Hourly rates for local guides - Spain

It really depends on the region, as prices vary quite a lot from one place to another. If you want a really private tour for just the two of you in Madrid or Barcelona, for around 4h, I would think of something around 200eur máx. A full day would be around 300eur (I have not considered taxes on this, which for guides is 21%). Other areas, such as the Basque Country, may have similar prices; Andalucía is probably cheaper and Extremadura (where Cáceres and Trujillo are located) will be much cheaper. If we include transport, prices will likely double...gas prices are skyrocketing and you have to consider if there are tolls or parking costs. From Cáceres to Trujillo you may want to take the bus...fast, efficient, clean and cheap, and get a guide at the local tourist office, booking a tour in advance. Official guides, that is, those that are allowed to show National Patrimony, are licensed in all regions and normally under the National Association known as CEFAPIT. The Basque Country is the only community where there are no real regulation for guides yet, but those most experienced ones will be under an APIT website, as in the rest of Spain, belonging to CEFAPIT.

Thanks MikelBasqueGuide this is really helpful information.

We are new to the idea of private guides. The tip about the bus to Trujillo then hiring a guide is a good one.

We used 3 private guides on our trip to Spain last January.

The one we used in Toledo was 120 euro for a 2-hour walking tour.

The one we used in Granada was 120 euro for a 3-ish hour tour of the Alhambra.

The one we used in Cordoba was also 120 euro, but for a 2-hour walking tour (we ended up going slightly longer).

We did not tip any of the guides.

All were excellent, and it was money well spent.

DebVT - we are also considering guides in Cordoba and Toledo. Would you be happy to share the details of the ones you used?

Hi, AussieNomad. I'd be happy to share!

In Toledo, we used JuanJo ([email protected])

In Cordoba, we used Isabel Martinez ([email protected])

Another resource I used for our trip was Spain Private Guides (spainprivateguides.com). I used them to coordinate a private transfer for us from Toledo to Granada, stopping at Consuegra and Baeza (with a guided tour in Baeza). They hired the minibus, driver, private guide, and coordinated a couple of food stops as well. They were really, really good, and communication and service was excellent. However, they were not inexpensive. Because I was booking for our group of 10, the cost per person wasn't much more than using public transportation for this portion of our trip, and we were able to get a lot more out of our day by doing this segment as a private transfer (train schedules weren't great that day, wanted to see some sites that would have been time-consuming to access via train/bus). However, I don't know if the cost would be reasonable for just 2 people. Can't hurt to ask.

Another note: we travel with my teenage son, who is also mobility-challenged. All of the guides we have used in Spain have been really thoughtful and excellent at modifying "standard" itineraries to accommodate his needs (for example, seeking routes with fewer steps/inclines, building in longer pauses for rest/sit breaks, etc.). Just communicate your specific needs beforehand and I am certain they will do a wonderful job at accommodating.

Here is my trip report if you would like any further details from our trip: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/2-lovely-weeks-in-spain

Have a wonderful time!

Sounds like you had excellent, thoughtful guides, so am wondering why you didn't tip them? Usually, one does tip a private guide, especially if you feel they went above and beyond. For the group, it sounds like you saved a ton of money on this, so it puzzles me that no one could find an extra 10€ or so for the guide?

Ms. Jo, I have been led to believe that it is not customary to tip guides in Spain, unless it is a "free" tour, which these were not. We have in fact in the past offered tips on previous trips to Spain and been refused by the guide. So, it is not because of lack of generosity, it is because this is what I believe is customary for where we were traveling.

ETA: as an example, here is a thread in which Enric indicates that it is not customary to tip for a pre-negotiated (paid) tour: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/cost-for-guided-tours

He meant group tours with no reservations, where everyone pays 15-20€, though I would still tip a couple of € on one of those.
For the private, he said 10-15€.
Yes, I am a guide so am fairly biased, but will ask my guide friends in Spain what is usual.

Also a guide, and of course tips are welcome, but it´s also something you must earn and deserve. You have to make sure your host is well attended, that he gets what he pays for and beyond, and that every need or request is taken care of, if possible. We love to show our country to our guests, and if they tip it´s great, but if they don´t it´s also fine.

Ms. Jo, with respect to Enric's 10-15 euro recommendation, that response was for the "unpriced" tours (second bullet on the original post).

I do feel like this is a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" topic.

For our first private tour in Spain, in 2018 to tour the Alhambra, we tried to tip our tour guide (something like 20 euro for a 120 euro tour) and she adamantly refused to accept the tip.

There are numerous postings on this forum indicating that it is not customary to tip private tour guides in Spain.

Because of my prior experience and because of those postings, we did not tip our tour guides on this trip.

I'm sorry if we offended anyone, but we thought we were doing the "norm" for travel in Spain. We certainly didn't take this approach because we were trying to be cheap, and yes, of course we could have "found" an additional 10 euro to tip the guides if we felt that was what was expected.

So, again, apologies if I have set off an uproar. We were only trying to do what we thought was appropriate for our circumstances.

Oh, my apologies entirely. I was only curious.

I also do not ever, ever expect to get tips, but alway appreciate them. There have been a few times where I have gone way over and above and not even gotten a cup of coffee and then I wonder if I did something wrong.

Reviews are always good though, so perhaps write a review for your guide? Reviews are like money in the bank.

Thanks DebVT for the specific recommendations and to everyone for the discussion of tipping.

We would automatically offer a tip if we enjoyed the service provided. In Australia it is very common to tip 10% in restaurants and to "round up" for things like taxi fares, coffee etc. However, since most payments went digital during COVID tipping has become more complex. It was much easier to tip in cash.

When we were in Barcelona last year, we tipped our taxi drivers (in cash but pain fare using credit card) and the maid who cleaned our room (she seemed to expect it). We would have liked to have tipped the porters but had no cash handy.

Guides at Alhambra and official monuments can´t accept tips, as they have a fixed monthly salary from an official institution. They are not "private" independent guides, but persons that work on a salary basis and the rules for public servants in Spain state that no tips or presents can be accepted. A different thing is a fully private, independent guide that normally works on its own or subcontracted by another travel company, that does not have a fixed salary and makes his/her living out of tours, and his or her income is not something fixed and definitely do not work every day. As said, tipping to independent guides is obvioulsy welcome, but it must be earned and deserved, do not tip just because you feel you have to. But make sure what type of guide you are with.

Mikel, thank you very much for the additional details. It is sometimes hard to navigate all of the different expectations, so we do the best we can.

Just to clarify our experience, the guide we used in 2018 was a fully independent, private guide, not one we contracted through the Alhambra. My contact was Margarita at alhambratours.com, although she herself did not actually do our tour. We paid the guide directly, not the Alhambra. Does this mean our guide was still unable, legally, to accept tips?

Thank you for your explanation, and I appreciate having that additional information for our future adventures in Spain.

It´s not an official company belonging to the Alhambra or any tourist board (at least there´s nothing about it on her website), so there´s no legal constraint in accepting tips or presents. I wonder why she refused a tip,...well, it could be just her way of being, maybe she was too shy or thought she did not deserve it.

Mikel, thank you. The additional information is appreciated!

AussieNomad, have a wonderful trip!

DebVT, are the rates you mentioned a flat rate for the tour no matter how many people? I booked a tapas tour in Barcelona for my husband and I, and that is a per person rate which makes sense because we will both be eating and drinking. I am now looking at private guides in Toledo and Cordoba and wondered if your prices were per person or for your group?

Thanks!