While there’s plenty to see and do in Cleveland on your own, there is something to be said about going on a tour led by a local expert or entertainer.
Perhaps you want to learn a little history, find some hidden foodie spots, or cruise along the shores of Lake Erie. Maybe all of the above sound great! Regardless, having a local guide will ensure a a totally different experience than just exploring on your own.
So whether you’re new to Cleveland, are planning a visit, already live here and have people coming in from out of town, or you just want to dive deeper into this amazing city, these are the 15 best tours in Cleveland that you’ll want to book now!
Note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you book/purchase something through this site, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
15 Best Tours in Cleveland, Ohio
1. Tours of Cleveland walking tours
The best way to discover Cleveland is on foot. With Tours of Cleveland‘s walking tours, you can do just that! Owner and tour guide Scott is a wealth of knowledge about Cleveland history and architecture, and makes his tours interesting and engaging.
This tour company’s classic tour is the Downtown Highlights Walking Tour, a 2-hour tour from Public Square to Playhouse Square. This tour features visits to iconic downtown spots and costs $22 per person. (Book this tour here.)
From May through September, you can also partake in a Downtown Public Art Walking Tour that includes the history of several iconic works of art and their ties to Cleveland. This is also about 2 hours long and costs $20 per person.
They also offer seasonal tours including their Tales of Terror Tour from October 15-31 (a 1.5-hour tour that highlights the spookiest and most tragic happenings in the city’s history; $20) and a Downtown Cleveland Christmas Tour from November 28-December 26 (1.5-hour tours showcasing the history of downtown’s famous stores as well as the opportunity to enjoy the holiday lights all around you; $20).
2. Take a Hike walking tours
Run in conjunction with Cleveland’s Gateway District, Take a Hike offers several FREE walking tours all over Cleveland during the summer months.
Take a Hike runs various 90-minute in-person tours through some of Cleveland’s more popular neighborhoods and districts, and also offers self-guided tour options that you can follow right on your smartphone any time of year.
From Public Square to University Circle to Tremont to the Warehouse District, there are so many options to suit your interests. (Learn more about their tours here.)
3. West Side Market Food Tour
Taste Cleveland Food Tours offers quite a few food tours of the city, and one you definitely need to go on is the West Side Market Food Tour.
Cleveland’s historic market has a variety of different foods to try that can be quite intimidating when you’re just visiting on your own. If you go on this food tour, you’ll get samples of the best snacks and find the hidden gems of the market!
Things you’ll try include various olives, cheeses, fresh juices, amazing fruits, and perhaps a delectable apple turnover.
Leave the West Side Market knowing how to navigate it like a local for your next visit! These tours are on Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 11:30 am and last 2 hours. The tour costs $43 per person. (Book a tour here.)
Read our full review of this tour here: Eat Your Way Through History on a West Side Market Food Tour
There’s another Ohio City food tour that also includes West Side Market, if you’re interested in a more well-rounded food tour of the neighborhood.
4. Tremont Food Tour
Tremont is one of Cleveland’s best foodie neighborhoods. Located just outside of downtown, there are some culinary gems here ranging from Eastern European to Pan-Asian influences and more!
This tour, by Taste Cleveland Food Tours, takes you through the iconic neighborhood of Tremont as you feast your eyes on lovely Victorian homes and gorgeous churches before chowing down on everything from chocolates to Thai food.
You may just find your new favorite restaurant during the tour! These tours take place on Friday and Saturday at 4 pm and last 3.5 hours. This tour costs $67 per person. (Book this tour here!)
5. Little Italy Food Tour
Who can say no to another food tour?! This is also from Taste of Cleveland Food Tours and perfect for those who love Italian food!
Little Italy is the spot to go in Cleveland for Italian food, since it’s where many Italian immigrants moved during the late 1800s/early 1900s. Now, you’ll find Italian restaurants side by side and amazing Italian shops and bakeries everywhere!
This tour provides you with the history of this little neighborhood as well as tasty treats ranging from cured meats at a market to brick oven pizza and so much more. After this tour, you’ll be planning to come back to try even more food in Little Italy!
