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
Insider's Guardian Building Tour
Guided tour
Special access
Great views
Discover and explore the Guardian Building!
Tour what many consider to be Detroit’s most beautiful building and enjoy access to several areas not open to the public.
Highlights
Discover the fascinating history behind this exquisite Art Deco skyscraper christened the Cathedral to Finance
Receive special access to areas not usually open to the public
Enjoy panoramic views from the 32nd floor
Click the tabs to find out more
Trip Details
Price
Price: $6 Adult / $3 Youth / Free: Ages 12 and under
*6% booking fee assessed on tickets booked online (you can avoid the booking fee by purchasing tickets via phone).
Departure time
12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, 6 PM (Thursdays)
Meeting point
City Tour Detroit, 500 Griswold Street, Suite 250, Detroit MI 4822
Availability
Saturdays, Sundays and Thursday evenings (April 18- October 24)*
*Special events take precedence so tours may not be available on all Saturdays and Sundays
Duration
45 minutes
Group size
25 people maximum, 1 minimum
Included
Narrated tour.
10% discount in the City Tour Detroit Souvenir & Gift Store
Not included
Guide gratuity. While tipping isn’t mandatory, it is customary and always appreciated for a job well done
What to bring
Enthusiasm to learn
Staff
Tour led by an experienced and knowledgeable guide
Good to Know
The Guardian Building is considered by many to be Detroit’s most beautiful building. It appears on many Detroit things-to-do and must-see lists.
Prepare to be wowed when you enter this iconic landmark considered by many to be Detroit’s most beautiful building. You’ll marvel at the different types of marble, colorful tiles, intricate mosaics, soaring painted ceiling, grand mural, and other elaborate characteristics that define this Art Deco masterpiece.
The Guardian Building, located in the heart of the city’s financial district, is a late 1920s skyscraper steeped in history and architectural detail. It’s one of Detroit’s most-visited buildings.
At City Tour Detroit, we’re honored to be given the privilege of showing off this magnificent edifice to visitors and sharing the Guardian’s story from its inception to its significance today. Our 45-minute tours held on select weekends* provide visitors with a great overview of the building’s design and history in addition to special access to a few floors not usually open to the public.
Click on the “Book Now” button to find available tour dates and make your reservation.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about Detroit’s architectural wonders, this Guardian Building tour promises to be an enriching experience for all.
*Special events booked by building management take precedence over tours. Since we do not own or manage the building, occasionally we may have to cancel scheduled tours when given notice from management. Also, we reserve the right to cancel tours due to other considerations such as power outages and severe weather conditions.
Please enter the building and walk up the steps to the Promenade Level. Look for the City Tour Detroit office/store (Suite 250). Check in there.
Tour length is approximately 45 minutes.
Although we’d love to show the entire building, the tour usually covers the lobby, promenade, exterior, 6th floor, 32nd floor, and lower former vault area.
Occasionally areas of the building are rented out for private events – especially in the Summer & Fall, so we aren’t able to offer tours on those days.
In most cases, we’ll ask you to wait for the next tour.
If you can find nearby street parking, you’ll need to download the ParkDetroit app. The Buhl Garage, located across the street, usually offers weekend parking for $10. That price is subject to change when there are special events. Online parking aids such as www.parkwhiz.com can help you find parking.
The lobby, exterior, 6th, and 32nd floor are handicapped accessible. Unfortunately as of now, the promenade or banking hall and basement former vault area are each accessed by approximately 25 steps.
We can offer private group tours of the building on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday tours are restricted to the lobby, promenade, and exterior. There is a small fee for private tours.
Check out what our guests are saying
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
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
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
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
