Free Tour FAQs
Tours, reservation and language
Are the free tours really free?
Yes. Our tours have no fixed price and you can join without any money. However, if you appreciated our tour, our guides appreciate a tip. This tip helps us keep our tours running.
Where is the meeting point for the Lviv Free Walking Tours?
Our free walking tours meet every day at scheduled times at the Amphitrite fountain on Rynok Square. It’s right next to Pravda Beer Theatre (Rynok Square 32). Please make sure you are at the right fountain, there are 4 fountains, one on each corner of the Rynok Square. Watch out for our WHITE umbrellas with a red Lviv Buddy logo! If you see a tour with another umbrella color, it’s the wrong tour!
Do I have to reserve my spot on the tour in advance?
We do offer for you to reserve for each tour on the tour pages to reserve your spot. It is not mandatory but we recommend it. It helps us indicate, how many guests are coming. This way if we know the tours will be full, we can provide another guide and keep the tours smaller and your experience better.
Also the reservation will secure that you can join your tour for sure!
When do you offer tours?
We have tours literally all year round, in all weather and even during the holidays. We have done our free tours at -22 degrees Celsius (for Americans: really, really cold) up to 36 degrees Celsius (for Americans: Florida in summer, but not quite so humid).
Are the tour routes different?
Yes. Each of our Lviv Free Walking Tours has a completely different route and will bring you to other parts of Lviv. Since Lviv has a very compact old town and we start from the same spot, sometimes 2 or 3 spots will appear on 2 tours. But we tried to diversify them as much as possible, so they hardly overlap. People who have visited all four tours always liked all of them and mentioned that they got a great insight into Lviv this way.
What languages do you offer tours in?
Our Lviv Free Walking Tours are exclusively in English.
I don’t speak English, can I join the tour?
Mostly our guides will speak during the tour. If you understand at least some English, it will be no problem. You will still get to see many great places. If you don’t speak the language at all, there is only the possibility to bring someone to translate. If you don’t speak English, it will be quite hard to get the same experience as other guests.
Practical info
The weather is really bad, are you still doing tours today?
Yes. The coldest Lviv Free Walking Tour we had so far was at -22 degrees Celsius. We still did it, for two brave guests. In really cold weather we go inside a couple more places than usually and sometimes extend the coffee break to warm up.
If there is really heavy rain, we will also still be at the meeting point in time. We have our umbrellas, but we also can provide guests with one. However, if it’s raining really bad, we might first go to a coffee shop to see if the rain stops and we certainly will stop for coffee during the tour.
For any weather we ask you to dress appropriately, so you won’t freeze or get wet.
I need to leave the tour earlier, can I still join?
Yes, you can join anyway. Please let our guide know before or during the tour that you will leave in between. If you appreciated what you have seen, the guides will still be happy about a tip.
If you are the only guest, the guide might also shorten the tour for you specifically.
How long is the free tour?
The length depends on each tour. Generally all tours are between 2 and 3 hours. More information you can find on each tour webpage. Each tour includes a coffee break.
Tips
What is a good tip to give to the guide?
That’s a tough question. It of course depends on what you think is good and how much you liked the tour. Generally we recommend to give between 150 and 200 UAH to the guides (between 5 and 7 Euro). Some people give 100 UAH, others even 1000 UAH. If you are a student or if you travel on a very tight budget, of course it’s fine to give less. Just keep in mind that our guides earn a living with those tours.
Can I give tips in a different currency than UAH?
Yes, of course. Generally we are happy about tips of any kind. However, if you want the guide to benefit really, we recommend to give a currency that is convertible here in Lviv. In general Euro, USD, GBP, CHF and PLN are no problem to exchange. Please do rather not give coins though, as we usually can’t exchange them.
Family matters
Can we join with kids/infants/stroller?
Yes, you may join with your kids. We try to provide everyone with a good tour. If your kids don’t speak English, it will be hard for them to follow though. Also, if you baby/child starts crying during the tour, please pay respect to the guide and the other guests by distancing yourself a bit from the group for the time the kid is crying. It’s very hard to guide a great tour with a distraction. Thank you for understanding!
Attending with a stroller is no problem, as we usually are not walking many steps. There might be some stairs to get over though, on which the guide or the other guests will be happy to help.
If I cancel the tour, do you offer a refund?
Yes, we refund you based on our Cancellation Policy. The amount of the refund depends on when you cancel the tour. If you want to make sure to get your money back, we offer a Cancellation Insurance for all tours. If it has not been offered to you, please contact us!
Weather
What happens if it rains on the day of the tour?
If it rains on the day of your tour, there is not much to worry about! We recommend you to wear appropriate shoes for that weather. As a service to our guests, we will always bring our Lviv Buddy umbrellas to keep you dry. We will also try to hide from the rain as much as possible.
If there is a real thunderstorm with a severe weather alert, we may cancel the tour. In this case we will notify you as soon as possible.
What should we do if it’s really cold outside on the day of the tour?
We have done multi-hour walking tours in temperatures much below 0 degrees Celsius. We don’t mind cold weather. We do recommend you though to pack yourself warm. We recommend an extra layer of underwear gloves and a warm hat.
During the tour we will stop for a coffee as always and in general we will visit more inside places than usually.
Preparation
How much walking do the tours involve?
Our 3 hour tours usually involve around 3km (2 miles) of walking.
All tours usually include a coffee break, so there is plenty of chance to rest your feet along the way, and break up the walking.
What should I bring to the tours?
Please come in comfortable shoes. When it’s sunny cover up or put some sunscreen on.
For the coffee break bring some Ukrainian Hryvnia (the local currency) or a credit card. If you would like to tip, it’s also best to do this in UAH.
Group size
How many people are typically on your tours?
It really depends on the day of the week, the season, the weather. It can be anywhere between you being alone up to 30. If many people reserved a spot before, we will send a second guide.
What is the minimum number of guests?
We run our free tours during the day even with one guest. It can still be fun and we want you to see as much of the city as possible.
For the Night Lviv Tour we reserve the right to conduct the tour with a minimum number of 3 guests. This is mainly for safety reasons, because we go to some dark places and in a bigger group it’s safer for our guide and guests. We hope you understand.
What is the maximum number of guests per group?
Per reservation or when showing up at the tour, we don’t allow groups of more than 6 people to join usually. This mainly has the reason that in the past, we had some negative experiences with groups on those tours. If you are a group and would like a tour of Lviv, we can offer you really affordable rates for private group tours that guarantee you the best experience of Lviv with your own guide and with all the places that you would like to see. Please write us a mail with your request to our contact page!
