Frequently Asked Questions & Details
(please read before booking!)
Q. Are you the original Historic Culinary Tours we've heard about?
A. Yes! City Walks is regularly featured in the press as we actually pioneered
the very first food tours and pub crawls in Florida almost a decade ago. While others may use our tour names and/or come and go frequently since these types of tours have gained popularity, City Walks remains committed to being the most authentic and professionally operated tasting tours & historic walking tours in town. We're dedicated to providing YOU with a world-class VIP hospitality experience! Our staff of over 50 travel specialists, culinary experts, group coordinators, historians and licensed tour guides go through extensive training & background checks as part of their qualification process- only the BEST professionals make the cut to be part of the City Walks team. We're also the only tour operator with an on-staff Director of Education to assure authenticity and historical accuracy in all of our programs. Our tours depart rain or shine with no minimums. Stop by and visit our downtown Tour St. Augustine Inc. office located on 4 Granada Street, in the heart of the lovely Flagler Era Historic District. We're open seven days a week.
NOTE: Please be cautious of 'unsavory' operators who pose as our own City Walks Food & Wine Tasting Tours, Pub Crawls or St. Augustine Historic Walking Tours. You should NEVER pay a higher price for a lower quality tour that cuts corners on food & drinks, guest service, or who underpays their tour guides by forcing them to work for free and rely solely on tips... Unfortunately they are out there, so please choose your tour operators wisely!
We recommend avoiding solicitors who say they will "give you details, meeting locations, etc." once you pay them for their tour. They will frequently operate out of back alleys with no physical business location, corners of other gift shops or bars, etc., and/or claim to be members of phony "best tour" organizations. The State of Florida established the Seller of Travel Act to help deter this type of industry fraud and protect tourism consumers. More information about State tourism regulations and other travel consumer safety recommendations can be found here.
Just give us a call (904) 825-0087 or stop in our office if we can help you in ANY way or share any recommendations for other things to see and do during your visit to St. Augustine. Our professional team are all locals who truly love sharing their passion for St. Augustine with you! Our goal is to present the very best that our city has to offer. City Walks Food Tours & Pub Crawls may also be purchased at Old Town Trolley ticket stations throughout downtown, as well as at select fine Bed & Breakfasts, hotel establishments, attractions, and museums. Always look for the City Walks and Tour St. Augustine Inc. logos.
Q. How many guests are on tour with us?
A. We value our repeat guests and want to give you the best experience possible while visiting us. We will NEVER load our tours up with as many guests as possible and herd you through town as some other companies may do, as we prefer to offer more higher-quality tours. Smaller groups provide a more personalized experienced, although part of the experience is your interaction with your new friends and sharing experiences... so generally there will be around a dozen (or less) guests on our daily food tours as a maximum, and about the same on the nightly pub crawls. While we are the original and of course most popular tour operator of this type in St. Augustine (thus allowing for the best prices, most professional tour staff and highest quality vendors) our full-time tour coordinators actually spend each morning before your tour verifying restaurant menus and making reservations, designing off-the-path tour routes SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR TOUR so you'll feel you are the only ones in town, and making sure your tour guide can avoid the more congested areas of town that day. We truly go that extra mile for our guests so that YOU have the very best and most personalized experience that historic St. Augustine has to offer!
Q. What if it rains, will you cancel the tour? And what is your refund policy?
A. Our motto is “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriately dressed people” So bring a brolly if rain is in the forecast – but if the rain sneaks up on us at the last minute, we usually have extra to loan you and/or you may purchase rain ponchos at our office. We would only cancel a scheduled tour in the event of severe weather – deadly lightening, gale winds, or subfreezing temperatures (yes, we know it’s Florida... but they don’t call us NORTH Florida for nothing!) Otherwise, some of our best tours have occurred amidst jumping over rain puddles and a little "singing in the rain" has been known to happen! In the event YOU need to cancel your tour for whatever reason, we generally do not offer refunds due to the fact that space is very limited and tours usually fill quickly. However we allow you to transfer your ticket or reschedule for a future date, as long as you give us proper notice. No shows are generally not eligible for re-scheduling.
