I am a strong advocator of free walking tours. STRONG. I join them everywhere I go. EVERYWHERE. Sometimes multiple a day. They are absolutely firkin amazing and I will tell you why. If you don’t take my advice, you’re a fool. A FOOL.
Free walking tours are the cheapest tour option you can find. They are free for goodness sakes, just do it. The guides work based on tips, so, yeah okay, they’re not totally free. Unless you’re a total jerk and don’t tip them. I promise you, the tip is totally worth it. Because they are paid based on tips, the tour guides do a really good job in trying to entertain you. They are full of so much information, and most of the time are quite funny.
I recommend taking a walking tour the first full day of your trip. It is the perfect way to start off your trip. You can get a good feel of the place, learn the history all around you that you otherwise wouldn’t have known, and you start to really appreciate where you are. I never feel complete if I don’t do a walking tour. Then I’m just walking around a place blind without full appreciation.
The tours are also a great way to get an outline for what you’d like to see more of. On your walk, you get to see a lot of the main sites, knocking a good amount of stuff off of your list. Then you don’t have to waste time later trying to find the place only to show up and be like “this is it? This is what everyone is talking about?” Popular sites tend to be underwhelming if you don’t get why they are appreciated. Hence, a tour guide to explain it to you.
I’m not even that big of a history buff, at all. History was not a good subject in school for me. But these tours are honestly like my favorite part of a trip. Theres magic in learning all of the history where you are. Without history, places seem to blur together and you lose appreciation. I recommend taking one of these tours where you live. I bet you’ll find out a lot of information and gain a new love for your city.
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The best part of these walking tours is you can choose what topic you want it to focus on. My favorite throughout Europe was tours that focused on WWII and the holocaust. It effected all of Europe, so it was interesting to see the differences in each country or city on the ways they were impacted.
Extra bonus: you get some exercise! After a long trip, it feels so good to get a good stretch and walk around. The best part is that you have the first few hours planned for you, and all you have to do is follow along. Luxury!
Benefits of walking tours:
- you get some exercise
- great value of money
- gain a new appreciation for the location
- learn history and expand your mind
- planned out for you, all you have to do is show up
- tailored to your topic of choice, generally
- sound smart to your family and friends back home with all the knowledge you come back with
- get an outline for what to see
- knock off a bunch of sites at once
Comment below your favorite thing you have learned
on your walking tour!