A coach tour shows you the city on its schedule. A private tour shows it on yours: start when you are ready, stay twenty minutes at the view you came for, skip the stop that does not interest you, and finish at a restaurant of your choosing rather than a gift shop. Elly8.net's Private city highlights tour is a four-hour booking with your own chauffeur and vehicle, offered at a fixed, all-in price on the price list of every one of our 141 cities across the USA, Canada and Europe.
The package is simple on purpose: four hours, the landmarks, photo stops and a lunch stop, with the car waiting while you are out. Every price includes the chauffeur, the vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity. Want longer? Every city also has an eight-hour full-day chauffeur and a signature day trip out of town.
How much is a private city tour with a driver?
The Elly8.net four-hour Private city highlights tour costs from US$340 in a business sedan in Rome, Barcelona or Florence, US$360 in Paris, US$380 in Las Vegas or Nashville, US$400 in Chicago or Miami, US$420 in New York, Los Angeles or London and US$440 in Toronto. A 12-seat Executive Sprinter runs US$680 to US$880.
Prices are per vehicle, not per person, so a family of five in a Business SUV or a group of twelve in a Sprinter pays one price for the whole car.
| City | Business Sedan (up to 3) | Business SUV (up to 6) | First Class Sedan | First Class SUV | Executive Sprinter (up to 12) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | US$420 | US$540 | US$680 | US$640 | US$840 |
| Los Angeles | US$420 | US$540 | US$680 | US$640 | US$840 |
| Chicago | US$400 | US$500 | US$640 | US$600 | US$800 |
| Miami | US$400 | US$500 | US$640 | US$600 | US$800 |
| Las Vegas | US$380 | US$480 | US$620 | US$580 | US$760 |
| Toronto | US$440 | US$560 | US$720 | US$660 | US$880 |
| London | US$420 | US$540 | US$680 | US$640 | US$840 |
| Paris | US$360 | US$460 | US$580 | US$540 | US$720 |
| Rome | US$340 | US$440 | US$560 | US$520 | US$680 |
| Barcelona | US$340 | US$440 | US$560 | US$520 | US$680 |
In Europe the SUV class is the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, seating six with luggage. Parking and any entrance fees are your own; tolls and parking incurred by the car are billed at cost, and time beyond four hours is billed at the hourly rate.
What a four-hour tour looks like
There is no fixed script. You tell us what you want to see, or let the chauffeur suggest a classic loop, and the car follows. A typical four hours:
- Pickup at your hotel, cruise terminal or apartment.
- Two or three landmark stops of 20 to 30 minutes each, for photos and a short walk, with the car waiting nearby or circling back.
- A drive-by section for the sights best seen from the car.
- A lunch stop of about an hour at a place you choose.
- Drop-off wherever you want to finish: back at the hotel, at a museum for the afternoon, or at a restaurant for an early dinner.
Four hours is enough for the highlights of most city centres. If you want museum interiors, a full afternoon in a neighbourhood or a sight outside the city, book the eight-hour Full-day chauffeur or one of our day trips instead.
Chauffeur, not guide. Your chauffeur drives, knows the city and can suggest stops, but is not a licensed tour guide. For guided visits inside museums, monuments and archaeological sites, book a licensed local guide for those visits; the car can carry the guide with you, and the Business SUV or Sprinter leaves room for one more passenger.
Ideas for the classic cities
New York. Midtown to the Brooklyn Bridge, the financial district and the waterfront, the Upper East Side along Central Park, and a lunch stop in the West Village or Brooklyn. The car is a refuge from Midtown crowds between stops. See New York car service, and for the signature day out, the Hamptons day trip, from US$970 for ten hours.
Los Angeles. Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, a viewpoint over Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, and the coast at Santa Monica, distances that make a car far more useful than in a walking city. Extend to the eight-hour Malibu and Pacific Coast Highway day trip, from US$775. See Los Angeles limo service, and for event dates and openings, Discover Los Angeles.
Chicago. The Magnificent Mile, the lakefront and Museum Campus, the river and its architecture, and a neighbourhood lunch. Check Choose Chicago, the city's official tourism site, for what is on. See Chicago limo service.
Las Vegas. The Strip by day and by night, downtown and Fremont Street, and a photo stop at the famous welcome sign. Many visitors book the tour in the evening, when the Strip is lit. The six-hour Hoover Dam and Lake Mead day trip is from US$525. See Las Vegas limo service and Visit Las Vegas.
Toronto. Toronto and the GTA run on the Elly8 fleet and chauffeurs. A four-hour loop covers the waterfront and the skyline views, the Distillery District, Yorkville and a neighbourhood lunch, and the ten-hour Niagara Falls day trip is from US$1,015. See Toronto limo service and Destination Toronto.
London. Westminster and the river, the royal parks, the City and St Paul's, and lunch in Mayfair or Marylebone. The ten-hour Windsor Castle and Cotswolds day trip is from US$970. See London chauffeur service.
Paris. The Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero, the Left Bank, and the Marais for lunch. The ten-hour Champagne day trip is from US$830. See Paris chauffeur service.
Rome. The great sights are close together but the city is hot, hilly and crowded in summer; a car between stops saves your energy for the sites themselves. Pair the tour with a licensed guide for the interiors, and consider the six-hour Tivoli day trip to Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa, from US$470. See Rome chauffeur service.
