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Closing Time at the Louvre with Take Walks (Complete Review)

Is the Louvre the most impressive art collection in the world? I guess it probably depends on your definition of “impressive,” which to me means breadth across different time periods, and / or depth in one particular time period (for example, the Musée d’Orsay in impressionism). 

Off the top of my head as I’m sitting here in Paris writing about it, I can’t think of another museum that even gets close. The Met in New York City is one idea, as is the excellent Prado Museum in Madrid (seriously, that museum is amazing). But neither touch the Louvre in terms of breadth or depth, really. 

The Louvre is massive, and I’ve now experienced it three different times spread across a decade. Over that decade, I’ve learned a very, very important lesson. 

That lesson? I’m terrible at navigating big art museums on my own. For a few years now, I will ONLY visit the big art museums with a guide, because the experience with and without a guide is incredibly different. 

With someone to help focus your attention on the pieces and themes you should care about and who can bring depth and richness to them, you’re going to walk away with a more memorable experience where you’ll not only learn about specific pieces of art, but also about the history and culture that were happening in the world around those pieces. 

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through my experience on a guided tour of the Louvre with Take Walks (who I have had nothing but great experiences with before) and Anatole, our passionate guide.

We did the Closing Time Tour , which takes place in the three hours leading up to when the Louvre closes, and has you visiting the Mona Lisa immediately before the museum closes, which is a different experience from just about every other time of day. 

I’ll start with the basics – how long is the tour, how much is it, and what does it cover – and then go through our experience. In the end, I hope it will help you evaluate whether a) you want to take a guided tour or try to explore the Louvre on your own and b) it’s worth the price premium versus other tours for the smaller group and expert guide (spoiler: it absolutely is, in my humble opinion). 

I want to make something super duper abundantly clear here, because I get frustrated when I see reviews and later find out that the tour was gifted to the writer, which means their opinion MIGHT be affected by the fact that they got it for free (spoiler: as someone who has done this and since decided never again, it definitely is). 

I paid in full for this tour (for two people) with my own hard-earned money because it was something I legitimately wanted to experience. No sponsorship or gifted tour here! Just my relatively unfiltered thoughts on the tour, and whether it’s worth the money. 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we don’t stand behind 100%.

Why I Loved the Closing Time Tour at the Louvre with Take Walks

Don’t have time to read the entire review below? Here’s what you need to know about the tour. 

Overall, I’d highly recommend it. It’s more expensive than other tours, but it’s an hour longer, the guides that Walks uses tend to be better than other companies, and the max group size of 15 means you won’t be in a dreaded group of 50 clambering around with one guide trying to wrangle everyone. 

• Duration : 3 hours
• Includes : Skip-the-Line Entrance to the Louvre (through the group entrance) with an expert guide who is well-versed in art history
• Max Group Size : 15 people 
• Highlights : The fortress within the Louvre that tells you about its history, the wrongly-named Venus de Milo, a few French masterpieces, and a look at the Mona Lisa
• Cost : $86 per person (includes entry ticket to the museum)

Our Experience on the Closing Time Tour of the Louvre with Take Walks

First, you’ll meet outside the museum where you’ll be introduced to your guide and get hooked up with your audio equipment. 

Now, a word on the whole headphones and radio thing. The first time we were handed one of these was actually on a Walks tour in Rome (the Colosseum tour we did, which you can read about here ), and we were highly skeptical.

However, once we experienced it for ourselves (and chatted with our guide, who appreciated not having to yell to be heard over the other people around), we were on board. 

After a brief introduction, you’ll get right into it. You skip the lonnnng lines at the main entrance and enter through the group entrance, which quite possibly saves an hour of your time, depending on when you’re in Paris. 

Once you’re inside, you’ll start with learning about the building, and what purposes it has served over the course of history (something we didn’t know, and would have absolutely blown right by without a guide to stop us and draw attention to it). 

After a short bathroom break, you’ll start the real visit with sculptures – including the Greek originals – which includes the Venus de Milo .

You’ll walk around the Venus de Milo, and spend 15 minutes admiring her beauty while the guide talks through every detail of what we know about it (and what we don’t – you’ll have to use your imagination to picture what the arms were doing, because we have no clue!). 

We also learned about the contrast between the bronze and stone sculptures, which require different poses (or additions) to make sure stone doesn’t break.

Roman sculptures were often copies of Greek sculptures, but in stone (rather than bronze) which meant they had to add support at the base to avoid the stone cracking. 

As you meander the many halls of the Louvre, Anatole would call our attention to pieces he thinks were interesting or illustrative of a broader trend, and spend a few minutes telling a story to really bring that piece of art to life.

The Winged Victory (which is supposedly the inspiration for the famous Nike swoosh), the French paintings (like Liberty Leading the People and the Raft of Medusa), and some of the other Da Vinci works aside from the Mona Lisa were our favorite stops. 

The most fascinating thing we learned from Anatole is that all of the huge paintings you see that were painted centuries ago have visible seams, which he pointed out on the Crowning of Napoleon, because they could not make canvases big enough for them out of a single piece, so they had to stitch several sheets together. 

And, finally, just as you’re looking at your watch while the French voice over the loudspeaker tells you that the museum is closing in 15 minutes, you arrive at the Mona Lisa.

At nearly every other time of day, this room is teeming with tourists, all trying to claw their way to the front of the room to get a closer look at (the most overrated painting in the world) the Mona Lisa. 

You have to be at the front of the room, because it’s surprisingly small. 

So, Was The Guided Tour of the Louvre Worth It? 

Yeah, I truly think this tour was worth the time and money. 

In general, I highly recommend guided tours of big museums with massive collections of art spanning centuries. In fact, I basically won’t do that museum UNLESS I have a guided tour to join, because I just won’t get anything out of it. 

When I say that to some people, they’re skeptical. Like my friend Spencer, who was my plus-one in Paris (Alysha couldn’t make the trip this time) when I did this tour.

After the tour, Spencer agreed that a guided tour is the way to go. 

Now, there are literally hundreds of different Louvre tours to choose from, so what should you look for in a tour? 

The first thing is group size . A group size of 15 is the top end of what we’d consider. Anything over that and you lose all of the personal interaction with the guide, like the brief exchanges you’ll get as you’re moving through the museum from one room to the next. Most of them, in this case, were our guide playfully poking fun at me, specifically, which I enjoyed. We saw groups of 40-50 moving through the museum, and it looked like a nightmare. 

The second thing is the expertise of the guides . Having recently done a tour of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence that was pretty lackluster (the tour guide was just a guide – should have gone with Take Walks!), it absolutely matters whether your guide is an expert in art history. Take Walks has the highest quality guides of any tour company we’ve experienced, and in this particular case, you could feel Anatole’s passion as he waxed poetic about the sculptures and paintings we stopped to admire. 

The third thing is the amount of time . Some tours are only two hours long. After the logistics of meeting and entering the museum, you’ll be left with ~90 minutes inside, which isn’t nearly enough time. Three hours is still fast, but it’s significantly better than two. 

The last thing is the time of day . The morning at the Louvre is going to be a zoo (unless it’s, say, January). That’s the main reason we chose the Closing Time tour – to be in the museum at a time where you don’t have to wait 30 minutes to see the Mona Lisa (and we walked right up to her!). 

Spoiler alert: The Closing Time Tour checks all of these boxes, which is why we booked it in the first place for ourselves, and are recommending you do the same if you want to get the most out of your visit to the Louvre and its extensive collection. 

Tips for Your Visit to the Louvre

Here are some tips for planning your visit to the Louvre. 

Go on a Friday if you can , when the museum is open late and the tour takes place after dark!

No big backpacks – They will not be allowed in the museum, and you will have to miss the tour. 

No bathroom breaks in the middle of the tour – Only at the beginning and end, which is around two hours without a bathroom. 

More Paris Travel Guides

Planning a trip to Paris? Matt, who speaks French “really well for an American” (as multiple French people have told him – it’s his proudest achievement in life), loves Paris.

As you get into planning your trip, you might find some of these other detailed guides we’ve written about Paris helpful.

• 4 Days in Paris: How to Plan an Amazing Paris Itinerary
• Wondering Where to Stay in Paris? Here are 6 Perfect Areas
• Gluten Free Paris: A Complete Guide for Celiacs
• A Coffee Nerd’s Guide to the Best Coffee in Paris
• Closing Time at the Louvre: Our Favorite Guided Tour of the Louvre

Matt is the founder and main writer behind Wheatless Wanderlust, which he started back in 2018 as a way to share his gluten free travel guides with his fellow Celiac travelers.

Since then, Matt and his wife Alysha have visited 18 national parks, spent three months in Europe and six weeks in Colombia, and have explored every corner of the Pacific Northwest, which is where Matt grew up.

He writes super detailed guides to the places they visit, bringing together personal experience and historical context to help YOU plan an amazing trip.

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An excellent Paris City Walk – Take Walks tour review

I love walking in Paris. Like many visitors to Paris, a Paris city walk on my list of favorite Paris things to do. So, when the great team at Take Walks suggested Mr FranceTravelPlanning and I join their Skip-the-Line Sainte-Chapelle, Seine Cruise & Medieval Quarter Tour walk, we both immediately said “sign us up!”

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my full disclosure

Our Paris City Walk

As always, Take Walks were very professional and gave us detailed instructions for joining the tour, complete with a photo of the location we needed to look for. Our Skip-the-Line Sainte-Chapelle, Seine Cruise & Medieval Quarter Tour started at 3pm, so if you are looking for somewhere to have lunch or a drink before the start of the tour, I recommend Le Louis Philippe, a traditional brasserie.

After a quick sign off and audio check we headed off with Avi, our American guide.

First up we headed towards Notre Dame while Avi told us about the early history of Paris. Where we were touring on this walk is the oldest part of the city, and while tribes lived on the the Ile St Louis, it was the Romans who established the island as their administrative centre.