These tours take place on Sunday at 3 pm and last 3.5 hours. The cost is $66 per person. (Book this tour here!)
6. Beer/Brewery Tours
We know that Cleveland makes some amazing beer! So why not take a tour where you’re shuttled around to taste some of the city’s best brews?
Thankfully, there are two great companies doing multi-stop Cleveland beer tours: the Cleveland Brew Bus and City Brew Tours.
Cleveland Brew Bus offers several tours to choose from, each stopping at several breweries with tastings at each one. They offer time for a meal as well! Most tours are 4.5 hours long except the Ballgame Pregame Tour that is 2.5 hours long and the Cleveland Brewing History Tour that is 3.5 hours long.
All the 4.5-hour tours cost $65 per person, except the Sunday-Style Spotlight Tour, which is $70 per person. The Ballgame Pregame Tour and the Cleveland Brewing History Tour are $45 per person.
So whether you want to sample various breweries across the city, learn more about Cleveland’s beer history, see the smaller breweries, or you want to sample and stamp that beer passport at as many places as possible, there is a tour for you. (See all their tours here.)
City Brew Tours offers two big tours. The first is The Original Brew Tour that includes 5 hours of sipping beers, a meal with a beer pairing, up to 16 beer styles, and VIP access to the 4 stops. This tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday. This costs $99 per person plus a 5.5% booking fee. (Book this tour here.)
The Sip of Cleveland Tour is 3.5 hours and includes up to 12 beer samples, 3 VIP brewery stops, and a pretzel snack.This tour takes place on Friday and Saturday. This tour costs $75 per person plus a 5.5% booking fee. (Book a tour here.)
7. Boat Cruises
If you’re searching for boat tours in Cleveland and want some scenic views from the water, check out some boat cruises on the GoodTime III and The Nautica Queen. Both vessels run tours between May and September, and offer both entertainment and sightseeing!
The GoodTime III offers sightseeing cruises, dining cruises for lunch and dinner, and entertainment cruises including a city lights cruise, jazz cruise, and happy hour cruises.
These cruises typically last about 2 hours, except for the dining cruises, which are 3 hours for lunch and 4 hours and 45 minutes for dinner. Prices vary based on cruises selected, but range between $30-59.95 per person. (Book a GoodTime III cruise here.)
The Nautica Queen is a dining cruise ship offering lunch, brunch, and dinner buffets. So if you prefer to sit back, relax, and enjoy a lovely cruise with a meal, this is a great option! Prices vary between $20.50 and $53.15 based on the cruise you choose, and they run cruises almost year-round. (Book a cruise on the Nautica Queen here.)
8. Party Boats
and you want to enjoy time out with friends, then check out the different party boats in town!
The first is the CLE Tiki Barge. Known as Cleveland’s only floating tiki bar, this BYOB boat provides a 2-hour cruise from the Cuyahoga River to the Inner Harbor.
Plus, they provide bluetooth speakers, a bathroom on board, a bartender, a captain, ice, and coolers. If you want to see Cleveland from the water and party at the same time, this is a great option.
The Tiki Barge runs from late May until mid October and can accommodate up to 30 guests. Prices vary based on the group size, but range between $400-$1050 per boat. A public cruise is also available for $40 per person. (Get more info here.)
Another party boat is the BrewBoat. This can hold up to 14 people on the larger boat and 10 on the smaller boat. The larger boat even has 10 pedal stations. This cruise lasts about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Prices vary based on the group size but range from $399-489 for the whole boat.
The BrewBoat provides ice, coolers, and a captain. It is a BYOB and food cruise, and there isn’t a bathroom so be sure to plan accordingly! These tours typically happen between May and September. (More info on these cruises here.)
Both boats are great for bachelor/bachelorette parties, or just a fun time with friends!
9. Lolly the Trolley
*Note: Lolly isn’t currently running tours due to the pandemic, but we hope they’ll be back at it soon!
