Toronto is the kind of place that you need to really know to love.

Armed with guidebooks, tourists can be forgiven for seeing the nation’s biggest city as a place of towering grey façades, cookie cutter restaurants and museums that pale in comparison to those in other major urban centres. So, to get visitors off the beaten track to experience the “real” Toronto, the city is pairing tourists up with locals for free personalized walking tours.

“People go, ‘How can it be free?’” Monica Marlatt told CTV News Channel. “It’s just people like me that are very passionate about our city and want to share our stories.”

Part of the Global Greeter Network, which sees volunteers offering walking tours in more than a hundred cities worldwide, Toronto Greeters are providing two- to four-hour individualized trips. All start at City Hall and use a combination of walking and public transit.

“Every tour is different because it just depends on the greeter that you have,” Marlatt says.

Her favourite walk takes visitors from City Hall to Union Station, with forays into the PATH network.

“They love it,” Marlatt says of the city’s labyrinthine underground pedestrian walkway.

“They’ve never seen anything like it before.”

In a city defined by the nuances of its diverse neighbourhoods rather than by obvious tourist attractions, having a Torontonian point out the nooks and crannies of their favourite areas is probably the best way to get a quick understanding of what makes this vibrant city tick. Each custom walk focuses on a particular neighbourhood or district and visitors are matched up with a greeter who shares similar interests.

You can book your walking tour at torontogreeters.com. For more on the Global Greeter Network, visit globalgreeternetwork.info.