The dynamic street life, diverse architectural styles, street art-laced buildings, thriving music scene, delectable restaurants and creative community of Porto has long held a special place in our heart. Beyond what is known in “insider” guidebooks to the Portuguese capital are individuals and clandestine street corners that reveal a city you never knew, and which provide a deeper insight into the city and what makes its denizens tick.
Porto, the refined older sister of the extraverted Lisbon, is an adorably hilly city on the cusp of the Atlantic. It is distinctly European without the pretentiousness of Paris and London; effortlessly cool without the contrived scenes of Berlin and New York. The Douro River cuts through the city, while seven UNESCO-protected bridges intersect swathes of cafes, wine bars, nightclubs, galleries, museums, and clandestine cultural gems. I was engulfed in Porto's laissez faire character and charming streets, which were almost reason enough to play hooky on the wine and seafood calling my name from the Douro Valley. But outside the city, a world of thermal springs, local tascas (taverns), and undeniable calm beckoned.
Eat. Drink. Wander. Repeat. Top-notch seafood and daily caught fish are commonplace along the coast, as are surfers in wetsuits and Baroque-era churches. On Saturdays, many of the small towns throughout the region host flea/antique markets (feiras) selling all sorts of knickknacks, zeitgeist items, and vintage treasures that are splurge-worthy without being too expensive. I returned home with 1970's coffee mugs, handmade aloe vera soap (a Portuguese staple), and five bottles of Taylor's Fine White Port (please don't inform the authorities).
The Eager Tourist Porto Film Photography Excursion will bring you into private art studios, cultural sites and thriving neighborhoods led by local photographers who offers expert guidance into the various approaches, techniques and outcomes rendered by film photography formats whilst providing a deep understanding into the Western European metropolis on the Atlantic.
Ideal for both beginner or advanced photographers, Eager Tourist - Porto Film Photography Excursion is a walking tour led by a local city insider and professional photographer who will arm participants with a 35mm camera containing a roll of film with 36frames and visit a range of sites from Porto most iconic architectural buildings to private art and design studios inhabited by local creatives, and other fashionable arteries, all through the lens of photography.
The two-hour urban walking excursion includes guided explanations into the art of film photography, its advantages and artistic qualities that create a nostalgic feeling and emotional quality.
Following the tour’s completion, Eager Tourist will develop your roll of film and email you a link to the images.
Eager Tourist Porto Film Photography Excursion includes:
A local street photographer and city expert as your private guide
2.5-hour walking tour to obscure locales, neighborhoods and sites of artistic and cultural importance with in-depth insight along the way
Film camera loaded with 36frames of captures for guests to document their moments in person
Developing of film and emailed to each guest within three days
Length:
2.5hours
Pricing:
1 person -- $250usd
2 persons -- $400usd
3 persons -- $500usd
4 persons -- $600usd
Time passes ever so slowly, the desert vibes washing over and inside of you. A deep internal cleansing, as if life’s medicine stems purely from natural sources. Luxury isn’t a high-brow design piece or seat in a coveted restaurant. It is clean air, infinite open space; the sound of silence only to be perturbed by a bird’s chirp or an arid tree whistling with the wind.
A moment in the desert can feel like an eternity. At first glance, rocks, mountains, tumbleweed and the occasional passing car can seem futile. Blazoning past the banality is a glorious beauty with soulful tones that beckon to be unturned. Denizens of the desert are kind, spiritual and hardworking. Manifesting in many forms, and literal walks of life, inhabitants of this Mars-like environment bring forth new ideas of existing in society, with nature and with oneself.
Nestled deep in the Arava Valley in Israel’s Negev Desert, and far removed from niceties of traditional society, is the village of Shaharut, boasting just 30-some-odd homes and structures that house a wave of free-thinking artists, designers, creatives and philosophers that have fled the crowds of society to live specifically in a place that is rich with gorgeous views, clean air, clear skies and an otherworldly way of life.
Adjacent but still a drive or trek from the new Six Senses, Shaharut has retained its magical essence and developed its own enigma as an intriguing but enigmatic community that are welcoming yet hard to reach. Its residents include local ceramicists, Buddhism teachers, wellness gurus, basket-weavers who have spent years learned from Bedouin cultures, and beyond. Eager Tourist invites you into the very homes, studios and work spaces of Shaharut’s creative community for a two-hour immersive experience that connects you with Shaharut’s local culture and engages you in conversations and eye-opening dialogues about the healing powers of the desert and why this way of life does not yield isolation but spirituality, intrigue and self-fulfillment. Meet yogis, artists, musicians, ceramicists and basket weavers who have created their own distinct micro-economy that attracts visitors from the desert and exports creations across Israel and some even around the world. Led by Shaharut locals as your guide, the “Shaharut Desert Dwellers Tour” brings you into a higher place where you can appreciate this unique way of life and absorb influences that can stay with you well after your journey.
