ABOUT US
At Urban Adventures, we firmly believe local travel is one of the best ways we can support responsible tourism. In fact, we believe it so strongly that we’ve made it our entire business! All our tours are designed, built and run by local experts, not some faceless corporate team located halfway around the world with no sense of the local vibe.
On every tour, you’ll get a fun, unique and local perspective of a city, from street food to street art, hidden gems and all the best hyper-local cultural hotspots.
Our network is hand-picked. Our local guides are the heart and soul of our tours, giving over 260,000 travellers annually, the Best. Day. Ever.
At Urban Adventures, ‘responsible tourism’ isn’t just a marketing catch phrase or box we tick. It’s at the heart of everything we do, from how we design our tours, to who we employ, to where we grow our business.
View our interactive map of 101 ways our travellers have supported local communities. >
OUR MISSION: CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE SEE THE WORLD
Every tour has a story to tell. Not just the story of the city, but the story of the people who call it home. That’s why, on our tours, you won’t just see the sites from behind a bus window. We’re about stepping into the community, and understanding how we, as guests, can better connect with a place and its people. We’re about tasting, touching and smelling the city, about hearing the tales straight from the people who live there. And about seeing the world in a whole new way.
Our responsible tourism mandate is also what guides our newest line-up of tours: the “In Focus” series. This collection of tours is run in conjunction with local NGOs, non-profits and accelerators around the globe. We’ve worked with these groups on the ground to develop experiences that show travellers what their projects are about and how they’re giving back to the community. More about In Focus Program.
YOUR MONEY STAYS LOCALLY
Travelling with us means you help local economies blossom. How? On our tours you’ll go to local restaurants, visit local shops and explore the city with local guides. Simply by doing this, you’re helping to bring more employment and business opportunities to locals in every community we visit.
Local sourcing is a principle across all our tour. We use locally owned infrastructure and work with locally owned businesses to make sure the money you spend on travel is injected back into the local economy, and that profits from tourism go into local hands.
For example, our food tours are designed to promote local dishes and local ingredients, with market-to-table experiences, cooking workshops and discussions about food and culture. We will also take you to local markets, and to meet farmers and shop owners.
Our Made In tours take guests to shop for local handicrafts, boutique clothing brands and handmade organic products, all produced by local artisans. As such, we help you to shop in a sustainable way and buy amazing souvenirs while also supporting local entrepreneurs.
We select our local partners carefully and all our tours need to meet sustainability criteria.
WE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE & CULTURES
Making sure you have the Best.Day.Ever. is our highest priority. However, we would never compromise the needs of local communities to meet the needs of international visitors. We always respect local customs and cultures.
We limit our impact on the daily lifestyles of local people. We don’t want to be disruptive, and are about fitting in rather than pushing people out.
We have a strict policy against visiting schools, orphanages and other organisations that care for children. (Check out our Child Welfare Policy for more information.)
We actively ban guide and passenger participation in or endorsement of commercial sexual activities or illegal drug use on Urban Adventure trips, and we avoid patronage of bars and other establishments where prostitution is promoted.
We actively support and and encourage fair employment practices. This means fair hours of work, favourable safe work conditions and equal pay for equal work for our staff and guides.
As visitors to a country, we want to be travelling in a way that demonstrates our gratitude, respect and interest to learn about and practise local customs and cultural practices. That’s why you’ll be informed about and asked to comply with appropriate dress and behaviours in public — particularly in religious and culturally sensitive sites.
We not only aim to show you local culture but to let you experience it first-hand. All our tours provide opportunities for you to interact with local people. Expect that you’ll be learning and practising some of the local language and maybe even entering a local home.
We are proud to take the less-travelled routes. When we visit major tourist sites, we offer a twist, so that you can have a more authentic experience of these sites, and and locals in less-travelled communities can benefit from the tourism economy.
“Locals know” is our brand promise. We don’t just show you the cultural and natural heritage in our destinations, but also help you to get to know the destination from a local perspective.
WE CARE ABOUT PLACES
All our tours are designed to minimise negative impacts on the natural environment. That’s why our group tours are run with a maximum of 12 participants and most of them are walking tours. If transport is needed, we primarily use public transit and use high-efficiency vehicles for areas where no public transport is available.
