Sitting in your house in Texas trying to find a private guide in Brasov, Romania, can be a daunting task. We are so grateful to have found Florin. We were able to craft our own itinerary to meet our n... See more
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A very big thankyou to Guillermo for a wonderful half day bird watching tour! We were able to tick off a stack of new birds and exceeded all our expectations! He knew where to find the birds, knowledg... See more
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We were picked up by our guide Emmanuelle F. in Bordeaux at our hotel. She was prompt, and spoke better than perfect English. We were lucky enough to have her for two full days-the first we spent v... See more
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My group of friends had a 4-hour layover in Calgary, so asked Ingrid of ToursByLocals to give us a walking tour of city highlights. She was clear about where to meet up - joined our group and led us... See more
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Company details
- #1 of 2 best companies in Cultural Tours Provider
- #2 of 19 best companies in Travel Agency
Written by the company
ToursByLocals is the leading online travel marketplace that connects discerning travellers with handpicked, professional local tour guides around the world. We specialize in private tours tailored to your interests, pace, and schedule—offering a truly personalized travel experience in over 170 countries and with more than 5,200 fully vetted local guides. Whether you're seeking cultural tours in Europe, adventure travel in South America, or culinary experiences in Asia, our expert guides deliver insider access and authentic local insight that turns every journey into a meaningful memory. With customizable itineraries, skip-the-line access, and door-to-door service, ToursByLocals takes the stress out of trip planning and enhances your time in each destination. Trusted by over three million travellers and backed by our global customer support team, our platform ensures peace of mind from booking to tour day. Rated “Excellent” across independent review platforms, ToursByLocals is ideal for anyone looking for safe, flexible, and enriching private tours. Avoid the crowds, travel deeper, and connect with the people and stories that make each place unique. Discover the world, one local at a time—with ToursByLocals.
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4.9
Excellent
5K reviews
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Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Viktor. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope that your journey inspires you to connect with more amazing local guides on your future adventures.
We initially made contact with Josef…
We initially made contact with Josef regarding various transfers across the Amalfi Coast. And Marco was our driver for our transfer to Rome, from Maiori.
Both Josef and Marco were excellent, great hosts with excellent communication.
Will absolutely use next time we are in Amalfi and would happily recommend to anyone else. Thanks you Josef and Marco for helping make our trip so fabulous!
June 22, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from ToursByLocals
We're thrilled to hear that both Josef and Marco provided you with excellent service during your transfers along the stunning Amalfi Coast. It sounds like they truly made your journey from Maiori to Rome a memorable one! We’re so glad to know that you’ll be using our services again on your next visit and recommending us to others.
We can’t wait to help you connect with more exceptional local guides for your future adventures!
Jola is a fantastic guide
Jola is a fantastic guide. Her tour is very well structured and is amplified by carefully chosen visual materials. Jola is extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Jews in Warsaw and Poland in general. She conveys not only information but her genuine enthusiasm and love for the subject. Jola also is a very engaging and pleasant person. I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from her tour.
June 23, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for the warm feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic experience with Jola in Warsaw. Her passion and knowledge truly shine through in her tours, and it's wonderful to know that you found the visual materials helpful and engaging. We appreciate your kind words about her enthusiasm and pleasant nature. It's experiences like yours that make connecting travellers with exceptional local guides so rewarding. We look forward to helping you on your next adventure!
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you so much for your glowing feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you found your tour with Paul so incredible. It's always our goal to connect travellers with exceptional local guides, and it sounds like Paul truly delivered an amazing experience for you.
We can't wait to help you discover more fantastic adventures with our incredible guides in the future.
Had a great expereince with the company…
Had a great expereince with the company and the guides, no issues. Highly recommend finding a guide through them
June 23, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful experience! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time with our guides and that everything went smoothly during your tours. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and it’s fantastic to know you found value in connecting with our exceptional local guides.
We can't wait to help you discover more amazing adventures in the future.
Excellent day in Inverness
Our guide, Callum,was exceptional. He could not have been more gracious, accommodating and proud to show us his environs.
June 20, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
We're delighted to hear that Callum made such a positive impression. His graciousness, flexibility, and genuine pride in sharing his local area are qualities that can turn a great tour into a truly memorable one.
We appreciate your kind words and are so pleased you enjoyed your time with him. We hope your travels bring you many more wonderful experiences with passionate local guides in the future.
Customize your tour with the guide of your choice
I found Tours by Locals, by chance while trying to find a tour that would allow some flexibility. Tours by locals allowed me to select a tour guide and work with him to customize what I wanted to see. I found the profiles provided for the guides to be very helpful as well as their descriptions of the tours that the offered. I booked the same guide for two both days of my visit to the Krakow area. I highly recommend this service based on my recent experience
June 6, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re so pleased to hear that the flexibility of ToursByLocals helped you create the kind of visit you were looking for in Krakow.