The Shaharut Desert Dwellers Tour includes:
Shaharut village local as your guide
Meetings with 3 artists, designers or creatives in their very own homes
Deep discussions about art, life and spirituality in the desert
Snacks, coffee or tea of choice
Length: Two Hours
Strolling through the Levinsky Market, Tel Aviv’s locally beloved outdoor food Mecca, one can come across what Saveur magazine voted as one the the top food destinations in the world. Over the last five years the neighborhood — consisting of one main pedestrian street, Levinsky, and an artery of nondescript side streets — has come to fruition as a truly culinary hotspot where generations-old Turkish delis, Greek confectionaries, Moroccan and Persian home food spots and spice shops coverage with trendy coffee shops, bars and restaurants and an overall hip and vibrant vibe. Frills are not the drawing point of this market, but the authenticity, innovation both old and contemporary, and amalgamation of gastronomic pleasures that can be shared by all.
And nestled in this compact culinary hotspot is an artisan and culinary mastermind who is pioneering a new iteration of a classic Israeli beverage that the world has yet to see. Until now.
Benny “Soda” Briga is a culinary mastermind, an artist if you may say, who has originated a new iteration of the bubbly, fruity carbonated beverage called Gazoz. Originating in Turkey with an Italian iteration, the Israeli adaption is an organic, sparkling beverage created on the stop with fruit syrups (plums, berries, peaches), fermentations (kombucha, kefir), beautiful herbs (rosemary, sage, mint, lemongrass), and edible flowers, for a drink that is healthy, refreshing and utterly aesthetic.
Eager Tourist takes you into the heart and mind of Benny’s delectable beverages with an exclusive Gazoz workshop where you will learn to whip up your very own gazoz, plan ,learn about the fermentation process, discuss health benefits of sustainable agriculture, and have an overall fun, inspiring and tasty experience suitable for locals and travelers alike. Crossing borders, Benny has just released his very own “Gazoz” book that will be distributed by Artisan Books, available online and in bookstores across America. Guests will also gain access to Benny’s private laboratory where fermentation and the creation of artisanal liquors takes place behind the scenes, and be guided and led by the vivacious Benny himself.
The Beverage Wizard of Levinsky: Tel Aviv Gazoz Workshop with Benny Soda includes:
Meeting Ben a this Gazoz Kiosk in Levinsky Market
Dialogue, conversation and expert insight into how to grow your own produced and herbs at home
Explanation of the distillation and fermentation process that is the the catalyst for Benny’s organic syrups and infusions
Providing of all materials and guidance for gusts to built their very own Gazoz
Access into Benny’s clandestine laboratory in the Levinsky Market
Tasting of artisanal liquors of more than 100 varities that Benny fermented over three years and are just now available for your enjoyment
Price:
One person: $200usd
Two persons: $300usd
Three persons: $350usd
Four persons: $400usd
Five persons: $450usd
Length: 2 hours
View spectacular Bauhaus and Eclectic architecture buildings in Tel Aviv and trace the city's original urban design by Sir Patrick Geddes from an insider's perspective, guided by city certified-architects and local experts themselves. Our insider's architecture tour will incorporate various elements of architecture in Tel Aviv, from the current boom of contemporary architecture and rapid urbanization to the architectural origins of Colonial and Ottoman architecture-style buildings in Jaffa and Tel Aviv. Enter and explore a wide-range of internationally-influenced structures in and around Tel Aviv, all through the perspective of locals who best know the city.
Length: 2 Hours
Roll up your sleeves and dive into Tel Aviv’s urban grit and Mediterranean culture with a street photography experience that will show you the cultural pulse and urban core of the city whilst snapping away at street scenes and locales known best by its denizens.
Tel Aviv, a thriving micro-metropolis on the Mediterranean, is perhaps one of the world’s most ambitious and innovative destinations for vegans and gourmets and gourmands with an apt palate for vegetable-based cooking. The city is a melting pot of culture, which is reflected in the cuisine and gastronomy of generations’s old street food spots and hole-in-the-wall eateries to the high-end and upscale restaurants dotted throughout the city, and everything in between.
Israelis pride themselves on growing some of the most delicious, fresh and juicy vegetables on the planet, with Tel Aviv being one of the meccas for farmers and purveyors to sell their crops within one of the three bustling outdoor food markets in the city — Levinsky, Carmel and HaTikva. The Israeli ingenuous DNA of technology and agriculture (the country birthed the cherry tomato), coupled with a deep-rooted “love of food” heritage, the real joy begins and ends on the breakfast, lunch or dinner table.
