I am Dutch so I tend to love free stuff. And I know you people of other nationalities do too! And although Free Walking Tours are not as free as they sound, I love them. They are a great way to explore a city. You not only learn much about its history and culture, but you also get to know where all the interesting places are so you can go and visit them later.
So what is a Free Walking Tour exactly and how come it is not actually free? A FWT is a guided walking tour that usually lasts around 2 or 3 hours. The tour guide is either a local or someone who has lived in the city for a long time. Often they have much travel experience or study things like history or cultural studies. They are always people that now a lot about the city. Not only the cold hard facts, but also a lot of fun facts, traditions and things that only locals know. The guides I have had till now were all social and super friendly people who are pleasant to have a talk with while walking through the city. Often they can answer all you travel questions and are able to give you tips for your further stay. So it's a good idea to take the tour on your first day!
Instead of buying a ticket at the beginning of the tour, you give your guide a tip at the end of the tour. So the deal is hat you can pay according to your appreciation of the tour and according to what you can afford. This is great since it also gives people who travel on a tight budget a chance to join tours. And with a big group, the guide ends up getting a good amount as well. So it works well for both parties.
Next to the regular walking tours, there are themed tours available as well sometimes. In Edinburg, I went on a ghost tour for example. So instead of getting facts about the city, we were being told legends and ghost stories. It was very great! I have also seen art tours, graffiti tours and literature tours in several cities. So there is something for everyone!
Here are some websites of organisations that provide Free Walking Tours:
But really, any touristic city has there kind of tours nowadays. Usually your hostel or guest house will have some flyers. Else, a bit of research on the internet will do the trick.
Enjoy the tour!
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