Special Group & Private Walking Tours

Thank you for your interest in booking a special group tour or private walking tour with special accommodations. Our Fall 2023 tours are available for booking! Please note we only have a modest offering this semester. At the bottom of the page, you can put your name on our list to be notified when the Spring 2024 booking calendar becomes available in late January or early February.

What Constitutes a Special Group?

A special group is any party of 10 or more people. This can include a large family, school group (grades 6th and up only), private tour company, non-profit group, or any group of 10 or more people. We are unable to accommodate school groups that are 5th grade or below; please view our Cal Kids Scavenger Hunt and Activities.

Small Private Walking Tours

If you are a party of less than 10 people that require special accommodations which don’t allow you to join our free guided walking tour, please book a Group Walking Tour as a “Private Small Group/Family” for $50 and note the special accommodations required in your tour reservation. Your private walking tour is not confirmed until you receive an email from the Tour Coordinator. If your party is less than 10 people and no special accommodations are required, please book a free guided walking tour. Reservations of groups with less than 10 people with no accommodations noted will be cancelled.

Reservation Information

Tour reservations are required for these tours. Special group/private tour reservations must be made at least 14 days in advance. Tour groups that include school-age students are required to have one chaperone per 15 students. Please note these tours are accessible walking tours where wheelchairs and strollers can be accommodated. If you wish to book a private golf cart tour due to limited mobility (only), please visit the Golf Cart Tour website.

We offer Spanish language tours on request based on our students' availability. When booking, please state your language preference in the special needs box on the reservation. This semester, we are offering Chinese language tours on Fridays at 10am! These tours are in a different color on our booking calendar below.

If your party is less than 10 people, please register for our free guided accessible walking tour.

Schedule

  • Fall 2023: September 18 - December 1
    • Group Walking Tours: Our calendar shows our offering of tours which occur zero, one, or two times a day, Monday-Friday, at different times. We do not offer group tours on Wednesdays.
    • Chinese Language Group Walking Tours: We offer a tour in Chinese on Fridays at 10am. Please pick the appropriate box on the booking calendar.
    • Private Walking Tours: We are only booking $50 private walking tours that require special accommodations and only if space permits. Please book a Group Walking Tour as a “Private Small Group/Family” and note the special accommodations required in your tour reservation. Your private walking tour is not confirmed until you receive an email from the Tour Coordinator. If you do not state a special accommodation, we will cancel your reservation. Please note our free guided accessible walking tours takes frequent walk breaks and can accommodate any wheeled item such as a wheelchair or stroller.
    • Not Offered on These Dates: Weekends, Homecoming & Parents Weekend (October 6-8), Veterans Day (November 10, observed), Thanksgiving Week (November 20-24).
  • Spring 2024: February 12 - April 26
    • Group Walking Tours: We don't yet know the days or times of our tours as it depends on students' availability.
    • Private Walking Tours: We are only booking $50 private walking tours that require special accommodations and only if space permits. Please note our free guided accessible walking tours takes frequent walk breaks and can accommodate any wheeled item such as a wheelchair or stroller.
    • Not Offered on These Dates: Presidents' Day (Monday, February 19), Spring Break (March 23-31)

Our student tour guides are unavailable between semesters and for the first few weeks of each semester, so we are unable to offer special group tours during this time. To find particular dates of our breaks and holidays, please see the UC Berkeley Academic Calendar

Fees

In-person Special Group Tour fees are waived only for students attending California schools (middle schools 6th grade and up, high schools, and community colleges), where the school is booking the tour directly. Fees apply for all other special groups and private tours which include nonprofit organizations (even if they serve children who attend California schools), after-school programs, out-of-state schools, international groups, private tours, and tours booked by private tour companies. The fee schedule is at the bottom of this page and is based on the number of visitors, regardless of tour length.

Book a Fall 2023 Group Tour

Notify Me when the Spring 2024 Group Tour Calendar is Available

Additional information

In-Person Special Group Tour Information

Special Group/Private tours are available during most of the spring, summer, and fall semesters. They are not offered during semester breaks, final exams, the first few weeks of a semester, spring break, or major holidays.

Tours are 90 minutes long, except middle school tours (6th-8th grades) which are 60 minutes long. Due to resource constraints, we are unable to provide tours to elementary schools (5th grade and under), but we have a fantastic Cal Kids self-guided tour and Cal Kids activity book they can enjoy.

Space is limited, and availability is on a first-come first-served basis. Reservations are required.

Fee Schedule

Special Group Tour fees are waived only for students attending California schools (middle schools 6th grade and up, high schools, and community colleges), where the school is booking the tour directly. Fees apply for all other special groups and private tours which include nonprofit organizations (even if they serve children who attend California schools), after-school programs, out-of-state schools, international groups, private tours, and tours booked by private tour companies. The fee is based on the number of visitors, regardless of tour length. The following fees will be assessed:

  • 1-35 people: $50
  • 36-50 people: $70
  • 51-70 people: $90
  • 71-100 people: $110
  • 101-135 people: $130
  • 136-150 people: $150
  • 151-170 people: $170
  • 171-200 people: $190
  • 200+ people: Please contact the tour coordinator at (510) 642-5216.

UC Berkeley departments and UC schools will be charged a reduced fee of $25 per guide via chartstring or interdepartmental transfer (request those tours here). All cancellations made within 72 hours of the tour will still incur the tour fee.

In-Person Reservations

Special Group, Private, and Golf Cart tours must be reserved at least 14 days in advance. Reservations are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitor Services is not able to provide tours other than those appearing on the reservation calendar.