Nothing beats a local guide when it comes to getting the most out of your big-city travel tours.

The best way to see a new city is through the eyes of a local. If you have a pal in town, he or she can take you on a tour, and if you’re lucky, reveal a few insider’s spots that most tourists never see. But unless you have a friend in every city, you still might need to find a tour guide.

Don’t worry. Many cities offer specialty tours that pair visitors with local experts, opinionated residents, or volunteers who are available to share their local savvy with you for a fee — or sometimes, for free.

Gotham City guides

“New York” and “tourist trap” can sometimes be synonymous, which is why visitors unfamiliar with the city should know about Big Apple Greeter, the innovative program that matches tourists with New Yorkers based on your interests and the greeter’s area of expertise. Greeters not only help you get oriented, they also share personal favorites — lesser-known attractions, flea markets, street fairs and shops, as well as the fascinating details which give a neighborhood its color and flavor.

Even if you’re familiar with the basics of New York, a Big Apple Greeter can offer a new perspective. On one stroll around the East Village, Greeter Valerie Roth introduced visitors to The Gas Station, an alternative performance space, and the Hell's Angels Clubhouse on 3rd Street. Greeters pay their own way, so expensive destinations are avoided.

Big Apple Greeters are available rain or shine, seven days a week. Their company and urban savvy comes free of charge — and there is no tipping. A Big Apple Greeter Portfolio, complete with subway and bus maps, sights and attraction information, and a calendar of events, is a bonus.

Winding through the Windy City

Chicago’s neighborhoods — a treasure trove of ethnic, culinary, cultural, and historic inspiration — are at the heart of 21 special tours offered through the city’s Office of Tourism. Priced at $25 and $50, depending on the length of the tour and whether lunch is included, each tour reveals a single neighborhood, from South Side and Wicker Park to historic Prairie Avenue and Lincoln Square. Tours are led by locals, sometimes matched with a theme — musician Fernando Jones explores the Roots of Chicago Blues and Gospel, while Tom O’Gorman, editor of World of Hibernia magazine, unravels the city’s Threads of Ireland. Tours are offered on a rotating basis on weekends, and reservations are a must.

Say hello to San Francisco

Of the many specialty tours available in San Francisco, two stand out from the crowd. Linda Lee, former executive director of the Chinese Historical Society of America, leads groups around her home neighborhood, Chinatown, mixing heritage, folk lore, and history on a two-hour tour offered daily at 10 am, from 812 Cay Street. Pay $25 ($37 including dim sum) to see an authentic Chinese temple, the Stockton food market, an herbal pharmacy, and a fortune cookie factory and tea shop.

Across town, in the Castro, Trevor Hailey has been leading walking tours exploring the neighborhood’s gay heritage since 1989. The former military nurse, a San Franciscan since 1972, leads groups on a fascinating three-hour tour that is more of a historical journey than a simple walkabout. She puts the city’s gay history into a broader context, dating all the way back to the gold rush days of the 1850s. Stops include Harvey Milk’s camera store, the Castro Theater, and a visit to the Names Project, the original home of the AIDs quilt. Tours are by reservation only, Tuesday through Saturday, at 10 a.m. and cost $40 including brunch.