The Hyderabad Walking Company - Your Best Hyderabad Heritage Experience

We offer heritage and culinary experiences in Hyderabad designed to engage you in a fun and interesting way!

Our most sought-after private tours are listed below. Read all about them and choose the one you want to do. We do these tours on request, and you can book them directly on this website.

If you are looking for a scheduled heritage or culinary wallk in Hyderabad, head on over to our friends at The Deccan Archive to see what’s coming up!

The City of Pearls Walking Tour

The best introduction to Hyderabad! A 4-hour, small-group tour covering the iconic 16th-century monument of Charminar, the 18th-century Chowmahalla Palace, and a bunch of places and stories in between!

The Kingdom of Diamonds Tour

Travel back in time to the 16th century Qutb Shahi kingdom! A 4-hour, small-group tour covering the kingdom’s capital city, Golconda, and the necropolis of the kings who ruled from there.

Old Hyderabad Food Walk

3-hour food-tasting walking tour that covers local favorites and some of the best Old City Hyderabadi eateries.

Wonderful lecture Navin. Thanks so much — K

Trilogy session of Navin… Excellent walk the talk and finally the storytelling of the Siege of Golconda. We were back to the days of 8 months siege and got to know about the Shahs and Alamgir of Mughals. Thank you Navin, we look forward to more from you — SR

Excellent session Navin, thank you — R

It was like watching a movie Navin, you made it so interesting thank you — B

Thank you Navin. That was a wonderful session. Very beautiful pictures n well narrated story — A

Awesome walking through the fort. You gave more awesome way of storytelling which made the climb very easy. Thanks Navin — SR

Gem of a session — KR

Excellent session by Navin — JN

Very interesting session, Navin. Thanks for sharing your insights and interpretations that made the virtual walk special — LSK

Thank you Navin you have done in-depth study of the Qutub Shahis, we were lucky to listen to you and see the pictures — B

For taking us virtually to Golconda fort and an excellent Diamond Exhibition – Marvelous it was. Thank you so much Navinji — MM

Brilliant one Navin. I watched it like a fantasy movie. Similarly it has other parts too 🤩. Great storytelling👏🏽👏🏽

A great walk and talk tour Navin. Must have a real walk sometimes in the near future. 😊 Tombs can also tell Real tales as you did . Story teller of history… Thank you Navin

The entire webinar was indeed very novel. Kudos Navin!

It felt like we were actually there thank you Navin for taking us on a journey in this lockdown special

Fantastic session from Navin. The visuals took us on a virtual tour.

Navin Fantastic session.Well done.

That was a very interesting use of street view. Thank you Navin look forward to joining your Hyderabad walk some day.

Enjoyed the walk with you down the Qutb road.

Hi Navin, Im a tourist guide in Malaysia. Following the other with you was an awesome experience. You were so good so informative and i felt as though i was there in person..felt the son the breeze..even heard the birds in the park. Your story telling was brilliant. And Im missing my guiding so much now. Thank you Navin.

Anna Soughpakiam

The video was good had the feeling of being there looking forward to the next episode

Brinda

It was a wonderful and enriching experience.

Krishnan

Very inspiring and interesting guided online tour of the Qutub Shahi Tombs. Great Architecture, interesting to know the emperors had to built their own tombs. Thank you.

Ranney Kaniappan

Very knowledgeable speaker who could hold our attention. Thanks

Padmalatha Suresh

Tituammu

Enriching, interesting ,informative and friendly tour For anyone who wants to tour Hyderabad and truly understand its history and culture, Navin's tours are a must !!! Had it not been for his tours, our trip to Hyderabad would have been a soulless journey.

I had been to Hyderabad on an official visit and had a few spare days so took my elderly parents along so that they could tour the city. On the first day we all took the old city Charminar tour with Navin. His passion in sharing the history and culture of this city is so remarkable that it makes the entire tour so fascinating. So much so, that the next day when my parents went for the Golconda tour with him, I felt I was missing an important eye view of the city's history. But what makes it even more awesome is the sincerity with which he treats us. You feel like your spending time with a family member. And that left me at peace and anxious free even when my parents were touring in my absence. Infact he was so kind to offer a pickup and hotel transfer for my parents in my absence as I wasn't aware of any reliable transport service. And this was over and above the transport service for the tour. He also recommend many must try Hyderabadi dishes and suggested the places where we could get the same.

Thankyou so much Navin for such a memorable experience!!!
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Chuck W.

Not worth the time or money Here are the reasons I cannot recommend this tour:

I booked the tour several weeks in advance, but it was not until I was in the car with the tour guide that I was told that the Chowmahalla Palace and Mecca Masjid were closed on Fridays. Maybe the tour should not be offered on Fridays, or maybe they should notify you before you book a tour on a Friday that these two major attractions will not be included.

From the first few minutes I was in the car with John, the guide, he was relentlessly selling me on going to a pearl jewelry store after the tour to get the best quality and deals. Despite repeatedly telling him I was not interested buying pearls, he continued to propose that we go to buy pearls after tour.

I received a confirmation email for the tour that recommended having a hearty breakfast for the walking tour. However, our very first stop was a café where we were coerced into eating a variety of local cookies and drinking chai tea.