At Notre Dame we had time to learn about the cathedral and see the restoration progress. We learned about gargoyles and how at Notre Dame most of them were nineteenth century additions (at the same time the spire was built). There was also time to ponder that 150 years of construction to build the original was decimated in just a few hours in April 2019. (The French government has recently announced the Cathedral should reopen, largely as planned, in late 2024.)

Next we headed across the charming Place Dauphin where locals picnicked and the boules players were engrossed in their games.

We were getting closer to what I hoped to be the highlight of our walk – Ste Chapelle, but first, it was the austere and quite poignant Conciergerie…….

The Conciergerie is famous for being where Marie-Antoinette was imprisoned during the Revolution. While most visitors to Paris will pass the Conciergerie and even look up on their map or guidebook to work out what it is, I’m always surprised that it is never particularly crowded.

On our tour of the Conciergerie learned about the history of the building and its various uses over the years, before passing through the museum section and its recreation of the prison cells. The museum section is quite small, but contains some interesting artifacts from the Revolution.

Despite having timed entry tickets, and it being late in the afternoon, there was a lengthy queue at Ste Chapelle for security. Avi was able to negotiate with the security guards to have us admitted quickly. After a quick comfort stop we were able to enter Ste Chapelle without queuing again for tickets.

Ste Chapelle is two storeys high – the lower level is still beautiful, but somewhat plainer than the stunning upper level. There is a gift shop on the lower level. Access to the upper level is via a steep spiral staircase.

Avi skillfully brought us to a quiet spot to tell us about the history and origins of Ste Chapelle. Originally built as a repository for religious relics, it is now used for music concerts. As the tour came to an end, Avi handed out our tickets for our cruise, so we could stay for as long as we liked, he left us with the thought that we were literally surrounded by the DNA of the craftsmen who created the gorgeous stained glass – the colours of the glass were made with their urine. Thanks for that thought Avi!

What I thought of our Skip-the-Line Sainte-Chapelle, Seine Cruise & Medieval Quarter Tour

This tour is a fun way to spend an afternoon in Paris. Even if you think you know Paris well, I am sure you will learn something new and learn to appreciate some very well known Paris landmarks in a different way.

While there is a bit of walking – and stairs at the Conciergerie and Ste Chapelle – the walking is quite easy going and at a leisurely pace.

We both enjoyed Avi’s guiding and found him to be knowledgeable and engaging. He was an excellent storyteller whose stories of the people – both famous and not so famous – really brought these buildings to life. Leaving us to enjoy Ste Chapelle at the end of the tour before allowing us to join our cruise at our leisure ensured we were able to take our time and linger just that bit longer in what is one the most breathtaking buildings in Europe – it really is a stunning jewel.

After the tour, rather than head off to our cruise immediately, we decided to have an early dinner on the Ile St-Louis at La Brasserie de L’Isle Saint Louis before our cruise.

You can find out more about this tour here >>

Author’s note: we were guests of Take Walks for this tour. We enjoyed this tour in September 2023 – the current version of this tour is slightly different so your exact experience may vary. As always, the opinions expressed in this Take Walks tour review are our own.

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LIVING THE DREAM

Take Walks Review – What All Walking Tours Should Be

Published by Jeremy . Last Updated on October 27, 2023.

Disclaimers : We were hosted for this experience. Our site uses demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links. Please check out our Terms and Conditions for more information. Listed prices and attraction details may have changed since our visit and initial publication.

During our several explorations of Italy, we were fortunate enough to take many walking tours as guests of Walks of Italy (now Take Walks)- one of the country's premier tour companies.

To date, we have taken six tours, in three regions/cities, featuring an array of topics from the historical, to culinary, and even a bit religious at the Vatican Museums.

In the end, we walked away with a fond appreciation for all things Italy (far more than I had from my first trip to the country), and over the years have realized that Take Walks puts out what we believe are the best walking tours we've ever experienced.

In this Take Walks review (formerly Walks of Italy), we wanted to highlight our favorite aspects of each of the tours we took to give you a better insight as to why we think that!

Disclaimer: We were given complimentary tours with Take Walks when traveling around the country.

Food Tour of Venice

When you think of Venice, your first thoughts are likely about the gorgeous canals and the historical buildings and  not the food. In fact, during my first visit to Venice I was pretty sure the food scene there was my least favorite in Italy.

But the thing about Venice's food scene is that it is somewhat hidden, and the best meals come from cicchetti bars that are, at times quite literally, holes in a wall.

During my second visit to Venice, Angie and I were fortunate enough to take a tour exploring the city's behind-the-scenes food scene and were opened up to a world we never knew existed.

Naturally, on my third trip a few years later you can imagine what I ate the whole time- cicchetti!

To check out more from our Cicchetti Bar tour of Venice , click the previous link to read our full review! To check out more about this tour at Take Walks, click here .

Food Tours of Florence

When it comes to the ultimate food city in Italy, it is hard to not put Florence in the running- the food scene here is delicious!

The thing we loved most about our food tour with Take Walks is that it hit just about every cross-section of food you'll find: fruit and veggie markets, meat markets, food stalls (where we tried the infamous lampredotto- delicious), to table wine shops, a restaurant stall for a meal, and finishing with gelato and coffee. (Yes, we were stuffed).

This tour was even better in that our guide was a trained Dante scholar, and would weave in tidbits about the famous poet wherever he could. Food and history all in one? Sign us up to do this one again and again and again.

To check out more from our Take Walks Florence food tour, click the previous link to read our full review! To check out more about this tour at Take Walks, click here .

Our second tour of Florence with Take Walks was an evening walking tour to take a deep dive into the history of one of the most interesting cities in Europe.

We were the only two on this particular tour and got to pepper our guide with many questions into one of our favorite cities.

Afterwards our guide invited us over to his apartment (complete with a postcard-worthy view of the Ponte Vecchio) and got us a table at his favorite restaurant to complete the night.

I can't say that's ever happened on a guided tour before this one!

To check out more about this tour at Take Walks, click here .

Tuscany Day Trip from Florence

The Tuscany Day Trip tour featuring San Gimignano, Siena, and a winery was our first truly full-day outing with Take Walks (and our first non-walking tour as well). This one was a monster 10-hour tour that hit two of my favorite villages that I visited on my previous trip to Florence as well as a multi-course meal and wine tasting.

Seeing these towns with a guide was a completely different perspective than visiting on my own with a car, as we got much more detailed insight into the history of San Gimignano and their historical towers (where wealthy citizens would try and out-do each other by building them taller) as well as the famous horse race in Siena to mention a few. We knew about these from our prior visit, but the added insight from our guide was truly appreciated.

Where the price on this one seems a bit high for visiting two towns and a winery, the vineyard visit is perhaps the highlight of the tour. Why? It is not a simple wine tasting. It is a multi-course meal and a wine tasting up and down the wine menu. By the end of the lunch, we had sampled about eight wines, tried vin santo, grappa, 12 and 20-year balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and paired it all with food.

I want to describe this one as a wine outing in Tuscany with stops in San Gimignano and Siena, but really that would do these two amazing cities a disservice as well- it really is a huge day out!

To check out more about this Take Walks tour, click here .

Markets and Pizza Making in Rome

Our first tour of Rome was a morning market tour with combination pizza making- satisfying all of our favorite activities in one shot.

On this tour we were able to get some behind-the-scenes looks at popular markets in Rome early in the morning just as they're getting busy for the day, including samplings of many stalls as well as trying some of the best pizza bianca we've ever had.

If that wasn't enough to get us stuffed, we went to a local pizzeria where we learned how to make pies the Italian way and ended up being able to eat our own creations when it was all said and done.

Now we make pizzas at home all the time, and look back on this tour with fond memories as being our cooking inspiration.

After Hours Vatican Museums in Rome

During our second tour in Rome, we were fortunate enough to take an after hours tour of the Vatican Museums.

I had done a self-guided tour of the Vatican Museums on a previous trip to Rome, so I knew a bit about what to expect. What I did not anticipate, however, was just how deep into the history of the Vatican our guide would go!

You see, as all guides are officially licensed and go to school for years to do this job, they know their stuff. Put them in a place full of history like the Vatican Museums and they truly let their expertise shine.

My only complaint about this tour was that you don't get to see all of the rooms like you would if you were exploring on your own (this is true of all after hours tours), but when the trade-off is a dive into the history of the rooms you do visit, well, I'll take that any day!

To check out more from our Vatican Tours at Night , click the previous link to read our full review! To check out more about this tour at Take Walks, click here .

Overall, we were impressed with Walks of Italy for a number of reasons. Their professionalism, unique walking tours, and overall value when looking at the costs puts them the top tier of walking tours we've done anywhere in the world .

Check them out for your next trip!

Looking for more Take Walks tour recommendations in Italy? Check out options like Day Trips from Rome: Tuscan Hilltowns, Castles & Vineyards , Pristine Sistine Early Entrance Tour , Pompeii Tour from Rome with Amalfi Coast , or Colosseum Tour with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill !

For frequently asked questions about Take Walks (formerly Walks of Italy), check out the following.

Has Walks of Italy's name changed?

Yes and no. Walks of Italy first started in Rome and has grown to offer tours throughout Italy as well in other countries. Their name is now simply Walks, but they also use Walks of Italy branding for their Italian tours.

What makes Walks of Italy different?

Walks of Italy is highly regarded for their quality tours run by highly educated experts in their fields. Many guides we've had are highly educated in local tourism and offered fascinating insights that we don't think we would've received otherwise.

Are all of the tours walking tours?

Most tours from Walks of Italy are walking in nature; however, they also have day tours that use vans to travel to nearby cities. Once you arrive, there are walking components therein.

