Hi
I am interested in using Rick's walking tours, but don't want to pay for data charges. Does anyone know if there is free Wi-Fi in Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome? Has anyone used the tours? I am planning on using them with my teenage sons.
Thanks,
Barbara
No, unfortunately, they don't have "free wi-fi everywhere", especially when you are outside on a tour.
Not for free.
But you can download them to your device.
I had downloaded Rick Strves' Venice walking tour onto my Android Nexus 7 a couple of years ago. It was stored in the device's memory and didn't need a connection to work. That said I didn't test it in the streets, only using in advance of my visit.
Downloaded to MP3 on a trip in 2012 and used them throughout Italy -- obviously no WiFi needed once the audio tour is on your device. Download at home, listen in Europe. Or download using hotel WiFi if you forget to do it earlier.
Just to confirm the other replies. Once you have downloaded a Rick Steves audio tour to your device, you do not need a data connection to use it (you can even put your device in airplane mode, if you want to save battery, and the tours will work fine).
There is free WiFi at most hotels, some cafes and restaurants, and some other places. But you can never assume it will be in a place without checking.
barbara,
The Rick Steves tours are simply an audio file similar to music downloaded from iTunes. As the others have mentioned, once downloaded these reside on the device and don't require an internet connection, so will even work with an iPod. I've used these on several occasions, and never incurred any data roaming charges.
You may get "free" Wi-Fi at your hotels, with the charges being included with the cost of the room. However, some hotels charge for this. Ironically the budget hotels often include Wi-Fi, while the posh, expensive hotels charge for it - go figure! An access code is typically required, especially at places in Italy and this is sometimes changed daily in the hotels. Wi-Fi is often provided for customers at places like Starbucks (Paris only, since Italy has no Starbucks), or McDonald's in all the cities you mentioned.
If you're using Smartphones to listen to audio files, it's a good idea to leave the cellular data switched "OFF", unless of course your cellular plan includes that.
Your teen sons might enjoy a bike tour more than an audio guide. They aren't expensive.
