The Sacristy of the Augustinian Monastery at Vorau, Austria

June 23, 2015 With almost a divine intervention, the beautiful sacristy of the Augustinian Monastery was spared the destruction of Soviet bombing late in the Second World War. The ceiling frescoes were painted by artist J.C. Hackhofer during 1716. He and the other artists in his workshop did the Last Judgment and also the Last […]

The Library of the Augustinian Monastery at Vorau, Austria

June 23, 2015 We have been spending the last two weeks with three clients from Texas who have more than just a casual interest in history, philosophy, art and literature. So it was a natural to make a stop at the Vorau Augustinian Monastery at Vorau, about an hour and a half south of Vienna. […]

Giving Travelers Exactly What They Want

March 31, 2015 When Susan K. contacted us on March 24, she told us that she wanted to take her 29 year-old son on the trip of a lifetime. His goals were to see as much of the Alps in central Europe as possible. Top on his list were the Dolomites, the area around Berchtesgaden, […]

Tours Ahead in 2015

Updated March 26, 2015 Another exciting year lies ahead for European Focus Private Tours, with (so far) twelve custom-designed tours booked for the season, which begins in April. Here’s an example of what we’re doing with our clients this year: April 19-26 Ireland A family of four from South Carolina and Louisiana arrive in Dublin […]

Prices for Private Tours in Europe

November 14 A common search term here on our site, and a question that we cannot answer without your completed Tour Interest Form. Once we know what you want to see and do, and when, and with how many companions, we can then respond with an estimate. All of the trips we do are custom-designed, […]

Cheese Fondue and Cows – a Dream Comes True in Appenzell

October 21 Tour guide and founder of European Focus James Derheim first met Mariana C. from Sarasota in about 2004 when he and his wife, Jenean, operated a small retail store selling European imports (a sideline of ours for ten years) in the historic Burns Court area of downtown Sarasota. Mariana was a steady customer […]