Tips for Tour Guides of Free Walking Tours

Normally if you pay for a tour (whether a private guide or through a tour company) you aren't expected to tip; you may however want to tip something if the guide goes above and beyond in some way, or if they are just a wonderful guide and you want to recognize that. If the tour is a 'free' tour, then you are normally expected to give some kind of tip. I usually give them about $10 (equivalent in local currency) if the tour is fair to good, and maybe $15 if they are excellent. I have also just given them about $5 if they didn't show any enthusiasm for what they were doing, didn't adequately answer people's questions, didn't give any information about a site/area other than what you'd get from reading a guidebook yourself, etc.

Why even use the "free" tours if you are going to tip the same amount as what a regular tour would cost? That makes no sense at all. The "free" tours can't compare in quality with a tour done by a professional, trained guide who is passionate about their city.

Yes, it is ok to tip guides on tours if you liked it and felt they did a good job. It doesn't need to be much, but 1-2 euro is a nice gesture.

I disagree with the statement that free tours can't compare in quality to paid ones. I've done both, and very often the free tours are better than the paid. That person has to work hard for the tips they're earning; the paid guide can half-ass it and still get paid, so sometimes they don't try as hard.

When I do a free tour, I typically tip between $10 and $20 USD, in local currency, depending on quality and effort.

I agree that some of the guides I have had on 'free' tours have been quite good and I was happy give a tip equal to what I would pay for a 'paid' group tour. Sometimes the free tours fit my schedule, and where I wanted to go, better than other tours and private guides were charging more than I wanted to pay. I also like the fact that with a free tour you do have the option to not tip if they are really bad, while with a paid tour you pay whether they are good or not.

My experience with the free tours in Edinburgh was awful. We felt like the guide just had a memorized script because when other tour groups from the same company passed us, we could hear the exact same sentences, word for word. People were so bored, they were leaving the tour before it was half over. It was a complete waste of our time and we wished we had gone with a regular tour company. That and listening to the pleas for tips put me off ever using them again.
Do be aware that if you are using the "New Europe" tours, that the guides have to pay the company for each person that starts the tour. That is why they take your photo at the beginning of the tour. It is so they can count everyone.

From Rick, 7 years ago: http://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/the-ethics-of-aeoefreeae%c2%9d-tours/

The "Greeters" program free walking tour guides do not accept tips, or at least ours wouldn't four years ago. She asked that we contribute to the organization instead.

Paris greeters tells you not to tip. The organizaton asks for a donation when you sign up. You don't have to do that, your guide probalby wouldn't know one way or the other. I think I donated $20.

The nice thing about greeters is you tell them what interests you and they match you with a guide who shares the same interest. I said I was interested in architecture. The guide contacted me and asked if I prefered to tour the main sights or another neighborhood. I met him at an RER station and we toured one on one. He had a notebook of old photos and described the neighborhood, certain buildings, infrastructure, etc. from an architect's perspective - obviously a subject he was passionate about and enjoyed sharing. I learned a lot.

I had a similar experience to Ms. Jo in Edinburgh for a "ghost-walk". There was a fixed price that they collect at the end. All the groups leave Merkt Square around dark. I hooked up with the wrong group and realized pretty quickly it was geared for kids under 10 - so I left before long.

I enjoyed the Night Watchmen's tour in Rothenburg, another fixed price tour that is collected at the end. I'm sure he has his spiel memorized. Some people didn't pay. He talked to them about needing to make a living but didn't physically stop them from leaving without paying.

Brad, I though Ms Jo took a free tour in Edinburgh. If there was a fixed price they collected at the end, then that wasn't a free tour. If tips are required rather than suggested then, in my mind, it's not a free tour.

Wasn't talking about the "Greeters" which is an outstanding organization in many cities, nor was I talking about a tour with a fixed price. If a tour has a fixed price, it isn't one of the companies doing "free" tours where it is strongly suggested to tip and reminded to do so several times during the tour.
With a fixed price, it doesn't matter if they collect at the beginning or the end of the tour.

"Free Tours" just another part of the gig economy. Yes, they are handed a script and many are untrained. Someone posted that they have to pay for the privilege of giving a free tour and if they don't make enough tips at the end, they're out of luck. So another way to exploit people trying to survive. Of course you'll be entertained, but is the information accurate? Their total livelihood depends on your tips and making more than what they paid to do the gig.

This is not "Greeters" a free volunteer organization of locals who show you their neighborhoods or local places.

I'll stick with the trained, certified guides, part of the old economy. BTW, in Italy, all guides must be fully trained, tested and licensed.

I like free walking tours, and have taken quite a few. In fact, that's the first thing I do when arriving at a city. I prefer the companies that offer only free tours. Some companies offer both free and paid tours, and would try to sell the paid tours during the free tours.

I find the free tour guides to be knowledgeable and genuinely proud of their cities. Often, they are not bashful showing their feelings about the local politics or history. In Buenos Aires I learned about Argentina's economy and football. In Auckland, I learned about how the Māori got short-changed. When asked, they would suggest eateries and shops that they go to.

I tipped them so that they are reasonably compensated. $10 USD for the larger groups, and more for the smaller groups.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/free-walking-tours-ad7025c5-4e6d-4139-8b52-66f249d4c50d

So it looks like there is some consensus on $10 for the free tour guides - I assume that means per person so for my husband and I we would give $20. Then the question is, what currency can we tip in? We were not planning to get SEK or DKK using our credit cards for most expenses. I guess we could take a small amount from a ATM to cover these costs or would it be ok to give $ or euros which we will have with us?

You really should tip in the local curency. As you note, it's easy to get a small amount from an ATM.

Edited to add: Exchanging physical currency isn't done so much these days. Someone in Denmark or Sweden who is given 30€ in tips would probably end up with less than 25€ woth of local currency after paying the exchange fee and taking the expected major hit on the conversion rate, not to mention the time spent getting to a place offering exchange service.