Frequently asked questions

What is Gobyguide?
Gobyguide is the first Italian search engine that allows users to pre-book professional tour guides on-line.

The advantages of using Gobyguide?
There are no intermediaries between you and the guide, you can see the guides’ details and choose the one you prefer.

• Simple and fast: you can book tour guides and guided tours in just a few simple steps (insert link to demonstration video);
• Convenient: you can book your guided tour when you want;
• Free: book your tour guide with no intermediation costs;
• Professional: the professionals available to you are all properly qualified and certified;
• Accessible anywhere, with a mobile device and an internet connection;
• Safe: all payments are made in a totally secure environment using Visa, Mastercard or Paypal.

Who are the guides registered on Gobyguide?
To be a member of our network, guides must be qualified to exercise the profession based on Italian regulations, so they are guides who are legally licensed to operate professionally in Italy.

Booking
How can I book a guide?
On the home page of Gobyguide, you can use a simple search or an advanced search. In a simple search, enter the city or town of destination, the precise date of the day on which you want a guide service, or the period (from a day to a day) in which you’d like to find a guide service or a tour, choose the language the guide must speak for the service and then click search.
In advanced search, you can also enter key words, preferences for the service (morning, afternoon, whole day) and the type of tour, as well as the city, date and language of the tour. Once you’ve found the guide or tour you want, click the book button (the possibilities are presented based on the availability for a morning/afternoon/whole day booking), and enter your data in the proposal page and click to complete the booking. The next page will display the data you have entered, and you can proceed with payment by clicking on your chosen method – Paypal or Banca Sella credit card. You will only be directed to the page with the details of the booking, including the details of the guide, with e-mail address and telephone number, after payment has been made.
You will receive a mail with the details of your booking. The guide will contact you to define the details of the service.

At what times are the services available?
If not otherwise specified in the booking detail information screen, the times are:
morning 9 a.m. to 12 noon
afternoon 2 to 5 p.m.
whole day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In which towns and cities can I look for a tour guide service?
Gobyguide offers service throughout Italy.

Can I change or cancel a guide booking?

The guide service may be cancelled or changed within 48 hours. See the terms and conditions of service for more information.

What payment methods can I use?
Credit card: Customers can pay on the Visa or Mastercard platform without having to register. The credit card information will be processed through the protected terminals of Banca Sella and Paypal.

Paypal: customers must have a Paypal account to use this payment method. See www.paypal.com for further information.

How can I have a copy of the purchase voucher?
When booking is complete, after payment has been made you can print out the details of the booking. A copy will also be sent to the e-mail address you indicated in the booking request. If you need a copy of the voucher, you can send an e-mail request to our customer service staff at booking@gobyguide.com, specifying your first and last name and address, the date of the booking and the name of the guide. We will send it to your e-mail address.

Can I book two tours at the same time?
No, you have to make two separate bookings.

What is the difference between a booking for a private tour and a booking for a gobyguide tour?
A private tour is a booking with a guide with whom you will agree the itinerary directly.
A Gobyguide tour is a booking for an itinerary with a guide with a specific price for that pre-established itinerary, as proposed on the website.

How will I know that my booking has been confirmed?
The confirmation page will appear when the booking process is complete. We will also send you an e-mail with all the details of the booking.

Where can I find the telephone number and/or e-mail address of the guide?
You will only be directed to the page with the details of the booking, including the details of the guide, including e-mail address and telephone number, after payment has been made. You will receive a mail with all the details of your booking.

Can I book a guide for that same day on your site?
No. You can make bookings up to 4 p.m. on the day before the guide service is required.

How can I find guides available for the period I want to use the service?
Gobyguide.com automatically shows only those guides available on the dates you enter. In addition, the availability of the guides is divided by morning/afternoon/whole day, and the buttons to book them are automatically displayed according to their specific availability.

What’s included in the price?
The private tour price only includes the private tour with your chosen guide. The Gobyguide tour price includes whatever is specified in the details of the tour, where you will find a list of what is and isn’t
included. All additional services or requests not included in this list should be agreed directly with the guide after the booking has been made (e.g. museum tickets, transport service, etc.).

The prices published on gobyguide.com are per person or per tour?
The published prices for private tours are for a tour for at least one person to a maximum of 10 people. It can change if the guide applies different prices for adults-students-children. For the Gobyguide tour, the price is per tour, irrespective of the number of people, unless otherwise specified in the tour type or description. Every Gobyguide tour has a minimum and maximum number of participants, indicated in the booking phase.

Is commission payable on the booking?
Yes, commission is automatically calculated by the system, and so the price displayed in the booking phase is the total price for the service.

Do children pay full price?
Information about children is provided in the tour details. Prices may differ for adults/students/children, as specified by the guide, and the options are made available by the system automatically during the booking phase.

Can I make a booking without a credit card?
Yes, if you have a Paypal account.

What card can I use to make a booking?
The credit cards that are accepted for bookings through gobyguide.com are those specified by the systems we use, Banca Sella and Paypal, and the types of card are indicated during the booking process.

Is credit card data processed in a safe way?
The Gobyguide system guarantees that all personal data is protected and that on-line payments are secure, ensuring a fast, safe booking service. On-line payments are handled by a bank that receives the
data directly, without any intermediaries, through the Bank’s own payment gateway using protocols that guarantee the maximum security of the payment operations.

I have made a booking but have not received a confirmation e-mail. What should I do?”
Carefully monitor the Inbox and Spam folder for the e-mail address you provided when booking. If you need help, contact us at booking@gobyguide.com

If I have to cancel a booking, is there a cancellation charge?
Not if the booking is cancelled at least 48 hours before the start time of the guided tour. In this case reimbursement will take the form of a voucher valid for 12 months for a guided tour on gobyguide.com. If the tour is cancelled less than 48 hours before the scheduled start time of the guided tour the sum of money paid by the Customer will not be reimbursed.

How will I know that my booking has been cancelled?
After your booking has been cancelled you will receive an e-mail confirming the cancellation. If you don’t receive a cancellation e-mail, please check your Spam folder. If there is no cancellation e-mail in your Spam folder, please contact our Customer Service department at the following telephone number: +39 0583 319525 or send an e-mail with the details of your booking to booking@gobyguide.com