Tours and Experiences I’d Book Again
Trying to decide whether a tour is worth booking when every listing has 4.8 stars and the reviews all read the same?
I’ve taken a lot of these, in a lot of countries, and paid for all of them. What I’ve learned is that the itinerary barely matters. The guide is the whole thing. The tours I still think about years later are the ones where I remember the person’s name: Antonella, Sylvia, Massimo, Shuji, Jessica.
This page is the short list, organized by country. Each entry says who it’s genuinely a good fit for and what I actually remember about it.
Looking for places to stay instead? Those live on their own page now: Hotels and Stays I’d Book Again
Jump to a country
Italy · France · Netherlands · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Taiwan
A quick note: This page contains affiliate links. If you book through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps me keep this site running and the recommendations honest. I only link to places I have actually stayed at and paid for myself. Thank you for supporting the site. 💛
Italy
Brindisi, Puglia
Cooking Class and Tasting in the Olive Grove
Best for: food, slow evenings, solo travelers who want to feel included
Did this: September of 2024
Antonella treats you like family while you make pasta and she walks you through Puglian traditions. It gets better as the sun drops and she tells you how her family built the farm. Check out my full write-up here
Vicenza
Secret Vicenza Walking Tour
Best for: first-timers in Vicenza, anyone with a spare half day Did this: May of 2025
I found this through Viator and took it in the city I was living in at the time, which felt slightly ridiculous until about ten minutes in. It gets at what actually makes Vicenza, Vicenza!
Venice and the lagoon
Burano Guided Walking Tour
Best for: a Venice day trip with some substance to it
Did this: February of 2024
Sylvia was an exceptional host. I’d do this tour to Burano again purely to watch the lacemakers work. I had just moved to Vicenza, and I would sneak away to Venice whenever I could. I wanted to KNOW Venice.
Valdobbiadene, Prosecco Hills
Guided E-Bike Tour in the Prosecco Hills
Best for: wine, cycling, getting out of Venice for a day
Did this: July of 2024
Massimo owns Vagabond Bikes and takes you all over the hills. He’s the reason this one works, and I absolutely loved this tour! It was so much better than just hopping in a car and touring through the Prosecco hills!
France
Toulouse
Market Tour and Lunch with a Local Foodie
Best for: food, markets, a relaxed first day in the city
Did this: March 2020
Jessica shows you around Toulouse and its market, and her affection for the place is obvious. We took this right before the world shut down. I still think about it a lot because of her passion!
Netherlands
Amsterdam
10 Tastes of Amsterdam Tour
Best for: food, a first day in the city
Did this: April/June 2024
I was completely stuffed by the end. The stroopwafel was excellent, and the bitterballen were better than I expected.
South Korea
Seoul
Create a Perfume with a Perfumer
Best for: rainy days, solo travelers, something to take home
Did this: September of 2023
There’s a hanok in a quiet corner of Seoul where you make your own scent. I keep meaning to write this one up properly.
Inwangsan Sunset Hike
Best for: hikers, city views, solo travelers
Did this: October of 2022
Lee from HoneyTrail runs this one. I wrote about the whole evening here: my Inwangsan experience.
Hanbok Photo Tour at the Palace
Best for: photos you’ll actually keep
Did this: April 2023
If you want to dress up in hanbok and have photos taken, Chan sorts out the outfit and then walks you around the palace. The results were beautiful.
Japan
Osaka
Ramen Experience with Shuji
Best for: food, hands-on, solo travelers
Did this: April of 2023
I had a blast making ramen with Shuji. He’s the whole reason to book it. HE IS SO FUN!
Kyoto
Gion Walking Tour and Hidden Bar, Private
Best for: evenings in Kyoto
Did this: April 2023
A beautiful walk through Gion, and the bar at the end isn’t one you’d find on your own.
Thailand
Bangkok
Both of these made me feel like part of something rather than a spectator. One is hands-on cooking, the other puts you in the middle of Bangkok.
Sukhumvit Hands-on Thai Cooking Class and Market Tour
Best for: food, learning something you’ll use at home
Did this: July 2023
Hidden Bangkok Bike and Food Tour
Best for: parts of Bangkok you’d never reach on foot
Did this: July 2023
Taiwan
Taipei
4-Hour Morning City Cycling Tour with Breakfast
Best for: early risers, solo travelers, a first morning in Taipei
Did this: February 2024
There’s no tidy way to describe this one. Something about Taipei on a bike before the city fully wakes up.
Our guide had just moved back to Taiwan and was tracing her own roots, and it came through throughout the morning. I also couldn’t get over how friendly everyone was.
Want help putting a Trip Together?
do custom itinerary planning and travel advising if you’d like someone to build a whole trip around experiences like these. Or come with me on a group trip.
Done one of these? Tell me about it in the comments or on Instagram @kimberlykepharttravels.