HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a tour guide in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to tour guides in the UK, but a driver-guide needs the right vehicle licence. Here is what to check, ask and agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a tour guide in five steps

  1. Agree the route and the paceWhat you want to see, walking distance, and breaks.
  2. Ask about qualificationsNo licence is required, so ask what training the tour guide has for this area.
  3. If they drive, check the licencePrivate hire for small cars; PSV operator licence for 9 or more passengers.
  4. Agree what is includedEntry tickets, transport, meals and tips are often extra.
  5. Confirm the languageAnd the group size.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Guiding visitors is open to anyone in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: there is no guides' register and no licence to show you. The checks are references, the tour guide's training for the area, and a written plan.

Ask what qualification or training they have and ring a recent group.

Private hire licence if they drive you

Running errands in their own car takes no special licence. Carrying you or your family as paying passengers is another matter: in England and Wales a private hire driver needs a council licence, as gov.uk explains, and Scotland and Northern Ireland license drivers under their own systems. Ask before a tour guide drives you anywhere.

If they will drive you, ask for the council private hire licence and the vehicle licence. gov.uk →

PSV operator licence for larger vehicles

gov.uk says a public service vehicle operator's licence is needed to operate a vehicle that carries 9 or more passengers for hire or reward, or a smaller one charging separate fares.

For a minibus or coach tour, ask for the operator licence and who the operator is. gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

No register sets insurance for tour guides. Some sites ask commercial guides for public liability cover.

Ask the guide for the insurer's name.

VAT

A guided tour is standard-rated at 20% when the tour guide is VAT-registered. A guiding business above the £90,000 threshold must register and show VAT as its own line on the booking.

Ask the tour guide for a VAT number and for VAT shown apart from the guiding fee. gov.uk →

“What training or qualification do you have as a tour guide for this area?”

A good answer: A specific answer — the course, the body, the years guiding here.

“Will you drive us, and what licence covers that?”

A good answer: A private hire licence for a car, or a PSV operator licence for a minibus or coach.

“What does the tour price include?”

A good answer: Guiding, transport, tickets, meals — or a clear list of extras.

“How far will we walk, and what about access needs?”

A good answer: A route with distances and step-free options if needed.

“What happens if it rains?”

A good answer: An indoor alternative or a reschedule policy.

“How big will the tour group be?”

A good answer: A number, or private.

“What if you are ill on the day?”

A good answer: A named substitute guide or a refund.

Getting the quote right

  • Half or full day, start and finish times
  • Guiding language and group size
  • Transport, vehicle and driver licensing
  • Entry tickets and meals, included or extra
  • Cancellation and weather terms
  • Who actually attends: the tour guide you booked, or another guide or a driver sent instead, and whether each is employed or subcontracted
  • The guide's VAT number, with VAT apart from the guiding fee, the transport and the tickets

Walk away if

  • Driving paying passengers with no licence
  • A minibus tour with no operator licence
  • No clear list of extras
  • No plan for bad weather
  • No substitute if the guide is ill
  • Cash only, no receipt
LOW
£229
TYPICAL
£374
HIGH
£760

What a tour guide costs: £229–£760 per tour

Tour guides price by the half or full day, with transport, a vehicle, entry tickets and language moving the price. Tour Guide price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Tour guides near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. PlanRoute, sites, pace, needs and language.
  2. BookingPrice, extras, transport and licensing agreed in writing.
  3. Meeting pointTime and place confirmed the day before.
  4. The tourGuiding to the plan, with breaks and time at each site.
  5. FinishBack at the agreed point and time.

Driver-guide
A guide who also drives the group.
Private hire
A pre-booked vehicle with a licensed driver.
PSV
Public service vehicle — one carrying 9 or more passengers for hire.
Operator licence
The licence to run PSVs for hire.
Walking tour
A tour on foot, transport not included.
Entry tickets
Site admission, usually extra.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking and receiptFor any refund or complaint.
Note what was missedSites in the plan that were skipped.
Tip only if you want toIt is not part of the agreed price unless written.
Review the bookingSay how the tour went: only booked jobs carry reviews. Under four stars, you can send the problem to them first to put right.

STEP 1Write to the tour guide firstDescribe the problem with the tour, the date, and the fix you want. Because every service contract carries a term of reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can require a free repeat or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen you score a booked tour guide below four stars, you choose whether the tour guide sees the problem first. We follow it through, then you review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no ombudsman for tour guides, advice on the tour and a referral to Trading Standards come through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, as a last stepIf the tour guide still will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 for simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a tour guide: questions people ask

Guiding itself needs no licence anywhere in the UK. Driving paying passengers needs a private hire licence or, for 9 or more seats, a PSV operator licence.

No law requires them; ask what training the guide has.

A private hire driver licence from the council for a car (England and Wales), and a PSV operator licence for vehicles carrying 9 or more passengers.

£229 to £760 a tour, typically around £374. Half or full day, language and transport make the difference. Half-day, full-day and driver-guide prices are in the tour guide price guide; add your town above for guides near you.

Usually not. Regulation 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes services related to leisure activities booked for a specific date, so a dated tour is governed by the guide's own cancellation terms — check them, and the weather policy, before you pay.

Raise it in writing. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill.

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Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — PSV operator licences
  2. gov.uk — driver licences for taxis and private hire vehicles
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. gov.uk — VAT registration threshold
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register