One of the best things about guided tours is the guides (usually locals). They will know the best places to eat, the great hideaways that the guidebooks missed or even tricks of getting around the area (like shortcuts). The guides will speak the local language fluently (and usually English as well).

Some of the walking tours are entertaining as well as informative. Guides may be dressed in period costumes and give living history performances. Most of them will tell stories about the attractions or sites that give more meaning to each place. They will likely give such a complete overview of the city that visitors will be able to return to spots that most intrigued them with out much difficulty.

The walking tours are designed to teach visitors the heart of the city not just the sites of the city. Guides will often offer tidbits of information that will make the city come to life. You have the chance to learn about the architecture, the history and the people that make each city so unique.

Choosing to experience a city through a guided walking tour gives visitors a chance to ask questions about the places encountered. To feel the warmth of the local guides and to see the city from the eyes of someone who treasures it enough to spend their time telling others about its beauty.

Guidebooks become quickly dated and technology can not show the heart of the city. You can feel the city instead of just seeing the city by choosing to take a walking guided tour.