Free Tours Riga by Locals, operating from Latvia’s capital of roughly 600,000 residents, claimed the top company ranking in FREETOUR.com’s 2026 awards, outperforming rivals from Paris, Helsinki and across five other continents. The win arrived as the platform marked its 10th annual awards—a milestone reflecting how tip-based tourism has reshaped the walking tour industry since the mid-2010s.
The results, drawn from traveller reviews and booking data, crowned winners across six continents. Yet the Baltic nation’s dominance proved striking: Riga’s Old Town tour secured third place globally for individual tours, whilst Estonian operator Tales of Reval and Lithuania’s Vilnius with Locals also broke into top-three rankings.
For individual tours, Paris still held sway. StellarTours’ Essential Paris City Centre Tour took the worldwide crown, followed by Tours Of My Life’s Lisbon experience—complete with free tastings—in second. Italy swept the Most Popular category entirely, with Naples, Palermo and Budapest’s Jewish Quarter tours claiming the top three spots based on booking volumes.
The awards recognised 18 categories spanning Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Spanish-language tours earned separate recognition across Germany, Spain, Austria, Hungary and Italy, reflecting the platform’s multilingual reach.
Two special categories highlighted the industry’s evolution. Tommaso, an Italian guide who joined the platform in July 2025, won Best New Tour Provider—less than seven months after launching. Martin Mamani’s Experience La Boca tour in Argentina, blending art, football and local tradition, claimed Most Original Tour.
“Reaching our 10th anniversary of these Awards is a testament to the incredible community of tour guides, companies, and travelers who make free walking tours a transformative way to explore the world,” said Ignacio Merino, CEO of FREETOUR.com. “These winners represent the very best in storytelling, local expertise, and genuine passion for sharing their cities with visitors. They’ve turned curiosity into connection, and sightseeing into unforgettable experiences.”
The platform now operates across thousands of cities, having facilitated millions of bookings since its launch. The model—travellers pay what they choose at tour’s end—disrupted traditional paid walking tours offered through platforms like GetYourGuide and Viator, where prices typically range from £15 to £40 per person.
Alexandra Dubakova, CMO of FREETOUR.com, noted the geographical spread. “The 2026 Awards showcase the remarkable diversity and quality of free tours available worldwide. From the historic streets of Paris and Riga to the vibrant neighborhoods of Naples and Budapest, our winners are setting new standards for accessible, engaging, and authentic travel experiences. We’re proud to see how the free tour model continues to democratize travel and create meaningful cultural exchanges.”
The Baltic success reflects broader shifts in European tourism. Riga welcomed 1.9 million overnight visitors in 2024, according to Latvia’s Central Statistical Bureau—modest compared to Paris’s 38 million annual tourists, yet sufficient to support a thriving local tour economy. Smaller operators competing through review quality rather than marketing budgets have found traction on platforms prioritising traveller feedback.
StellarTours, despite winning the individual tour category for Paris, also claimed third in the Best Free Tour Guide Worldwide ranking. Original Florence, an Italian operator, rounded out that top three alongside Estonia’s Tales of Reval. The guide category assessed consistency across multiple tours rather than single experiences.
Italy’s dominance in the Most Popular category—Napul’é Tours in Naples, Palermo Free Walking Tours, and a Budapest Holocaust tour by Generation Tours—suggests southern European cities benefited from post-pandemic travel surges. Naples alone saw tourist arrivals jump 23% between 2023 and 2025, according to regional tourism data.
Red Umbrella Tours Helsinki, finishing second in the company rankings behind Riga, represented Nordic tourism’s growing profile. Finland’s capital has invested heavily in English-language cultural programming since 2020, aiming to capture year-round visitors beyond summer months.
The awards drew on authentic reviews submitted through the platform, where travellers rate tours after completion. FREETOUR.com does not disclose the exact weighting formula, though volume and recency of feedback both factor into rankings. The platform takes no commission on tips, distinguishing it from competitors charging tour operators listing fees or percentage cuts.
For Tommaso, the July 2025 newcomer who claimed Best New Tour Provider, the recognition arrived remarkably fast. The Italian guide’s rapid ascent suggests quality can overcome established competitors’ review volume—provided travellers rate experiences highly enough. The platform declined to share Tommaso’s specific review count or average rating.
Martin Mamani’s La Boca tour, winning Most Original, reflects how niche themes compete against comprehensive city overviews. The Buenos Aires experience focuses on a single neighbourhood’s football culture and street art rather than covering multiple districts. That specificity appears to resonate: thematic tours accounted for 34% of bookings in 2025, up from 22% in 2021, according to FREETOUR.com’s internal data.
The tip-based model remains contentious within the broader tour industry. Traditional operators argue it undervalues guides’ expertise and creates income volatility. Free tour advocates counter that it removes barriers for budget travellers whilst rewarding exceptional experiences through higher tips. FREETOUR.com does not publish average tip amounts, though guides typically earn between £5 and £20 per person based on informal surveys conducted by tourism industry publications.
Whether the model continues expanding depends partly on traveller behaviour. Post-pandemic, budget consciousness has driven many towards free tours, yet some destinations—notably Venice and Barcelona—have debated restrictions on large tour groups regardless of payment model. Riga, by contrast, actively promotes walking tours as sustainable tourism that disperses visitors beyond Old Town hotspots.
The platform’s 10th awards arrive as European tourism nears pre-pandemic levels. For the Latvian company atop this year’s rankings, the timing validates a decade of building review-by-review credibility in a capital overshadowed by neighbouring Tallinn and Vilnius in many travel guides. Whether Free Tours Riga by Locals retains the crown in 2027 will depend on travellers continuing to vote with their tips—and their five-star ratings.