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About Jeremy

About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 70+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.

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I will add my voice to the chorus of…

I will add my voice to the chorus of dismayed customers who requested a refund well before the date of the tour and who have been denied compensation since my first request on February 29, 2020. I have reached out to them repeatedly since that time and have not heard back. This is unprofessional and disappointing, and I urge you to avoid using their service.

Date of experience : May 21, 2021

Reply from Walks

Dear C Povernmire, Thank you for reaching out to us. We are terribly sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with us, and cannot apologize enough about it. Unfortunately when the pandemic hit we were taken by surprise and were not at all prepared for its consequences, especially the economical ones. We were at the peak of our business expansion, when all of a sudden we were forced to downsize considerably and let go most of our staff. It was something we were certainly not expecting. Everyone was affected by what happened, but tour operators were among the categories that suffered the most. The last thing we wished was to disappoint our customers and did all that was in our power to keep our word, but it was just impossible for us to refund everyone, as we honestly did not have sufficient funds. That's why we decided to issue future tour credits of a much higher value than what was originally spent as our first option. Many clients gladly accepted, and we are very grateful for their generosity and kind heart. As a matter of fact, we are still honoring them to this date as they are still a large percentage of our bookings. They allowed us to keep going and find the necessary resources to refund all those who did not accept our offer. There were some delays of course, and it took even months for us to process them, but it really was the most we could afford at the time. Again, we cannot apologize enough about what happened, but hope you understand the critical condition we were in. We would be very happy if you could give us a chance to make things right to you, so please contact us at [email protected]. We promise we will not disappoint you again. Sincerely, Gaia

Not only denied refund but denied use of the credit voucher they provided

As with other reviews, this company provided a credit voucher instead of refund. That said, I tried to book a tour through their website just to be denied. They state my credit (which is based on $$$ they kept of mine) could not be used because it’s a “partner” tour. No where on my credit does it have a stipulation. The credit states “ This credit can be used for any future service across our Walks destinations and is valid for 3 years.”. I’m booking a tour they offer through their website. Horrible service. Do not use this service. AVOID!! Update: Company replies to this review over 2 YEARS later. Yes, I did contact your customer service which informed me I couldn’t use my credit on a partner service. (I still have the emails of my contact in my sent file.) Stop trying to make excuses 2 years later. I tried through all resources to use my money and was denied.

Date of experience : January 21, 2021

Dear Mandy, Thank you for reaching out to us. I am very sorry you encountered difficulties redeeming your credit. Did you try doing so online and experienced a glitch perhaps? I am sure there are ways to overcome the partner tour issue by contacting our call center directly or writing to [email protected]. Please feel free to do so at any time, our staff will be glad to assist you. Looking forward to hearing from you. All the best, Gaia

Paris Ultimate Food Tour

Julia was a fabulous tour guide. She sprinkled in some history as we enjoyed delicious cuisine around Paris. Highly recommend!

Date of experience : January 17, 2023

Takewalks.com Venice

Susan of takewalks.com in Venice was excellent! She was very knowledgeable, entertaining and helpful. The walk made an excellent start to my holiday and I would highly recommend her. I was there on 19 March 2019. Joy

Date of experience : April 15, 2019

Dear Joy, Thank you so much for posting such a lovely review on our Venice tour with Susan, it really means the world to us. We hope the rest of your holiday was equally amazing and that you will have the chance to return again soon! Kind regards, Gaia

TakeWalks still awful!

More of the same. Avoid this company like the plague. If you happen to get connected with this company via a third party site. Cancel immediately and pick different tour.

Date of experience : October 05, 2021

Dear John, We are very sorry to read your opinion about our company. We are not accustomed to receive such harsh reviews, so your words makes us wonder what could have possibly happened to generate such a horrible opinion. We strive to provide our guests only with the best possible services, and heavily rely on their direct feedback to do so. Please reach out to us at [email protected] and give us the chance to make it up to you. We promise we will not disappoint you again. Looking forward to hearing from you! Sincerely, Gaia

Avoid this company. Worst company to ever deal with. They will lie and ripped you off.

Worst company to ever deal with. I have worked for over 10 years in hospitality industry and never ever have to face an agent which lie to a customer like this Take Walks. I booked a tour for Florence to Tuscany Day Trip and the tour cancel my trip on the day because I brought my baby without informed them. There were two guides promised me someone will call for a scheduling or probably refund as I prefer it on the day. Waited forever till now no one call me. Very bad management. Send email for a complaint and only respond is to fill up a feedback form what a joke. I really wish this company will go bankrupt. Until today they haven’t refund my money and no one give me a call for an apology. I surely will put as much as bad reviews to this company to make them loose more than I lost my money. DO NOT BOOK ANY TOUR TO THIS COMPANY. You will REGRET it!!!

Date of experience : May 13, 2023

Notre Dame / Saint Chapelle / Prison (Paris)

This was one of the best walking tours I have been on. Avi was full of knowledge on the sites we visited, he was extremely professional and personable. Well done!

Date of experience : July 10, 2019

Dear Peggy, Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are very happy to read you had such a lovely time on our Notre Dame tour with Avi, and hope you will have the opportunity to join us again in the future. Sincerely, Gaia

Walks Questionable Business Practices

In October, 2019, I booked and paid for two WalksofItaly (Walks LLC; takewalks)tours for my husband, myself, and another couple scheduled for April 19 and 20, 2020 in Rome. On March 17, 2020, I cancelled the two tours because the Government restricted travel due to Covid-19. Knowing Walks Cancellation Policy, I was confident I would receive a full refund. I even received confirmation on March 21, 2020, stating the tours had been cancelled and a refund would be issued as soon as possible to the original card on which the bookings had been made. To my surprise, almost a month later Walks reneged and did not process the refund as stated in their email or the first bullet point in the Cancellation Policy. Several emails back and forth did not resolve the missing refund. Finally, an email on May 19, containing Walks Travel Credit Vouchers arrived instead of the refund as promised. As a consequence of their business conduct and misleading statements in their cancellation policy, my friends and I have lost approximately $500.00. In contrast Viator, another company offering tours, immediately honored my request for a refund. In the future, I will book tours with Viator.

Date of experience : June 26, 2020

Dear Virginia, We are terribly sorry to read about your disappointment with our company. We strive to provide only the best possible experiences to our guests, and feel terrible on those rare occasions when we are not able to do so. First of all, I would like to apologize on behalf of the company for not issuing the refund immediately. Unfortunately during the pandemic we did experience long delays from this point of view, and always tried to offer tour credits for higher value when possible. In the end though, we always honored our word and refunded all those who did not accept this option. I am sure that by now your issue has already been solved, but if that's not the case, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you. Sincerely, Gaia

On holiday in Venice,went on a walking…

On holiday in Venice,went on a walking tour with our guide Nico.what a fantastic guide ge was and all the knowledge he had what a trip 5 stars for Nico and for the tour.

Date of experience : August 15, 2022

Dear Julie, Thank you for posting such lovely comments on our walking tour and our guide Nico. I hope your time in Venice was amazing, and that you will have the chance to join us again, perhaps in other locations, in the future. Looking forward to walking together again! Gaia

Guide did not turn up, company do not respond to emails

I booked an online walking tour of the Uffizi. I've done a few of these through Airbnb. It is a nice thing to do with my distant mother through lockdown. The walk just didn't happen. The guide did not turn up. I have emailed a couple of times but got nowhere. I strongly advise you not to pay this company money.

Date of experience : October 03, 2020

Dear Vicky Online, Thank you for reaching out to us. We are very sorry to hear you did not find our guide on your tour date, and can only imagine the disappointment! However, that is very strange as we always run our services unless there is an unexpected closure. Even then, we send a staff member to greet our customers and offer them all the available options. Could you have gone to the wrong spot or arrived late perhaps? Unfortunately the Uffizi tour is time sensitive as we have very strict reservations, so our guides cannot wait more than 5 minutes past tour departure. Again, we are sorry you missed our tour, as we are certain you would have had a great time. Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] with the confirmation email and any further detail you might be able to provide, and we will be glad to help you. All our best, Gaia

Niagara Falls boat and walking tour.

Our guide Gord was great. He really made our Niagara Falls experience a lot of fun. He was a wealth of information and really.made the tour fun. I would highly recommend taking the tour.

Date of experience : July 11, 2023

Horrible Customer Service

I cancelled a tour in March and I was told I would get a refund 6-8 weeks later. I heard last week that they are no longer giving refunds and it is nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone. I wouldn't use them again

Date of experience : July 24, 2020

Dear Casey, I apologize for what happened to you and for the delays you experienced receiving your refund. Our company suffered great losses during the pandemic and we were unable to refund all our guests in a timely manner. As a result, we tried offering future tour credits of higher value as a first option, and refund only those who did not accept. But it did take months for us to honor our word, it's true. It's not something we are proud of, but we beg you to forgive us as we had no other choice. We wish you all our best and hope that if you ever find yourself visiting any of the locations we serve, you will give us another chance. Sincerely, Gaia

Unethical business practices

I purchased my ticket from Get your guide, this company walks is the tour company associated, and after waiting an hour....I couldnt find the tour. I called twice, was transferred and put on hold, and was told the guide would find me. I was asked to give a description of my location and clothing, etc..I did all. I was at the entrance as they asked, I literally got sick standing in the sun from dehydration. I ended up missing the tour, even after all that and they told me call getyourguide and they can either reschedule or refund. I have been waiting 3 days, they got back to me today, and the story walks told them was completely false. They made up things that weren't true. They said I was late, not true, I was there 30 mins before the tour. They also said they told me I could ammend for a fee, not true, the person told me I could reschedule or get a refund. I said, refund, and he said I had to call getyourguide since I purchased from them. Contacted getyourguide and they have escalated again. It is a completely unethical business practice to first put someone through that, second they miss their tour and get sick, and now this company is lying to getyourguide. If you are reading this, and you are from Walks, stop lying. I have uber receipts of drop off, phone call records to you, and also I spoke to at least 3 staff members at the arc who also said they didn't see any tour company. I need a full refund.

