Spain--Free tours

Yes, of course, he/she expects it if you liked the tour. Free tours are not a philanthropic activity but an implicit "pact" between the guide person and the customer that if you like the tour you'll pay something in exchange. Tipping depends on each person, and they do range from 5 to 20€ -even more-... depending on what you thought of the tour, how long it took, etc. No one coerces anyone to pay anything and you can leave at any time if you don't like it without having paid anything. Many guides, at the end of the tour, simply pass around a bag among those that are present so everybody can put whatever one feels the tour is worth without feeling 'watched' or ' scrutinized'.

Just be aware that if you are looking for in-depth history, the free tours are not always the best. I took tour with the Barcelona tourism board while my parents took a free tour and while they learned about what restaurants to try, they didn't learn half of the history of the city. As for tips, you don't have to tip a free tour, but many people do tip 5 euros.

In Sevilla, I did two walks with Sevilla Walking Tour, both the city walk and the Alcazar. Alfonso was our guide and was funny and informative.

The difference between TI tours and other tours (including Viator-type tours) is that the guides in the latter are not "necessarily" formed as tour guides and have not necessarily obtained the official tour guide license. This, in itself, it doesn't mean anything, it's not compulsory to have the official license to operate and it doesn't mean that just because you're not a graduate in tourism you can't be an excellent and knowledgeable guide -in fact, there are quite a few that I know of that they are. On the other hand, "official" tour guides -those with the official license- are not necessarily 'good' guides either. At the end of the day, it's a mix of knowledge, experience and being a people's person.

So these free tours originate out of the TI offices? I think TI offices in Europe are funded/work differently than those I've worked with in the U.S. I noticed in Paris, the TI offices, while would help with directions etc., their main focus seemed to be selling boat cruises and local tours while in the U.S., tourist information or chamber of commerce or similar, are funded by the city or area, and tend to provide written materials and suggestions, and sometimes an actual free tour funded by the tourism organization. I'm realizing now, that a short "free" tour I took in Besalu from their TI office was probably done by someone that relied on tips. I don't recall seeing anyone give tips but people may have been discreet. I don't think it is obvious to those from the U.S. new to travel in Europe how this all works and its good to know. It is also helpful for me, in that in Sevilla, I can get a RS suggested tour guide for approximately 10 euro/person, which in the end is probably similar to what one would pay for a "free" tour. Not to say that the free tours aren't worth while. It does seem as though the "free" tour from El Rey Moro is fairly good.

No, I do not think the "free" tours have any connection to the tourist offices. The "free" tours are run by commercial enterprises that must surely be quite successful, because they do not pay the guides, but rather charge them a fee (€3 or €3.50 has been reported) for every person who shows up to take the tour. So the guides start out substantially in the hole.

I think Rick made a suggestion about how much to tip on "free" tours; perhaps it was in a blog post. I think he suggested €10 for a decent tour and more if the guide was exceptional.

Since so many people prefer the sound of "free", those tour groups can be rather large. I've taken tourist-office tours in at least three different countries, plus several tours with London Walks, and I don't think any of the groups were larger than 15 people. And all the tours except those in Barcelona cost just €10 or £10 for abour 2 hours.

I’ve done a few free tours (lasting between 1 and 1.5 hours) in some different countries and we generally give a couple euro or pound tip, per person at the end. The guides were mostly college students. Most have been very informative, although a few seemed to be advertisements for local establishments. There was no pressure to tip.

No, the TI has its own (paying) tours, the free tour business model is run by private companies.

This is all great information. I'm the type that likes to know what things cost up front, yet I don't like to take advantage. I'm not liking the sound of the business model for these "free tours", so I'm glad I know how they operate. The person giving the tour has a choice to be involved or not so I guess its all good, I just will then choose my tours accordingly. Thanks all!

Well, the "freemium" business model, much like in the online world (software and SAAS) is based on fairness, trust, and responsibility from both, the provider and the consumer.

As a consumer, you're allowed "to use the product" (have the tour) for free so you can evaluate its quality but when you're done, it's expected you'll behave responsibly and with fairness and reward the provider accordingly. Contrary to a paying tour, in which you're stuck if the guide person is not up to your expectations, in this model you're free to leave at any time without compensating him/her.

