You are in one new city for a hit and run or for reasons other than the tourist trip (who knows ... work, long stopover between flights), but you have a few hours available and you want to get as much as possible of the historic center, the main features, the city orientation, the uses , customs, local art and being able to have an overview to keep in the scrapbook?
It is not so impossible and there is no need to be discouraged despite the tightness of time: there is a solution at hand.
If you find yourself in this situation you have hardly had the opportunity to organize a do-it-yourself tour, or you are not really taken there for the do-it-yourself tour, perhaps even worse alone; here is the perfect idea: someone else will plan the visit and the guided tour of the city becomes easy, focused, without mental stress and almost free! In short, unmissable.
Who offers it?
Sandemans: association, based in Berlin, which coordinates this service at a supranational level in as many as 18 European and non-European cities.
Where?
If you stay in Europe you can find them in Paris, Brussels, London, Amsterdam, Prague, Liverpool, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Lisbon, Munich, Madrid, Hamburg. If you are outside the old continent, the three (for now) cities where you find this opportunity are Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in the Middle East, and New York in the USA.
What is it about in detail?
Of a group tour, organized by local guides who work on a voluntary basis and are mainly students of art, communication, tourism, languages who like to dedicate their free time to the city where they live, to give them value, to make them known, to keep them alive and spread the knowledge of native culture and beauties. The guide generally speaks the local language and English.
Membership of the often cosmopolitan group of visitors can be done quickly online by choosing, obviously after the destination, day and time of departure from the pre-established meeting point. Know that a minimum contribution is required for the management of the booking tool, for Amsterdam for example it is 3 euros.
The insights on the points touched by the tour are all available online, as well as information support via email.
What types of tours are available?
In addition to the classic tour, for the most demanding, the most original and varied ideas are included depending on the city.
In Amsterdam you can take a bike tour just like the locals do or just focus on the coffeeshops or the red district - for those who love the genre; in Copenhagen there is a pub crawl; in Edinburgh that of castles; in London the cruise on the Thames was introduced; from Munich you can reach the Dachau concentration camp, just outside the city, or visit the Neuschwanstein castle (the one that inspired Disney to be clear) or compete in a Beer Challenge for daredevils; in Madrid you cannot give up tapas just as in Jerusalem you cannot but add a visit to the Mount of Olives or to places sacred to the Christian faith.
These and other customizations (you are really spoiled for choice) are clearly paid, and may or may not be evaluated depending on personal interest and the time available.
Il value for money it is certainly guaranteed: we might as well experiment.
Needless to say, in the case of the classic tour tipping is welcome not only because we are abroad, but because these guys are available on a voluntary basis, let's not forget that.
