Mr. Jaroslav Minařík and his son, Martin, founded Romantic Czech Tours Inc. in 1991, following the collapse of the Communist regime.

Jaroslav Minařík
Prior to establishing Romantic Czech Tours, Inc., Jaroslav (Jerry) was a tour guide for the Czechoslovakian nationalized travel agency, ČEDOK. Jerry has traveled extensively throughout Central Europe and elsewhere, such as to Norway, the United States, Canada and Cyprus. His hospitable manner, combined with both his personal knowledge of ancient and current history and his professional knowledge of the travel industry gives him superior abilities with both guiding, and with planning suitable itineraries for you.

Martin Minařík
After completing his college education, Martin established the American office of Romantic Czech Tours Inc. in Seattle, Washington. Martin is also an accomplished mountaineer and has climbed several mountain peaks in a variety of countries including Canada, the U.S.A., Alaska, South America, Nepal, France, Switzerland and Italy.

MEET OUR GUIDES

Ivona Cieslarová
Born in Moravia in the Czech Republic, Ivona has a University Degree in Finance. She worked in the financial field after graduating, but soon decided to pursue a career in the travel business after working summers as a professional guide. With a lifelong interest in hiking, skiing and other outdoor pursuits, she loves having a job that keeps her traveling and meeting people from other countries. "I like to introduce people to the atmosphere, tradition and folk music of the special places we visit as well as the beauty of nature in this part of the world". Ivona is a multi-lingual guide and is well-versed in European history. She enjoys discussing the past and present situation of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. (top of the page)

Ivo Štěrba
Ivo Štěrba is a youthful 6.2 ft tall Czech. He is a graduate of Palacký University in Olomouc where he earned his MA degree in American & English Studies and Human Resources Management. He has guided numerous biking, walking or hiking tours within the Czech Republic and other Central European countries since 1998. Besides studying American culture at college he also had a chance to see and live in it while working as a camp counsellor at a children's summer camp in New York State. Ivo is a big sports enthusiast and devotee of various outdoor activities. If he is not at work you can find him playing tennis, volleyball, biking, hiking, or canoeing. In the winter he downhill skis. Besides sports he is very interested in history books, films and history in general. Overall you will find him to be a very friendly and easygoing companion who loves sharing his sports enthusiasm and profound knowledge about local history and culture. (When not guiding he is busy in the office making sure that every detail of your trip will be a success). (top of the page)

Klára Matoušková
Klára Matoušková studies Medicine at Charles University in Prague. She is also a state registered tour guide in the Czech Republic and speaks fluent English and a little Spanish, German and Russian. Klara is an outdoor person with a big passion for mountaineering and rock climbing. She has climbed summits in Peru, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China as well as in Europe and her experience from these numerous treks and expeditions makes her a great companion with whom you can really feel at ease on all your hikes in Central Europe. In addition Klara is also a keen biker. Whether hiking or biking she takes great delight in guiding people through the culture of the Central European region she is from. (top of the page)

Marian Trchalík
Marian Trchalík completed his MS degree at Technical College with a major in Electronics. Currently he is studying at the Aviation at College of Transportation in Prague and after graduation he would like to be a professional pilot. In his free time he loves to go biking or climbing. He prefers mountainbiking or off-road riding and his best climbing achievement is the highest European peak - Mont Blanc. Marian is a very good companion and as he has been a student for so long, is also an expert on the world famous Czech beer. (top of the page)

Mikuláš Kratochvíl
Since 1999 Mikuláš has been studying Political Science and Religion Studies at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. He has many, many years of guiding experience on dozens of mainly biking trips in the Central European region. This makes him a true Central European bike tour expert, knowing nearly every hidden corner, any possible shortcut or any alternative "bonus routes" with some "nice hills" which he is particularly fond of riding up. Besides working as a tour guide and studying he is also active in the NGO "Youth for Intercultural Understanding" which he helped to found. Based in Brno, the organization deals with intercultural relations between Czech society and its neighboring cultures as well as relations between national/ethnic/religious minorities living within the Czech Republic. Mikuláš is an avid road biker and (gentle) mountain biker. He also loves hiking though when the first snow appears he switches to skis and heads towards the mountains, again. It doesn't matter whether he is downhill or cross-country skiing, he loves them both! We must also mention his passionate love for movies, books, music, and (as is typical for nearly all Czechs) sharing a beer or more with friends. (top of the page)

Renata Havrdová
Renata Havrdová is an experienced guide who has worked with children and adults of various nationalities. She studied at Charles University in Prague to become an English and Physical Education teacher. She has always loved working with people, especially outdoors, where she can share her interests - biking, climbing, skiing, and adventure racing. She is fascinated by various cultures and has a very good command of English, German, Spanish and Russian. After her long travels in the U.S.A, Canada and Mexico she is happy to be back home to share her country and other European countries with foreigners, who are ready to learn not only about the countryside, but also about the history and culture of these regions. (top of the page)