For a walking tour, we spent a lot of time in cars—from the hotel to the walking tour area, from the walking tour area to the British Residency (the very disappointing replacement for the palace that was not worth the time or effort it took to get there) from the British Residency to the souvenir store, from the souvenir store back to the hotel. Not much walking; a lot of riding.

In case you’re wondering, I did not let John take me to buy pearls—after the very aggressive salespeople in the souvenir store, I was done and insisted that John take me back to the hotel.

For five hours and $120, I do not feel like I got to see very much of Hyderabad, and I did not have a very pleasant experience.
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Suchi G.

Great way to discover Hyderabad's secrets Absolutely loved the City of Pearls walking tour we did with Navin. Hyderabad offers up a rich array of history and culture and food, but a lot of it is lost to the chaos of a modern Indian city. With the Hyderabad Walking Company, you can come a little closer to discovering the city's secrets, whether that's a street-cart breakfast when the roads are quiet, or the many rollicking stories about the rulers. Navin's itinerary was chalked out well, ensuring we had enough breaks for rest and beverages and even photos. Navin's enthusiasm for history is infectious, and he brings to the tour a good mix of knowledge and fun. We came away enamoured by the city, and also felt satiated thanks to the lovely food and chai. Need to go back for the other tours!
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Thomas

Highly Recommended Navin is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. As we were guided along the sites he provided a crash course on Hyderabad's history and culture that really enhanced my understanding of the city and its unique place in India. Led us to some delicious tea and biscuits, and helped immensely with shopping. Superb tour and guide.
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Venera Z.

The Kingdom of Diamonds tour We visited the Golkonda fort and Qutub Shahi tombs. Navin is very passionate about what he is doing, that is why, i think, it is quite a pleasure to have him as a guide.
The his/tory can be boring if the teller is just reciting facts and names. It is not boring to listen to Navin at all. He is knowledgeable, funny, friendly, and glad to answer all your questions. It was a memorable experience.
The tour will take around 4 hours. Come prepared, the Golkonda is huge, with a long walking up. Wear proper shoes, hat. And take a panoramic picture when you get to the top.
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mangopablo

The city comes alive Navin is a thoroughly modern man with a passion for history, discovery and all things Hyderabadi. The walking tour is a delight and the evening food tour is even better. If you’d like to get a little closer to real, street-level India, wander with Navin through some of the hidden backstreets or culinary gems of this historic city. Great fun and a wonderful companion and guide.
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ZviaShwirtz

Great walking tour in the city Thank you Zvia! What a day that was with the traffic! Really look forward to having you and your friends on one of our tours in the future 🙂
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NadiaK888

Eager to please I booked last minute and appreciated that Navin and his team responded quickly and accommodated my schedule. John, my guide, was eager to please. As a solo female traveller, having the hotel pickup and drop-off and guide at my side throughout the trip were important to me to feel relaxed and deal with any hiccups (like the ATM not accepting my card, or random man asking for pictures). My recommendations for other travellers considering the City of Pearls tour is to go for it. If you're going to get a hotel pick-up, consider asking for the guide to come with the driver to pick you up - some drivers don't speak English and havingnthe guide there for the ride gives some extra time to ask questions and hear more about Hyderabad. Navin recommended eating a hearty breakfast before the tour to fuel up for all the walking. I would suggest instead to have whatever you normally have for breakfast, as you should have the opportunity to fuel up on delicious chai and cookies at the start of the tour. I went on a Friday as that was the only day available in my schedule. I suggest booking a different day if you have the flexibility, as some attractions are closed or not accessible on Fridays. The alternative that we did (British Residency) was a good substitute but I suspect the regular itinerary would be the way to go. And my last recommendation is don't be shy to ask John (or your guide) for anything. He's eager to please and can give good recommendations if you want to find a good biryani, try a custard apple, or take care of haggling for prices on your behalf and much more.
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ZviaShwirtz

Great walking tour in the city Navin was super quick to respond to me once I reached out asking about a tour - and very flexible to schedule one in the afternoon, which was the only time I had free. He was also very understanding when we showed up late due to the crazy traffic! I went on this tour with three of my colleagues and it took about 3.5 hours. Navin is super knowledgable about Hyderabad and answered all our questions. We did a thorough tour of the palace and then did a walk about in the center - to see Charminar, get amazing chai, watch a bangle maker, etc. He made us feel very safe and led us the best way through the busy streets. I highly recommend Navin for anyone who would like to see the beautiful spots Hyderabad has to offer!
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kamsubb

Authenticity! Navin was great - it was so great to have someone lead us through the City. He is so knowledgable and is able to distinguish fact from fiction! Connected us to local craftsman for some shopping and there were no commissions in the process! Passionate about the work he does and make the tour fun, educational and flexible! More
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ShamsSeattle

Definitely a Must Do: Navin is a very informed guide Navin is an excellent tour guide. His knowledge of the history of this city is amazing. He can seperate the facts, the folklore and the religious connotation. Which makes it really interesting.

He curated a tour to fit my asks. He talked at length about the culture, the significance of the region, the historic implications for the buildings. I would recommend a half day set aside for this experience at least. Also, the food choices: Yum!
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Adventure814381

High tea Navin was a fabulous guide, obviously interested in his subject matter. Going through the tombs was informative and interactive. High tea at the lavish palace, turned hotel was lovely, a beautiful building and grounds with a fabulous view overlooking the city.
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