Heads up about the free city walking tours in Prague

I was in Prague last month and joined one of those 'free' walking tours you see advertised everywhere. The guide was great and the info was solid, but the end was a real shock. The guide gave a big speech about how they work for tips only, which I knew, but then he started calling people out by name who he thought didn't give enough. He said a number, like 200 Czech koruna per person was a 'fair minimum'. It put everyone in a super awkward spot and felt more like a forced fee than a tip. I saw a few people digging for more cash just to avoid the shame. It totally changed the good mood of the whole tour. Has anyone else run into this kind of high-pressure tipping on a 'free' tour in other cities? What's a good way to handle it without feeling cheap?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper1752d ago

Honestly, the worst part is how it ruins the whole point of the tour. You spend two hours having a nice time, then they turn it into a public shaming session. It makes you feel like you paid for a service and got scolded instead. I'd rather they just charged a flat five bucks up front and called it a day. That awkward pressure to perform for the guide at the end just leaves a bad taste.

tylerw921d ago

Reminds me of this walking food tour I did in Austin. The guide was amazing, telling stories about each spot, but then he ended by basically blocking the door and staring at everyone's wallets. Totally killed the good mood we had going.