Money Saving
Free Walking Tours
I’ve taken these in:
Tel Aviv, Sofia, Stockholm, Berlin, Hong Kong, Riga, Tallinn, Edinburgh, Thessaloniki, Skopje and Milan.
They’re usually in English but I’ve seen them advertised in Spanish in Edinburgh and Stockholm.
Sofia even has a Free Food Tour – you must do!
While they are called “Free Walking Tours” they aren’t really free. They operate on tips. I usually tip between €5-€7 depending on how good they are and how many people are in the group.
Usually the size of the group is between 10-15 and work on a first come, first served basis, so if you arrive late then the group might be full.
Some require a reservation – the tour in Milan and Berlin did.
I’ve had great experiences doing these and the best ones were in Milan and Tallinn. As they work on tips the tour guides are more engaged and friendly.
The only time I had a bad experience was in Sofia when my tour group was too big (50+ people) and random people kept joining. It’s the risk you take for a cheap tour.
