ToursByLocals Reviews 

Our tour guide, Jaap, was simply incredible. I wanted to see where my mother's family was from in the Netherlands. Jaap was gracious enough to take what I knew and fill in so many blanks. I will never forget my tour and I am so grateful to Jaap. I would like to bring other members of my family to go on another tour with Jaap. Thank you so much!!!

Our guide was personable, knowledgeable and helpful. We were very, very pleased with our day-long guided tour in Tokyo.

Olesya was on time, communicative, personable and extremely knowledgeable. We loved our tour with her and would tour with her again with no hesitation. Worth the money for such an outstanding experience.

Already given a review

we enjoyed our time with Alain. Great guide, knowledgeable, engaging and a joy to spend time with. they were simple tours, but we saw and learned a lot. highly recommend.

Max was an incredible guide. Very knowledgeable, mindful of the walking pace and timing so was able to see much more than expected.

Marcos was an excellent tour guide. He knew the best way to get into each location, moved us through so efficiently but we never felt rushed. He was friendly and had wonderful insights into the various locations. We enjoyed the entire day. We saw so much of Rio in 7 hours. Perfect and so worth it.

Andy — An Extraordinary Tour Guide Who Goes Above and Beyond!

If I could have taken Andy with me on my month-long vacation to Japan, I would have done so in a heartbeat! He is, without question, the most exceptional tour guide I have ever had. And believe me, that is saying something!

You might be wondering, who am I to make such a bold statement? Well, let me give you a little background. I have been traveling to Europe since I was 10 years old, and I am now a young 72! I have used ToursByLocals since 2016, along with numerous other private tour services throughout the world. I have experienced many wonderful guides over the years, but Andy is truly in a league of his own.

First, his English is impeccable. He is incredibly knowledgeable, flexible with his itinerary, attentive to every detail, and genuinely invested in making sure his guests have an extraordinary experience.

I should explain that I am not your typical traveler. Before visiting a new destination, I spend countless hours researching and studying the cities we will be exploring. I actually create a personalized book for each city, complete with photographs, historical information, architectural details, and interesting facts about every place I hope to visit.

Over the years, tour guides have often jokingly asked me, “Why do you need me? You already have all the information in your book!”

But for me, that is part of the excitement! I love finally seeing the places I have spent so much time studying and reading about. My husband and I have a passion for architecture, historical buildings and sites, beautiful gardens, fine dining, and discovering the unique character of each destination. You get the picture!

What makes Andy so extraordinary is that he understands this passion and embraces it. He doesn’t simply take you from one attraction to another. He listens, adapts, engages, and makes the entire experience personal and memorable. We discussed what was most important to us, and he thoughtfully tailored our time together around our interests.

Andy also has a wonderful personality. He is warm, easygoing, accommodating, and has a terrific sense of humor. Spending the day with him feels more like exploring a city with a knowledgeable friend than being on a guided tour.

And here is another wonderful touch: Andy takes photographs of both his guests and the places they visit. Instead of constantly being glued to our iPhones, we were able to put our phones away, relax, appreciate our surroundings, and truly enjoy the experience. What a luxury!

But what really sets Andy apart is something that goes far beyond his responsibilities as a tour guide.

During one of our conversations, I casually mentioned that my granddaughter had asked me to bring home a Chinese Barbie doll. Without my asking, Andy enlisted his daughter’s help in finding one. She spent FOUR DAYS searching for this doll! On our last day together, Andy surprised me by presenting it to me. I was absolutely touched by the thoughtfulness and effort his family had put into making my granddaughter happy.

And the surprises didn’t end there!

Andy also presented us with a beautiful book about Hong Kong, and his wife had even made a kimono for our newest granddaughter! These were incredibly thoughtful gestures from a family who had no obligation to do any of this.

That is the kind of person Andy is.

He doesn’t just provide a tour. He creates an experience, builds a connection, and makes you feel genuinely cared for. His kindness, generosity, enthusiasm, and attention to detail are simply remarkable.

After decades of traveling around the world and experiencing countless private guides, I can confidently say that Andy stands out as one of a kind.

If you are fortunate enough to book Andy as your guide in Hong Kong, consider yourself very lucky. You will not only have an outstanding tour, but you may also leave with a wonderful new friend.