Q. What's the deal with all the FREE tours?
A. In 2012, City Walks proudly became part of Tour Saint Augustine Inc., the city's oldest & most respected tour operator organization. It is our goal to always give back to the local community and promote responsible, sustainable tourism. Our mission is that you take away a deep appreciation for historic preservation, and so in doing so we feel it is our duty to frequently offer charity fundraisers, free educational tours & programs, and sponsor many other worthy events each year. We truly love our community and our guests and we are dedicated to providing visitors & locals alike with world-class experiences that help develop our cultural heritage. Know that when you support City Walks, you are supporting these values.
Q. Can you go on the Pub Crawls if you are under 21?
A. NO. Guests on the night time St. Augustine CREEPY Crawl OR the Historic Pub Crawl must all be 21 or over due the nature of the tour, later times, and some of the regulations of the pubs we visit during these hours. You can always call us to set up a private pub tour for your family, at very affordable rates OR join our Savory Faire Food Tour instead!
Q. I’m already in St. Augustine – Can I simply purchase a St. Augustine Pub Crawl or Food Tour ticket in person?
A. Yes. City Walks tour tickets can be purchased at our Tour Saint Augustine office at 4 Granada Street. Of course, you may still phone us for reservations 6 days a week between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM. However we recommend you book early and reservations are strongly urged, as tours fill fast and we call ahead to start planning the restaurant meals based on our guests for that day. We generally do not hold a space for any unpaid reservations, however you may pay via credit card over the phone instead of online if you choose.
Q: What are the tipping guidelines & etiquette?
A: Tour guides are professionals in the service industry who have to maintain professional licenses with the city and go through extensive training. We suggest using the same guidelines you would in a restaurant, and we can recommend appx $5 per person... of course these guidelines are COMPLETELY discretionary and totally up to you. Anything you choose to give, large or small, is always greatly appreciated by your tour guides.
Q: How about tour etiquette & safety?
A: We expect everyone to be courteous during the tours. We reserve the right to remove anyone who's behavior is deemed disruptive or disrespectful without refund. We also ask that you please use basic safety sense, especially during night time tours that have you wandering our city's quaint but uneven bricked streets. Proper footwear is recommended. By booking our tours you agree that Tour Saint Augustine Inc. & City Walks assume no liabilities for any events during the tours. We want all or our guest to enjoy themselves, and many life-long friendships have actually been formed during City Walks tours.
Q: Can you tell me about check-in and all those details?
A: Please arrive and check in 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour. Our Tour St. Augustine Inc. office is located downtown, directly across from the Casa Monica Hotel and Flagler College. There is a public parking lot behind our building at the Villa Zorayda Castle. Rates vary seasonally, but usually run the same as the City parking garages around town: $5 to $15 per day, depending on season. Public restrooms are available 9am - 5pm in the Lightner Museum Courtyard complex adjacent to our office and we are next door to a bank with a 24hr ATM. We also have select gifts in our lobby souvenir shop with books, postcards, EMF meters for ghost tours, and local art. You will receive 15% off anything in our shop (except local art) if you have a tour with us.
Q: What restaurants and/or pubs do we visit?
A: It varies, daily! The truth is that while we have a plethora of local establishments we've worked closely with to create food tasting tours and pub crawl menus for our tours, we really do plan the tour routes each morning. Our tour coordinators call around to find out what's going on in town, any special events at our eateries, etc. so that your tour is custom-tailored to exploring the best venues on that particular day. When you arrive at each tasting stop during your adventure, you will be welcomed and treated as a VIP... because as a City Walks guest, you truly are! We also frequently have guests that join us repeatedly on our tours and so if that is the case- we'll gladly see if we can accommodate any special requests... just let us know. Its also not uncommon to have fellow foodie guests who have taken our City Walks tours four, five or even more times with us over the years and they can sometimes be as enlightening and entertaining as our own guides!