Date of experience : June 01, 2023

Isolde was wonderful

Isolde was wonderful! Thank you so much!

Date of experience : June 01, 2024

Terrible company

Terrible company. I had to wait 3 months for a refund for my tours that I cancelled in April. No one would answer the phone or emails. Do Not use this tour company

Date of experience : July 10, 2020

Dear Linda, We are very sorry about what happened. Unfortunately we suffered great losses during the pandemic and had to cut most of our staff, which caused long delays. We do hope however that now that we have overcome the emergency and are able to travel once again, you will give us another try. Sincerely, Gaia

Take Walks Paris in a Day tour review

When you’re in ‘the city of light’ for a good time, not a long time, a Paris tour is the best way to make the most of your visit. I only had one day in Paris before joining a bus tour of France and was having trouble deciding what to do. I couldn’t choose between visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacré Coeur Basilica, Notre Dame, taking a Seine river cruise, exploring Montmartre, or simply strolling around the city. Doing a “Paris in a Day” tour with Take Walks was the answer to my prayers as I got to do all of these things in – you guessed it – one day! This tour meant I would be able to visit pretty much every major sight in Paris instead of having to pick just one or two places to see on my own.

While visiting all of these things in just nine hours might sound impossible it was actually pretty easy, not to mention a lot of fun. However, I doubt you would be able to manage it without a local who knows the shortcuts. The tour I did with Take Walks arranges the sights in a convenient order and includes metro transport, Skip the Line Access and an expert Parisian guide who shares interesting facts and stories along the way. Perhaps the most important thing is our guide Carolina also stopped us (ahem, that should probably read ‘me’ – I’ve got the worst sense of direction) from getting lost along the way.

Whenever  head out sightseeing I usually spend more time peering at my map and going the wrong way than I do enjoying the things I’ve come to see. Not getting lost while I was out and about meant that I could maximise my one day in Paris without wasting time. We met our Take Walks coordinator at the Anvers metro stop where she ticked off our names and handed out earpieces so we could hear what our guide would be saying with ease. She also introduced us to Carolina when she arrived. One thing that is very important to remember: you need to be on time for the tour as per your Take Walks meeting place instructions. These are easy to follow – even for someone like me who gets lost easily – but a couple of people still arrived 15 minutes after the tour was due to start. If you’re doing any kind of tour, it’s really important to be on time or early.

The Take Walks coordinator with the headsets had already left but luckily Carolina was able to call her to come back. The latecomers were very lucky as we were just about to leave and they nearly missed us all together. Our tour began with a walk to the base of Montmartre hill for a funicular ride to the beautiful Sacré Coeur Basilica. Carolina had us laughing while she ensured we crossed the road safely. “You’ve got to be careful when you’re crossing the road in Paris as the drivers only know two speeds: go and kill! Make sure you look the right way and then look again before you step out.”

We were lucky with the weather on the day I did my tour, with blue skies and stunning views. Getting to Sacré Coeur just after 9am also meant there were no crowds which was another bonus. The tour had just started but I was already glad that I had signed up. I had been to Sacré Coeur before but thought you had to pay to go inside as I mistook the security bag screening point for a ticket booth. I never would have seen inside the stunning basilica if it wasn’t for Carolina explaining there was no charge.

After spending time inside the basilica Carolina took us on a tour of Montmartre. Once again, this was a place I had visited before but Carolina made me see it in a whole new light. For example, I had always thought the outdoor artist studios in one of suburb’s best known squares were ‘touristy’ but it turned out famous artists had been selling their works here for hundreds of years.

These days there is a ten year wait list for one of these outdoor studio spots but they remain as affordable as they were back in the old days, albeit with a nod to inflation. It now costs just €300 or so to rent one of these prime spots for an entire year. Rather than being lured by a tourist trap, you’ll be following a tradition that dates back to the era of Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec if you buy something from one of these Montmartre artists. We also saw a historic vineyard in the heart of Montmartre, one of Paris’ original bistros, sculptures with a story to tell and a whole lot more.

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My favourite story during this part of the tour was about how a pet donkey who lived in Montmartre was used to trick the art critics at the prestigious Salon des Indépendants in the early 1900s. Many creative types, including author Roland Dorgelès, thought the critics were pretentious and knew nothing about art so he decided to prove it. He tied a paintbrush to Lolo the donkey’s tail and got it to ‘paint’ a picture called ‘Sunset Over the Adriatic’ which was attributed to a fictitious Genoese painter Joachim Raphaël Boronali. Imagine the embarrassment when the work earned such high praise from critics that it sold for 400 francs, a huge sum of money at the time.

Afterwards we stopped for coffee then caught the metro to Ile de la Cité to visit Notre Dame. As we were walking through the metro station Carolina explained something that I’d been wondering for years. “Why are the buskers at metro stations always so good?” She said these coveted busking spots are only available to authorised performers who have gone through a tough audition process. Only a small selection of buskers make it through which is why they’re always so great to listen to.

From Notre Dame it was a quick walk along the Seine to the Louvre Museum and the choice of a nearby restaurant, boulangerie, snack bar or even – shudder – McDonald’s for lunch. Lunch isn’t included in the tour but Carolina gave us excellent recommendations to suit every taste and budget. I was pleasantly surprised how good (and affordable) our lunch was at the bistro she recommended, especially given we were in a very touristy part of Paris.

And, unlike other tours I have been on, there was no kickback or freebie meals for the guide in exchange for sending people to certain restaurants. Carolina just recommended places that she personally liked then left us to make our own choice. After a Croque monsieur (which is the French version of a ham and cheese toastie), a glass of wine and some laughs with newfound friends from the tour we met Carolina and the rest of the group back at the Louvre for Skip the Line entry to the museum and tour of some of the most famous works.

I hadn’t been to the Louvre since 1988 so I was in for a surprise straight away. When excavations were being done for the glass pyramid (which wasn’t there when I visited) the foundations of an original 12th century fortress were incorporated into the new design. I really enjoyed strolling through this section of the museum, especially as I didn’t know the foundations were even there. I could have done with more time at the Louvre, but that’s only because I love art.

However, we did see plenty of highlights in the next hour or so such as paintings by French Romantics, sculptures by Michelangelo and Anthony Canova, and famous statues like the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This was one of my favourite artworks during my previous visit. I still loved it just as much 30 years later. Seeing the Mona Lisa again was great but also a bit of a shock.

While it has always been a must-see and the area in front of the iconic painting was busy even back in 1988, these days it is absolutely insane. I wasn’t brave enough to get any closer than what you can see in the photo below as I feared for my life. Some tourists were so desperate to get that all important selfie with the famous painting that it was downright scary. If nothing else, you’ve got to admire their determination.

After our visit to the Louvre we took the metro to Trocadero Plaza where we got some great photos of the Eiffel Tower. This is where we said goodbye to Carolina but not before she gave us our Skip The Line tickets to the Eiffel Tower and also tickets for a Seine River cruise. The good thing with the river cruise ticket is it is valid for several months so you don’t have to use it that afternoon if you’re feeling tired or the weather isn’t good.

There were several solo travellers on my Take Walks tour so we went up the Eiffel Tower together then headed to the river cruise dock to enjoy our sunset cruise. During the next hour we enjoyed stunning views of the Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame and some of the city’s most beautiful bridges. This was the perfect end to the tour but there was more fun to come.

After the cruise we decided to finish our ‘big day out’ in Paris with dinner at a traditional bistro with champagne, snails and a rather cute French waiter. My single day – and night – in Paris with Take Walks was ‘Magnifique!’ from start to finish. When you’re on a tour, you never know what wonderful experiences might happen along the way, even if they’re not advertised in the tour brochure.

Disclosure: The writer explored Paris as a guest of Take Walks and could not believe how much she managed to see in just one day. This post contains affiliate links which earn enough commission for a sip of Ruinart if you decide to book a tour after reading this post.

Are you visiting Paris during June, July or August? If so, you should read our tips for visiting Europe in peak season .

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase we will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Please click here to view our disclosure policy.

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Tiana Templeman

Dr Tiana Templeman is an award-winning food and travel journalist, travel author and media industry academic. She is the creator of The Travel Temple, writes for Australian and international media outlets and appears on radio talking about where to go, what to see and travel industry trends.

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Walks of Italy Review (and TakeWalks) – Our First-Hand Review + How to use it

Have you come across Walks of Italy? Saw it in a few reviews and recommendations? Are you having questions about it? Well, hello there new friend! You have come to the right page! We have joined several Walks of Italy tours in Athens, Rome, Venice, and Barcelona. We wrote this Review of Walks of Italy to share our genuine first-hand experience.

Important update : Before we kick off, please note that Walks of Italy is the same as Take Walks . The tour company started as Walks of Italy and then expanded to other European and worldwide destinations.

And you might be wondering, is Walks of Italy legit? Let’s cut to the chase: Yes, walks of Italy is great and a top option for your walking tours around the European cities.

In this article, we answer all your questions regarding Walks of Italy. Let us help you in understanding this platform in matters like how to use it, is it safe to use, and what are its advantages.

These are only some of the few that you might want to know. But we have more in store for you.

More answers to your questions and what’s best is we also give you discount vouchers for our readers. Yes, you read that right. Get discounts on your first or next booking in Walks of Italy.

May this review be useful to you and guide you to Walks of Italy.

It worked for us and we’re pretty sure it will work for you, too.

Just keep this in mind : Walks of Italy = Take Walks!

What is Walks of Italy?

