I took 3 walking tours in Paris last month, bringing my total of walking tours in US and foreign cities to over 20. What makes for the best walking tours? Usually, it’s a great guide, but there are other factors, too. Here are some of my experiences and what I now look for in signing up for walking tours.

1. Good walking tours keep the group size manageable.

I’ve been on private tours and group tours. Which is better can depend on the type of tour (food or market tour, history tour, art tour, etc.) and what you are going to see. Generally smaller size groups will give you better access and more contact with the guide. Private tours can be very expensive, so that is also a factor to consider.

Our private guide in Milan arranged for us to be photographed in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting without other people around.

Alone with Leonardo’s masterpiece

Our street art walking tour in Paris had 12 people, which was a little too large. Some people lagged behind because everyone couldn’t see all the art at once; some of the streets were narrow and it was hard keeping up with the tour guide.  I thought the overall tours in both cases were very good.

2. The better guides will give you an overview of the tour in the beginning, including telling you the important stops along the way and where the tour will end. 

I’m one of those people who likes to know the plan in advance, so I really appreciated our Paris guide who had a map and explained the tour route and where the tour would end.

Tour guide with visual aids

At the end of the tour, the guide should tell you how to get back to where the tour began or where you’d like to go next.

Our guide in Venice was very nice to walk us back to the part of town where our hotel was after our food tour.

3a. Great guides speak clearly and know how to pitch their voice to the group. Even if the guide is not a native speaker of the tour language, they should be easily understood by the group. 

I love meeting the people who are giving tours. They have studied their topics and are excited to share their knowledge with you. They make you feel welcome and engaged in the tour. Hopefully they can communicate easily with the group.

3b. Good Guides should never try to talk to the group while walking: they wait until a stopping point and then talk to the whole group.

This is especially important on larger group tours, as the people at the back of the pack will miss what the guide is saying at the front. It can make for an uncomfortable walking experience if you are always jostling to get to the front so you can hear.

Group gathers around the guide

4. The best guides don’t keep you standing for longer than 10 minutes at a time.

Great guides have their timing down and their explanations succinct so that you can get the information and keep moving.

Don’t be afraid to ask the guide to stop in a space where you can sit while s/he talks. If you are feeling tired, chances are you are not the only one in the group that feels that way.

Good tours have one restroom break every 60 to 90 minutes. If you need one, ask!

Also, you can get one of those walking cane/stools  that can come in handy on a tour.

5. Thoughtful guides will follow up after the tour with promised information or answers to questions.

Out of our 3 tours in Paris, two did follow up with promised information and pictures, one did not.

Booking Tips

Eating Falafal on tour

1.Read the tour description carefully. 

This should give you all the information you need about the group size, length of tour, the number of stops, how much territory the tour will cover. If you have questions about a tour, there should be a way to communicate with the tour operator or tour guide to get answers.

2. Read the reviews to find real information.

Did the guide stick to the time guidelines of the tour? Was s/he personable, intelligible, knowledgeable? Did the guide do anything special for the group? Was the group the right size for the type of tour? If you read about a particular guide you would like to have for your tour, contact the company and see how to arrange this.

3. Make sure you book your tour in your language!

A couple of years ago we were happy to jump on a free tour of the private houses in Ostia Antica, Italy, but didn’t realize until the tour started that it was conducted in Italian only. The guide really didn’t speak English well enough to translate for us. Needless to say we missed out on the guide’s knowledge as we did the tour.

Walking Tour in Ostia Antica

4. Consult a professional!

Sometimes it is hard to get the information you need from the tour websites on the internet. There are so many, and it is very time consuming to do all this research. That’s where I can help! I have many contacts and can find you the type of tour you want.

*Disclosure: I may get complimentary or reduced rates on various tours and experiences.If you book tours and experiences using my services I may get a commission. My reviews are not compensated and all opinions expressed are my own.