Free walking tours are a great way to see a city, but they leave at set times, in a group, and the guide works for tips. Here is an honest comparison with paid guided tours, official audio guides and Trevurs, so you can pick what fits each day of your trip.
Last reviewed: . Tour counts and times are updated from the app catalog every time this site is built.
No tip
no group
207
tours
9
languages
115
cities
Who this is for
Travelers who like the idea of a free walking tour but can't make the departure time, don't want a group of 30, or would rather not do the tip math at the end.
Comparison
Free walking tour
Paid guided tour
Official audio guide
Trevurs
Cost
No fixed price; the guide expects a tip
Fixed price per person or per group
Usually rented on site or added to the ticket
Free app; Premium from USD 1.99
Schedule
Fixed departure times
Booked time slot
During the site's opening hours
Whenever you want
Group
Yes, often large
Group or private
No
No
Language
Those offered that day
Depends on the guide
Depends on the site
9 languages depending on the tour
Questions
Yes
Yes
No
No
What it covers
A route chosen by the guide
Depends on the tour
That site only
A walking route of 5 to 14 stops
Offline
Not needed
Not needed
Device on site or its own app
Yes, once downloaded
Prices and conditions of free walking tours, paid tours and official audio guides vary by city and company; the table describes how they usually work.
When each one is the best choice
Free walking tour: your first day, to get your bearings, meet people and ask a local.
Paid guided tour: a big museum or site where a specialist makes the difference, or places that can only be visited with a booking.
Official audio guide: inside a monument or museum, room by room.
Trevurs: the rest of the trip. Neighborhoods, streets and the city between the monuments, at your own time and pace.
They combine well: a free walking tour on day one, the official audio guide inside the big museum, and Trevurs for the topics and neighborhoods you want to explore on your own.
Languages
How many Trevurs tours are available in each language:
Language
Tours
English
207
Spanish
207
Portuguese
161
French
159
Italian
159
Japanese
32
Chinese (Simplified)
32
Chinese (Traditional)
30
Korean
30
Limits of Trevurs
Nobody answers your questions: the audio is recorded.
It does not include or sell entry tickets.
It does not tell you about closures, strikes or works happening that day.
It does not publish accessibility information for its routes.
Price
Trevurs is a free app for iOS and Android. There is also an optional Premium version, from USD 1.99, with unlimited offline downloads, access to every tour and no ads. It also helps keep an independent app alive.
Questions
Is Trevurs a free walking tour?
Not exactly. It's a self-guided audio tour: the same idea of walking the city while someone tells you its story, but the narration is in an app instead of a guide in front of you. There's no tip, no group and no fixed time.
Free walking tour or audio guide: which is better?
It depends on the day. A free walking tour is better if you want to meet people and ask questions. A paid guide is better for depth, private groups or places that need a booking. An official audio guide is the best option inside a museum. Trevurs is better when you want to go at your own time and pace, without a group or a tip.
Do I have to tip?
No. There is no guide in person, so there is nobody to tip. The app is free and Premium is optional.
In which languages are the tours?
All 207 tours are in English and Spanish. Depending on the tour, also in Portuguese, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) and Korean.