• Advantages of using Walks of Italy
• How to use Walks of Italy
• Groups Bookings in Walks of Italy

Is it safe to use Walks of Italy?

• How to pay?
• Changes, cancellations, and refunds
• Is it worth to try Walks of Italy?
• Is Walk of Italy reliable?
• Walks of Italy discount code
• Extra: different tour companies compared

Important : We did not get paid to write this review. It is first-hand, genuine, and no bs. We have actually joined their tours many times. The first one was a food walking tour in Venice back in 2017 – yes, long time-users here!

Read: our favorite fun things to do in Venice

Overview: Best Walking Tours by Traveler Type

1. What is Walks of Italy?

Walks of Italy is a walking tour provider for many destinations around Italy, Europe, and the US by now. They offer day trips, walking tours, small group tours, food tours, and more – every single time with a professional and likable tour guide.

We joined their tours in Venice , Athens, Rome , and so on, and every time the tour guides have a high level of knowledge of their sights and city but at the same time, it’s always entertaining.

This is probably what I most enjoyed about it. It’s professional and casual at the same time, which makes it very easy to enjoy.

Let us quote from their website:

„Every exciting adventure, walking is always an essential part.“

That is why, Walks of Italy , is a tour provider where professional and well experienced local guides help you achieve and appreciate a specific place through walking tours and sightseeing tours.

With its slogan, “ Don’t take just any tour. Take walks. ”, the business started in 2008 with just two guys that provide wonderful walks in the Roman Colosseum.

And through the years of experience, they have expanded their service throughout Italy. Today, walking tours are available from Rome to Pompeii, Florence to Venice, and Milan to the Amalfi Coast.

All of which provides an exceptional variety of guided walks to ensure an amazing experience. Again, they expanded to other big cities around Europe such as Barcelona, Athens, and London.

What is more beautiful about Walks of Italy is that you can skip the long lines once you have booked your tours online. They will also answer your every inquiry about Italy even before your specific scheduled tour.

2. Advantages of using Walks of Italy

Walks of Italy have several advantages that makes them one of the best walking tours in Italy. Let us try to put them in a list.

2.1. Exclusive tickets and entrances

Walks of Italy provides exclusive tour and tickets that you can look forward to. Among these, here are a few listed below:

• Venice: Exclusive Alone In St. Mark’s & Doge’s Palace Tour
• Venice: Exclusive Alone In St. Mark’s Basilica After Hours
• Rome: VIP Key Master’s Tour: Open The Sistine Chapel
• Florence: VIP David & Duomo Tour

2.2. Professional and Casual enough to make it easy to enjoy

I said it before, it is one of the main reasons we keep attending their tours if available. I am not a huge fan of those „Wikipedia tours“, where they only smash knowledge on you and I understand 25% of what they are saying. Years, names of emperors, history… come on. I am really not a historian and 98% of the tourists do not understand the context.

This is why I really like Take Walks.

Update : This article is also a Takewalks.com review!

It is professional and relatable, easy to understand, and especially easy to enjoy. You can tell the guides really understand their group of visitors. They know what information will simply overwhelm them and what are the commonly asked questions.

Obviously, we did not attend every single walking tour but it’s our Take Walks experience of 4 tours.

2.3 No long queues

Once you have booked your ticket from their website or through their customer service, there will no longer be long queues for you.

You will receive a confirmation letter for your tour once the booking is done. But there will be no need to print since your name will automatically be included in the list. All you have to do is appear and attend your tour.

Check out their most popular tours below that might take your interests.

• Pompeii Tour from Rome with Amalfi Coast Drive
• Rome in a Day Tour: Including Vatican, Colosseum & Historic Center
• Best of Florence Walking Tour with David & the Duomo
• Sixtine Chapel early entrance small group
• VIP Colosseum Underground Tour with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
• Legendary Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica with Terraces & Doge’s Palace

2.4. Groups are limited to a certain number

I really enjoy smaller groups when talking on walking tours or pretty much any tour. A tour of like 35 people?… please, no!

I really liked from the beginning to see how many people can attend as a maximum. Normally, in the description you will see there are a maximum amount of attendants. Usually around 15.

2.5. Excellent Customer Service

Even when your tour is a few days away, customer service will always be happy to assist you with your questions.

Below are their phone numbers to get in touch with Walks of Italy/Take Walks:

• US (toll-free): +1-888-683-8670
• International: +1-202-684-6916
• UK: +44-845-591-6256
•  Paris: +33-176-36-0101
• Italy: +39-069-480-4888

Or you can drop them an email here info(at)walksofitaly.com .

2.6. Transactions are fast and easy

Why keep things complicated when you can them short and simple? And that’s what Walks of Italy offers. Booking tickets are fast and easy with just a few clicks away through their website, and just a few minutes through customer service.

Walks of Italy offers several payment methods you can choose from.

You pay with your credit cards like Visa, Master Card, Discover, or American Express. For now, they do not offer PayPal. You also cannot pay cash to the guide. You need to book and pay beforehand!

Yet, since you are reading this genuine review of Take Walks, you already know it is worth it.

To be fair, all the good service and paying method is nowadays nothing too special anymore. This is something we all take as granted by now, right?

2.7. Language

All tours are provided in the English language only. Walks of Italy does not offer multiple-language tours since they firmly don’t want you to wait for several languages to finish before you understand the guide.

Please keep this in mind: Looking for tours in your native language? You can always ask the official visitor center.

2.8. No printing needed

A confirmation letter will be sent to you via email once you have completed the booking. Although the confirmation letter isn’t necessarily needed for the tour since your name will be automatically listed with the guide.

However, they also encourage you to print if you find it useful since the confirmation letter comes with the meeting point directions, contact details, photos, and maps to help you get there easily.

Personally, I do not like to print out any confirmation letters. I have my Smartphone with me and that is it. Yet, we all know, Smartphones have batteries and in cities like Rome or Barcelona, a Smartphone could be gone fast… unfortunately.

This is really up to you!

On that note, I never got my Smartphone stolen while traveling. Take precautions, pick pocketing is a big thing in most tourist destinations.

2.9. All-inclusive offers

Tours at Walks of Italy offers popular “ all inclusive ” tours.

All-inclusive tours mean you can leave your cash and wallet at your hotel. This means that other expenses like tickets, reservations, and entrance fees are all taken care of and all you have to do is enjoy the tour.

Note: You can still bring cash if you want to especially when you want to tip the guide or you saw something nice to buy along the tour.

2.10. All-in-one Tours

We have mentioned already the exclusive entry tickets. This what makes Walks of Italy very special and unique. They also offer all-in-one tours.

You only have 24 hours in Florence? Then join their Florence in 1 Day Tour. It covers ALL you need to see in this beautiful city. Or you can choose Rome Tour that you like the most.

These tours last more than 6 hours and if you really only have limited time, it’s the perfect way to go. Check out their full-day tours. Most of them even cover lunch.

3. How to use Walks of Italy

Just like we have mentioned earlier, booking is very fast and easy. Follow these easy steps and your good to go.

• Go to Walks of Italy website. https://www.walksofitaly.com
• Select the destination you are visiting
• Choose your desired tour
• Fill up details and book
• You will receive a confirmation letter via email
• Enjoy the amazing tour of your chosen schedule!

While on the other hand booking via customer service is just a call away.

• Call customer service
• You will be asked what to book and payment methods to pay
• Then will receive a confirmation letter via email
• And enjoy the amazing tour of your chosen schedule!

Again, all booking process is very fast and easy. You don’t need to do much. Booking is just a few ticks of your finger.

Their website itself is very user friendly with each tour divided into each specific place. You can also tick on specific categories to see the tour you are looking for.

When having doubts, they also have a live chat on the website so you can ask instantly to the customer service.

They also provide details of the tour which can help you decide better. Specific details like duration, available times, highlights, and description can also be found in each tour. Videos and photos are also available for your reference.

4. Group Bookings in Walks of Italy

If you are traveling in a group, Walks of Italy has options for you. They accept group bookings up to 11 or more (never more than 14).

And the good news is, it’s the same process with booking yourself. All you have to do is choose how many people are in your group.

They also provide private tours that can be perfect for traveling groups. So yes, Walks of Italy also offers private group tours.

Note: Just make sure that you and each member of your group have valid IDs on your tour. Discounts given to certain ages and student status will be particularly asked to provide valid photo IDs.

5. Is it safe to use Walks of Italy?

We have been a regular customer of Walks of Italy ever since and we love their tours. And with our experience, it is very safe to use; both with their website and to join their tours.

And let’s not ignore the fact that it has been recommended by prominent people and groups like:

• Rick Steves,
• The Daily Telegraph

They have also received the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence in 2011 and have been yearly awarded since then with numerous numbers of 5-star reviews.

6. How to pay?

Walks of Italy is able to accept the following payment methods that you can choose from:

• American Express
• and Paypal (they are currently not accepting Paypal)

As per their payment information, the tour will only be reserved upon full payment in advance of the tour.

“Your payment will be processed by Walks LLC (A Delaware Limited Liability Company), the bookings and payment processor for WalksofItaly.com. Your payment will be noted on your card as WALKS ITALY *TRAVEL SVC /WALKS LLC.”

7. Changes, cancellations, and refunds

All cancellations can be emailed to [email protected] or via call From the US (toll-free): +1-888-683-8670 International: +1-202-684-6916.

Walks of Italy offers a 100% refund if cancellation is done 72 hours BEFORE the tour. We have emphasized the word before since all cancellations within and exceeding the 72 hours will no longer be accepted.

However, they can reschedule you for another tour which is all subject to availability and price changes.

Also, Walks of Italy does not accept late arrivals or no shows. Being so, they do not honor refunds to such. You are strongly advised to be at the meeting place 15 minutes before your scheduled time on the voucher. Tours stick precisely on the scheduled tour time.

