Boston
Book: The anecdote-filled Boston Foot Notes: A Walking Guide (Saben
Books), by Jane Grossman and Felice Yager, follows five popular beats, from Back Bay to Charlestown. (www.bostonfootnotes.com)
Audio: The free Boston Freedom Trail Audio Tour (www.boston.com) guides visitors
through 21/2 miles and 14 historic sites in the cobblestoned city.
Group: Visit the culinary markets of the North End's Little Italy (www.northendmarkettours.com)
with Boston resident and professional chef Michele Topor.
San Francisco
Book: In San Francisco As You Like It (Ulysses Press), native Bonnie Wach lays out 23 eclectic
routes tailored to everyone from shopaholics to culture-seekers.
Audio: Ten Toe Tours (www.tentoetours.com) puts four San Francisco neighborhoods
in historical context; the "Summer of Love" trek captures the Haight-Ashbury of 1967.
Group: The nonprofit City Guides (www.sfcityguides.org) offers both traditional
and provocative free tours; "Bawdy & Naughty" celebrates the city's "professional women."
London
Book: The two volumes of London Walks (Time Out) smartly pair local
writers with their home turf and offer insights well beyond the usual guidebook fare.
Audio: Stories of scandals, triumphs, and riots abound on the Rough Guides
"Literary London" iToor (www.itoors.com), which pays tribute to John Lennon and Oscar Wilde,
among others.
Group: Original London Walks (www.walks.com) offers straightforward neighborhood
jaunts alongside the more exotic—such as the "Slice of India" tour.
Paris
Book: The Great Paris WalkPack (The Great WalkPack Company), five
foldout neighborhood walks, is so inconspicuous, you'll almost pass for a local.
Audio: Soundwalk Paris: St.-Germain-des-Prés is an hour-long tour
of romance and intellectualism in the City of Light, with stops at cafés, antiques
shops, and jazz dives.
Group: Paris Addict's guides (33-6/09-94-09-21) accompany clients to museums
and monuments and on more specialized excursions, like bespoke-shopping trips.
Rome
Book: In historian John Varriano's Literary Companion to Rome (St.
Martin's Griffin), the words of poets, writers, and other artists illuminate the streets of
the city.
Audio: Piazzas and the Pantheon, Michelangelo and Tartuffo ice cream are
all part of the trip on the lively iJourneys (www.ijourneys.com) tour of Old Rome.
Group: With an emphasis on the scholarly, Context: Rome (www.contexttravel.com)
offers private and small-group tours led by historians and archaeologists.
Hong Kong
Book: Singapore-based architect G. Byrne Bracken's Walking Tour, Hong
Kong (Times Editions) examines the city's landmark buildings, both traditional and modern.
Audio: Visitors with a tri bandcapable cell phone can access Mobile Adventures'
freewheeling Walk the Talk guides (www.walkthetalk.hk) to Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.
Group: Local historian and writer Jason Wordie (www.jasonswalks.com) runs
12 colorful, anecdote-filled tours through neighborhoods like Causeway Bay and Wanchai.
Kyoto
Book: Diane Durston's Old Kyoto (Kodansha America) is a classic,
though newly updated, tome for travelers interested in exploring the city's stores, restaurants,
and ryokan.
Audio: Acoustiguide's (www.acoustiguide.com) well-produced and comprehensive
(150 stops in all) Kyoto walks are available for rent at hotels throughout the city.
Group: Personalized tours and an expert's insight are the hallmarks of Chris
Rowthorn's walks (www.chrisrowthorn.com)—not
surprising from the Lonely Planet Kyoto author.
