Have you ever been to a new city and been a bit disoriented? This happens to us, especially if we arrive in the city on an overnight flight. After finding our hotel, some food and a shower we are ready for a walking tour of the city centre.
We take a walking tour on the first day in a new place because:
- It gives us the orientation we need as pedestrians in the city
- The tour guides provide city-specific details about personal safety
- Guides provide useful dining and tour tips
- Local guides are great storytellers and provide their perspective of the history and culture of their city
- We choose an English-speaking tour when possible so we don’t miss out on any details
Walking Tour Bookings with Viator and GuruWalk
We usually book our tours through Viator or GuruWalk. Fortunately, we have always had enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides when we have booked with both companies. Both sites have user-friendly apps and easy-to-cancel policies if our plans change. We book our tours before leaving home to ensure availability.
Here’s a little more detail about both organizations:
Viator
Viator (owned by Trip Advisor) is reliable and includes many reviewed experiences. We have never been disappointed. We have booked walking tours in several cities with success. They are sometimes more expensive but we feel the quality of the experience has always been worth it.
We used Viator for several walking tours. In 2024 we had excellent guides in California, Spain, Portugal and Chile. We enjoyed our walking tours and we also used Viator to book bus and boat tours.
Search this blog for “Viator” to see the various tours we’ve booked.
For example, we booked an excellent whale-watching tour with Viator. https://lifeafter50travel.net/2024/08/27/spend-a-week-in-sunny-southern-california/
Viator also has loyalty points which can be redeemed to reduce the cost of future bookings.
GuruWalk
I learned about GuruWalk this year from Charmaine, a Canadian travel blogger; https://www.thecanadianwanderer.com/
The user-friendly app highlights free walking tours in the city of choice. Since all the tours in this app are free, guides are paid through your tips. There is a suggested amount per person (about $25) for a 2 or 3-hour tour. We always pay the recommended amount. The tours have multiple reviews and are at least 2 hours long.
Maria, our Lisbon guide, walked us through all the neighbourhoods we wanted to see in 3 hours! She was entertaining, helpful and very knowledgeable.
After a walking tour, we feel like we know more about the city and we can plan our time accordingly. It is a great way to get a feel for a new place. I love the historical details woven into the stories as you walk past interesting architectural sites.
Where are you going to book your next walking tour?