But if for some reason that you will be late, like having a hard time finding the meeting point or you have been delayed, you must call their emergency numbers which we have listed below. Please note that these numbers are only for emergencies and not for customer service.

Walks of Italy offers excellent customer support and service around the clock. Feel free to contact them for any inquiries or questions regarding tours and policies.

You can check their contact numbers back at point 2 .

9. Is it worth to try Walks of Italy/ TakeWalks?

As regular customers of this platform, we definitely say yes .

If you want a great guided tour for your sightseeing around Italy, TakeWallks is a top choice.

Today, you will find plenty of walking tours on the internet. Too many actually that you will have a hard time choosing. But of course, we have to stick with those which are proven and tested by many and those which offer a reasonable price.

Walks of Italy offers excellent guided walking tours that will guarantee you an amazing experience. Plus, you can skip the long waiting ques. Not to mention the different and easy payment methods you can choose from.

10. Is Take Walks reliable?

Yes, TakeWalsk is reliable. We never had any issue booking or the tour itself.

However, the reliability of Walks of Italy very much depends on individual experiences and the type of activities you want to book.

How to get an accurate feeling of the tour you wanna join? Read the reviews. Read 3-4 reviews for the activities you are interested in to make sure the book is what you are looking for.

11. Walks of Italy Discount Code

At the moment, we do not have a discount code or promo code for Walks of Italy available.

This article is always up to date. As soon as a promo code is available, we will publish it here. Bookmark this page to stay up to date.

12. All Travel Booking compared

Here is a brief breakdown of other sites to give you the chance to compare.

• GetYourGuide
• Airbnb Experiences

12.1. Viator

A well established booking site which happens to be owned by TripAdvisor.

Viator offers access to a total of 200,000 activities, so you won’t be short on things to do.

There is an extensive filter option on this site which means you will easily be able to find something for you.

12.2. Tiqets

Tiqets is another activity booking site with plenty of good options to choose from around the world. Here is a complete Tiqets review .

12.3. Klook

A great activity booking platform with special focus on Asian countries.

Unfortunately, there aren’t as many options for Europe, which means less choices for the same attraction and less reviews.

12.4. Get Your Guide

GetYourGuide another popular choice when it comes to booking activities for your holiday.

Read our Get Your Guide review here .

12.5. Airbnb Experiences

Airbnb was originally created to give you the chance to stay with the locals. Right now, they offer also activities and experiences given by local people – with local insights and perspectives.

Airbnb Experiences includes, theoretically, less generic tour companies, and more unique experiences with a personalized touch.

In my opinion, I would no longer join Airbnb experiences. It lost its touch. Take Walks is much better, in my opinion, and they stick to their small group policy.

Summary: Walks of Italy

In summary, Walks of Italy is definitely worth the try. We highly recommend it to all tourists and travelers who want to explore Europe and other parts of the world.

Their professional and amazing tour guides are truly a massive plus. They provide excellent details of each specific place that you visit which you won’t find in books. We also love their stories that add life to the tour. They will not overwhelm you just to sound fancy.

Walks are amazing because we have the time to enjoy every moment of the place. Learning and exploring places we want to see. And sometimes, just like they say, it is good to stop and smell the flowers.

Over to you

Did you join any of the tours? Have you had a bad or good experience with Take Walks? Is there anything you still want o know?

Then please, hit the comment section. We would love to hear from you. Your comments, your feedback, and your questions will make this article and guide even more useful for all fellow travelers.

Safe travels!

Below we list all the frequently asked questions. Have a look.

Is Walks of Italy legitimate?

Yes, walks of Italy is great and a top option for your walking tours around the European cities.

Walks of Italy is a walking tour provider for many destinations around Italy, Europe, and the US by now. They offer day trips, walking tours, food tours, and more – every single time with a professional and likable tour guide.

Is Take Walks the same as Walks of Italy?

Take Walks is the same as Walks of Italy. The tour company started as Walks of Italy and then expanded to other European and worldwide destinations

How to use Walks of Italy?

Booking is very fast and easy. We explained everything here .

How long does the walking tour last?

It all depends on which tour you choose. On the Take Walks website , you have an information for the duration of each tour, so you can choose what suits you best.

Can you walk all of venice?

Venice is small. It is possible to visit the City of Venice entirely on foot, but you have to know that there are obstacles to this that makes some use of water transport desirable. Venice is a collection of islands with the main City of Venice on two islands divided by the Grand Canal.

Can you just walk around Rome?

In the City of Rome, walking is by far the best way to explore the city. That s why "Walks of Italy" have a couple of Rome Tours available to choose for this city.

Can you walk Florence?

Florence's historical center is small and thus perfect for exploring on foot! "Walks of Italy" have a couple of florence tours for you.

More useful guides to travel Europe

Besides these top things to do in Europe, we have written more useful guides for you:

• Best travel websites for Europe
• Vrbo – the better alternative to Airbnb? Read my full review of Vrbo
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Actually, their customer service is terrible. Their cancelation policy clearly states they provide a full refund for cancelations made 72 hours prior to your tour. This is simply not true, as I contacted them well in advance and they have made it clear I will not be refunded. I had no problem receiving a refund from Viator. You can check other reviews on Trip Advisor for similar experiences.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Karrie! Sorry to hear that!

Do not book with WALKS. They do not stand behind their cancelation policy. They will not refund to our group of 11. We lost $1400.00. We canceled 60 days before tours and Rome was closed to travelers.

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Chicago Gangsters and Ghosts Tour Review: A Hauntingly Good Time

I recently had the opportunity to take the Chicago Gangsters and Ghosts Tour, and I must say, it was an experience unlike any other. The tour takes you on a journey through the city’s dark and mysterious past, where you’ll learn about infamous gangsters and their gruesome crimes, as well as the haunted locations where their spirits are said to still roam.

I recommend this tour for anyone who is interested in the history and dark side of Chicago.

The tour begins in the heart of downtown Chicago, where you’ll wait at the meeting point to be greeted by your knowledgeable guide. From there, you’ll be taken to various locations throughout the city, each with its own unique history and chilling tales.

You’ll visit the site of the SS Eastland, where more people died from a sunken ship than the Titanic as well as a few hidden gems from the prohibition era.

Chicago Gangsters and Ghosts Walking Tour

What others are saying:

“We had a wonderful time on this walking tour and learned so much about Chicago.” “It was fantastic!”

( read more reviews )

Throughout the tour, your guide will share fascinating stories and insights into Chicago’s gangster past, as well as the paranormal activity that is said to occur in some of the city’s most haunted locations.

The tour is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re a fan of true crime and the supernatural, it’s an experience you won’t want to miss.

Tour Review

As a local, I’m always up for exploring a tour first hand to give an opinion from the perspective of someone who is familiar with the city and its history.

As a reviewer, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. The tour is a unique way to explore the city’s darker history and learn about the notorious gangsters who once ruled the streets of Chicago.

This tour has 5-star rating and has been frequented and reviewed by over 6,000 visitors – and there’s a reason why!

Historical Significance

The tour is a great way to learn about the historical significance of Chicago’s gangsters and their impact on the city.

The tour guide provided a wealth of information about the city’s past, the humble beginnings of Al Capone, the Prohibition era, the rise of organized crime, and its influence on city governance.

Born in 1899 to Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York, Capone’s rise to fame was emblematic of the social and economic problems of the early 20th century.

Capone’s move to Chicago in 1919 coincided with the dawn of Prohibition, a nationwide constitutional ban on alcohol production, importation, transportation, and sale.

Under the tutelage of Johnny Torrio, Capone learned the intricacies of racketeering and political corruption.

The transfer of power from Torrio to Capone in 1925 marked a significant shift in Chicago’s underworld, ushering in an era of unprecedented violence and sophistication in organized crime.

The Beer Wars of the late 1920s were a struggle for power, territory, and wealth that played out in the modernization of America. Capone’s eventual downfall in 1931, brought about by federal prosecutors using tax evasion.

One would argue that gang activity that prevailed through the years is why people question safety in Chicago .

Al Capone died in 1947 and is buried in Hillside, a suburb located 30 minutes west of the Loop.

Tour Itinerary Highlights

Our tour started near the Chicago Riverwalk, where guests are greeted for check-in. There were a lot of people who signed up for the tour because our group was at capacity, and we left 30 minutes before the start time.

We took a stroll at the Riverwalk where you can find lots of restaurants and activities. Then we walked through the Loop and saw the Chicago Theater, Couch Place (The Alley of Death), Daley Plaza, the Palmer House, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the south end of the Loop.

Check tickets for the Chicago Gangsters and Ghosts Walking Tour

The tour also covers the ghostly legends and tales that have haunted the city for years. There were several stories that I had never heard before. The tales of H.H. Holmes were fascinating as well as the recount of other spine-chilling murders in Chicago .

Duration and Accessibility

The tour lasts approximately two hours and covers around 2.5 miles.

The tour is accessible to most individuals, although some of it may be challenging for those with mobility issues. We used stairs once to access the Riverwalk. This tour is not recommended for those who need a wheelchair.

The tour is suitable for individuals of all ages, although the narration of murdered children may not be suitable for the little ones.

Overall, the Chicago Gangsters and Ghosts Tour is informative, entertaining, and provides a unique perspective on the city’s past.

Engagement, Educational, and Entertainment Value

The tour was both engaging and entertaining. The guide kept the group interested and involved throughout the entire tour.

The tour also included a few surprises, such as a visit to a haunted hotel. The stories piqued our imagination and added to the entertainment value. I felt that the tour was well-paced and kept my attention the entire time.

The tour provided a lot of educational content about Chicago’s gangsters and their impact on the city. I felt that the tour was informative and provided a good overview of the topic.

