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The still-youthful Mississippi River; scenic city lakes; waterfalls; beautiful homes in elegant, wooded neighborhoods; impressive buildings both old and new; two energized downtowns; great cathedrals; and many more surprises along the way, make a sightseeing tour of the Twin Cities a must. At Twin Cities Tours we offer customized tours in luxury, Lincoln Town Car sedans. We can also accomodate up to 14 guests in vans.

Guides are lifetime residents and professional chauffeurs with a thorough knowledge of the area. Each tour begins with a conversation to determine your interests and then is designed accordingly. Following the rate table below is a list of tour theme options; although please keep in mind that our tours are never “etched in stone” as are public bus tours. Often tours are mixtures of the below.

Rates

These are group -- not individual -- rates. For example, for a 2-hour sedan tour, the rate is $65/hour whether for 1 or 4 people.

Please add a suggested 15-20% guide gratuity to these rates.

Sedan and van tours are a two-hour minimum.

Sedan (up to 4 passengers)
2 hours - $130 (65/hour)
3 hours - 186 (62)
6 hours - 342 (57)
9 hours - 468 (52)

Van (up to 14 passengers)
2 hours - $180 (90/hour)
3 hours - 255 (85)
6 hours - 480 (80)
9 hours - 630 (70)

Step-on guide service (If you get the bus, we'll step on)
4 hour minimum - $240 ($60/hr)

Click to contact us with questions or to make a reservation

Sightseeing Selections

Two-City Tour

This is our basic tour which includes the majority of major attractions. It includes both downtown areas, the Mississippi River, Minneapolis Lakes Area, University of Minnesota, Minnehaha Falls, St. Paul Cathedral, Summit Avenue Victorian-era mansions, and much more. (Suggested length: 3-4 hours. Four hours allows for more side trips into secluded neighborhoods along the way, a walk across the Stone Arch Bridge and other options.)

Corporate and Institutional guests

We are often engaged by local companies to show their guests all that there is to love about this area, as well as to tour through potential neighborhoods where they might chose to live, in the case of relocation. Importantly, we are not realtors, meaning zero pressure while exploring real estate options. (2-plus hours, depending on the geographical breadth of guest needs and scope of interests. We have been often been engaged all day, including meals, museums, etc., in addition to regular sightseeing.)

Read what our corporate clients say

Hidden Treasures

The tour guide's favorite, as well as of local residents who have usually seen the Two-City Tour attractions. It is also enjoyed by more ventursome visitors who are weary of the "30 strangers and a microphone" bus tours and want something different. Please don't ask "What will we see?" for this one, as everything is a Lewis and Clark Expedition-like surprise around each bend in the river. Did they know what was around the next bend?(4 hours; Works best on a weekday.)

Architecture

James J. Hill Mansion Ranges from a five mile parade of Victorian-era mansions along Saint Paul's Summit Avenue to modern museums, skyscrapers and public sculpture. Many great architects, styles and eras are represented here including works of internationally-acclaimed architects Phillip Johnson, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Gray Purcell, Emmanuel Masqueray, Cesar Pelli, Frank Gehry, Jean Nuveau, Jacques Herzon, Pierre de Meuron and more. Plus local architects like Cass Gilbert (the State Capitol), Clarence Johnston (several Summit Avenue mansions), and Harry "Wild" Jones (a star of the Hidden Treasures tour). Regarding residential architecture, a common reaction is amazement at the many, unduplicated, yet aesthetically beautiful variations of styles and unparalleled Camelot neighborhoods. One lady exclaimed on a tour, "If when I die heaven does not look like this, I will be sadly disappointed!" You will even see the Twin Cities' smallest house, and the ugliest! (4 hours)

Gardens

Winter's gift to Minnesotans is our profound love affair with the flowers and gardens of spring and summer. Although the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and the Minnesota Landscape Aboretum provide year-around enjoyment for the visual and olafactory senses, from April through even October, there is an explosion of floral brilliance all around the area, ranging from multitudes of small residential gardens to the hundreds of varieties of roses and perennials at the Lyndale Rose Garden. (3-6 hours, depending on lengths of visits to the institutional gardens mentioned.)

Childrens Tours

Got youngsters? Even our tours can get a bit tedious if you're a kid! So for the short folks among us, we blend the Two City Tour with a serving of cool attractions for children: like the home of Mr. Little Guy; and the world's greatest children's book store, where they have chickens running around, and white rats in the mystery section, and two tailess cats, and a little door inside the adult door just to get in and out of the place -- oh, and books! We'll visit our friend Sabastian Joe for some ice cream. We'll run off some steam by skipping across the Mississippi River on the Stone Arch Bridge; and, time permitting, we can visit the Children's Museum or the Minnesota Science Museum. (Pssst! There is also much for Mom and Dad to enjoy along the way, but we try not make too big of a fuss about it.) (3-6 hours, depending on museum stops)

Lake Minnetonka

Located 20 minutes west of Minneapolis, this lake is considered by many the most beautiful in Minnesota (and we have 12,292 of them!). It has one hundred miles of shoreline (we don't see it all) surrounded by beautiful homes -- okay, mansions -- strung along georgeous bays and peninsulas. You'll see sailboats galore and quaint villages well worth a bit of shopping, cappucinno, or a meal as time permits. Public boat rides are available on week-ends.(3-4 hours)

Stillwater

Located 30 minutes east of St. Paul, it is the oldest town in Minnesota, an old lumbering town nestled in the very scenic St. Croix River Valley. Among the riverside cliff dwellings are several photogenic, painted lady, Victorian-era houses. The town itself offers the classic mainstreet, with many interesting shops, many of them with antiques and used books. You will want to include time for some shopping, a triple expresso with extra sugar and caramel in a brick-walled coffee shop, or a walleye and wild rice meal in a restaurant overlooking the luscious scenery and Wisconsin on the other side. A good autumn drive especially.(3-4 hours)

Lake Superior

It is a three-hour drive out of the Twin Cities to reach the port of Duluth. It is a stunning site which we landlubbers never quite get over, as it presents a world port and ocean-like view into the otherwise landlocked epicenter of the North American continent. Duluth is a gateway to a different world...to the whole world! In Canal Park you can feed Jonathan Livingston Seagull (or perhaps a cousin) while watching the oceanliners heading in and out of the harbor beneath the Lift Bridge. But the main attraction is Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Time permitting, we take you up along the beautiful, pristine shoreline as far as Split Rock Lighthouse. (9 hours)

For more on Lake Superior

Mississippi River Bluff area

This is a trip southeasterly out of the Twin Cities, following the Mighty Missippi River through perhaps its most beautiful scenery along its long sojourn to the Gulf of Mexico. It is referred to as the Bluff Country. It was carved out of the sandstone eons ago by glacial melt, leaving forested hills (bluffs) surrounding postcard valleys with winding roads, streams and red barns. The main feature is the river itself, but we also drive in and around the bluff area, usually finding a small town, mainstreet cafe for our meals. Especially stunning in autumn.(9 hours)

For more on the Mississippi River

Click to contact us with questions or to make a reservation