Get a peep into the history behind most European cities through Walking Tours
I have always felt that the best way to explore any new city/town is on foot. My best memories of travel have found me blissfully lost in something mundane peculiar to the city that is so different from the way of life as I know it.
Walking tours is a beautiful combination of the two with the experience of soaking up a new city with a guide telling you the most interesting stories from their culture, history, and traditions.
It is also the quickest way for you to understand the biggest attractions when you are visiting the city for the first time. Once aware of all the major landmarks in the city, it becomes easy to pick the ones the pique your interest to explore deeper in the coming days.
Every large town in Europe would have walking tours organized taking you through all key aspects walkable from a select starting point. And before you ask the question, let me answer you – the cost to such tours are FREE! Yes, you heard me correctly. Most walking tours are organized by volunteers who are passionate to share the heritage of their cities with tourists like you and me. You can choose to tip these volunteers after the tour depending on how much you enjoyed (Preferable to tip at least 10 euros per volunteer)
What to expect:
Well a lot of interesting stories and a lot of walking – Simple as that.
My best moment:
This will definitely be the walking tour in Barcelona (I am slightly biased towards that city – You can read why more here. There was just so much history to the whole tour but what intrigued me most was these little football players pooping statues they had in every souvenir shop. A Christmas tradition dating back to 17th century peasants in Spain, the neat pile of poop is equivalent to fertility and good fortune. You will find souvenir shops displaying ceramic figurines of everyone famous crouching with their pants down. The top three walking tours I enjoyed the most are in Barcelona, Berlin and Prague.
How to Get There:
Sandeman’s walking tours are popular across and they usually start at the city square. Your best bet is to check with your hotel/hostel and they can guide you to the nearest one.