Václav Kovařík
Václav Kovařík is a native from South Moravia (Czech Republic). He is completing his PhD degree in Economics and Business at the University of Brno. Václav is keen on many different sports. He's guided dozens of cycling trips in the Czech Republic and nearby countries for the past several years. In his free time he works for an NGO which he founded together with his friends and which deals with intercultural issues. Otherwise he is busy exploring on bike or by foot the natural and cultural beauties around him. He's eager to share some relaxing and sometimes challenging moments with you. (top of the page)

Zuzana Pechová
Zuzana Pechová comes from the south eastern part of the Czech Republic - the region full of sun, nice people and good wine. She obtained a degree in Economics and Marketing at the University in Ostrava. She loves working as a guide because going places, meeting new people and telling and showing them interesting things and places of the Czech Republic is a great pleasure for her. When she is not guiding or studying she goes for long walks with her dog, learns belly dances and often goes skiing in the winter. (top of the page)

Zuzana Raková
Zuzana Raková studied English and Christian Education at the Faculty of Education in Olomouc. Besides being an English teacher she has guided several trips throughout the Czech Republic since 2001. She speaks fluent English, and a little German and Italian. In her free time she likes reading books especially by Shakespeare, traveling and getting to know new people, their cultures and habits. You will surely appreciate her knowledgeable and caring attitude. (top of the page)

Martina Štěrbová
Martina comes from the north eastern corner of the Czech Republic. She is a multilingual guide able to speak both English and French. Curently, she studies French and Social Sciences at Faculty of Arts in Ostrava her major being Philosophy. In her free time she loves exploring the natural beauties from the saddle of her bike, on mountain hikes or even from the bow of the canue. Moreover she is a very passioanate and skillfull pianist who is eager to introduce you to the culture and history of the country of world famous musicians. (top of the page)

Kamila Macurová
Kamila Macurová studied languages in Olomouc, a medieval town in which she spends most of her time when she is not walking through the woods and meadows in search for flowers, wild-bore, mushrooms and lost clients. She is approaching her thirties and so far has worked for the local radio, Czech TV, an NGO, and she has lived and studied in Spain and the USA. Presently she is a freelance interpreter and translator. One of her favorite activities is interpreting from Spanish into Czech at film festivals. Kamila can spend hours talking, walking, skiing, riding horses, cooking or knitting. She says the best views can often be found on the riverbank in Český Krumlov with a glass of wine in your hand. (top of the page)

Tereza Brůchová
Tereza Brůchová was raised in Liberec, near the Polish and German border, in Northern Czech Republic. At a German high school, she started thinking and dreaming in German. This initiated her studies of languages and mass media at the University in Brno. Later, she studied in the U.S. and then returned to complete her Masters Degree. Over the last six years, she has not only been active in an NGO promoting intercultural understanding but also enjoyed guiding many trips throughout Central Europe. She believes that various places, such as vineyards, old cemeteries or cobble stone alleys, leave imprints on people's souls. Tereza likes to share the history of these places, the significance of local flowers, and the tastes of fruit along the trail. She will also help you with some simple phrases that will bring you closer to the local people. Currently, she's dreaming in three languages, living on a houseboat in Seattle and when not guiding, she is a video producer. You might find her hiking, climbing, biking, sea-kayaking, cross country or downhill skiing, taking pictures, making videos or reading books. (top of the page)

David Kostlan
David Kostlan lives in Bratislava, Slovakia with his wife Daniela. David is a postgraduate student of sociology. His big dream is to become a university teacher. As a sociologist he is interested in cultural studies, globalization, multiculturalism, ethnic minorities and migration. He visited the USA three times and met many immigrants here which also helped him to gain some new experience for his research. As a tour guide, David likes to use his professional knowledge to familiarize travelers with the culture of Central European region. In his opinion, traveling is a good way to practice accepting the "otherness" of foreigners. (top of the page)

Ingrid Cercek
Ingrid Cercek is a native Slovenian living in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. She is a graduate of the College of Tourism and since she was 15, when she went backpacking for the first time, she never stopped visiting and exploring new places. Since graduating, she been pursuing a career as a professional tour guide. Besides English she also speaks fluent Italian and Croatian. Ingrid is very fond of sport with a special liking for hiking, biking, sailing and skiing. Under her experienced leadership you will get a perfect taste of the culture, history and customs of Slovenia, the little country under the Alps. (top of the page)

Rebecca Nielsen
Rebecca Nielsen runs the U.S. office based in Seattle. Rebecca has worked in the travel industry for 20 years as a travel writer, a guide (on several continents), and was the European Product Specialist managing all European contracts for a major travel wholesaler. She has traveled extensively in Europe and enjoys hiking, biking, and sampling local wines wherever she goes. Rebecca has a Masters degree in Historic Preservation and also works as an Architectural Historian and enjoys restoring old houses. She has a Bachelors degree in Communication. She has studied French, German, and Swedish and can have a meaningful conversation with a six-year-old in any of these languages. She has lived in the Pacific Northwest all of her life. (top of the page)