The idea of a foreigner who you have to automatically trust and follow around a foreign city is quite challenging, don’t you agree?
Besides, who needs a walking talking Siri or Alexa, who keeps saying numbers, dates, and boring facts for couple of hours nonstop?
Well, if this is how having a personal guide works, then it makes sense to avoid such irritation during one’s vacation; but this could not be further from the truth of a real private tour guide experience in Kiev.
When you hire a private guide, you gain a friendly companion who knows the city, gives you more security, introduces you to the city, becomes your translator to help you better communicate with people, creates tailored city tours within the time frame you want with companionship, helps you save money and gets better deals on your hotel accommodations. And let me tell you even more about the benefits of having your own guide in Kiev:
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Local tour guides know more about Kiev
Yes, you can use all types of phone apps, read as many blogs as you can, watch travel vlogs about Kiev and Ukraine, yet all of them combined cannot give you the same travel experience as having a guided tour, or even better, a private and customized guided tour.
After all, a professional who has been guiding tourists around Kiev for years and years knows the city way better than any app.
While maps can tell you what is where and how to get to it, a private tour guide can give you many mesmerizing little stories, legends, and inside information to help you tap into the soul of each tourist attraction in Kiev as well as casually explain the city culture and mentality features of its peoples from within which is something no travel websites, videos, or books can get close to.
Kiev tourists attractions are too many to count, let alone trying to find out which ones to explore and experience during your short vacation. Having your own personal tour guide helps save time and guarantees you will not miss the city’s most interesting experiences and spectacular attractions. Moreover, you will discover many things that you never suspected existed in Kiev, making for an amazing introduction to our vibrant capital.
You will get better deals around the city
Experienced private tour guides enjoy a special relationship with many establishments, museums, restaurants, nightclubs, and tourist sites in Kiev. That allows you to have easier access and much better deals.
Personally, my network of acquaintances helps me to skip the line in many places, or get table reservations and upgrades for my tourists at the best nightclubs in Kiev, as well as easy access to the most exclusive ones that are hard to get into regardless of how much you are willing to spend there.
That also applies for accommodation as I have managed to get fantastic room upgrades multiple times for my tourists, often free or at a fraction of its original price, in Kiev’s premium hotels.
Easily overcome the language barrier
Although English can get you around Kiev by covering all the basics of your stay, it is not realistic to expect to make the most out of your trip (especially if you are on a tight schedule) without speaking Russian or Ukrainian.
It is true that our people are friendly and will do their best to help you anyway they can during your visit to Kiev, yet that and Google Translate are not enough to negotiate the best deals on accommodations, adventures, entertainment, and arrange for them as many providers simply do not speak English.
You will also need a private tour guide in Kiev if you are interested in attending cultural events, so you can eliminate the language barrier, and have someone competent enough to explain things to you in a language that you understand, in addition to getting an insight into the culture – something that artificial translators on phones and pads still unable to do.
Feel safer in Kiev
Kiev is a safe city, maybe safer than many major European capitals, as you will find out when you read Yes, Kiev is Safe for Solo Travelers and Ukraine Travel Safety Guide. However, if the stereotypes about Ukraine and all recent negative news coverage spiked your concerns about safety, then hire a private Kiev tour guide to accompany you during your visit, or for the first two days, until these worries fade away.
Having a local guiding you around, keeps you away from sketchy places and neighborhoods that tourists should avoid. In addition, you reduce the possibility of getting scammed by street hustlers, taxi drivers, holiday rentals owners, and others.
This works best for the solo traveler as having a companion while walking around exploring the city gives you more confidence, puts your mind at ease, allows you to focus on enjoying your stay in Kiev, and have a pleasant holiday.
Help kick start your Kiev vacation
So, you are excited about traveling to Kiev, decided to make the journey, made all necessary preparations for your trip, boarded your plane (or train), arrived to your hotel, and then – nothing!
You just went to couple of places around the hotel, or stuck to the bar and hotel lobby feeling clueless about where and how to start. If it happened to you, do not be alarmed, you are not the only one.
Occasionally, I get a call from a tourist who says that he or she (sometimes a couple of friends) have been in Kiev for couple of days now, but have not seen anything beyond a block from hotel. I used to find it weird at first, but my conversations with travelers who experienced the same sort of phenomenon led me to believe it is more common that I thought especially for people traveling outside their country for the first time.
Something that a good Kiev private tour guide can help with is giving you that psychological kick-start for your trip to the city.
Companionship
Not everyone who travels to Kiev is a tourist. Many travelers do so for business, or just on a layover, and find himself or herself in a foreign country with a lot of time to spare. Therefore, they opt for exploring the city with a local who knows it and would enjoy discussing it in a one-on-one conversation throughout the tour and even lunch or dinner.
You actually save money
Hiring a private tour guide in Kiev will cost you a little money – not that much – but still, money is money. Nevertheless, you will also save money as a local who knows the city can easily negotiate and bargain on your behalf in traditional markets and other premium outlets.
Hiring a private tour guide in Kiev is not expensive
The cost of hiring a private tour guide in Kiev is very affordable and therefore tempting, especially when you compare it to other places like London, New York, Rome, Athens or Paris where a personal guide will charge you around $50-$80 per hour on average, which is enough for a 5-6 hour tour with a private tour guide in Kiev.
It becomes quite affordable especially when you take into consideration your total trip expenditures, so why not make sure to get the most out of it for less than a $100?
Flexible tour schedule
Hiring a Kiev private tour guide gives you a flexible tour schedule, allowing for easy time and destination adjustments.
As every personal tour is a unique experience custom tailored to fit your needs, your guide will adapt to your preferences, unlike group and fixed city tours. There are no standard routes or tight timetables to follow, no big tour busses to pick you up or fixed list of places to see and explore; instead you visit the attractions that interest you on your own time.
In simple words, a tour by a private tour guide in Kiev means: going where you want, when you want, and with a friend. This personal nature is what the private tour guide experience is all about.
You make the most out of your time
If you are traveling to Kiev on a layover or weekend and have limited time, you should consider hiring a private tour guide.
Just save the time you will spend reading travel guides, browsing blogs, reading travel advice and reviews of different Kiev tourist attractions and trust experienced private tour guide to help you plan your trip.
Remember, your guide has already spent years gaining the experience and knowledge needed to acquire the information you are trying to research. Therefore, it only makes sense to hire a private tour guide to make the most of your time in Kiev.
Now that you know how useful a private tour guide in Kiev can be for you, so if you are thinking about hiring a local guide during your visit to Kiev, or any other city in Ukraine, just send a request and hire me as your personal tour guide in Kiev for the best travel experience in Kiev.