Final Thoughts on the Chicago Gangsters and Ghosts Tour

I found the tour guides to be knowledgeable and engaging. They were able to provide detailed information about the history of Chicago’s gangsters and their impact on the city. The guide stood ready to answer questions and provide additional information when requested.

This tour is a great way to see the city as it transitions from day to night. The views at the last stop are stunning and your guide will help with photos. We didn’t go inside the last haunted hotel (Congress Plaza), but if you are looking for one more gorgeous place for night photos, head walk over to Buckingham Fountain (eastward) between May and September.

Overall, I felt that the tour provided good value for money. It was reasonably priced and provided a lot of educational content and entertainment value. I highly recommend this tour.

Until I see you around the Windy City, safe travel!

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Walks will not refund money for a tour that I had to cancel.

I booked a Tour for a trip to Rome in October. I then had to cancel the tour. Walks accepted my cancelled tour and said it would refund my payment of over $1800. The refund has never been received. I have been emailing Walks since June 27th and on the phone with customer service for the past 4 days. Every person I speak with has a reason/excuse why I have not received my refund. It seems Walks makes it next to impossible to receive a refund. Buyer Beware of booking a tour with this company.

Date of experience : 12 July 2024

Two tours in Rome

We did two separate tours in Rome italy. One was the colosseum and the other the Vatican. We had a different tour guide for each. I will say we were very impressed with both. The knowledge and experience of both guides was amazing. Both were personable, prompt, warm and engaging. My wife and I cannot say enough about our experience w takewalks.com and will definitely use their services in the future.

Date of experience : 10 February 2024

Vatican Visit Heartbreak

One of the WORST customer service experiences EVER. We looked forward to our tour of The Vatican for months. Showed up early to the designated meet up spot, early. We waited and waited for some sort of greeting or sign from our “guide”…Nothing. Then out of the blue, a group of folks (who weren’t part of those waiting) magically had been greeted and stickered to start the tour. The guide said they ran out of tickets and we were out of luck. Wait…what? They had no remorse, no alternative and were little to no assistance. There was much more that occurred next..but not worth the share. Suffice it to say.. some folks got really really irate. We were left to figure out what to do, on our own..which is tough given that The Vatican ticket line was a five hour wait. STAY AWAY from this tour group.

Date of experience : 10 May 2024

Venice walking tour plus gondola ride

This walk was fantastic! The guide, Alessandro, made the history of Venice come alive with his enthusiasm and knowledge. He made links throughout the tour between historic people, significant buildings and famous sites of Venice. Great value for $, and thr gondola ride was the icing on this Venetian torta!

Date of experience : 04 June 2023

Fantastic tour and guide.

We had an amazing, passionate, personable and knowledgeable guide in Mosè. It was great to hear historical points ts about the sites we visited. It was a huge time saver to skip the lines at the Doge's Palace and S Marco Cathedral. Also enjoyed the 30 minute gondola ride. Thank you, Mosè for a beautiful time. Would definitely recommend.

Date of experience : 15 April 2023

English tour Venice - guide barely spoke English

Booked an English speaking tour in Venice. Over $400 Australian. Arrived for tour only to be put with a guide who could barely speak English. Kept repeating the same three words like “this is area of parliament” then she would stop and go “um, ah, this is seat of parliament, anyhow we go” then walked off. No explanation of what we were looking at. We stayed for a few minutes and left. Returned our radios and told the tour operator on site that we wanted a refund. Contacted Viator and the tour operator who have refused a refund. Will not use either company again.

Date of experience : 14 June 2023

Venice 2023

This tour was well worth the money. Our guide Elena was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, she really made the experience unforgettable. We were allowed into the Doge's Palace an hour before the General public which meant that we could take photos without people crowded in them, as well as appreciate the grandeur without feeling rushed. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Venice, it was a highlight of my trip!

Date of experience : 13 April 2023

Still Waiting for refund - Niagara Falls Afternoon Boat & Journey Behind the Falls Tour

Part of the tour had to be canceled due to a technical issue. This is unfortunate, but can happen. What must not happen is that the tour is not reimbursed pro rata. No response whatsoever to the promised refund other than a text message with a brief apology. We would not book again.

Date of experience : 05 July 2023

Alessandro was perfection

Alessandro was perfection! What an amazing tour of the alone after hours tour of St. Marks Basilica. First, seeing this at night with limited amount of people (I think there were 4 other groups) was truly exceptional. Second, seeing it at night was truly magical. I don’t want to ruin any of the surprises but it will leave you in awe. Third, Alessandro! He was exceptional and everyone in his group could tell he is truly passionate about Venice. He is a wealth of knowledge and makes the tour exciting and magical. Highly recommend this tour and Walks Tours!

Date of experience : 10 June 2023

Like many others have suggested

Like many others have suggested, this company refuses to honor their cancelation policy. The website clearly states they will provide a full refund for cancelations made 72 hours prior to the tour. This is simply not true. I gave appropriate notice and am being told they will only give me a voucher. Would not use this company again. I had booked other tours with other companies such as viator and received my refunds without a problem.

Date of experience : 31 August 2020

Reply from Walks

Dear Karrie, We are terribly sorry to read how disappointed you were with us! We have always honored our policies and still have very flexible cancellations, but unfortunately our company suffered great losses during the pandemic and we were the first ones not be refunded hefty operational costs we had already sustained to offer the services(cancelled tickets and premium reservation fees are only some examples). As a result, the only thing we could do at the time was offer tour credits for values much higher than what had been originally paid as a first option, and refund only those who did not accept. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, the refunds were not processed in a timely manner, and sometimes it took months for us to credit the money back. But we did honor our word in the end, even though there were some delays. Again, we are terribly sorry about what happened, but beg you to understand the "emergency" we were under. We also hope that if you ever find yourself visiting any of our destinations, you will take up on our offer and give us another try. Kindest regards, Gaia

Great tours, great company

Takewalks went through a lot during the pandemic as did all travel agencies. However, they pulled through and actually honored my future travel credit last September. I went to Italy and could not have been more impressed with the expert guides and amazing experiences. I am grateful for the follow up that I received after posting an uncomplimentary review - they made it right and went above and beyond.

Date of experience : 01 June 2022

Dear Wendy, Thank you for posting such honest feedback on our page. We work very hard to ensure the success of all our tours and strive to provide only the best possible service to our guests, so we are very sorry to hear about your experience. Our call centers are open around the clock to accommodate all time zones, so we are very surprised to hear you had so much trouble reaching us. Perhaps it was during the time we were updating our systems and call centers? That is certainly no excuse, but I believe it to be the only possible explanation. That said, we pride ourselves in always honoring our word and putting the customer first, so we would be very grateful if you could give us the opportunity to make it up to you. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] referencing this conversation at any time and we will be more than happy to do anything in our power to make things right. Again, we cannot apologize enough for all the inconvenience we have caused you, but look forward to make amends and change your opinion of our company. Looking forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Gaia

Where is my refund?!

Sigh, like others here, I am having the same refund headaches. On 12/28/19 I booked a tour out of Florence with takewalks.com for October 2020 and prepaid in full as required. Due to the pandemic I decided to cancel the tour. On 06/11/20 I completed their cancellation form and emailed it to them. They acknowledged receipt of same by email that day. Per their cancellation policy, I am entitled to a full refund. However, I have not heard a word since I canceled despite several followup emails inquiring about the status of the refund. I am now contacting my credit card company to dispute the charge.

Date of experience : 02 September 2020

Dear D Davis, Thank you for posting on our page. We rely on our guests' s direct experiences to monitor our services, and are always grateful for their comments, especially negative ones, as they help us improve the most. First of all, let me apologize on the company's behalf for not issuing a refund for your tour immediately, even though you were well inside our cancellation policy. That is not something we are proud of, I can assure you. Unfortunately we were not at all prepared for a pandemic and its economical consequences. We had just expanded the business to include many new markets, when everything "crumbled". Many businesses were affected, but our category was among those who suffered the most. We pride ourselves in always putting the customer first, but we simply did not have the necessary funds for all our guests. That unfortunately is the honest truth. That's why we decided to offer future tour credits of a much higher value than what was originally spent as our first option, and refund only when necessary. This of course caused many delays, also because we had to cut down costs and were understaffed but eventually we did honor our word and refunded all those who did not accept the credit. We understand that was not great customer service, but it really was the most we could afford at the time. Again, we cannot apologize enough about what happened, but hope you understand the critical condition we were in. We would be very happy if you could give us a chance to make things right to you, so please contact us at [email protected]. We promise we will not disappoint you again! Sincerely, Gaia

Alessandro Venice

Alessandro, our tour guide, was amazing. He was personable and so passionate. His knowledge of Venice was unbelievable. We had an amazing experience on the VIP tour when visiting The Doge’s Palace (secret itineraries) and Basilica. Would highly recommend it

Date of experience : 22 April 2023

Dear Gillian, Thank you for choosing our VIP tour of The Doge’s Palace and Basilica in Venice, and for sharing your positive experience with us. We are thrilled to hear that you had an amazing time on the tour and that Alessandro, your guide, made the experience even more memorable. We take pride in our knowledgeable and personable guides, and we are pleased to hear that Alessandro's passion for Venice and his incredible knowledge of the city left a lasting impression on you. We agree that the secret itineraries of The Doge's Palace and the Basilica are truly fascinating and provide a unique glimpse into Venice's rich history and culture. Thank you for recommending our VIP tour, and for your kind words about Alessandro's outstanding performance as a guide. We appreciate your business and hope to welcome you back on another one of our tours in the future. Sincerely, Jhonas. Walks and Devour Tours.

Did the Dublin in a Day walking tour - Just WOW

Did the Dublin in a Day: Book of Kells, Guinness Brewery, Distillery & Castle with my girlfriend. It was fabulous. The guide, Brian M, was fantastic. The level of knowledge he had about everything Ireland was superior. He made the tour so beyond great. My girlfriend and I was super pleased and so were the gents we ended up touring with. The six highlights of the tour were all one could want to see of Ireland. It was thought through and well planned. Missed all the queues, lines and crowds. Just absolutely fantastic.

