Want to explore a new city but don’t know where to start? Want to learn about a place & its history without breaking the bank? Want to meet new people from around the world who also love traveling? A great way to do all of these things is by doing a free walking tour where a local resident volunteer walks you around their city for a few hours giving history, cultural info and travel trips and by the end you pay what you think the tour was worth.
There’s a bunch of free walking tour companies but my favorite and most used are Sandemans New Europe tours. I have done their free walking tours in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Prague and have greatly enjoyed each one. I really like the idea and it works out great for everyone on the tour. Their website does a great job of explaining the concept and why it’s so successful: “In 2003, Yale graduate Chris Sandeman realized that when he gave tours of Berlin, his guests appreciated the presentation of the history as much as they appreciated the history itself. This gave him the idea of offering free, tips-based tours, allowing guests to tell him how much they thought his tour was worth, not the other way around.“
I learned so much on the tours in both the cities that I'd never been to before and ones I know very well like the capital of the country I'm from & a city I'd visited before with a friend who's a local. Each guide was very friendly, fun and put their own spin on the tour; the guide in Copenhagen was a native who gave us insight into Danish culture, Copenhagen, and I subsequently added her hometown of Elsinore (where Hamlet is from) to my bucket list. The guide in Amsterdam was Australian and had moved there for love, he was very excited to find out I was Dutch and we had a long conversation about living in different places and Dutch idiosyncrasies. Definitely recommend going on a tour if you're in one of the cities below!
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Location: Sandeman tours are in 20 cities in Europe, the Middle East, and the US.
Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Liverpool, London, Madrid, Munich, New York, Paris, Porto, Prague, Seville, Tel Aviv.
N.B. If you’re traveling to Budapest and would like to do a free walking tour, Sandemans unfortunately does not have tours there. I tried “Free Walking Tours” there (starts in front of the Budapest Eye on Erzebet/Elizabeth Square by Jozsef Atilla Street - they have a Google maps marker) and I really enjoyed it.
Tours: There’s the Original Free Walking Tour which is described above but they also have lots of other (mostly paid) tours like particular neighborhood visits, bar crawls, biking trips, underground or haunted tours, events etc.
Language: Tours are offered in both English and Spanish across the network. Tours in French are available in Paris and tours in German are also available in Hamburg, Berlin and Edinburgh. Private tours in German and French can be arranged in select cities by contacting private@neweuropetours.eu.
Booking: Can book online up to 2 months in advance or you can just walk on (try to get there 10-15 minutes early to make sure you get a spot as they estimate the number of tour guides from pre-bookings). I’ve generally booked in advance and there has always been availability. It’s definitely possible to walk on but availability is dependent on the day.
Joining the Tour: Each tour has a designated meeting spot with staff members holding recognizable red umbrellas (e.g. the free walking tour in Amsterdam starts on Dam Square, in Berlin in front of the Adlon Kemplinski Hotel by the Brandenburg Gate, in Copenhagen on the square in front of the Rådhus/City Hall, and in Prague by the Tourist Information Center in Old Town Square). Try to get there 10-15 minutes early, check in your name/number of people, and you’ll get a ticket. Once it’s time, they’ll split the groups based on the ticket numbers. Generally there will be staff members at the meeting spot once the tours leave but if you’re more than 10 minutes late, then they ask you sign up for a different tour time.
Free Tour Tip: The free walking tour has no fee. The tour guides are volunteers who work to the best of their ability so you tip what you think the tour was worth. On average the tip is generally €10 (both what I’ve done and what the general average seems to be) but can vary from €5-20 depending on the tour.
Tour Costs: All tours (free and paid) do not include entry fees to the different monuments/sights on the tours.
Loyalty: Sandemans has a loyalty card where if you do multiple (free or paid) tours you can get credits for the paid tours. Certain cities count more than others.
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