Tried a 'free walking tour' in Prague and it was a total scam

I signed up for one of those 'pay what you want' tours in Old Town Square last month. The guide was great for the first hour, but then he spent the final 30 minutes giving a hard sell for his paid evening pub crawl, basically holding us hostage. I ended up giving him 200 Czech koruna just to leave. Learned that 'free' often means a sales pitch is the real price of entry. Has anyone found a legit free tour that doesn't pull this?

4 comments

4 Comments

fisher.kevin1mo agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, been there. My move now is to have exact change ready in local cash, like 100 koruna or 5 euros, whatever feels fair for the actual tour. The second the sales pitch starts, I just hand it over with a quick "thanks, gotta run" and walk away. They usually take the money and let you go without a fight. Saves the awkward standoff.

the_nora1mo ago

Held you hostage for thirty minutes?

elizabeth_ramirez1mo ago

Yeah, the "free" thing is almost always a lie now. Lunam91 is right, it's just a trap for a sales pitch that wastes your afternoon. My rule is to ask "what's the catch?" right at the start and be ready to walk away the second they start asking for my credit card. Saves so much time.

lunam911mo ago

My friend had the same thing happen in Barcelona last year. It feels like every "free" thing now is just a trap to sell you something else. When did we all agree to trade our time for these awkward sales pitches?