Date of experience : 17 June 2023

Our family of six

Our family of six, including two children, took a tour of London with Nick. He was the best tour guide I have had. He knows so much about the area and has a very genuine personality. He gave special attention to our grandchildren and made sure they were included.

Date of experience : 03 September 2022

Dear Shirley, Thank you so much for reviewing our London tour with Nick. We are thrilled to hear you had such an amazing time together and that he was able to engage your grandchildren by paying special attention to them:). We hope the rest of your holiday was equally lovely and that you will "take more walks" with us in the future. All the best, Gaia

Unprofessional and untrustworthy!

Although they seemed very professional at first, they did not honour their cancellation and refund policy. I cancelled more than a month before my tour for the Vatican and even though their policy clearly states that they would refund any cancellation that was made more than 72 hours before the tour, and they emailed me saying that they would process the refund, it has been one month after the tour and they haven’t refunded anything to date. Stay away from this company, it’s not trustworthy at all! Book via trusted website or you will lose your money. Very disappointed!

Date of experience : 09 July 2020

Dear Christina, We are very sorry to read about your experience with our company. We cannot apologize enough for our delay refunding you, but please believe us when we tell you it was completely out of our control. When Covid hit we were flooded with refund requests and just did not have enough funds for all our clients, which is why it took so long. We are not proud of this, but we had no other choice. We do hope however that if you ever find yourself in any location we serve, you will give as another try and take one of our tours. We are certain we will not disappoint you again. All our best, Gaia

Our tour guide

Our tour guide, Maria c. 10, guided us on a tour of the islands, and a wine tasting, and glass blowing experience all by water ferry. She was kind and sweet and knowledgeable and it was last minute because the person supposed to take us on the tour did not show up. We had a good time and a few good laughs and enjoy the tour very much. The tour was right on schedule.

Date of experience : 21 May 2023

Honesty and integrity is out the window for Walks of Italy

First and foremost everyone needs to know that this company, specifically Walks of Italy, is impossible to deal with. You can't talk to anyone and when you write an e-mail they take their sweet old time in getting back to you and then they continue to put you off. They clearly state that they have a liberal cancellation and refund policy as long as you cancel prior to 72 hours in advance. I cancelled almost 4 months in advance, they continually put me off saying that they had plenty of time to process my cancellation request and ultimately they refused to provide a refund. This company should be on everyone's "do not call list". They are not truthful, you cannot trust anything they say, and they do not honor their commitments.

Date of experience : 28 August 2020

Dear Lawrence, Thank you for reaching out to us. We strive to provide only the best possible experiences to our guests and feel terrible when we are not able to do so, like in your case. I am sure that by now the issue has been solved, but I would like to apologize for the delays you experienced to receive your refund back in 2020. The pandemic really hit us bad and we were flooded with refund requests and no income, so we had to let go most of our staff. That's one of the reasons we took our "sweet time" getting back to you. From a company of over 100 employees we became less than 20 in just 2 weeks. It was not easy. Nor was it simple for us to find all the funds for our clients, as we had incurred costs as well, which in turn had not been refunded. But we did manage in the end, although many of you had to wait a long time, which we are not proud of. Please believe us when we tell you this is not how we usually operate, and wish that if you ever get the chance, you will give us another try, as I can guarantee you will not be disappointed again. All the best, Gaia

Did the Louvre tour with Adam…

Did the Louvre tour with Adam yesterday. What an amazing experience! Super friendly, knowledgeable and fun. Got to see the Mona Lisa up close and personal however I discovered the Louvre is more than just this one piece. Thank you Adam!!

Date of experience : 13 March 2022

Dear Ben, Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are glad to hear you had such a great time at the Louvre with Adam, and found him to be knowledgeable and fun, as that is exactly how we want our guides to be! We hope you had a wonderful time in beautiful Paris and that you will have the chance to join us again, perhaps in other locations, in the future. All our best, Gaia

Venice in a Day - a piece of heaven

Venice in a Day was like a dream come true. My best friend and I had to keep checking that it was actually real! A lovely experience made better by our friendly and very knowledgeable guide, Alessandro. I would recommend the tour very highly.

Date of experience : 11 September 2023

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Ossipee Valley Fair, Moxie Festival and more happening this weekend

The Maine International Film Festival starts Friday in Waterville.

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Now that we’re all comfortably settled into the rhythm of summer, let’s do a classic summer thing and go to a fair!

Jeremy Schoff of York leads his oxen, Pete and Red, during the ox pull on Thursday at the Ossippe Valley Fair in 2021. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

The Ossipee Valley Fair starts today and runs through Sunday. We especially love the Farmer Olympics because the hay bale toss and blind wheelbarrow obstacle course competition is fierce. Ray Routhier has details about Ossipee Valley and several others fairs happening this summer in Bangor, Waterville and Acton, among other locales.

Go a little farther afield and find a Maine summer fair for you

Aretha Aoki & Ryan MacDonald (right, in bear suit) performing IzumonookunI (stet capital letter at the end). Aretha Aoki & Ryan MacDonald will be bringing this dance program to the Bates Dance Festival July 12 and 14, 2024 at the Schaeffer Theatre on the Bates College campus in Lewiston, Maine. Photo by Colin Kelly

Another summer tradition is the Bates Dates Festival in Lewiston . Performances are underway, and arts writer Megan Gray has the scoop on “IzumonookunI” by Aretha Aoki and Ryan MacDonald. See it tonight and Saturday.

Topsham couple’s Bates Dance Festival performance is inspired by kabuki, punk rock and their 7-year-old

Big Yellow Taxi. Photo by Julian Parker Burns

I’m headed to One Longfellow Square on Friday night to see the Massachusetts-based Joni Mitchell tribute band Big Yellow Taxi. They’ll be playing Mitchell’s 1974 album “Court and Spark,” along with other tunes.

Tribute to Joni Mitchell celebrates 50 years of ‘Court and Spark’

“3 Vendors of Ipanema” is directed by Lewiston native Jonathan S. Lee. Courtesy of JSL Films

We weren’t kidding when we said there’s a lot going on right now. The 27th annual Maine International Film Festival starts on Friday and runs through July 21 in Waterville. Our film writer, Dennis Perkins, offers up his picks for 12 screenings worth your while.

12 hidden gems of this year’s Maine International Film Festival

Spectators watching a previous year’s Moxie Festival Parade in Lisbon Falls. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Our weekly events roundup includes the East Bayside block party in Portland and the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls. Should you make it to the festival on Saturday, don’t miss “American Idol” alum Julia Gagnon singing at 1:30 p.m.

Kennebunks garden tour, Moxie Festival, East Bayside block party

One with Everything from Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs. Photo by Ray Routhier

Need a break from standard-issue hot dogs? We love them too, but sometimes a new twist is just what your taste buds need. Ray Routhier stopped by Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs cart . If you like what you read, you can find it parked from 4-9 p.m. Thursday at Apres in Portland, then on the roof of Bayside Bowl on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Sick of red snappers? Try an Icelandic hot dog instead

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Walks began life as the passion project of two guys with one simple mission: To share their love for, and knowledge of, the city of Rome. Since then, Walks has grown into a team of over 100 ground staff, operating in 22 destinations across Europe and North America with a team of over 600 expert tour guides.

Today we provide some of the most exclusive and beautifully designed small group tours in the industry through Italy-based Walks of Italy, and around the world at Walks, where we offer special access to some of the world’s most iconic landmarks and attractions as well as unique cultural experiences.

The Walks Philosophy

Our philosophy is simple: We believe the best way to travel is to take walks.

Every city has a story to tell - but you won't hear it on a tour bus! The only way to truly understand a place is to explore it at street level; meet people, take shortcuts, hear stories... And that's exactly what we do at Walks.

Our intimate tours are highly regarded for their exclusive feel - and that’s no accident! Skip-the-line and out of hours access, together with our small group sizes, carefully planned itineraries and the most experienced guides in the business have led us to become an industry leader.

Our Tours & Experiences

At Walks we don’t just copy and paste standard tours, we strive to always find new and better ways to explore even the most familiar attractions.

Whether it’s an after-hours tour at the Tower of London, time alone in St. Mark’s Basilica, an exclusive visit to Seville’s Alcazar before it opens, or sipping cava overlooking La Sagrada Familia, Walks tours provide the most memorable experiences with high quality expeditions that are just a little bit different.

In the beginning, Walks was based on the principle that exceptional guides can make a tour the highlight of someone's vacation, and those values are still at our core today.

Walks guides are educators and story-tellers, not lecturers or script-readers. They live to share their passion with well-informed, curious travelers who want to learn and be entertained.

With our tours you don’t need to worry about being regaled with a Wikipedia entry - instead you’ll enjoy a fully-rounded experience and gain new insights you’ll no doubt want to share with others.

Tried & Trusted

We pride ourselves on our hands-on, customer-focused approach with real people at the heart. It’s why we’ve received thousands of 5* reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor, gaining a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for our tours year after year.

Magnifique from start to finish!

My single day – and night – in Paris with Take Walks was ‘Magnifique!’ from start to finish.

Utterly fabulous!

You can choose to tour with hordes of people following a raised umbrella…. OR you can choose Walks of Italy. Small, engaging, incredibly informative and lots of fun! Just an utterly fabulous choice!

Early access

Our tour of the Vatican was amazing with early access making each viewing very easy with little crowds. Once realising how crowded it can get we appreciated the benefits of going earlier.

High quality guides

If you're planning on going into the Colosseum, consider springing for a guided tour that allows you to skip the line. We like Walks of Italy for their high quality guides and service.

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