Tour, full day or day trip?
| Package | Hours | From (business sedan) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private city highlights tour | 4 | US$340 (Rome, Barcelona) to US$440 (Toronto) | first-time visitors, cruise days, a half day between meetings |
| Evening out & event night | 5 | US$425 (Rome, Barcelona) to US$550 (Toronto) | the city lit up, dinner and a show |
| Full-day chauffeur | 8 | US$630 (Rome, Barcelona) to US$810 (Toronto) | museums, shopping, several neighbourhoods |
| Signature day trip | 4 to 10 | varies by city | a sight outside the city, door to door |
| By the hour | 3-hour minimum | US$85 (Rome, Barcelona) to US$110 (Toronto) an hour | your own plan, any length |
The full-day chauffeur is priced 8% below the hourly rate, which makes it the better value once you know you want more than about seven hours. Every city's signature day trip is on its price list, from the Hamptons out of New York to the Douro Valley out of Porto; see wine tours for the wine-country ones.
Private tour vs a bus tour, a taxi or a rideshare
Be fair about the alternatives.
Hop-on hop-off buses and group coach tours are cheaper per person and fine for a solo traveller or a couple who are happy with a fixed route and commentary. They run on a schedule, stop where the route stops and do not wait for you.
Taxis and rideshare between sights work for a couple doing two or three stops, but every leg means a new wait, a new fare and a new search for the pickup zone, and nobody minds your bags or shopping between stops.
A private chauffeured tour wins for families and groups, for travellers with limited mobility, for cruise passengers with a fixed return time, for anyone who wants to choose the stops, and in hot or wet weather when the car between sights matters most. For a family of four or more, the per-person price is often close to a coach tour.
| Option | Your stops, your pace | Price basis | Waits for you | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elly8.net private city tour | yes | per vehicle, fixed and all-in | yes | families, groups, cruise days, limited mobility |
| Hop-on hop-off bus | fixed route | per person | runs to a timetable | solo travellers, couples on a budget |
| Group coach tour | fixed route | per person | the group waits for no one | travellers who want commentary |
| Taxis and rideshare | yes | per leg, metered or dynamic | no | two or three quick stops |
Cruise days and layovers
A four-hour tour fits a port day or a long layover. Cruise passengers in Barcelona, Rome (from Civitavecchia) or Miami can book the car from the terminal with a return time well before the all-aboard; see cruise port transfers. Travellers with a long layover can book an airport transfer into the city and the tour, with luggage kept in the car, as long as there is comfortable time to return for the next flight.
Who drives you
In Toronto and the GTA, tours run on the Elly8 fleet and chauffeurs. Everywhere else, rides are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Partner vehicles are four model years or newer. Child seats are available on request.
How booking works
- Choose the city and the Private city highlights tour on the city price list, or enter your own stops by the hour in the web booker.
- Choose the vehicle: a sedan for up to 3, an SUV for up to 6, an Executive Sprinter for up to 12.
- Reserve now and pay by card. The confirmation arrives by email; send any must-see stops to the desk and the chauffeur's details follow before the day.
Travel agents and tour planners book under a travel-agent account; hotel concierges book for guests through a hotel account; companies hosting clients use corporate accounts. Cancellation: more than 72 hours before pickup, free; 72 hours or less, 10%; 48 hours or less, 50%; 24 hours or less, or a no-show, 100%. Refunds go to the original card.
Elly8.net is a member of the worldwide network of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the private city highlights tour?
Four hours, with your own chauffeur and vehicle: typically two or three landmark stops, a drive-by section and a lunch stop of your choosing. Time beyond four hours is billed at the city's hourly rate. For a longer day, the eight-hour full-day chauffeur package is better value.
Is the chauffeur also a tour guide?
No. The chauffeur drives, knows the city and can suggest stops and routes, but is not a licensed guide. For guided visits inside museums, monuments and archaeological sites, book a licensed local guide; the car can carry the guide with your group, and an SUV or Sprinter leaves room for one more.
Can we choose our own stops?
Yes. Send the desk your list when you book, or tell the chauffeur on the day. The tour follows your plan within the four hours, and the car waits nearby while you are out. If your list is long, book the full-day chauffeur or by the hour instead.
How much is a private tour for a family of six?
A Business SUV seats up to six with luggage. The four-hour tour in a Business SUV is US$440 in Rome or Barcelona, US$460 in Paris, US$500 in Chicago or Miami, US$540 in New York or London and US$560 in Toronto, all-in, which is one price for the whole family.
Can we do a private tour on a cruise port day?
Yes. Book the car from the cruise terminal and give us the ship's all-aboard time; we plan the tour to return you with a comfortable margin. Cruise passengers in Barcelona, Rome via Civitavecchia and Miami often combine a tour with the transfer to or from the ship.
Are entrance fees included?
No. The price covers the chauffeur, the vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity. Museum and attraction tickets, guides and meals are your own; parking and tolls incurred by the car are billed at cost. Book timed-entry tickets in advance so the tour can be planned around them.
Is a private tour available in the evening?
Yes. The tour can start at any time the city is open. For dinner, a show and the city lit up, many travellers choose the five-hour Evening out and event night package instead, which includes a drop-off at the door and the car waiting for the way home.
Can we book a tour in a city we are just passing through?
Yes, in any of our 141 cities. Book an airport or station transfer into the city with the tour, keep luggage in the car, and finish at your hotel or back at the airport. Leave comfortable time for the onward flight or train.
