DETROIT / Tours / ¼
90 tour operators and guides, 188 tours in all. Walk in the footsteps of Black Bottom, bike the Riverwalk, cruise the Detroit River or step inside Michigan Central.
01 / Tour finder
Pick a stop on the line: on foot, on two wheels, on the water or behind the scenes. Then narrow it down: how much time do you have, and who’s coming?
02 / All in one place
90 operators · 2 in the archive
Walking & history / Detroit
The Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation runs two-hour downtown walking tours that show you what Detroit's most famous architect built before 1929, from the Book Tower to the Guardian Building.
$45 per person
Walking & history / Detroit
City Institute is Jeanette Pierce's newest venture, running custom city tours and deeper Learning Journeys for anyone who wants to actually understand Detroit, not just walk through it.
Walking & history / Detroit
The Detroit Historical Society doesn't just run the city's history museums, it programs guided tours too, from a Black history bus tour to cemetery walks, plus daily tours inside both museums.
Walking & history / Detroit
Detroit History Tours, led by Bailey Sisoy-Moore, gets you around on foot, by bus, bike, or kayak, from ghost stories to the inside of the newly restored Michigan Central Station.
Walking & history / Riverfront
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy volunteers lead a free, roughly one-hour history walk every Saturday at 10 a.m. from the Wilson Park meeting point, telling the story of the riverfront's development; Sundays bring a separate one-hour fitness walk called We Walk Detroit. Find the current dates on the conservancy's events calendar.
free
Walking & history / Detroit
Got one afternoon in Detroit? Join a two-hour walk that hits the city's best spots and ends with a bite or a drink at a local favorite.
Walking & history / Detroit
Volunteers at the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition keep Fort Wayne, Detroit's 128-year-old military fort, going with weekend guided walks and a free audio tour.
$10 per person
Walking & history / Detroit
Consecrated in 1841, Mt. Elliott is Detroit's oldest surviving cemetery, and Preservation Detroit runs seasonal history walks there that sell out fast.
Walking & history / Detroit
Every other summer and every December, the Palmer Woods Association opens up the historic district's homes, in the neighborhood that includes Frank Lloyd Wright's only Detroit house, the Turkel House.
Walking & history / Detroit
Detroit's oldest preservation nonprofit has been leading walking tours for fifty years, with a downtown route running most Saturdays all summer.
$20 non-members, $17 members and students
Black history / Detroit
Historian Jamon Jordan has been leading Black history walking tours in Detroit since 2013, from Black Bottom to the Underground Railroad.
Black history / Detroit
A 90-minute live reenactment puts you through an 1850s escape from slavery before walking you through the church's real Underground Railroad history.
Street art & music / Detroit
A gallery-curated alley of street art downtown where you can walk through and see the murals any time, free, at your own pace.
Street art & music / Detroit
An outdoor bead museum and sculpture garden near Grand River where you wander through Olayami Dabls' installations, and can add a guided storytelling tour to hear what's really behind them.
Street art & music / McDougall-Hunt
Heidelberg Project's 40-minute guided walk has a local guide talk through Tyree Guyton's work and the history of the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood, free with donations welcome; the booking page currently shows no dates, so it's worth checking back or calling ahead.
free, donations welcome
Street art & music / New Center
Motown Museum's guided tours are paused starting January 20, 2026 for a major expansion, with reopening planned for spring 2027; in the meantime part of the campus stays open, and a separate exhibit runs next door at the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence. When running, the tour lasted about an hour, with box-office ticketing on site.
Food & drink / Detroit
City Tour Detroit has been walking people through downtown for more than fifteen years, from the hidden corners of the Guardian Building to the city's best food, led by Theresa Nemetz's team.
Food & drink / Detroit
Strolling brunch tours through Eastern Market, Capitol Park and the Midtown Cass Corridor, hopping shop to shop for tastes while they point out the Eastern Market murals along the way.
