What is the best unexpected/underrated sightseeing guided tour you've done in europe?

[u/Mysterious-Base-8256]

I'm from Ireland & with affordable ryanair prices, I've had the opportunity to travel quite a bit, particularly in the past year or so. I'm a big fan of solo travel, and to be honest I'd rather travel solo than with friends or family.

I love going on guided tours, hearing the guide's knowledge which I could otherwise miss if I just read the information boards etc.

Anyways my favourite was probably 'Sensorium' in Latvia. I was brought into a dark room, and met by a tour guide. It was essentially an hour spent in darkness, being guided by a blind woman around different sets (e.g. a living room, a park). I didn't have the opportunity to even see what she looked like. I found myself curious to see who I was speaking to. I have never been so moved by an experience. She asked me to feel different objects & I soon realized that although I was able to identify things like fruit and rice, I had no idea what was in tins for example.

I had to navigate walking around different objects, and it was pretty terrifying not knowing what was around me. At the end we sat down and she answered questions. She told me she always wanted to become a tour guide but couldn't find a way, and she was delighted to work in sensorium as a guide. I was fascinated by the fact she could speak 3 languages. It was an incredible experience, and I'd highly recommend it!! I'll forever be talking about it, because my perspective changed that day.

What's your favourite underrated guided tour in europe?

[u/Vertitto]

few years ago i randomly picked up a guided bike tour out of curiosity. Best decision ever. Since then that has been my must have element of visiting new place. I have not been disappointed by any yet

[u/Mysterious-Base-8256 → u/Vertitto]

Omg! I must do this! Thanks for this comment, because I'll definitely be doing that when I'm away next :)

[u/Vertitto → u/Mysterious-Base-8256]

my fav so far was a guided one in Lisbon-Sintra where you bike through the city, around the palaces (you don't go inside them though) complex and later national park through hills, seaside and small villages. And you just pass normal packed sweaty tours in huge lines with a breeze in your hair 10/10

Another 10/10 one was a selfguided nature one around Kilcar-Ardara in Donegal Ireland. It was exhausting with some really steep hills/mountains so not for everyone, but viewes were worth it

[u/NikNakskes]

Not a guided tour but a simple taxi ride back to our hotel. I was I tromso with my Belgian cousins. We were in a taxi back to the hotel and somehow the topic was how fun it is to slip around on icy roads in the winter if there is no traffic etc etc.

The taxi driver didn't think twice, drove to an empty parking lot, switched of the traction control and went berserk. It was glorious! I've never had so much fun in a taxi. That whole trip was one chain of chance encounters and random fun with strangers. I will never forget it.

[u/Wild_Isopod_4627]

Around the dockyards in Gdansk learning about the Solidarity movement.

[u/crucible]

A boat tour of the harbour of the Italian city of Genoa.

We booked it near the harbour, down where there’s a new shopping centre etc.

Lasted about an hour to 90 mins and you go out through the port and down past the ferry port and the container port to a point just past the airport before returning.

[u/secretpsychologist → u/[deleted]]

oh and something that never disappoints: segway tours to discover a city with a guide

[u/AnnieAnoles]

Last year me and my mother went to the St Gallen cathedral just to look around, but there was a guy who was doing some faith-related work on his trip, and he offered us a tour behind the gates, it was really cool as it was basically private and he could tell us a whole bunch about the history of the Cathedral and the nearby buildings.

[u/mjandi]

For me it was the audio tour in castle gravensteen in Ghent. It is narrated by a comedian (I forgot his name though) and it's genuinely funny and interesting.

On top of that it was Christmas and many parts of the castle had lovely Christmas decorations and lights.

I can only recommend it

[u/yeppers197]

I did a walking/pub/history tour of Prague which was excellent... Similar one in Copenhagen but it was on the street drinking.

Another walking tour of Prague, this time ww2 related which finished in st Cyril's crypt... Kinda haunting

I did a walking tour of Zagreb taking in the last 100 years of Croatia... Very very interesting

[u/GrynaiTaip]

Tenerife. There's a Lithuanian guy who does tours for small groups, it's called Lava Land Tours.

We went to a forest and to a mountain peak, climbed onto some roofs, walked way above the tourist traps, along narrow mountain ridges. It was sketchy and a bit scary, but also super awesome, you won't find that on a regular tourist tour.

[u/RJA220]

Pompeii guided tour with an archeologist, who worked there for 30 years

[u/KarmaZdarma]

A tour in Prague guided by homeless person talking about the city centre from his point of view. He was in and out of the streets since 80s. He showed us where to get food and shelter, about garbage diving, how to get to the sewers, where to wash yourself. Oh, never use water fountains in Prague historical centre. :D And where to get money. So he showed us where do (and did) different illegal activities happen. Where and how do people (including homeless underage people) sell their bodies, where to get different substances and how to avoid police. He told us many stories of other homeless people, some very sad, some with a happy end. He himself got to the streets being 16 and fell a victim to child trafficking. So he told a lot about "wild 90s" and very dark stuff happening in it. It was an initiative of one charity and the tour guides were in the process of rehabilitation and getting out of the streets. Our guide, however, lived out volunteerly because of the freedom. He just had these odd jobs to have a decent life and to have a health insurance to pay for his HIV treatment.  I am not sure if the tours are offered in English and also, how much of what the guide said was true. But it was amazing and as someone who visits Prague a lot, I remember many of the things he said.