We had an informative and entertaining tour “See the D”. Nancy was our tour guide. She is very enthusiastic about Detroit and presented just the right mixture of history, stories, places to eat and general information. If you decide to go to Detroit, this is the right way to get to know about the city. Read more
Let Us Show You the Motor City
From Its Industrial Roots to Its Thriving Café Culture Scene
Detroit holds a unique spot in world history due to its role in putting the world on wheels and its meteoric rise as an industrial powerhouse in the first half of the 20th century followed by its dramatic fall. While the city’s automotive heritage is definitely a major part of the city’s identity, there is so much more to the Motor City than cars. Take a walk through the city on our See the D Walking Tour or discover Detroit’s important role in the antislavery movement on our Detroit Underground Railroad Walking Tour. We’ll take you to all the city’s must-see attractions like the Guardian Building, Greektown and Motown as well as a few out-of-the-ordinary gems that us locals love to show off. We’ll also show you the ever-evolving dining and drinking scene that’s made Detroit a top foodie destination. Check out our offerings below to learn more!
Check back often! We’ll soon be adding our exciting food, music, art and true crime tours to the calendar.
Passionate Tour Guides
Our staff is composed of locals who want to help you make the most of your trip to our vibrant city. We love Detroit, and we want you to love it, too!
Multiple Transportation Options
Whether you want to explore the city by foot or travel in our late model vehicles, we have a tour to suit you.
TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence
We’ve served thousands of happy customers in our short time in business as City Tour Detroit—and we’d love to add you to our list!
Tours Designed for You or Your Group
Want a private tour of Detroit? Have your own itinerary in mind or want one created specifically for you or your group? Check out our private and customized tours and make the most of your time in Detroit.
Hear From Our Previous Guests
My girlfriend and I took a trip to Detroit and reserved The see the D tour. Our guide Nancy did a great job. She covered a wide range of topics and made the city feel very unique. Read more
We visited Detroit in late August to attend a Tigers game at Comerica Park. When visiting a big city, we always try to take a city tour to experience the city. Our walking tour guide was Pat. We got a private tour and are so grateful that she took the time to host just the two of us. Her tour was extraordinary. Read more
Thank you Nancy from City Tour Detroit! 3 adults & 4 tweens spent a wonderful morning learning about Detroit. A native, who repatriated after 8 years away, I wanted some how to show my guests this amazing city, and Nancy was spot on! Read more
This was a very fun activity to enjoy downtown Detroit. The stories are interesting and some are quite grim. I think that much of the enjoyment is dependent upon how well the group interacts and plays along with the tour guide. This 2.5 hr tour on foot is very easy to walk. Read more
On behalf of Eden’s Garden Club, I would like to thank Karin Risko and City Tour Detroit for organizing the Aug 8 “Gardens of Detroit” bus tour which served as a fundraiser for our organization. Read more
I was very impressed with both the walking and bus tours! Kudos to Karin, she is a very pleasant, knowledgeable and highly motivated guide! Read more
I organized a day trip to Detroit for a group of international students from the University of Michigan, and I wanted to include a Downtown walking tour. City Tour Detroit did an amazing job – we saw all the highlights and had great photo opportunities. It was these students’ first time in Detroit and they absolutely loved it. Read more
Nancy did an incredible job of our Detroit D tour. She has high energy and enthusiasm and communicated information in a very interesting way and was able to answer all the questions. The trip itinerary was excellent with a nice balance of architecture, history, current structures being built, restaurants and wonderful things going on in the city. Read more
Nancy was our guide for the See the D tour. We decided to take a visiting out-of-town relative down to Detroit, but realized we didn’t know much about it despite having lived here all of our lives. Nancy was extremely informative and accommodating. Read more
To be honest, I didn’t have the best impression of Detroit before visiting but Pat at City Tour Detroit changed all that! She was a wonderful tour guide that had so much passion and love of Detroit…it was definitely contagious! I learned so much from her — she had great facts about all the locations we visited. 10/10 Read more
This is more of an experience than a tour. Four major conductors in the UGRR, dress in character and walk you through the city’s major locations, where, in the 1840s and 50s, was a hotbed of abolitionist sentiment and where thousands of fugitive slaves were spirited in secret to various “stops,” then onto awaiting boats to take them to freedom—less than a mile away in Windsor, Ontario. I’m a native Detroiter and this was my second time on the tour; it was that good! Read more
Entered and shot the interior of buildings we would have never found on our own. Well worth the money and time. Photographers’s heaven! Read more
Our Story
About City Tour Detroit
Founder Karin Risko started the company to showcase her love for Detroit. She’s been leading tours for over a decade, but officially launched City Tour Detroit in 2016 to meet the increased demand for her tours. Karin, and her talented team of tour guides who love the city as much as she does, are here to help you make the most of your time in the D!
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Great night to dine outside & check out @pinkflamingodetroit
Wouldn’t riding in a restored, vintage trolley be a great way to see Detroit? Stay tuned! Karin (R), owner of City Tour Detroit, & Tiffani, owner of new biz @grandtrolley charters, are teaming up to offer a few exciting tours.
Have to say it was a nice surprise to discover we placed in the top 3 of the Hour Detroit Magazine #bestofdetroit2022. Thank you to everyone who voted for us. After a tough year, it’s especially meaningful.
Cancer has been a real bitch the past year, and so many times during the last 14 months, I’ve toyed with just eliminating all stress and closing up shop. Thankfully I have a great team that stepped up and helped me navigate some pretty tough times so I didn’t have to close a business I truly love.
I am happy to announce we are now open for the season and offering public See The D walking tours on Wednesdays-Sundays. We’ll be introducing some cool new bus tours soon, and we’re available for private tours. It’s taken awhile, but I’m now feeling so much better and plan to start guiding some tours too.
I’d like to congratulate our tour colleagues The Detroit Bus Company and Detroit History Tours on the Best of 2022 list as well as the other great local tour companies who do an excellent job promoting our wonderful city. — Karin Risko, owner
#MondayMemories #MemorialDay
Detroit. Memorial Day 1942. The last surviving Civil War veterans in Michigan lay a wreath at the foot of the Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument in Campus Martius.
photos courtesy of: Detroit News Photograph Collection
Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University