Eager Tourist offers chef-led experiences that will guide guests on a “Vegan Culinary Adventure in Tel Aviv” that begins with visits to two of the three main outdoor food markets to learn about the locavore produce, how and where it is grown, and to spark discourse and conversations with local vendors and farmers.
Onwards, guests will be welcomed and treated for tastings at four different vegan or vegan-friendly spots across the city, tasting special dishes rooted on vegetables that will surprise and delights foodies of all tastes and interests — but all the while staying true to a vegan manifesto.
End the experience with a conversation with one of the city’s leading vegan chefs and taste special dishes that are unique to the city and represent the pluralistic and food-loving culture that attracts millions of travelers each year.
Avoid being herded like cattle into generic nightlife spots geared towards tourists and without local insight. Eager Tourist Local's Only Nightlife Tours include a curated list of top events, homegrown happenings and parties taking place in the city on any given day, that are advertised to locals only. Eager Tourist will dispatch a Tel Aviv nightlife expert to guide groups past the cues and into hidden parties and new and innovative nightlife spots according to the tastes and interests of each guest or group.
Length: 3 Hours
The dynamic street life, diverse architectural styles, street art-laced buildings, thriving music scene, delectable restaurants and creative community of Lisbon has long held a special place in our heart. Beyond what is known in “insider” guidebooks to the Portuguese capital are individuals and clandestine street corners that reveal a Lisbon you never knew, and which provide a deeper insight into the city and what makes its denizens tick.
Through the gaze of photography, the diverse districts of Lisbon — from the ancient alleys of Alfama to the buzzing nightlife district of Cais do Sodré and every nook in between — reveal the unique the Western European metropolis in its truest form. The Eager Tourist Lisbon Film Photography Excursion will bring you into private art studios, cultural sites and thriving neighborhoods led by local photographers who offers expert guidance into the various approaches, techniques and outcomes rendered by film photography formats whilst providing a deep understanding into the Western European metropolis on the Atlantic.
Ideal for both beginner or advanced photographers, Eager Tourist - Lisbon Film Photography Excursion is a walking tour led by a local city insider and professional photographer who will arm participants with a 35mm camera containing a roll of film with 36frames and visit a range of sites from Lisbon’s most iconic architectural buildings to private art and design studios inhabited by local creatives, and other fashionable arteries, all through the lens of photography.
The two-hour urban walking excursion includes guided explanations into the art of film photography, its advantages and artistic qualities that create a nostalgic feeling and emotional quality.
Following the tour’s completion, Eager Tourist will develop your roll of film and email you a link to the images.
Eager Tourist Lisbon Film Photography Excursion includes:
A local street photographer and city expert as your private guide
2.5-hour walking tour to obscure locales, neighborhoods and sites of artistic and cultural importance with in-depth insight along the way
Film camera loaded with 36frames of captures for guests to document their moments in person
Developing of film and emailed to each guest within three days
Length:
2.5hours
Pricing:
1 person -- $250usd
2 persons -- $400usd
3 persons -- $500usd
4 persons -- $600usd
Start your day with an insider’s tour of the three of Tel Aviv’s most prominent & vibrant outdoor food markets, led by an Israeli culinary expert. Meet a boutique beer artisan and visit a robust café that roasts its own coffee beans. Satiate upon tastings at Tel Aviv eateries, bakeries and specialty shops nestled throughout neighborhoods throughout the markets Sample, taste and feast upon the traditional Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Moroccan and Yemen food delicacies that comprise modern Israeli culinary cuisine today.
Length: 2 Hours
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Eager Tourist Insider’s Food Tour of Chinatown NYC
First founded in the late 1800’s during the early days of Chinese immigration to America and having fully blossomed in the mid-80’s, Manhattan’s Chinatown is one of the most storied and colorful districts in NYC. Between Canal Street east Broadway and winding alleyways of downtown Manhattan sits an authentic sliver of the Big Apple that is a rare sight as mass uniformity and gentrification spreads through the city rapidly.
This is why we’ve partnered up with Shanghai-born and NYC-based chefs to offer you an insider’s tour of the speciality food stalls, restaurants, bakeries, produce stands and markets in Chinatown Manhattan. Guests will start off with a short introduction into the history of Chinatown and quickly move onto a walking tour that will offer tastings of rare and exotic fruits, Chinese teas, street vendors dishing up favorite local delicacies, and access to hidden gems, art spaces, parks and oddities that only an expert chef would know about.
The tour includes:
Intro to the current landscape and cultural importance of Chinatown and learning about exotic produce and cooking methods practiced in China
Tasting of seasonal rare and exotic fruits at three different outdoor markets
Tasting of two authentic dishes
Tasting of speciality Chinese tea
Insider chef as your guide and the chance to ask questions about medicinal Chinese gastronomy
Complimentary box of tea brand upon the tour’s completion