Real City Tours

Real City Tours is the company behind Medellín's best-known free walking tour, and for many visitors it is the best introduction to the city. It started as a small family business and grew through word of mouth, and its Free Walking Tour has been running since 2013. The company says it has guided more than 350,000 people, and it has been featured by CNN Travel, Lonely Planet and Time Out. It is registered as Real City Tours S.A.S. and is a member of the Free Tour Community, an international non-profit network of free tour initiatives.

The Free Walking Tour runs every day at 10:00 and 14:30 and lasts about three and a half hours. It covers the historic centre, including Plaza Botero and Parque Berrío, and works on a pay-what-you-want basis: you tip the guide at the end according to what you think the tour was worth. Because it starts in the centre, it is a useful way to put nearby sights such as the Museo de Antioquia and the Botero sculptures into context before you visit them in more depth.

The company runs several paid tours as well. The Laureles Food Tour, of about two and a half to three hours, introduces Colombian food through tastings that include pork, beef and dairy products. The Exotic Fruits Tour, also around two and a half hours, walks through one of the city's main markets to taste fruits that are hard to find elsewhere. The Comuna 4 tour spends about three hours in a neighbourhood that has been through major transformation, off the usual tourist routes. Real City Tours does not run tours of Comuna 13.

All tours are conducted in English only, as the company's logistics are designed around English-language groups. Book through the company's website in advance, even for the free tour. Its site also links to further tours beyond those listed here, and to its social media channels.

The company suits first-time visitors, solo travellers, budget travellers and anyone who wants local context from the start of their trip. The company reports more than 25,000 tours completed and more than 20,000 excellent reviews, with over 10,000 on Google alone, which gives a sense of its scale. The free tour pairs well with an afternoon visit to the Museo de Antioquia.