Food & drink / Detroit
Six-plus tastings on a downtown walk from the Spirit of Detroit statue to Greektown, a Coney dog, Detroit-style pizza, and one secret stop you only find out about on the day.
$89.99 per person
Food & drink / Detroit
A walk from Astoria Pastry Shop in Greektown through downtown bakeries and pastry shops to Campus Martius Park, donuts, pastries and a good dose of downtown history.
from $55
On two wheels / Detroit
Segway tours through downtown, from the Dequindre Cut to the RiverWalk, run out of a shipping container in Eastern Market.
On two wheels / Detroit
E-bike and walking tours led by Jason Hall, a longtime organizer of Detroit's bike culture, running from Eastern Market to Islandview.
On two wheels / Detroit
Themed bike tours out of Kelli Kavanaugh and Karen Gage's shop on the RiverWalk, with actual local guides showing you Detroit from the saddle.
By bus / Detroit
History tours on a hand-painted bus through Detroit's oldest bars, where every ticket buys a free ride for a Detroit student.
By bus / Detroit
Trolleys, party buses, and limos for up to twenty-two people, with a driver, for weddings, game days, and nights out.
By bus / Detroit
JP runs eight different themed tours of Detroit, part driving and part on foot, shaped around what you actually want to see.
$75 per person for the two-hour tour
By bus / Detroit
Pat has been showing Detroit from behind the wheel of a van for fifteen years, and the tour starts wherever you are, not at some meeting point.
$175 for two guests
On the water & in the air / Detroit
Guided kayak tours through the Jefferson Chalmers canals and the Detroit River, May through October, including sunset and full-moon paddles.
On the water & in the air / Detroit
A small-group boat tour aboard the historic J.W. Westcott II, once the world's only floating post office.
On the water & in the air / Detroit
Private sailing and powerboat charters on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, at sunset, sunrise, or full moon.
On the water & in the air / Waterford
No guide talking over you here. You take the wheel of a Sea-Doo pontoon boat or jet ski and explore the Detroit River and the Waterford lakes at your own pace.
On the water & in the air / Detroit
A water taxi out of Sindbad's Restaurant and Marina, running from late May through October to Belle Isle Beach and the Detroit Yacht Club.
On the water & in the air / Detroit
A family-run sightseeing boat running since 1991, departing Cullen Plaza for a narrated cruise along the Detroit River, under the Ambassador Bridge.
$27 adult, $20 senior, $15 child
On the water & in the air / Grosse Ile Township
Robinson R-44 helicopter rides out of Grosse Ile Airport, a 10-minute island hop or a longer loop that takes in downtown Detroit and Lake St. Clair.
On the water & in the air / Detroit
Metro Detroit's biggest helicopter tour company flies out of Coleman A. Young Airport and gets you over the city in minutes, downtown, the Detroit River and the Ambassador Bridge from the air.
On the water & in the air / Windsor
A two-hour narrated boat cruise on the Detroit River out of Windsor, covering both skylines, Belle Isle, and both bridges.
$49.99 CAD adult, $34.99 CAD child
Pedal pubs & party rides / Detroit
Aloha Tiki Tours is Michigan's first charter tiki-boat company — a floating tiki bar party on the Detroit River or nearby waters, no pedaling required.
Pedal pubs & party rides / Detroit
Michigan's only floating pedal bar: two 16-passenger pedal boats cruising the Detroit River from the St. Jean boat launch, BYOB, for parties and corporate outings.
Pedal pubs & party rides / Detroit
Detroit's original pedal-powered bar crawl since 2015, rolling groups of 6 to 16 past the Fox Theatre and the Spirit of Detroit statue downtown.
Pedal pubs & party rides / Detroit
A 16-person pedal bike bar crawl through downtown, bring your own drinks, leaving from either the Tin Roof or Detroit Shipping Company.
