Cities In Sound

great staff

Many thanks to tikiChris for the invite to the guru event and even more thanks to Nic from Cities in Sound. The Cigar Walk has to be done by everyone, Londoner and non-Londoners alike.

This is a very novel way of exploring a neighbourhood in London, going past and learning more about very British institutions such as Jack Barclay, Bentley, Dunhill, the smallest public square in London and a mix of trivia: may fairs on Hay Hill that gave Mayfair its name and Isaac Newton's home on Jermyn St.

The narrated guide is super super awesome; brilliant idea not quite the megaphone to shuffle the sheeple along. Simply plug into your ears and participate as individuals remaining in a group.

While Alfred Dunhill almost blew me away, my highlight was Davidoff. Edward and Eddie were very hospitable. The Pol Roger, the historical quips and they brought the culture, art and science of cigars and cigar smoking to life. Even I as non smoker was turned and bought a Davidoff Grand Cru No 3 as recommeded by Eddie.

I give it a 6 out of 5!

I was one of the lucky Qypers to attend the Cigar Walk led by the very knowledgeable Nic. I knew in advance that it would be an audio-narrated walk and was not sure what to think of that but it really did work a treat. Given that the traffic can be quite noisy we did not have to strain to hear our guide - and it looked a bit less touristy to stand and listen to the audio, although I'm sure that some people thought we were about to start a silent rave!

The walk itself was fantastic, Nic knew the owners of all the places we visited so it did not feel awkward to go into the shops as a group and we were shown several little gems that otherwise would have been nearly impossible to stumble across by chance.

This is a great walk, regardless if you smoke cigars or not. It shows a side of Mayfair that most tourists, or even Londoners for that matter, will never get to see and gives a feel for the character of the area that cannot really be experienced by just aimlessly wandering around this part of London.

I've gone on the Cities in Sound Cuban Cigar Walk in London twice. The last time was for an especially fun Qype event:
http://london.blog.qype.com/2010/05/guru-event-cuban-ciga...

I loved the walk both times and wouldn't be against having another go. The audio is well paced, chocked full of fascinating history and very entertaining. Whether in a group or strolling solo, Cities in Sound offers insightful audio tours with an insiders edge. The world is your museum and Cities in Sound is your guide! With excellent audio tours of London, Edinburgh, Paris and Rome, CiS is well worth considering before you venture off on your next holiday or even your next amble through London!

I was lucky enough to join the London Cuban Cigar walk as a Qype event http://www.citiesinsound.com/shopWebSite/php/showProducts.... It was a brilliant way to spend a morning in Mayfair.

We each received a small receiver and headphones (although one could use one's own headphones, ear pods) and started our walk at the sculpture of Churchill and Roosevelt. The audio was superb and mixed information, fun and interesting anecdotes, historical sound clips, sound effects as well as guidance for the listener of each of the sites, how to get there and so on. The narrator's voice was warm and rich and very pleasing. The sound quality was excellent.

I am no t a cigar smoker and it made no difference. It was amazing to me how many things I learned about, and new places I discovered in, an area that I've been to so many times. The walk was so much fun and I enjoyed visiting the cigar shops. The shop owners were so delightful, gracious and happy to explain all sorts of things about cigars. I would certainly check out more of Cities in Sound walks.