Free Walking Tours Barcelona

A Barcelona free-tour company

Free Walking Tours Barcelona runs pay-what-you-think-it's-worth walking tours in Barcelona, Spain, and sells a small set of paid activities in the city alongside them. The about page says it "was founded by Ian (EEUU) and Sara (Spain) who after several years working as a freelance tour guides in Europe, decided to start their own tours with a renewed philosophy: to offer quality tours, discovering to their clients the historical richness of the city, but without neglecting the present." All the tours on the site are in Barcelona, and the free walks start from Plaça Catalunya. The homepage also carries a "Visit us in Madrid!" link, but the site does not describe any Madrid tours.

The homepage slogan is that the company "promotes a tourism that fuses entertainment, culture and respect for the city", and it shows a "Traveler Rating" of 7953 reviews. The site's claims about its own track record do not quite agree with each other: the homepage and about page speak of "more than 5 years of experience and a thousand positive comments on the internet", while the bike tour FAQ says "more than 10 years of experience and over 20,000 five-star reviews". The about page describes the guides as "professional, enthusiastic licensed guides".

Walking tours, the bike tour and other activities

The menu lists these free walking tours:

• Gothic Quarter Free Tour of Barcelona, listed first in the menu.
• The Gaudí Free Tour, about "the life of the genius Gaudí and his architectural wonders", naming Casa Batlló, La Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera.
• Alternative Free Tour of the Raval, which invites guests to "Leave the tourist side and explore the Raval de Barcelona", described as a neighborhood "with a unique personality".

The paid Best Bike Tours Barcelona is the one product with full details on its page. It runs "Everyday at 10 am" for "approximately 3 hours, including stops for photos and explanations", with stops at Parc de la Ciutadella, the Arc de Triomf, the Olympic Port, Barceloneta Beach and Port Vell, and it passes the Sagrada Familia. The price is listed as "29,5€ adult / 27,5€ child (from 7 to 15 years)", with a 7€ deposit at booking and the rest paid at the start of the tour. The FAQ says the price includes "a high-quality bicycle rental", helmets are "optional for adults, mandatory for minors", and locks are available. The meeting point is given as BARCELONA CICLOTOUR, C/ dels Tallers, 45, which the FAQ calls "our partner office near the city centre", so the bike tour runs from a partner's premises rather than the company's own.

The site also sells an Espadrilles Workshop, making handmade espadrilles "in an old traditional workshop in the center of Barcelona", and a Live Flamenco Show. The site gives no times or prices for either.

On the day

For the free tours, the FAQ says: "The meeting point is at Plaza Catalunya, at the corner just in front of the Apple store. You will find our guide waiting for you, holding the purple umbrella." Guests should arrive 15 minutes before the start. The tours, according to the FAQ, include "a break in the middle of the tour at the La Dorotea bar", with a chance to use the bathroom and buy a drink.

On weather: "We work on the sunny and the rainy days. As long as if it is safe, our tours run every day." For the bike tour the FAQ is more specific: "Light rain does not cancel the tour (ponchos provided). In severe weather, you can reschedule or get a full refund."

The site answers several access questions directly. Asked whether the walking tour is wheelchair accessible, the FAQ says "Yes, it is. Wheelchairs are welcome", and it says pets are welcome "as long as they are not aggressive and noisy". The company rates the bike route as "mostly flat and easy", with "frequent stops, suitable for anyone who can ride a bike", and says it has "children's bikes, child seats, and bike attachments for families", to be requested when booking.

Paying, booking and private tours

The free tours are described as a "pay what you think it's worth" model: "voluntary tips are welcome at the end of the tour". No booking is needed. The FAQ says "you do not need to book a tour in advance, the only thing you need to do, is to show up at the meeting point on time", though the site has a Book Now button and a countdown to the next free tour. Groups are the one limit: the tours are "dedicated to individuals or travelers with a small group of friends", and anyone "traveling with the group of more than 9 people" is asked to contact the company in advance for a private tour.

Private tours are pitched at "school groups, universities, company outings, families and groups of friends", and the site says it will customize the route "so that it is fully adjusted to your schedules, activities and preferences". The request form offers a Barcelona City Tour, Gaudí & Modernism, a Raval Uncensored Tour, a Bike Tour or Customized Tours, and the featured list adds a Censored Barcelona Tour and Tapas & Flamenco with a minimum of 10 people. Quotes are requested through the form, by email to CraftToursSpain@gmail.com, or by phone on +34 633 84 59 06. The footer gives a separate general contact, +34 622 65 18 14 and freewalkingtoursbarcelona@gmail.com. The site does not explain the Craft Tours Spain address used for private bookings.

What the site leaves open

The site does not list start times for the free walking tours; the homepage shows only a countdown to the next one. Tour lengths are published for the bike tour but not for the walking tours. Private-tour prices come only by quote, and the flamenco show and espadrille workshop have no published prices or times. Beyond the bike tour's bad-weather rule, the site does not say what happens if a paid booking is cancelled by the guest; the footer links Terms & Conditions for that. The mixed figures on years of experience and review counts are also worth noting.

For a first day in Barcelona, this is an easy option: turn up at Plaça Catalunya, look for the purple umbrella, and tip what the walk was worth, with a wheelchair-friendly answer in the FAQ and a bar stop halfway. The bike tour is clearly priced and family-equipped. Travelers who want to see fixed times and walking-tour lengths before they go, or who are in a group of more than 9, will need to contact the company first.