Free Walking Tours in Montevideo
Montevideo Free Walking Tours is a new concept in Uruguay but it has already been widely used in Europe to getting to know a city in a different way. And in a city such as Montevideo it is ideal.
The program of the Free Walking Tours in Montevideo includes a tour of the monuments and historic areas of the oldest part of the city with guides who have experience and know how to put across the most relevant historical facts together with other typical issues of daily Uruguayan lifestyle.
The walks are done in groups with guides who speak Spanish, English and Portuguese.
There are differences among the groups which arrive in Montevideo, since the English speaking tourists usually already know the concept of a free walking tour and know what it’s all about and they come directly to look for it. The Spanish speaking audience, though, requires a more detailed presentation of the product but they like it.
Promoting the idea of Free Walking Tour in Montevideo
The Free Walking Tour in Montevideo tour is presented as a practical and inexpensive option to explore the city with intimate details of its architecture, history and way of life with curious facts that call the attention of foreigners and locals.
To promote the Free Walking Tour in Montevideo, the company distributes brochures in different parts of the city such as hotels, hostels, tourist information offices, as well as the internet and social networks. Also curious tourists crossing the Plaza Independencia stop the Free Walking Tour in Montevideo guides who wear red shirts and sun umbrellas.
The Tour
Tours always start at 11 am at the Plaza Independencia, the main square of the capital of Uruguay. The Free Walking Tour in Montevideo then heads to the door of the old city and then visits the Teatro Solis, the southern Rambla, the English Temple, the “Matriz” Plaza and they walk along the pedestrian street Sarandi up to the Plaza Zabala, The Bank “Republica”, the San Francisco de Asis Church and end the tour at the Mercado Del Puerto. The tour lasts approximately two hours.
Better Interaction with the City.
The Free Walking Tour in Montevideo gathers small groups and this allows a better interaction with the tourists and the experience of getting to know Montevideo in a more dynamic way.
During the Free Walking Tour in Montevideo the guides talk about the history of Uruguay. According to the Free Walking Tours in Montevideo guides, what calls the attention of visitors is the figure of President Jose Mujica, his lifestyle and new regulations that were recently implemented such as the approval of marijuana or the legalization of abortion and gay marriage.
In general during the tour, tourists ask a lot of questions on food and many are amazed by the amount of meat that can be found at the Mercado Del Puerto. Typical food of the country is one of the favorite subjects but football and tango are also two pillars of the Free Walking Tour in Montevideo and the birthplace of Carlos Gardel that is always under discussion.
When arriving at the pedestrian street Sarandí, tourists are surprised at the many stars that appear on the ground, as an acknowledgment of notorious people of Uruguay.
Tips
On average, tourists leave US$10 (220 pesos) tip during the Free Walking Tour in Montevideo However, as with any service, the amount that each is willing to pay varies. Some tourists leave more than US$10 but the tour adjusts to every tourist, without losing the quality of service.
The Free Walking Tour in Montevideo the guides give a lot of facts, myths, legends, and everyday issues that also set the tone of how society lives in Uruguay but also share their own Uruguayan experiences.
There is also a tourist bus that travels in two hours with an automatic guidance around Montevideo and goes to other neighborhoods such as Carrasco further from the city center. It costs US$20 person and it is available every day.
Mary Ann Thompson
