In our previous trips we had never really tried escorted walking tours in the destinations we had visited. Most all our travels consisted of the solo exploration route where our knowledge of a region was increased by internet articles, posted signs at the sights, and the occasional audio guide.But on this long-term trip we started to try something different. This time we started to book more of those guided day tours that we kept away from previously. In a way, you could say we were trying to get over a misguided fear that they are all like the photo featured in the header here.
And you know what? They can be pretty amazing.
The Misconception of Guided Day Tours
In the past we spoke at pretty good length about multi-day guided itineraries, but never on the topic of daily walking tours.
Our thought for the longest time was that day walking tours were a waste of money. We often envisioned them to be groups of 50+ travelers following a guide with an umbrella listening to a tour description through a half-working ear piece while walking at about the speed of a turtle.
The last bit there is the most important, because we always thought that guided day tours were a waste of time. Clearly we could make it through the sights in a pace more suited to us and get the same information, right?
Well, after going on a few tours, we are here to say that we were quite wrong on that fact.
Sure, you can have tours with dozens of travelers while following a slow guide with an umbrella, but they don't have to be like that. In fact, unless you are on a multi-city guided tour or cruise excursion, you probably won't even see that. As for the speed? If you are on the right itinerary, you're going to be begging the guide to go longer than the allotted time.
Most walking tours are completely different than everything we ever imagined.
The Kinds of Walking Tours
In our experience there are at least three different kinds of walking tours you can take. They are the following:
- With a large group (30, 40, 50+), slow moving while following what is essentially a living audio guide.
- With a small group (10-20), moving at a leisurely pace that changes based on the makeup of the group.
- With an exclusively small group (< 10) where the entire tour is catered to your likes and dislikes.
On our Walks of Italy tours, for example, we always had tours of < 12 people purely by the company's philosophy of small groups. We were lucky in that most of our tours were 6 people or less, and two in particular were just us. In Florence we were the only two people on the dusk walking tour, and our guide adapted the tour discussion to meet our interests and barrage of questions.
The guide knew our names, our interests, and was so personable it felt like we were hanging out with a friend than someone who was being paid to show us around. (A very, very knowledgeable friend).
But as the tours get larger, your ability to have this intimacy with the guide diminishes. So if you are thinking of booking a tour with 20, 30, or even more people you really need to start questioning if the itinerary is exactly what you want. Because in many cases the listed itinerary is what you are going to get without exception.
The Importance of a Good Guide
When it comes down to it, a good day tour is entirely dependent on the guide.
We can talk all day about the itinerary, the number of people, and the discussions that come up but there is nothing more important than the guide who is sharing all the information. Get a bad one and your day trip can be a ruined venture before it even begins.
While we mentioned going on great tours in Italy, we also had a pretty awful one in Zurich that was led by a member of the tourism board.
In this particular tour the guides split the participants up by spoken language and number of people present. As there were far more people who spoke German (and local dialects), the English speaking group got lumped in with one guide who was going to conduct the tour in both languages.
Unless speaking German takes 5 times longer than saying the equivalent phrase in English, we got short changed at just about every discussion.
But that is what we came to expect from a tour that lets anyone who wants to sign up go without limit.
I don't feel like we got any benefit from the tour other than spotting a few additional landmarks. Our guide didn't cater any of the topics to our interests, and we felt like jumping off the tour a few times to have more time exploring on our own.
As much as we wanted to be with the other guide, who had far superior English and was more enthusiastic, he was more than willing to say that it was only his 2nd week on the job. Another cause for concern on our end.
How to Pick a Good Walking Tour
When it comes down to it, picking a good walking tour comes down to three main points. If the tour misses any of these three important items, you may want to begin questioning if the cost for the itinerary is right for you.
1) The size of the group - As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, all tours can fall into 3 major categories based on the number of participants. As the number of people go up, the price goes down, but so does the attention you receive from your guide.
2) The skills of the guide - What certifications does your guide have? Are they required to pass a national certification, local testing, or additional guidelines as demanded by the company? Or could they be any volunteer who comes in from the street looking for a job? If the company does not display the credentials required of the guides on their page, you may want to keep looking.
3) The itinerary - Of course, a guided walking tour is only as good as your interest in it. Is it the perfect itinerary for you or are there bits and pieces you may not care for? Keep in mind that short descriptions online may not display the time allocated for each topic, and your choice may be the most limited of the bunch! Be safe and only book itineraries that include items that are of complete interest to you.
If you do these three things, your enjoyment on a guided walking tour is almost guaranteed. You just have to show up and be ready for a great day out.
Disclaimer: The walking tours mentioned in this article were provided to us without charge. All opinions, as always, are our own.
