Experience a free walking tour in Barcelona: save money but not experience

Have you heard of free walking tours? This is an interesting alternative to classic private guides who will guide you through the city, show you the main sights and attractions, present everything to you in an engaging way and, of course, answer all your questions.

A group in the Royal Square in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona

In Barcelona you will normally pay several hundred euros for the services of a private guide (I have a few on my list here.). However, not everyone can afford this experience while visiting the city. 

Fortunately, there is a solution even if you're on a tighter budget: take part in one of the free walking tours, i.e. free tours of the city with a local guide.

What exactly is a free walking tour and how does it work?

As the name suggests, it is about a guided walking tour of the city, which usually lasts 2-4 hours.

Guide in front of the Historical Archive building (with an unusual mailbox)

Walks take place every day and usually start somewhere in the center of Barcelona, ​​most often at Catalan Square (Pl. Catalunya). So you can choose one of the times and go here at that time. 

There will be a guide waiting for you on the spot (you can tell by the colored umbrella or other distinctive thing) and a bunch of other people you can join. At the agreed time, the whole group walk begins: you simply follow the guide along the marked route around the city and learn about all its beauties...

What free walking tours are available in the center of Barcelona?

You can find it in Barcelona several providers free walking tours. Most of the guides are brought together by large and established travel agencies that also operate in other parts of the world. 

Below you will find a quick overview of several free walking tours that you can join in the center of Barcelona. These walks will take you through the best it has to offer Gothic quarter: Catalan Square, La Rambla, old part of the city, Cathedral, Bishop's Bridge (Pont del Bisbe), Royal Square, Barcelona City Hall, Santa Maria del Mar and Santa Maria del Pi and many other places. 

	GuruWalk	Free Tour	Sandemans
Name	The most complete tour of Barcelona!	Barcelona's Old City Free Walking Tour	Free Tour of Barcelona
What you will see and what you will learn	Pl. Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, Casa Batllo, Casa Amatller, Saagrada Família, La Rambla, Santa Maria del Mar, Cathedral, El Call, Old Jewish Quarter, Roman Aqueduct, Sant Jaume Square, Royal Square...	Pl. Catalunya, Gothic Quarter, Sant Jaume, Royal Square, Barcelona City Hall, Old Jewish Quarter, Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar, El Born, Roman Wall...	Gothic Quarter, Roman History, Necropolis, Ruins, Pablo Picasso, Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar and Santa Maria del Pi, Catalonia, National Identity, Local Legends and Myths...
Beginning	Av. de Gaudí, 3	Pl. Catalunya	Jaume I subway
Languages	English, German, Spanish, Italian, French	English, Spanish	English, Spanish
Length	3 hours	2 hours	2,5 hours
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

If you are interested in other things, I recommend looking at the complete offer of individual providers, because some of them have more in Barcelona. That must be the case for GuruWalk, in whose menu you will find several dozen different walks around Barcelona

Some walks will take you through Raval, for example, while others will take you to places and monuments that are associated with Gaudí (see for example Gaudí, Sagrada Familia & Modernism Free walking tour).... 

The guides will answer all your questions about Barcelona

With or without reservation?

If you know what time the given free walking tour starts and where (or if you come across one in the city), you can simply walk to the given place and not tell anyone in advance. Of course that's possible. 

However...

...but I recommend it from my own experience explore the offer on the website and make a reservation. You may have to pay a handling fee like 1 euro somewhere, but you will be sure to get into the given group at the required time - sometimes it can happen that the interest is huge... (Most groups tend to be up to 10 people). 

Guided group in front of the Kiss mural

How much to pay for a free walking tour? 

Although you don't have to pay anything in advance for the free walking tour, it's an unwritten rule that you tip the guide at the end based on how you enjoyed the walk. The resulting price thus depends only on you.

How much should it be? Of course, everyone can pay according to their means, but personally I recommend paying the guide at least €10-20 per person. 

Do not forget that a similar amount is many times smaller compared to the situation when you would order the services of a private guide. At the same time, the value you get as a tourist is almost comparable. 

It's worth it?

If you are in the city for a few days and you want to get to know the most of it in a limited time, so be it I can safely recommend the free walking tour.

In a short time, the guide will introduce you to the most interesting places and information about Barcelona, ​​which you would have to search for and then plan...

Free walking tour in Raval: group before statue of El Gato

In addition, due to the huge competition of guides, free walking tours are far from just a boring walk in the company of an expert on history or culture.

The guides are well aware that their final reward depends on the experience you will have with them and how much you will enjoy the whole walk: most of them really try to make it an extraordinary experience that you won't forget.

The free walking tour is best included at the beginning of your stay, when you get to know the city as such. You can then devise a program for the following days based on what you have learned and e.g. book tickets for sights based on what you liked on the walking tour...

Are you interested in gastronomy and good food?

Another interesting way to explore Barcelona under the guidance of a local is i Devour Food Tours. A professional guide will take you through selected restaurants and bistros in a few hours, and you will taste various local specialties in a short time... 

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