We don’t accept ‘culture’ or ‘tradition’ as an excuse for cruelty and we actively discourage participation in activities that exploit animals. We do not offer tours that include interactions with animals, and we follow strict guidelines for wildlife-watching. (Check out our Animal Welfare Policy for more information.)
If we enter nature-protected areas, we follow their regulations. We carry out all non biodegradable waste, so as to not leave any trace. If we see trash on the way, we might ask you to help us collect it and take away. We work with knowledgeable guides who will explain to you everything you want to know about the surrounding nature, and will provide advice on how to minimise your footprint on the places we visit.
On our tours, you won’t be able to purchase any products made from endangered flora and fauna, and you’ll be discouraged to do so by your guide if they’re offered for sale in the markets.
We limit usage of single-use plastic and will inform you about recycling policies and encourage you to use reusable water bottles and to say no to straws.
If you’re into green and sustainable cities initiatives, ask your guide and they’ll tell share some of the exciting local projects around this topic.
The review from: https://www.urbanadventures.com/responsible-travel
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Mary - October 18, 2019 @ 13:40
NYC East Village: Craft Cocktails and Speakeasies Walking Tour (Small Group).
Sheli was our tour guide for the evening and I can only say that she did a fabulous job with creating a memorable experience for our entire group. Her warm and friendly personality was a perfect combination for this very informal yet informative tour. Understanding the areas craft cocktail history with visits to area bars added to the unique flair of this tour. If you are planning to spend time in NYC and enjoy different and new experiences I would highly recommend this tour. And the alcohol infused mini cupcakes were definitely a surprise treat you don’t want to miss.
NYC East Village: Craft Cocktails and Speakeasies Walking Tour (Small Group).
Sheli was our tour guide for the evening and I can only say that she did a fabulous job with creating a memorable experience for our entire group. Her warm and friendly per
Kate - October 18, 2019 @ 23:00
Paris Hidden Montmartre Small-Group Walking Tour
My partner and I wanted to learn about Montmartre but not spend a fortune on a tour. This was perfect! We learned so much on our 2 hour tour with the lovely Eugenia, she was knowledgeable and friendly and was the most gracious host while she took us on a little journey through beautiful Montmartre. We even had a delicious croissant at an award winning bakery. Highly recommend!
Paris Hidden Montmartre Small-Group Walking Tour
My partner and I wanted to learn about Montmartre but not spend a fortune on a tour. This was perfect! We learned so much on our 2 hour tour with the lovely Eugenia, she was knowledgeable and friendly
Brendan - October 20, 2019 @ 09:00
Max provided a great insight into Georgetown history and food culture. The food we ate was amazing and touring through the market was a highlight. Highly recommended
Maggie - October 23, 2019 @ 15:23
Penany Urban Adventures
Fantastic had a great time with lot of adventures. Some tours don’t live up to the expectation, but this one did. We were with some Queen Mary 2 people and everyone had so much fun.
Shel - October 25, 2019 @ 21:17
Paris: ‘New York Times Journeys’ Afternoon Wine, Cheese, Bread and Chocolate Tour
This tour with Paul was really the highlight of my trip. I had walked the St. Germain neighborhood many times before and “thought” I knew it, turns out, this wasn’t the case. I never wanted to take a walking tour of Paris bc the idea of being herded through the sidewalks in a large group didn’t appeal but this tour couldn’t have been more different. Paul’s stories and own enthusiasm for this part of Paris really made it come alive. It was obvious that Paul/UA had cultivated excellent relationships w each place we stopped so that during each visit (and particularly given the small nature of the tour), we were treated like welcome guests. It was definitely a richer experience of Paris that I would ever have discovered on my own. Highly recommend for both first time and repeat visitors. Thank you again Paul for an incredible afternoon!
Paris: ‘New York Times Journeys’ Afternoon Wine, Cheese, Bread and Chocolate Tour
This tour with Paul was really the highlight of my trip. I had walked the St. Germain neighborhood many times before and “thought” I knew it, turns out,
Alice - October 27, 2019 @ 15:40
Experience Morocco: Visit a Souk and Cook Moroccan Food in Marrakech.