Pedal pubs & party rides / Detroit
Motown Boogie Bus is Detroit's only open-air party bus, running roughly two-hour, 21-and-up downtown tours with music, lighting and optional bar stops.
from $499 for the 2-hour tour, from $599 for the Lions tailgate
Ghost tours / Detroit
The Detroit leg of the national Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours network, walking downtown's haunted spots from The Whitney to the Masonic Temple to the Alhambra Building.
$26 adult, $17 child
Ghost tours / Detroit
A one-hour, mile-long ghost walk that leaves nightly at 8 p.m. from the Alhambra Building, working through Midtown and downtown's haunted history from the Masonic Temple to the Majestic Theatre.
$26 per person
Behind the scenes / Downtown
Comerica Park's behind-the-scenes tour takes 90 minutes through the Ernie Harwell Media Center, the Jim Beam Champions Club, the Hall of Fame statues, and the dugout, for $20 per person; book at 313presents.com, ideally a month ahead.
$20 per person
Behind the scenes / Midtown
DIA's own docents lead highlights tours through its collection and Friday-evening tours of Paul Cret's 1927 Beaux-Arts building; groups of 15 or more can arrange a custom tour, priced separately from admission, at grouprequest@dia.org or through the site's application form.
Behind the scenes / Midtown
Free, donation-based docent tours run three times a month through the historic 1921 Main Library, booked via the DPL Friends Foundation's site; paid private group tours are available too.
donation-based
Behind the scenes / Downtown
Ford Field also offers a guided stadium tour through the locker room, luxury suites, press box, and onto the field — exact length and price aren't listed on the booking page, so it's worth checking there or contacting the stadium directly.
Behind the scenes / Detroit
Built in 1855, the Fort Street Presbyterian Church downtown will show you its Gothic Revival building by appointment through the church office.
Behind the scenes / Midtown
Little Caesars Arena's 60-to-75-minute tour takes you through the BELFOR Training Center practice ice, the press box, the suites, and the Red Wings organ, for $25 per person (kids 3 and under free with an adult ticket); groups of 50 or more get $5 off per ticket.
$25 per person
Behind the scenes / Corktown
Michigan Central Station's 90-minute guided tour, staffed by Detroit History Tours, takes you through the ground floor of the restored station for $20 per person; tours run September through October 2026 with several daily time slots, meeting at the Graffiti Foyer.
$20 per person
Behind the scenes / Downtown
No reservation is needed at the GM Renaissance Center: a free, one-hour walk-in tour leaves from the Wintergarden Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m., taking in GM World and the OnStar Command Center, and finishing with a glass-elevator ride to the 72nd floor of the Marriott for the view; groups of 10 or more can arrange a private tour with Kim Rusinow.
free
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Detroit Motor City DMC builds full event programs for corporate, incentive and social groups — transportation, offsite dining and team building all handled by one company.
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Dildora Damisch is an independent guide who covers Detroit in Russian, German, Mandarin, and Cantonese too, from a downtown walk to the Diego Rivera murals.
$12 per person (Saturday group walk)
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Indian Trails has been a family-owned Michigan motorcoach company since 1910, running charters, scheduled routes and shuttles, with Detroit sightseeing routes built for charter groups.
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Special D Events has been building trips, programs and full events for conferences and corporate groups in Detroit since 1992 — the city's longest-running destination management company.
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Welcome Detroit Destination Management handles everything from city tours to airport greeters to full corporate events, with step-on guides for walking, food and architecture tours.
Walking & history / Detroit
AIA Detroit, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, doesn't run tours itself so much as it points you to the best ones in the city, and occasionally hosts its own.
Walking & history / Detroit
Historic Boston-Edison Association offers free downloadable maps for a self-guided walking tour (about two miles) and a driving tour of the neighborhood, and each December runs the fundraising Holiday Home Tour, when five holiday-decorated houses open their doors — in 2026, on December 12 and 13.
Walking & history / Detroit
The Detroit Area Art Deco Society keeps Detroit's Art Deco history alive with member walking tours of downtown skyscrapers, including behind-the-scenes access to the Guardian Building.