But, this model only works if the consumer "plays ball". Everybody knows that nothing is free in life, and knowing the guide person gets paid on the "tips" (no better incentive for him to play his top game!), one is expected to apply -as mentioned earlier- common sense and fairness and if you liked the tour, pay (tip) something. As a business consultant myself, I can't find any model "fairer" than this one: the provider doesn't have any guarantee the consumer will honor the (unwritten) pact and yet provides the service.

The catch with the "free tours" is that on most of them, the guide has to pay the company money for each person that is on their tour. They tend to hide this fact. Most of the time it is between 2.50-3.50€ per person. It is why they take your photo at the beginning of the tour. It is so the company can count how much that guide has to pay them. The "guides" are often students in town for the summer who have memorized a script.
So, why are you even going on a supposed free tour? You just spent a lot of money getting to Europe, why not pay the 10-15€ a regular walking or bike tour will cost and have a guide that actually knows their stuff?

Have actually tried 2 free tours just to see how they are. In Edinburgh, it was just awful. Half the people had left by the end of the tour. Other tours would walk by and you could hear them say the exact same sentences as our guide, so you knew it was a memorized script. The whole tour was boring and I so wished we had spent our money on a real tour. In Frankfurt, went on the Alternative Free tour which is supposedly just students. The guy we had as a "guide" did not know a single correct fact about Frankfurt. This was appalling to me of course. I contacted the company and told them personally, rather than leave a crappy review on TA or on FB as this tour was so poor.

Someone else mentioned Viator. This is a re-seller of other peoples tours. People on this forum go on and on about not using Booking.com because of the 10% commission that hotels have to pay, yet Viator charges tour companies a hefty 25% commission when you book a tour through them. All of the tours sold by Viator are very easy to find on Trip Advisor.

Gotta disagree on one argument Ms. Jo... the suitability of a guide depends on the person, I've known several free tours in several cities here in Europe -curiously one being Edinburgh- with great guides, both knowledgeable and passionate about their job, and they certainly didn't have "a memorized script" -nor were students out for a buck :) So again, I suppose it depends on who you stumble upon, and yes, I've also stumbled upon awful tours, LOL!

In Barcelona, for example, RunnerBeanTours has a great reputation and many acquaintances of mine that have used them they were all very satisfied... but again, everything is debatable, right? :))))

Sorry, I still don't believe that it is "obvious" that a free tour isn't free. Maybe its cultural or maybe my opinion is shaped by experiences I have had, but in the U.S., I've taken a few absolutely free tours and heard about many more. Most often I think its volunteers affiliated with a city or location. There were volunteers giving various free tours when Minnesota had the super bowl this past January. The reason I asked was because my hotel in Sevilla includes a free tour in the list of their other free amenities (like a bottle of water every day). If people all know or should know, the organization could be more forthcoming and offer tours with no "upfront" fees and satisfaction guaranteed. I feel the "free" tour is similar to the folks that want to give you a "free" bracelet or sprig of a herb and then want money. I'm sure many of the guides are good and find it a great way to earn some money. I'm really not one that takes tours anyway, I like to travel at my own pace and do a lot of reading and learning as part of trip prep. We often use the RS walking tours and information in the guidebooks when visiting museums/churches/historical venues. However, I have come to the conclusion, that for a few places like cathedrals, I would gain more through a tour. In Sevilla, the RS recommended walking tours are inexpensive so if it works out scheduling wise, we may give them a try. I'm grateful for this forum for information that helps me travel knowledgeably.

Having taken quite a few free tours around the world, I found the good guides shared a few qualities.

• They had a professional background: lawyer, professor, photographer, etc.

• They were volunteers for organizations that did not offer paid tours. Or they were independent operators. They were locals and not expats. They kept all their tips.

These good guides do differ from the guides of paid tours.

• They did not try to sell me other tours.

• They referred me to places where they dined and shoped. Places where they did not collect a commission.

• In addition to following a script, they offer their personal opinions. Genuine, passionate, no holds barred. My Buenos Aires guides showed their esteem for Evita, their disdain for the bad art and architecture by the City's founders, and their frustration and despair about Argentina's economy. My Auckland guide detailed the mistreatment of the Maori by the British, and the revival of the Maori culture and identity.

I felt like they treated me more like a friend than as a tourist. I tipped them 10 €, and more if the group is small.

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

I took a free tour in Seville from a company that also offered paid tours. While the tour itself was ok, the guide was very pushy and spent a lot of time selling the paid tours when we took a break at a cafe. Turned out she also led some of those tours. I signed up for a paid Alcazar tour led by another guide. Nothing special and a little rushed.

