Honestly, they're usually not very good. I've been to a few walking tours on my last trip and the only good ones were the ones where I paid up front (all very cheap anyways).
You can get equivalent of the free ones online now, it's just a script. And the second half of them all is usually a build up to guilt tripping you into giving them a donation.
I do them as soon as possible in every new city I visit, and have been doing so for a while now. Estimate I've probably done about 40 of them now, maybe more. Usually tip between 5-10 euros, depending on the cost of living in the country I'm in (I think most people tip more, but hey)
It's a real mixed bag, to be honest, depends a lot on the guide. Best case scenario you've got a genuine local who knows a lot about the history and culture of his/her city and country, who's engaging and funny, and who has great local recommendations for things to do and places to eat. A few weeks ago I had a tour guide in Medellin who was just like this
Worst case scenario you get somebody who's not local, who just reads a pre-prepared script without much enthusiasm, and who doesn't know much when you ask them questions. I had a tour guide in Lima a few days ago who was like this (literally half of the tour was going to an expensive local bar to try pisco sours which we had to pay for ourselves)
> literally half of the tour was going to an expensive local bar to try pisco sours which we had to pay for ourselves
To be fair going to a bar and spending money on a pisco sour is about all there is to do in Lima
Yeah that might be true. The company had divided the tour into three separate ones for Barranco, Miraflores and the Historic Centre, but there really was frick all to see in Barranco other than a few murals (it's a comfy neighbourhood, just not much there for a walking tour). I'd have combined at least Barranco and Miraflores into one tour, but one other thing I've noticed is that you now walk shorter distances on the typical walking tour, so maybe fat tourists would complain about having to do that
EXTREMELY hit-or-miss. I had one in Krakow that was fantastic. Learned a lot and even impressed friends later on that came to visit me when I showed them the city. Had an absolute joke of a guide in Budapest. This was the highest-rated walking tour, and the Black person starts off with, "Sorry guys, but I have a speaking issue and cannot speak loudly, so you will have to surround me closely when I speak as I give you a tour of downtown." I felt bad for him and tried to keep up, but I left after 15 mins. Nobody could hear him, but he was boring as frick, too.
My advice is simple: do not continue if you are dissatisfied with the first 10 minutes
What exactly occurs in these things? They shake you down for money after the tour is over? Or you show up and they ask for money at the beginning, despite advertising it as free?
they say thank you for attending, it was a pleasure, we hope you had fun, we survive on donations, please donate what you can, x amount is a typical donation. you guys can go eat at my friends restaurant for a great deal
Update, I did the Agora and Acropolis today, they were actually really good to listen to while walking around the sites. I probably wont go to any archaeological sites without something like that again, even if you know the history, you still wont have a fricking clue what most of what you're looking at is and you wont bother to read all the notes on the signs or remember anything if you do or know what the cool/interesting bits are
pic related, me getting there early to beat the crowds
Yeah wasn't really expecting it to be so packed up there. The rest of the city has been fine, it's fricking November ffs. Definitely had a bit of a laugh to myself from it... as I came down and was walking by the museum deciding if I should bother to pay to go in or not, it started pissing it down for well over an hour so obviously I just went inside and it didn't look like anyone was dressed or expecting that and there's no shelter up there that I saw kek
fricking hell.
I've only ever been to Europe in Winter and it's completely different. I was in Athens early-mid december.
I'm going in the summer next year and preparing for the worst.
>isn't ___ an American company?
Shhh... Don't remind the non-Americans about how many US innovations they use daily. They tend to sperg out when that happens
>join historical walking tour >tour is just the guide's personal platform to complain about communism/fascism/liberal democracy for an hour and a half
Why are they like this?
Couldn't they just do that without the whole bracelet thing?
In Athens these kids (maybe 9) tried to give a girl I was with a flower, than when she refused she just starting saying "Give me money" and than slapped one guy.
My first time traveling alone I was so immersed into reading my map in front of the Duomo that one of those bracelet guys managed to tie the bracelet on my arm before I noticed. Was asking me for a euro in return. I seriously had no euros on me whatsoever, I only used my card so far that that.
I told him I seriously don't have cash.
He just looked extremely sad as he untied the bracelet. Nothing happened, seriously, I just felt bad for a scammer the first and last time in my life. Didn't feel bad enough to get cash, though, and since then I just don't look at my map in public cause I know I get too into it. lol
steal it
never admit you agreed to be in the tour, you are just walking a typical tourisim route
Are free walking tours still a good option? I remember they were a pretty big fad back in the 2010s.
Honestly, they're usually not very good. I've been to a few walking tours on my last trip and the only good ones were the ones where I paid up front (all very cheap anyways).
You can get equivalent of the free ones online now, it's just a script. And the second half of them all is usually a build up to guilt tripping you into giving them a donation.