For a whimsical and family-friendly tour, check out Lolly the Trolley! This red trolley offers 1-hour and 2.5-hour tours that zoom around Cleveland from Public Square and The Flats to Ohio City and the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.
They also have holiday themed tours, including the Silver Bells Tour to see the best holiday lights in town or the Christmas Story House Tour that includes admission to the house as well as driving past other famous spots from the movie.
The regular tour costs $15 per person for the 1-hour tour and $23 for the 2.5-hour tour. The Silver Bells Tour is $16 per person, and the Christmas Story Hour Tour costs $26 per person. (Find more info on tours here.)
10. Funny Bus
This 90-minute bus tour is here for the laughs! A red school bus takes you to the main sights around Cleveland as a local comedian narrates the ride.
This is perfect for a date night, bachelor or bachelorette party, or just some fun laughs before a night out.
They even have a Spooky October Tour every Friday night in October starting on October 8. Note that children under 13 are not permitted, as it is essentially a comedy club on wheels. It is BYOB as well if you want some drinks with your jokes. Tickets are $28 each. (Book seats here.)
11. Cleveland Cultural Gardens Tour
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the city. With various countries represented from around the globe, the gardens are full of statues, fountains, vibrant flowers, and thriving foliage.
While it is nice to run/walk or just drive around the gardens, a tour really gives you context and history of the area. This 90-minute tour costs $12 per person and occurs every other Saturday morning at 10:30 am throughout the summer.
To book the tour, you can call 216-220-3075 or email [email protected].
12. Lake View Cemetery Tour
Lake View Cemetery is another stunningly beautiful place to visit in CLeveland. There are definitely some interesting things to see from Daffodil Hill to the James A. Garfield Memorial.
While the cemetery does have a self-guided tour you can take, if you want to hear interesting stories and get further context from an expert, groups of 12 or more can book a group tour for $5 per person. Tours should be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance, and they run from April 1 through November 19 between 9 am and 2:30 pm.
The cemetery also offers a handful of themed tours throughout the year that individuals can join for $15 each. Visit their Events page for more info on upcoming tours.
13. Pedal Wagon
Yes, like most cities these days, Cleveland also has pedal wagons that go to various neighborhoods, stopping at bars and pubs along the way.
This is understandably popular amongst bachelor and bachelorette parties, but if you want to grab some friends and book a fun wagon about town, why not?
A few companies to choose from include Cleveland Cycle Tours, Pedal Bar Cleveland, and Bar Bike Cleveland.
These tours usually cost around $300 per group.
14. Cleveland Bike Tours
Want to cycle your way around town with a guide? Definitely check out Bob’s Bike Tours!
There are 3 tours available that last for 2.5 hours and are $27 per person. The Gold Coast Tour is all about visiting the west side with stops in Ohio City, Gordon Square, the west side’s Little Italy, Battery Park, and Edgewater.
The Historic Neighborhood Tour includes downtown, Ohio City, Tremont, and Duck Island. Or, for a good mix of downtown and the surrounding area, you’ll want to check out the Best Location in the Nation with stops all over downtown, Tremont, and Ohio City! (Book your bike tour here.)
15. Cleveland Scavenger Hunt
Whether you’re new to Cleveland or have been around for a long time, you can do an exciting scavenger hunt around the city! There are a couple of scavenger hunt companies throughout Cleveland including Operation City Quest and Let’s Roam.
So whether you want to get adventurous or explore hidden gems and cultural landmarks these tours will keep you on your toes!
Tours start from $10 per person.
Cleveland has so many great tours to enjoy depending on your mood and interests. Whether you want to cruise past the city, find hidden gems, or sample the best food and drink this town has to offer, these are definitely the best tours in Cleveland, Ohio!
Which tour would you most like to try?
Kat is a Cleveland transplant and has lived here for over 5 years. She loves to eat, drink, and explore all across the city, and has made it her personal mission to find the best breweries and pizza in Northeast Ohio. She also runs a couples travel blog and podcast called World Wide Honeymoon.