I've taken a lot of walking tours in Europe, but I've never taken any near my home until recently, when I began with Big Onion. As any walking tour lover knows, it's hard to write a blanket review of an entire company because some routes are more interesting than others and -- far more importantly -- some guides are better than others.
I've been on three tours with Big Onion now and enjoyed all three, though I must say that one of the three tour guides was not nearly as good as the other two. Not only was she a bit hard to hear, but she had none of the natural showmanship that a natural guide has.
My only other hesitation in fully recommending this company is the tone of its walks. Big Onion was apparently founded by some graduate history students and all of its tour guides are graduate history students. This can lead the tone of some walks to be a bit academic. Being a history lover, this suits me fine, but some might find parts of the walks a bit dry.
That's just quibbling though. The walks are very fun. Tourists and residents alike should come.
Pros: Knowledgeable guides, lots of information
Cons: can be hard to hear, can be academic
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