Odesa Unveiled: Unforgettable City Centre Walking Journey

As first time visitors in Odesa, we knew very little about the city. We need not have worried. Michael was an excellent tour guide, who gave us a comprehensive tour of all of the main sights. We talked in depth about everything from the impact of the full scale invasion on civilians, to weapons systems, religion, architectural influence in Odesa, and everything in between. Michael was very open, and answered all of our questions sincerely. I learnt lots about Odesa, its ancient roots and more recent history. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Michael. If you are visiting Kyiv or Odesa, you should really look no further than Ukraine by Locals. They will set up a tour to your tastes and as they did with us, offered us a tour at our preferred times at very short notice. Thanks again guys for your brilliant work!

Great experience. I learnt a lot about Odesa and its history. It was a really fascinating tour and the guide spent as much time as we wanted in each location answering every question we had.

Michael gave a very interesting and thoughtful tour of Odesa from its founding to today’s war with Russia. The city is beautiful and full of secrets which Michael helped to uncover a few. Very enjoyable!

We are very happy we took this tour! Our guide, Michael, had loads of interesting info to share. We got good insight of Odessa's history and at the same time felt the vibe of the locals. Big thank to Michael for his honesty and friendliness.

The tour was amazing and I was lucky enough to be the only one. My tour guide Michael is a pro in Odesa history. He took to some really amazing and beautiful places! If you’re in Odesa, I really recommend you book this tour!

I had the privilege of having Michael (part of Ukraine by Locals) as my tour guide in Odesa, and the experience was absolutely incredible. His knowledge of Ukraine's cultural capital is exceptional, and I learned so much about the city's rich heritage, including its highs and lows. Michael took me on a fascinating tour of one of Odesa's catacomb networks, which were used by partisans during WWII. He also guided me through the city's military park and facilitated an excursion in the central hub, where he explained how the present day is impacting the commemoration of the past. It was mind-blowing to witness a culture evolving right before my eyes, and Michael truly brought that to life. He also took me to various other significant commemorative sites within the city, such as the WWII Victory Monument and the Holodomor Monument, and provided resources to explore even more captivating information. I was absolutely blown away by Michael's effort—he was bloody amazing!

I went on this free (tip based) walking tour of the historical centre of Odesa with Michael the day I arrived in Odesa. This was an excellent introduction to Odesa by Michael, starting at Cathedral Square and seeing many of the major historical and current places of interest - including the Opera House, City Hall, Potemkin Steps as well as many more (and Odesa's cats!). I learnt a lot about Odesa, past and present - and Michael's love for his city shines through and makes the tour engaging and interesting (and not just informative). I visited Odesa at a very difficult time for Odesa (August 2024) - and I am grateful for Ukraine by Locals still running the tour and just for a single traveller.

We were a swedish group that first visited Odesa in war time. We met our guide Michael. He is very Odesit with excellent English. The all places included in the tour were spectacular despite the consequences of brutal war. Michael very touchingly managed to convey the suffering of the Odissites, their heroic efforts to defend the city and strive for victory in an unjust war. We strongly recommend people all over the world not to forget about Odessa in this difficult time for them, to come and help them.I am confident that you will receive excellent service and a great experience in this city, especially if you use the services of guide Michael. Thank you Michael and good luck to beautiful Odesa!

We were a group of 15 people and the tour was greatly organized. We had an opportunity to take it in a comfortable pace. Informative and enjoyable, thank you!

Had a walking tour with Michael. Excellent, learnt a lot and time flew by. So much history to learn and a way to look at the architecture in a new light. Highly recommended.