What a lovely day! Started with a trip around the markets to collect our ingredients then back to the Riad to learn how to make the most delicious chicken tangine. Wonderful atmosphere and very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Hunaan was delightful and helped us at every step of the way. A must do!
Experience Morocco: Visit a Souk and Cook Moroccan Food in Marrakech.
What a lovely day! Started with a trip around the markets to collect our ingredients then back to the Riad to learn how to make the most delicious chicken tangine. Wonderful atmosp
Rafael - October 28, 2019 @ 14:15
Experience Lisbon: Small-Group Walking Tour with Food and Wine Tastings.
Had a great NY Times tour booked through Urban Adventures. It was 3.5 hours long and covered 4 areas of Lisbon. We saw the new and old parts of the city and sampled wine, cheeses, meats, chocolate, and pastry at several locations. Plenty of walking, although the steepest part was covered in a cab.
The guide, Catarina Fonseca, was fabulous. I recommend asking for her when you book the tour. She has a great personality and is very knowledgeable. Her English is faultless and very easy to understand.
Experience Lisbon: Small-Group Walking Tour with Food and Wine Tastings.
Had a great NY Times tour booked through Urban Adventures. It was 3.5 hours long and covered 4 areas of Lisbon. We saw the new and old parts of the city and sampled wine, cheese
Tina - October 29, 2019 @ 12:14
Prague – Walking tour
This is my first walking tour i been on it was fantastic the tour guide was called saša i would recommend this tour experience to anyone who is coming to prague well done thank you so much
Dan - October 30, 2019 @ 04:25
Krakow Evening Food Walking Tour.
A very enjoyable and informative three hours. We sampled local craft beers, World Heritage cheese, soups, the original baguel !, Pierogi’s (both sweet and savoury), potato pancakes, and cake within four venues around Old Town and Kazimierz, topped off with a round of Vodka….of course !
Our host Olga was good company and very generous with her time and information about Polish cuisine and Poland, and made this event one of the highlights of our trip to Krakov.
Krakow Evening Food Walking Tour.
A very enjoyable and informative three hours. We sampled local craft beers, World Heritage cheese, soups, the original baguel !, Pierogi’s (both sweet and savoury), potato pancakes, and cake within four venues
Andrey - October 31, 2019 @ 17:34
New York: Best of Brooklyn Food, History and Culture Tour.
Sasha, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable and made it quite the fun tour for all. His knowledge of Brooklyn and the history of the area was amazing along with all the connections to the people and the businesses we frequented.
We ate and drank our way through a lot of countries without leaving Brooklyn. The stories behind generations of entrepreneurs was interesting and told to us by many of the shop owners. The pride they have in their piece of Brooklyn is touching.
We would highly recommend this to anyone who wants an adventure in Brooklyn.
New York: Best of Brooklyn Food, History and Culture Tour.
Sasha, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable and made it quite the fun tour for all. His knowledge of Brooklyn and the history of the area was amazing along with all the connections to
Kay - October 31, 2019 @ 22:18
Experience Morocco: Visit a Souk and Cook Moroccan Food in Marrakech.
Locals provide an excellent insight.
Hannune, provided an interesting insight to the souk, and shopping for food. She and the other ladies then welcomed to the Riad and provided a very interesting and inspiring cooking class. I am very happy to recommend her work.
Experience Morocco: Visit a Souk and Cook Moroccan Food in Marrakech.
Locals provide an excellent insight.
Hannune, provided an interesting insight to the souk, and shopping for food. She and the other ladies then welcomed to the Riad and provided a
Jack - November 2, 2019 @ 11:37
Excellent walking tour.
i had a great tour around all the amazing sights of prague with saśa. He toured us in a small group of 7 allowing us to have a more in depth personal tour. He was very kind and told us everything there was to know about prague’s landmarks, and took us to less popular(busy) places, so we could have the best experience possible. He also bought us some pastries from a local bakery, and even helped us back to our apartment after we had finished.
Excellent walking tour.
i had a great tour around all the amazing sights of prague with saśa. He toured us in a small group of 7 allowing us to have a more in depth personal tour. He was very kind and told us everything there was to know about pragu