Ask Andrea: Would you use GetYourGuide to book travel activities?

on Jul 08, 2026

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Should you use GetYourGuide or Viator to book excursions? What are the pros and cons of services like this?

Welcome to Ask Andrea, the weekly column where I put down the SEO and answer your travel questions. I have been traveling independently for more than 30 years, with a spouse, with family, for work, and with friends. Have a question? Ask it anonymously here. I’d love to help!

Do you know anything about GetYourGuide to book travel activities?

When traveling to a destination for the first time, especially if it’s a far-off place like a European country or somewhere in the Caribbean, booking a few excursions is a great idea.

I’m not a fan of overplanning, but I love having a tour or three to anchor a trip. I’ve booked excursions in a variety of ways, and yes, that includes GetYourGuide, Viator, and The Tour Guy.

What you should know is that these services are aggregators for guided tours and excursions, not the actual tour providers themselves (usually). This means it can be more expensive to book through them, but it’s also convenient. Think of it like Expedia for tours.

When would I use a service like GetYourGuide? I like booking food tours and guided walking tours through these services. I like that you can read reviews, book now and pay later, and cancel without penalty (within the allotted time frame). You can also compare tours and see which ones are most popular.

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When I wouldn’t use a service like this is to book museum tickets or hard-to-get attractions like the Vatican. In this case, the price markup exceeds the cost of a ticket at each museum or site. Plus, some of these tickets sell out quickly, and the aggregator services might not acquire your ticket before they sell out. You would be refunded, but by then it would be too late to buy your own, and you risk missing out.

Overall, I can say that GetYourGuide is a legit company and I do recommend them along with the others I mentioned above. The trick is to research, make sure you aren’t overpaying, and enjoy!

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