— Testimonials —
Feel free to read more testimonials on TRIPADVISOR.
2022
Hi Helena. Just returned from Vienna yesterday. I want to thank you for a wonderful day. Your guide was very informative. And although I had some prior knowledge of the battle, visiting the sites and towns was a real treasure. It was enjoyable to drive around the Moravian countryside on such a gorgeous day. It was a pleasure hanging out with Scharm (sp?) and your dog Marco as well. All the best - and feel free to use me as a reference.
JAMES V. NOONAN
jnoonan@noonanlieberman.com | www.noonanandlieberman.com
2018
Hello Helena,
We've spent a great time in Brno, and enjoyed the visit a lot. The tour in Austerlitz was fantastic, and we were very happy. Your explanations, with Alena, (the Interpretor) were very profesional. We could understand the context of this great battle, and learn important things about it.
Thank you very much
And kind regards for you and Alena,
Álvaro, Onofre & Javier from SPAIN
2016
September 2016 - Helen provided a wonderful guided tour of the Austerlitz battle sites over 5+ hours with pickup and drop off in Brno. She is knowledgable and engaged in Moravian history.
Robert Brommage, brommage@outlook.com
2016
There is much more to the Czech Republic than Prague and Bohemia. Brno Tours run by Helena Švédová makes it abundantly clear that Brno and Moravia have a great deal to offer the tourist who wants to see more of the Czech Republic.
My interest with Brno began with my interest in Napoleonic history. Not far from Brno is the battlefield of Austerlitz. Brno tours catered to my interest. The tour of Austerlitz is a complete tour. It gives the visitor a tour of the battlefield from both the French and the Russian/Austrian perspective. The tour takes you to multiple sights where the battle occurred. It also stops at several museums dedicated to the battle including the Austerlitz (Slavkov) Chateau where a truce was signed (with ample time to see everything). Helena, your guide who speaks fluent English, provides a detailed guide book which is helpful for those who may not know much about the battle.
Austerlitz is not all that Moravia and Brno Tours has to offer. Brno Tours also took me on a day trip to the Macocha Abyss and Pernstejn Castle. Both are spectacular spots to visit. The Macocha Abyss is a sinkhole with a series of caves that includes the Punkva river that runs through it. It is a natural wonder to see. The tour takes you through the cave which leads you to the bottom of the abyss and then to a boat that takes you through the cave network on the Punkva river. If that was not enough, the tour continues on to Pernstejn Castle - a castle which has existed since the 13th century. This castle is a national treasure itself. Because there are no English speaking guides Helena provides you with a narrated audio guide which provides all of the information about the castle as you walk through it. (Don't look into the mirror).
Brno itself is worth a day to visit. Helena provides walking tours of the city as well as the Spilberk Castle which served as fortress and a prison. In addition Moravia has much more to offer. If I had more time Helena also offers a wine tasting tour of Moravia.
Overall, Helena Švédová is a superior guide. Her enthusiasm and local knowledge is second to none. Her English language skills are so superior that there is no issue regarding the meaning of words. Indeed, Brno Tours provides all of the ingredients for time well spent in Brno and the region of Moravia.
Sincerely,
William L. Marcy Ph.D.
2014 Dec
Hi Helena,
thank you so much for a unique experience showing us both round the Austerlitz battlefield the day before the reenactment and then taking me to the reenactment itself on Saturday.
All of it was great. I love history but not particularly military history, so I wasn't sure I would enjoy it. But, in fact, I got totally caught up in it. The re-enactment itself was really a superb spectacle and there was a very friendly atmosphere. I now have to sort through the 100s of photographs I took!
The visit the day before was also really interesting, especially of course meeting the group of "Austrian cavalrymen" in full military costume at the Old Post Office where Napoleon had slept back in 1805 and being invited to take part with them in their drinking game! This was a truly unforgettable experience as it was like stepping back two centuries . . Without you, we would never have found this place and even if we had, given that none of the cavalrymen or the owner of the place spoke a word of English we'd never have understood that we were actually being invited in to take part.
We also thouroughly enjoyed the visit to the battle memorial chapel, a great example of art nouveau architecture and decoration which itself has an interesting history. The whispering trick was just unbelievable!
You were the perfect guide, fitting in to our preferences, including adjusting the timing of the visits to fit in with our other plans and picking us up and dropping us off wherever we needed to be. In addition to your warmth and friendliness, we also enjoyed our conversations about the more recent history of the Czech Republic and your own experiences under Communism.
Michael - michaelashworthfrance@gmail.com
2008-05-22
Helena, I can't thank you enough for your kind consideration in driving me around the Austerlitz battlefield. I really couldn't have done the trip and tour more convieniently than to spend an afternoon with you. I really enjoyed the visit as well, you really shared a lot of information with me about Czech culture. I appreciate the extra research you did for me and also how flexible you were in accommodating my schedule and time frame. I hope other history fans are able to use your service and you are able to expand this aspect of your tours. In short, Helena is highly recommended and I also got to make another good friend in Europe. Thanks again!¨tsepp@up.net 2013-07-7-