It’s wonderful to know that the guide profiles and tour descriptions made it easier to find the right match, and that working directly with your guide allowed you to customize your experience to your interests. Booking the same guide for both days is a lovely endorsement of the connection and confidence you felt throughout your trip.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and are grateful that you chose ToursByLocals to help make your time in the Krakow area so memorable!
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for the warm recommendation - we're so glad you had a great experience with your ToursByLocals guide.
Our tour guide Jorge met the six of us…
Our tour guide Jorge met the six of us (3 active couples in our 60s) at our hotel. The first half of our tour was a walk through Ponta Delgada, Azores. Jorge walked at a pace that worked for everyone and explained the interesting history of the city with excellent and very memorable anecdotes. He gave us suggestions for days that were rainouts in case we needed that (we did) and his suggestions for meals for our stay were spot on. The second portion of our day was exploring the outskirts of the city by van (garden, cave, plantation). The van was very spacious and he had water and umbrellas for us if needed. I had done some research and between the two of us we put together a varied tour that took in everyone's preferences. Jorge was very patient with me, with tweaking the finalized tour. He is very personable and we had a great time learning about his beautiful island (his family roots go way back there) and culture. I had booked Jorge for a second tour of another part of the island for another day based on his quick responses and excellent English. We were all glad to see him the second day as well.
June 16, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful review of your time in Ponta Delgada and the Azores with Jorge.
It’s wonderful to hear that he created an experience that balanced everyone’s interests so well, from the walking tour through the city’s history and stories to exploring the island’s gardens, cave, and plantation. We’re especially glad that his local recommendations, flexibility in shaping the itinerary, and attention to comfort throughout the day helped make your visit even more enjoyable. Jorge’s deep family roots in the Azores and passion for sharing the island’s culture clearly made a lasting impression.
We’re delighted that your experience was so positive that you chose to join Jorge again for a second day of exploring. Thank you for trusting ToursByLocals to help connect you with a guide who could bring this beautiful destination to life, and we hope there are many more memorable adventures ahead.
Hilke provides fantastic tours
Hilke provides fantastic tours. She and I talked several times before the tour and she accomplished everything we discussed and more. Her knowledge of Berlin was outstanding and covered both the prewar (World War II), postwar, and then current day Berlin.
Hilke showed us the key sites and explained the history of what happened. As my wife, Helen and I looked back on the four hours with Hilke, we walked away with a deep appreciation of Berlin, past and present.
We visited the following: (1) Checkpoint Charlie (2) Brandeburg Gate (3) Memorial to the murdered Jews in Germany and other countries where the atrocities took place (4) The Parliament (5) Jewish Quarter (6) The New Synagogue, a memorial to the Jewish people who were murdered during the reign of the Nazis (7) The political resistance to the victims of the people resistance of the Nazis. (Book Burning) (8) The remnants of the wall. (9) the memorial to the murdered members of the Reichstag. (9) We rode the Subway through the stations where the East Germans used to have guards looking for defectors from East Germany to West Germany. We wanted to understand the history that occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. Hilke’s knowledge of everything we saw was extremely valuable.
If you are interested in understanding the timeframe of 1930s and the Twenty First Century Berlin, Hilke could not be a better choice. She took her time in explaining the details of each of the areas we covered. Her knowledge runs deep and she will paint a picture of what happened. If you were on your own in Berlin, it would be hard to understand significance of the many sites.
Hilke kept us out of tourist traps and stores.
My recommendation is to have Hilke as your tour guide. Hilke works with you to understand your needs and will adjust the tours to your liking. I would suggest using an AI to understand the importance of the sites so that your visit to Berlin can be customized between you and Hilke. I had three calls with Hilke before the tour and that contributed to its success. Hilke considered what we wanted to see and our objectives and blended it with her knowledge, and it turned out beautiful.
One last thing.
Working with Hilke, we had a driver named Peter provided by Hilke. Peter is excellent and provides comfortable transportation. Peter was prompt to meet us and transported us to all sites. He also added his color to the locations visited.
The bottom line, Hilke is the best and a most knowledgeable tour guide. You will be educated on a most interesting time in history.
June 18, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for this incredibly detailed review of your time in Berlin with Hilke.
We're delighted to hear how much you and Helen appreciated the care and preparation that went into your tour. It’s wonderful that Hilke took the time to connect with you before your visit, understand your interests, and craft an experience that brought Berlin’s complex history to life. From the landmarks of World War II and the Nazi era to the story of a divided city and modern-day Berlin, it sounds like her deep knowledge and thoughtful storytelling helped create a meaningful understanding of the places you visited.
We're also pleased that Hilke’s guidance helped you navigate the city beyond the typical tourist experience, providing valuable context and insight at every stop. Your comments about her flexibility, attention to your objectives, and ability to paint a vivid picture of Berlin’s past truly capture what makes a great private guide.
A special thank you as well for recognizing Peter’s contribution. We're glad his professionalism, comfortable transportation, and local perspective added even more to your experience.
Thank you again for your recommendation. We’re thrilled that Hilke helped make your visit to Berlin so memorable, and we look forward to helping connect you with more exceptional local guides on your future travels.
