besides touring with a guide is a possibility to let professional work. If I can't trust the professionality of a guide, it would be a bit like not eating in a restaurant, because I am better chef. Not to speak of cutting hair, or bying clothes. I can't just do everything and pretend to be a master of history and orienteering.

photo it.city-discovery.com

Once I am finished with the city sight seeing, I sit down, have some coffee or tea, and plan my itinerary. Then I control wether the local "hop on hop of "company include my interest in it's route.
If not, then to save money I check up the tube, tramlines and local busses. 
Sometimes I take a taxi cab, and let the driver show me he local interest, like I did on my stay in Cagliari. I had far too little time to visit, because of my busy working schedule. I decided to ask a local taxi driver to show me around.
To see the town in the perspective of a local people is once again more interesting.
But even they might not know it all.

Most cities in Italy are historically important and the whole country appears as an open air museum. How could possibly every one living person in here would know it all? They do not. They might know how important some local constructions are, what they were used for, and when they were built.
I can look those informations up from wikipedia. As a matter of fact, I can look up anything and not visit places at all.But it would be boring.

photo www.ristobergamo.it

photo milano.repubblica.it

One of the interesting sites to visit with a guide for example is Milan's Monumental Cemetery. It is a lovely quiete place to visit, and every grave stone has it's story and it's history. Some stories are made and that's why the tour is so interesting. Like a story of a young girl that committed a suicide, after her boy friend died. (not referred to the photo) Just like in Romeo and Julliet. No one knows wether it's really true.



So if I am in a hurry or with a lot's of time, I truly consider of taking a professional tourist guide. That might help me save a lot's of money and time.

P.S. I am tour leader and not allowed to tour guide in Italy. 
Please feel free to ask tour leader services.