Tours by Foot

Where Tours by Foot Operates

Tours by Foot, long known as Free Tours by Foot, is a walking tour company that runs its own tours in some cities and partners with local guides in others. The homepage says it "was the original free walking tour company, in operation since 2007," and offers "dozens of daily tours year-round in 30+ cities," while the about page puts it as "We offer and partner with tour guides for dozens of daily tours year-round in 50+ cities," adding that "In cities where we do not offer our own tours, we partner with local experts to offer travel advice, audio, and self-guided tours, and similar name-your-own-price walking tours." The city list covers North America (Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Calgary, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto and Washington DC), Europe (from Amsterdam, Athens and Barcelona to Prague, Rome, Venice and Vienna), the UK and Ireland (Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Galway, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Oxford and York), Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and Istanbul. The partner model shows on the city pages: the York page is the site of a local guide's own business, Margot Moore Walking Tours, and the Dubai page belongs to "Dubai By Foot," so the person and company you meet depend on the city.

Pay-What-You-Wish and Ticketed Tours

The company's model has changed, and the homepage explains why. The original tours were "pay what you wish," but "Today, many of our experiences include food tastings, museum entries, and" other elements that need "advance costs and guaranteed guide support," so "we've transitioned many of our tours to a ticketed pricing model." The homepage adds that "While most tours are now ticketed, some 'pay what you wish' tours remain in select cities (like New Orleans and New York City)." Under "What hasn't changed?" it lists that tours "are still designed to be accessible and affordable compared to traditional operators" and that guides "remain knowledgeable, friendly, and local experts who love sharing their cities." Besides guided walks, the company sells self-guided audio tours; the Boston page describes "GPS-enabled routes" with stories from local guides that work "online or offline." The Boston page pitches its walks as a way to "Discover Boston's famous Freedom Trail, the city's hidden gems, and historic neighborhoods." There, the regularly scheduled tours are the Freedom Trail Walking Tour and the Boston Ghost Tour, with a Beacon Hill Crime Tour and a North End & Little Italy Tour as private and specialty options, and the page notes that seasonal walks "may not appear in our booking calendar outside their active months."

Private Tours, York and London, and Dubai

Private tours are offered widely. The Boston page says "From groups of 1 to 1000, we can arrange a tour that suits your needs," and offers help with "a ride, food stop, or tickets to an attraction." The York page, run by the partner guide, lists private tours with fixed group prices in pounds: the York Highlights Tour is 3 hours for £220.00, the York Walls tour is also 3 hours for £220.00, and "York: All in One" is 6.5 hours for £500.00 with a stop at a traditional Yorkshire pub for lunch, and for day-trippers "I can pick you up and drop you back off at York Rail Station." The same site sells London walks, such as the East End Food Tour (2.5 hours, £225.00), a Harry Potter Tour (2.5 hours, £225.00) and a London in World War II Tour (2 hours, £200.00), and notes "These Tours Can Be Taken At ANY Time!" The walls tour follows 2.5 miles of the city walls, and the route takes in Lendal Bridge, Micklegate Bar, Clifford's Tower, Monk Bar and York Minster. The site also has a "Step-Free and Accessible Tours" section inviting anyone with access needs to get in touch. In Dubai, the partner's signature Hidden Gems & Pearls of Old Dubai walking tour covers the Al Fahidi district, the souks and an abra ride across Dubai Creek, and the page says it can arrange tours "in Spanish, German, Chinese or other languages." Dubai By Foot says it brings "over 15 years of tour guiding experience," and its menu adds a Downtown Dubai History & Architecture Tour around Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain, a Flavors of Arabia food walk described as "All in One Old Dubai Experience featuring a restaurant hop," a Dubai in a Day city tour, a desert safari and private car tours, plus private tours for schools, universities and companies.

Booking and Reviews

Tours are booked through each city's calendar on the site; the Boston page invites visitors to "BOOK YOUR TOUR NOW!" and the Dubai page points to "our Calendar Below for All Tours." The about page gives a main office email and separate city office contacts. On reputation, the homepage says "over 3 million guests (and counting!)" have taken a tour and that the company has "been featured in travel guides like Lonely Planet, top press like the New York Times," and has "given tours to Hollywood stars, foreign ambassadors and local elementary schools." The Boston page says it has "earned thousands of 5-star reviews" and "an almost perfect profile with over 2100 reviews" on its review profile there. These are the company's own figures.

What the Site Leaves Open, and Who It Suits

The site does not publish a cancellation or refund policy for ticketed tours, a suggested amount for pay-what-you-wish tours, or group-size caps for scheduled departures. Because some cities are run by partners, what you get varies: in York and London the prices shown are private group rates from a single guide's business, while in Boston the company's own scheduled and pay-what-you-wish tours apply, and the site does not always make that distinction obvious. Accessibility is addressed on the York partner page but not in the Boston or homepage copy. Tours by Foot suits travelers who want an affordable guided introduction to a big North American or European city, including the remaining pay-what-you-wish walks in New Orleans and New York City, and groups looking for a private guide. Anyone who needs firm cancellation terms or a set group size should check the individual city page before booking.