Walking & history / Detroit
Elmwood Cemetery offers free, self-guided walking tours with printed maps — themes include African American heritage, the Underground Railroad, and the cemetery's business pioneers — with copies available at the entrance during open hours; larger groups can request a guided walk through the site's contact form.
free
Walking & history / Detroit
Owner Linda Yellin builds custom Detroit tours on foot, by car, or by bus, shaped entirely around what your group wants to see.
Walking & history / Detroit
Once a year, in June, the Historic Indian Village Association opens up its 1895-1920 homes for a self-guided, two-day walk.
$35 in advance, $40 day-of
Walking & history / Detroit
Download the app, pop in your earbuds, and let local narrator Kristin walk you through downtown Detroit at your own pace, whenever you feel like it.
$9.99, one-time app purchase
Walking & history / Detroit
Woodlawn Cemetery doesn't run its own tours, but Preservation Detroit and Detroit History Tours regularly lead guided walks here, preferably on Sundays; these sell out fast, so watch the organizers' own listings for dates, and give the cemetery office a heads-up about your group in advance.
Black history / Detroit
Urban planner Rod Arroyo launched this small-group walking tour company in 2026, tracing Detroit's boom, bankruptcy, and comeback.
$37–67 per person
Black history / Detroit
A lecture tour through the basement of Second Baptist Church walks you through the Croghan Street Station, one of the only documented surviving Underground Railroad safe houses in Detroit.
$10 adults, $5 under 13
Street art & music / Detroit
Detroit's only dedicated Hip-Hop History Tour, plus food tours and a Queens of Detroit walk — all run by Kris Hoff and Tami Manton.
$79 for the Hip-Hop History Tour
Street art & music / Detroit
Exhibit 3000, the techno museum, is visited by appointment only, arranged by phone through Submerge; the site lists a suggested $20 donation for the museum, with no specific tour length given.
$20 suggested donation
Food & drink / Detroit
Detroit City Distillery's Whiskey Factory tour walks you through the grain-to-glass distilling process with tastings, Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., for $20 per person; there's also a hands-on Blend Your Own Bourbon experience Thursdays at 6 p.m. and select Saturdays at 5 p.m., for $100 per person.
$20 per person
By bus / Detroit
Bob, a guide with twenty-plus years of experience, walks you through Detroit at your own pace or rides along on a bus tour for groups up to twenty-five.
By bus / Detroit
A one-day motorcoach trip to three Detroit churches, with lunch at Sinbad's and a doughnut stop at Capuchin Bakery, running once a year before Lent.
most recently $84 per person
On the water & in the air / Detroit
Detroit Princess's five-deck riverboat runs themed lunch and dinner cruises — Motown Revue, a jazz dinner with Alexander Zonjic, classic rock, and Margaritaville nights — with pricing and exact length given at booking, by phone at (313) 631-2628 or by email at info@detroitprincess.com.
On the water & in the air / St. Clair Shores
Not a plain sightseeing boat ride. Themed nights on the water, from a jazz cruise to a chef's seafood dinner to a sunset party in all white, run by a private yacht fleet on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.
Pedal pubs & party rides / Troy
Detroit Crawls runs seasonal BYOB trolley tours, best known for its Christmas lights run linking the Rochester Big Bright Light Show, Detroit Zoo Wild Lights and Campus Martius downtown.
Behind the scenes / Dearborn
The Automotive Hall of Fame has honored auto industry pioneers since 1939 — a self-guided, interactive museum in Dearborn with group tour rates available.
$4–$10
Behind the scenes / Detroit
At Ford Piquette Plant, general admission ($10 to $20 depending on age or status) includes an optional 75-minute guided tour offered three times a day, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday; groups of 15 or more can book a private tour any day of the week for $15 per person, by calling (313) 872-8759.
$10 to $20 depending on age or status
Behind the scenes / Detroit
Downtown's Mariners' Church gives in-person tours on weekdays by phone appointment — no length or price is listed — and you can also take a virtual look around online via Google Street View.