Choose London with Tony - you won't regret it!
There is nothing like local knowledge, especially when it's delivered by someone who loves his city. That is what we got from Anthony about London. He worked very hard to take us places that he thought we would enjoy. And in every case we did. He was particularly kind and thoughtful for our 9 year old jet lagged granddaughter. If we were in London again tomorrow, we would absolutely book with Tony again!
June 12, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for sharing your experience with Anthony in London.
There’s truly something special about exploring a city with a guide who knows it intimately and genuinely loves sharing it with visitors. We’re delighted to hear that Anthony tailored the day around your interests and introduced you to places that became highlights of your visit. It’s especially wonderful to know that he showed such kindness and thoughtfulness toward your jet-lagged granddaughter, helping ensure that everyone in your group felt comfortable and included.
Your praise means a great deal, and we're so pleased that Anthony helped make your time in London so memorable. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. If your travels bring you back to London, we’re thrilled to hear he’d be your guide of choice once again.
Entire tour was great and highly…
Entire tour was great and highly recommend booking with Stefan as your guide. He is knowledgeable and fun.
June 22, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for the warm feedback about your time with Stefan in Munich. We're so glad you had a wonderful tour, and look forward to connecting you with more local guides on your future travels!
First timer tour
I had a tour with Chris for a three hour tour of Milwaukee. Although raining he made the tour special with his knowledge of the city. Saw some excellent sights and some of the beaten trail. Would highly recommend his tour to a first timer visiting the city of milwaukee.
June 17, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Sounds like even a rainy day couldn't put a damper on your time in Milwaukee with local guide Chris.
We're so pleased to hear that his knowledge and enthusiasm helped make the city come alive, while introducing you to both iconic sights and a few places off the beaten path. Thank you for the recommendation, and we're glad Chris helped make your first visit to Milwaukee such an enjoyable experience.
Fantastic Excursion
It was a great experience all the way around! Our guide was knowledgeable, fun, personable and we had a wonderful day. Highly recommend!
June 21, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
What lovely feedback to receive - thank you! We're so pleased you had a wonderful day with your guide, and would recommend ToursByLocals to others.
We had a lovely day
We had a lovely day! to the Cliffs of Moher and area. Kevin was knowledgeable and fun to talk with. He threw in a couple surprise stops along the way that elevated our experience -which were much appreciated!
June 20, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for sharing your experience. We're delighted to hear you had such a lovely day exploring the Cliffs of Moher and the surrounding area with Kevin. It’s wonderful to know his knowledge, easy conversation, and thoughtful surprise stops helped make the day even more memorable and added something extra to your journey.
We truly appreciate you taking the time to leave this review, and we hope we can help connect you with another exceptional local guide for a future adventure somewhere in the world.
Great one day trip with a pleasant guide
Jenny was very kind and professional. Was very nice one day trip to Beijing with her.
I felt relaxed and I learned several things about Beijing thanks to Jenny.
June 21, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful feedback about your time with Jenny in Beijing. We're happy to hear you felt relaxed and truly enjoyed exploring the city with her.
Jo Ann Grubbs was so professional and…
Jo Ann Grubbs was so professional and knowledgeable, but her charm and personality made our time with her special. John & Sue
June 19, 2026
A great investment in making your vacation memorable!
Our experience in using local guides has made our recent trips so much more enjoyable ! By the end of the day we have more than an expert local guide who has shared their love for their community- we have a new friend! It is such an efficient use of our vacation time and funds. We recently used guides in Lake Como, Milan and Turin and couldn’t be more positive about the experience. Just do it!
June 20, 2026
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for your kind words! We're so pleased to hear that your experiences in Lake Como, Milan, and Turin were such a success.
There's nothing quite like exploring with a passionate local guide, and we love hearing that each tour left you with not only great memories and insights, but new friendships as well. Thank you for choosing ToursByLocals, and we look forward to helping you connect with more wonderful local guides on future adventures.
Miki was very personable and attentive…
Miki was very personable and attentive of our interests. Very pleasant experience. We yank her.
June 18, 2026
Unprompted review
Tokyo Tour
Toshiko planned a great day for us that met all our expectations. She was very knowledgeable about the areas and sites we went to and shared interesting history. We got to see many areas in a short time yet did not feel rushed. The restaurant we went to was delicious traditional Japanese fair. Toshiko is positive friendly and professional.
June 20, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from ToursByLocals
Thank you for this wonderful review. We're so pleased to hear that Toshiko planned a day that met all your expectations and allowed you to experience so much without ever feeling rushed. Her knowledge of the sites and local history, along with her thoughtful planning, clearly helped make the experience both enjoyable and enriching. We're also glad the traditional Japanese meal was a highlight of the day.
Toshiko’s positive, friendly, and professional approach is exactly what helps create memorable travel experiences, and we're delighted she made such a great impression. Thank you for choosing ToursByLocals, and we hope to help connect you with more exceptional local guides on future travels.
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