Andy, thank you for making our visit to Hong Kong so special. You and your family touched our hearts, and we will never forget your kindness.

If I could give you 10 stars, I would!

Debra Gordon Goldman

We are a group of 4 traveling on a cruise ship. We had limited time for a tour, but Don was able to adjust the time on a 5 hour tour to 4 hours to accommodate our schedule. We booked the Charlottetown and North shore tour. He was an exceptional tour guide we were surprised at how much information Don was able to share with us, in the shortener time. He helpful with my small lightweight wheel chair, very patient and very friendly.
The Island is beautiful and he took us to many scenic spots to take photos. I would recommend Don for your PEI experience!!

Juan Pablo was an amazing guide with excellent communication skills. He was knowledgeable, personal and did everything to make our experience memorable. We spent the day starting with the cable car ride and ended with the Middle of the World museum. Highly recommend Juan Pablo and Tours by Locals.

Great Guides!!!! Very trustworthy!! Excellent communication!!!

Luis
perfect in every way fabulous tour

I spent five days travelling with David from Brașov via Sibiu into Maramureș and on to Cluj, as his only guest and with an individual package he put together around my needs. Even the arrangements beforehand were remarkably quick: by the same morning I had an offer, which he refined in two rounds.

David’s greatest strength is his ability to tune in to people. He gets along with a wide range of guests and cultures, and on the road he actively looks for opportunities to cater to their particular interests. In my case, that meant dogs. I am completely devoted to dogs, and I told him so on the first day. So we bought sausages, and more later on, he chose routes where we were likely to meet dogs, and he stopped for every single one, including shy, free-roaming ones. I was his first guest with this passion, and he embraced it as a matter of course.

David knows a great deal about history and churches and explains things well, without overloading his guest. I especially valued his anecdotes, which make the country understandable: why the greasy film left by old tallow candles helps restorers today, how the wooden churches of Maramureș arranged their congregations, how wool used to be processed at the water mill. Out of many such details came a picture of the country and its people that I could never have gained on my own.

He has a fine sense of what his guest needs. At the Merry Cemetery in Săpânța I stayed almost an hour, and he gave me that time. Whenever I wanted to get out to find my own viewpoints, he pulled over. We talked about everything under the sun in very good English, and were just as comfortable sharing a silence. He consistently declined incoming calls throughout the tour.

People trust him locally. A single call to the priest was enough for us to visit one of the old wooden churches, and in Botiza he arranged a visit to a weaver at short notice. He handled the accommodation bookings and settled the bills on my behalf, and when I accidentally handed him too much, he pointed it out himself.

You can rely on David. He was always on time, including for every breakfast, and he thought ahead, for instance by suggesting a restroom stop before a long stretch with nowhere else to stop. He drives safely, calmly and with foresight, and chooses his routes with an eye for the landscape, most recently a shortcut through autumn forests with mist in the valleys. His SUV is comfortable and in perfect condition.

I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone who travels with interests of their own and wants more than a standard programme. David offers the highest degree of individuality, in the planning as much as day by day on the road.

We enjoyed our tour very much, it was very well planned by Laura, who is an excellent guide and a pleasant personality. Her English is excellent and so is her knowledge of her city. We loved having her as a guide and she made our tour enjoyable and satisfactory. We would choose her for any sightseeing in Bucharest.

Christian is very knowledgeable about the history of Boston and he makes history come alive as we traveled the road of Paul Revere’s famous ride. Great day exploring the city.

We did a 2 day tour with James. From start to finish James was so very informative and knowledgeable about London. Even before we arrived, he confirmed with us all our tickets we would need for our excursions and told us what to expect.
James was funny and very accommodating. We would definitely recommend him.

The best part of the experience is meeting people who are extremely knowledgeable about their field with no ax to grind and being objective on controversial matters. All fine people and very kind as well. The conversation just flows and we only met 5 minutes ago.

Great tour by a great guide. Highly recommended.

He was an excellent guide with great personality. Very prompt, had great communication with us and customized our excursions. We booked him for two days and saw everything we want to see. Highly recommend!

Always reliable! The best guides are listed on Tours by Locals. Always my go-to!