Part 2 – A Free Walking Tour
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Several cities may have a free walking tour that you can take. Search online for “city name free walking tour” to see is there’s one available where you’re going. You may need to register for the tour in advance, even if the tour is free.
These free walking tours usually meet somewhere in the city centre, or in another popular neighbourhood. They’ll show you some of the main sites, and maybe give a bit of history of the area. They’re usually about an hour or two in legnth. I’ve taken free walking tours in several cities including Bath, Belfast, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Oslo, and Tokyo.
Free walking tours can vary in size. I’ve lucked out on some free walking tours and been in a group of only 8 people. I’ve also been free walking tours with over 50 people. You aren’t paying to get on the tour, but guides on these free walking tours are only paid via tips. The only exceptions I’ve found to this is if the tour is run by a volunteer organization. In those cases the guides may not ask for, or even accept tips. Most of the time tipping is pretty standard on a fee walking tour, so bring some cash.
The downside to a free walking tour, aside from the fact they can have pretty large groups, is they likely will be pretty generic. You’ll be seeing popular attractions and getting some brief information about them and the history of the area. Free walking tours are good for a basic overview, but if you want something more in-depth then a free walking tour may leave you unsatisfied.
What if a free walking tour doesn’t sound like your kind of deal? Maybe you do want something more in-depth than what a free walking tour can provide. A Special Interest Walking Tour in the next part might be more your style.