I do them as soon as possible in every new city I visit, and have been doing so for a while now. Estimate I've probably done about 40 of them now, maybe more. Usually tip between 5-10 euros, depending on the cost of living in the country I'm in (I think most people tip more, but hey)
It's a real mixed bag, to be honest, depends a lot on the guide. Best case scenario you've got a genuine local who knows a lot about the history and culture of his/her city and country, who's engaging and funny, and who has great local recommendations for things to do and places to eat. A few weeks ago I had a tour guide in Medellin who was just like this
Worst case scenario you get somebody who's not local, who just reads a pre-prepared script without much enthusiasm, and who doesn't know much when you ask them questions. I had a tour guide in Lima a few days ago who was like this (literally half of the tour was going to an expensive local bar to try pisco sours which we had to pay for ourselves)
> literally half of the tour was going to an expensive local bar to try pisco sours which we had to pay for ourselves
To be fair going to a bar and spending money on a pisco sour is about all there is to do in Lima
Yeah that might be true. The company had divided the tour into three separate ones for Barranco, Miraflores and the Historic Centre, but there really was frick all to see in Barranco other than a few murals (it's a comfy neighbourhood, just not much there for a walking tour). I'd have combined at least Barranco and Miraflores into one tour, but one other thing I've noticed is that you now walk shorter distances on the typical walking tour, so maybe fat tourists would complain about having to do that
EXTREMELY hit-or-miss. I had one in Krakow that was fantastic. Learned a lot and even impressed friends later on that came to visit me when I showed them the city. Had an absolute joke of a guide in Budapest. This was the highest-rated walking tour, and the Black person starts off with, "Sorry guys, but I have a speaking issue and cannot speak loudly, so you will have to surround me closely when I speak as I give you a tour of downtown." I felt bad for him and tried to keep up, but I left after 15 mins. Nobody could hear him, but he was boring as frick, too.
My advice is simple: do not continue if you are dissatisfied with the first 10 minutes
What exactly occurs in these things? They shake you down for money after the tour is over? Or you show up and they ask for money at the beginning, despite advertising it as free?
they say thank you for attending, it was a pleasure, we hope you had fun, we survive on donations, please donate what you can, x amount is a typical donation. you guys can go eat at my friends restaurant for a great deal
I listened in to some English dude's lecture at Machu Picchu a few years ago and he kept glaring at me and saying "ok let's move on now"
I'm going to Greece tomorrow and I just downloaded all of the free Rick Steve's tours onto my phone
Sorry for no jobs in Greece
It's ok, Greeks dont want those jobs anyway.
Update, I did the Agora and Acropolis today, they were actually really good to listen to while walking around the sites. I probably wont go to any archaeological sites without something like that again, even if you know the history, you still wont have a fricking clue what most of what you're looking at is and you wont bother to read all the notes on the signs or remember anything if you do or know what the cool/interesting bits are
pic related, me getting there early to beat the crowds
Goddamn I miss COVID.
The few months shortly after travel restrictions were lifted were unreal. The Acropolis was almost devoid of life in peak hours.
Yeah wasn't really expecting it to be so packed up there. The rest of the city has been fine, it's fricking November ffs. Definitely had a bit of a laugh to myself from it... as I came down and was walking by the museum deciding if I should bother to pay to go in or not, it started pissing it down for well over an hour so obviously I just went inside and it didn't look like anyone was dressed or expecting that and there's no shelter up there that I saw kek
fricking hell.
I've only ever been to Europe in Winter and it's completely different. I was in Athens early-mid december.
I'm going in the summer next year and preparing for the worst.
>Rick Steve's
incredibly based, that man is an international treasure
>free walking tour
>all the americans are on motor scooters and not walking
in 2023 its segways and almost exclusively brits and aussies that do them
segways are too inaccessible for the americans
isnt segway an american company and sold the most units in america?
>isn't ___ an American company?
Shhh... Don't remind the non-Americans about how many US innovations they use daily. They tend to sperg out when that happens
>join historical walking tour
>tour is just the guide's personal platform to complain about communism/fascism/liberal democracy for an hour and a half
Why are they like this?
I would do the free walking tours if they took like an hour
But they always want to drag that shit out to 3 hours.
Why don't they create some sort of "express tour"?
just leave when bored
>free bracelet for me because apparently I'm a handsome gentleman with nice shoes
>not actually free
what actually happens if you don't pay the people?
Like, I don't understand how the scam works.
then you will be surrounded by aggressive Black folk trying to intimidate you and im sure actual violence isn't beyond what a wild animal would do
Couldn't they just do that without the whole bracelet thing?
In Athens these kids (maybe 9) tried to give a girl I was with a flower, than when she refused she just starting saying "Give me money" and than slapped one guy.
My first time traveling alone I was so immersed into reading my map in front of the Duomo that one of those bracelet guys managed to tie the bracelet on my arm before I noticed. Was asking me for a euro in return. I seriously had no euros on me whatsoever, I only used my card so far that that.
I told him I seriously don't have cash.
He just looked extremely sad as he untied the bracelet. Nothing happened, seriously, I just felt bad for a scammer the first and last time in my life. Didn't feel bad enough to get cash, though, and since then I just don't look at my map in public cause I know I get too into it. lol
a small convenience fee