Behind the scenes / Detroit
Pure Detroit has run free interior tours of the Fisher Building since 2013 — Detroit's 1928 Albert Kahn-designed showpiece skyscraper.
free
Behind the scenes / Detroit
Tours at the Ste. Anne basilica are currently paused for a major restoration, with no reopening date given; when running, guided walks of the Neo-Gothic building last 45 to 60 minutes and cost $5 for kids and $7 for adults, arranged at least two weeks ahead at tours@bsadetroit.org.
$5 for kids, $7 for adults
Behind the scenes / Detroit
One shared Polish-Catholic parish office looks after two Detroit churches, the 1900-built St. Josaphat and Sweetest Heart of Mary, both visitable if you arrange it ahead.
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Adventure Student Travel is a U.S. student-travel company building 2-, 3- and 4-day educational trips to Detroit around art, automotive heritage and local history.
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Great Adventure Tours is a Canadian student-travel company running 3-day, 2-night class trips to Detroit built around history, the auto industry and music.
Private guides & groups / Detroit
Michigan Travels has run group day trips, walking tours and multi-day tours across Michigan and the Great Lakes region for 14 years, with guides available in German too.
Pedal pubs & party rides / Detroit
For ten seasons The Michigan Pedaler rolled riders through Downtown, Midtown, Corktown and Eastern Market on electric-assist party bikes — bookings are paused for 2026 while the owners look for a buyer.
from $259.99 per bike (15-seater), from $174.99 (6-seat Mini Pedaler)
Walking & history / Detroit
This nonprofit has connected locals and visitors through themed walking, bus, and bar tours since 2006, but we couldn't confirm the program is still running in 2026 — worth checking before you go.
free for most downtown walks, $30 for bus tours
Walking & history / Detroit
Woodbridge Neighborhood Development keeps the Victorian-era district's oral history alive, but we couldn't confirm on the org's own site whether the traditional September Home & Garden Tour is still running in 2026, so check before you go.
Food & drink / Detroit
Detroit's original beer-tour company since 2009, running bus, walking, boat and bike tours to breweries, cideries and meaderies, but as of 2026 we couldn't find current, bookable dates on their site or Eventbrite, so check before you count on it.
Food & drink / Detroit
Promises roughly three-hour walking food tours downtown and through Eastern Market, but as of 2026 the public tour dates on the site still say coming soon, so check before you plan around it.
On two wheels / Detroit
A free community bike ride started by Jason Hall and Mike MacKool in 2010 that grew into one of North America's biggest group rides. We could not confirm a 2026 schedule, so check before you plan around it.
By bus / Detroit
A one-day motorcoach trip through Hamtramck, with two Polish churches, a history museum, and a bakery stop — we couldn't confirm it's still running in 2026, so check before you go.
$127 in 2025, included coach, guide, and lunch
03 / Archive
These tours no longer run, but they’re part of Detroit’s story. They stay here, with their former contact details.
Closed – archive entry · 2006–2015
A downtown welcome center that helped first-time visitors get their bearings from 2006 until around 2015, before continuing on as Detroit Experience Factory.
Closed – archive entry · 2004–2020
Ran kayak tours, rentals and lessons around Belle Isle and Elizabeth Park starting in 2004, but by its own account the shop is retail-only now, no more tours to book here.
04 / Before you go
Many tours run small groups, and weekend slots can fill up fast. You’ll find the booking button on every page.
Every tour meets somewhere different: a lobby, a dock or a coffee shop. The QLINE and the People Mover often get you close.
Some boat, kayak and bike tours only run in the warmer months. Each page tells you when something is seasonal.
In the U.S., tipping your guide is customary. Tours run in English, a few in other languages too; check the language line on each page.
05 / For guides
Being listed is free, and the order isn’t for sale. Send us your tours, photos and booking link, and keep your page up to date yourself.
We checked the tours and contact details on the operators’ own sites on September 26, 2026. Prices and times can change, so check the operator’s site before you book.