I had better luck in Granada taking a free tour by an independent operator.

@Wonderful.... if you have something to say, say it. But you'll be wrong. Not that I have to explain myself, but for the sake of other people I'll once more say that when someone's work is "of quality" I have no problem praising them. As I've explained in the past, I have lived in many cities and I've made a number of acquaintances and friends, that, being Barcelona a tourist magnet, tend to consult me which this or which that and share with me their experiences when they've visited. Out of that, I've learned that "that provider you don't name" seems to run a good service, as many of them have spoken wonders. Hence the reason I praise them (and others!) when it's appropriate and I recommend and will continue to do so unless they prove me wrong.

I can see you don't embrace business models other than the "classic and traditional" -many of which we're lucky to get rid of as they're mere monopolies- but I happen to be open to new ways of doing things --if they're run properly, fairly and really provide a better choice that is!-- so I won't stop praising people who deserve it, and I feel sorry for those who are afraid of becoming obsolete instead of better themselves to compete with the new times.

Anyway, blessed by the City Hall or not, something I've learned in my trips is that a good guide is not measured by his status, the companies he has worked for, his years in the business or his degrees... it's far more complex, it's a mix of everything I just mentioned plus a touch of empathy, a big smile, and the willingness to accommodate to the type of customers. And for that, either "you have it or you don't".

@staynsavor... I totally share your view because I've found similar traits in the guides I've encountered. I gotta say though that I don't demonize per se the official guides, I've also found some great ones passionate about their jobs. As I said I feel it's a matter of each individual.

@Enric, while we have a minor disagreement here, I very much appreciate the assistance you provided me and other travelers in Barcelona. There is nothing better than a local and experienced traveler when one is planning a trip. I think this forum like other internet "venues" has some problems with understanding of peoples' intent and tone. I am still hoping I find the Enric of Madrid to get me from the airport to Sevilla (complete with pics too, would be awesome ;) )

Hey, disagreement is healthy, it provokes exchange of views and experiences :))

@Jules.... that's very easy too. I haven't been in Madrid for a while but I believe things still work the same: other than taxi, you also have a reliable train line from the airport to Atocha station in Madrid, which is where you'll be taking your AVE train to Seville. You want to take the train line C-1 (http://www.aena.es/en/madrid-barajas-airport/train.html) to Atocha (around 30' or so). Once there, here you have the map of the station: http://www.adif.es/es_ES/infraestructuras/estaciones/planos/ATOCHA_plano.pdf
Easy peasy.

I'm not a "free" tour person so I would have skipped over anything he wrote about them. But, before our 2017 trip to Spain, which included Barcelona, I practically stalked Enric online for information. He was a huge help and on the mark about everything that I was concerned about.

If "Mr. Bean" is the same business as "Runner Bean", Enric couldn't have possibly posted the thousands of positive reviews by himself.

Thanks, Enric. Do you also happen to know if All Saints Day (November 1) impacts anything with trains in Madrid/Sevilla or anything in Sevilla? I've posted that question and didn't get a response. We arrive Spain on November 1. And incidentally, that is also my husband's birthday. In the U.S., many restaurants will bring out a small dessert with a candle and even grab a few servers to sing, Happy Birthday. Is that a "thing" in Spain?

Gosh, I have a stalker! (LOL!)

Hi Jules, actually it might -not the train- but other stuff.

Keep in mind that contrary to Catalonia, elsewhere, in Spain, a lot of people is very religious and the religious holidays are both observed and celebrated. Nov 1st (Dia de Todos los Santos, a.k.a. as Dia de los Muertos) is a national holiday -sort of bank holiday when it comes to what's open and what's not- so businesses and shops (except for a few) will be closed, not so for restaurants, bars, attractions, museums, etc. those are open, noting that when it's a bank holiday locals take the opportunity to do a bit of "internal tourism" therefore there's always a demand for entertainment-related activities (cultural, musical, culinary or otherwise). As per public transport, it's going to be like any regular Sunday, that is, the frequency will be lower but all lines will be running. Trains never "close" so service might be reduced on these festive days but it's up and running nonetheless.

Note that this year Nov 1st falls on a Thursday so a lot of people will take Friday off for a long weekend and this means some smaller shops (sort of mom'n'pop's) might be closed until the following Monday. I, however, wouldn't worry much since Seville is a big city, not a sleepy small town, so life goes on all the time and while shops might be closed, the rest of "options" will be available.

Enjoy!