Meet the Locals for Families

A family tour company for France, the UK and Italy

Meet the Locals for Families runs private tours for families with children, led by its own "kid-friendly" guides. Its destination menu covers France (Paris, Provence & Camargue, Normandy, Loire Valley, Champagne and Alsace), the United Kingdom (London and Edinburgh) and Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice and Pompeii). The About page tells the story: two sisters, Dominique and Isabelle, launched a French-language Lonely Planet series on "traveling with your family in Europe" in 2012, then "decided in 2017 to take their family-oriented expertise from book to business!" in Paris. London followed in 2019, Edinburgh in 2024, and Italy was announced for 2025; the Rome tours now have their own pages with prices and booking. Prices are shown in euros.

The homepage says "All our tours and activities are crafted to be fun and educational," whether "a hands-on workshop, a treasure hunt in a museum, or a detective inquiry." The guides are pitched as "A Team of Mary Poppins," and the About page says they "have been trained to engage even the most reluctant, shy, or tenacious children." Contact is contact@meet-thelocals.com or +33 (0) 6 80 76 85 47.

The tours and prices

The homepage's most popular list includes First Time in London, a full day family tour "From € 1 670," the Montmartre Inquiry for teens "From € 480," a Louvre Teens Tour built around "a captivating heist investigation" from €640, the British Museum Treasure Hunt from €670 and the Treasure Hunt at the Tower of London from €800. Other titles on the homepage include a Louvre Kids Tour treasure hunt, a Paris Chocolate & Pastry Tour in Saint-Germain des Prés, a London Eye and Thames Cruise, a Palace of Versailles Kids Tour and a Family Vespa Sidecar Tour of Rome for teens.

Rome is described in the most detail. The Kid-Friendly Best of Rome Walking Tour lasts 2.5 hours and starts "In front of Chiesa di Sant'Agnese in Agone, Piazza Navona." Younger children follow an "urban safari" in an activity booklet while older ones do a treasure hunt, and the group goes about 4.5 meters underground into the Stadium of Domitian before moving on to the Pantheon, Piazza della Minerva, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, ending with gelato. Included are the guide, entrance tickets to the Stadium of Domitian, a booklet for each child and a gelato. The booking form starts at €600.

The Colosseum Family Tour lasts 2 hours and meets "At the foot of the Arco di Costantino." Each family member draws a role card (emperor, senator, Vestal Virgin or gladiator), and the price includes skip-the-line tickets, role cards and booklets, from €750. The FAQ adds that the ticket also covers the Roman Forum for 24 hours, and warns that on busy days there may still be a short wait for "mandatory security checks, which unfortunately cannot be bypassed." The Best of Rome by Golf Cart Family Tour lasts 3 hours with a chauffeur and guide, passing Piazza Navona, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Castel Sant'Angelo, Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and Trastevere, with a family quiz along the way, from €930. Rome also has a family cooking class (from €740), a Christmas tour (from €680) and a 10-hour Pompeii day trip by private van (from €1 980).

How the tours work

Every tour is private, and prices are per party: the Rome booking forms set a total price by party size, and ask families of more than 6 to get in touch. On the golf cart tour, "Each golf cart can accommodate up to 8 people (including your dedicated guide)," with a second cart for larger groups. The Rome tour pages list the language as English and carry a "Wheelchair Friendly" label. The golf cart FAQ says the carts accommodate "wheelchairs and strollers" with notice, while the Colosseum FAQ says "certain areas may not be fully accessible to strollers or wheelchairs due to uneven terrain and staircases." The tours run rain or shine, and the walking tour FAQ says "no walking tours are scheduled during the hottest hours of summer."

The reviews the company shows mention guides adapting a Louvre visit to children's interests in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman sections, and families booking both Paris and London with help from Dominique.

Booking and cancellation terms

Tours are booked online with a date, time and party size. The form notes: "Our system has been programmed to allow bookings up to 72 hours before a tour," and says last-minute requests are handled through a contact form. The cancellation policy is published by country. In France, cancellations 7 days or more ahead get a full refund, except for tours with tickets (a 20% fee) and the Eiffel Tower and Versailles tours; between 7 days and 48 hours the refund is 50%, and within 48 hours the tour is charged in full. Versailles carries a 250€ cancellation fee from 7 days out, and Eiffel Tower activities are refunded at 60% when canceled 5 days or more ahead, with nothing back after that. In the United Kingdom, cancellations 14 days or more ahead get a full refund (a 25% fee for tours with tickets), 50% between 14 and 7 days, and nothing within 7 days, with stricter rules for black cab tours. In Italy, cancellations 7 days or more ahead get a full refund, with a 20% fee for tours with tickets or a cruise in Venice. Workshops and classes have their own, stricter scales.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The "From" prices on the homepage do not say what party size they assume, although the Rome booking forms show a total for each party size. The Rome tour pages list English as the language, and the site does not say whether tours run in any other language. The cancellation rules differ enough by country and product that it is worth reading the right section before paying.

The strengths are real: tours designed around children rather than adapted for them, clear starting points and inclusions, per-party pricing, and a cancellation policy spelled out in writing. It suits families with young children or teenagers visiting Paris, London, Edinburgh or Rome who want a private guide, and parents who want museums turned into a game. It is less suited to families on a tight budget, since every tour is private and priced for the whole party.