The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring

What The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring does

The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring (legal entity Culture And Touring S.L., NIF B72587124) is a privately held Spanish tour operator founded in 2016 and headquartered in Pontevedra, Galicia. The company runs a portfolio of approximately 42 guided tour activities across six European destinations: Berlin (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), and four Galician cities — Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, A Coruña and Vigo. Its core offering is the "free walking tour," conducted on a tip-based model where participants pay what they wish at the end; layered on top of this are paid thematic tours including musical history, dark history (Sachsenhausen, Terezín), communism, gastronomy, beer tourism, pub crawls, and private experiences priced between €10 and €80 per person.

Tours are delivered in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French by accredited local guides. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company's multilingual website (thecooltour.com), with the TripAdvisor listing — including a Travelers' Choice badge — serving as a secondary discovery channel. Booking is a standard three-step web flow (identification, service selection, payment via bank TPV/credit card) with email confirmation within 24 hours; no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or API is disclosed.

The business model is a freemium hybrid. The free tour funnel drives customer acquisition and fills capacity, while voluntary tips (industry-typical €8–€15 per participant) and a portfolio of higher-yield paid and private tours generate revenue. The company is founder/management-owned with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. It operates with approximately 8 employees and reports 874,249 lifetime travelers served, 5,678 reviews and a self-reported 10/10 average rating, though no revenue figure is publicly disclosed.

Name

The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring

Legal name

Culture And Touring S.L.

Website

https://thecooltour.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring is a privately held Spanish tour operator founded in 2016 that runs tip-based free walking tours and paid themed excursions across six European cities (Berlin, Prague, and four in Galicia, Spain), serving international leisure travelers in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Walking City Tours (Highlights & Orientation) (THAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Culinary Walking & Market Tours (THAJAGAA), Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation) (THAAAGAB)

Keywords

• Free walking tours
• Guided cultural tours
• European city tours
• Themed excursions
• Multilingual tour services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pontevedra

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Tour Tips: Revenue generated through voluntary tips from customers at the end of free tours. The 'free tour' concept means customers decide what to pay based on their perceived value of the guided experience. This tip-based model allows unlimited participation while generating income from satisfied travelers.
2. Paid Tours and Excursions: Paid tour offerings including themed tours (Berlin Musical, historical tours, gastronomic experiences) with fixed pricing. Examples include Berlin Musical Tour at €20, gastronomic tours at €45, and private tours up to €80.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The COOLTOUR operates free tip-based walking tours and paid themed guided tours across European cities including Berlin, Prague, Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, A Coruña, and Vigo. Tours are conducted in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French by local accredited guides, covering historical, cultural, musical, gastronomic, and memorial thematics. Customers book directly through the company's website with email confirmation and at-tour payment (tips) or fixed-price upfront payment for premium experiences.

Product overview

The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring operates a multi-city tour booking platform offering free walking tours and paid guided excursions across European cities. The core product is free tip-based tours, supplemented by paid thematic tours including historical, cultural, gastronomic, and nightlife experiences. Services are available in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French. The platform covers destinations in Germany (Berlin, Potsdam), Czech Republic (Prague), and Spain (Galicia: Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, A Coruña, Vigo). The offering comprises approximately 42 activities including free tours, paid walking tours, private tours, themed tours (music, beer, alternative), and historical/nostalgic tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Tour Berlin Free tip-based walking tour covering Berlin's major landmarks (Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie) in multiple languages. Duration: 3.5 hours.
• Free Tour Berlin Wall and Cold War Free tip-based tour focused on Berlin Wall history, including Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears), Nordbahnhof ghost station, Bernauer Strasse Memorial, and the death strip. Duration: 3 hours.
• Berlin Musical Tour: Cabaret, Bowie and Berghain Paid musical tour tracing 100 years of Berlin history through music, from Weimar cabaret to techno. Covers Potsdamer Platz, Friedrichstadt-Palast, club district, East Side Gallery, and Berghain. Price: €20.00. Duration: 3.5 hours.
• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour from Berlin Guided full-day excursion to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp departing from Brandenburg Gate. Includes barrack areas, punishment cells, crematoria, and medical experimentation zones. Price: €30.00. Duration: 6 hours.
• Tour of Nazism and the Jewish Quarter Berlin Historical tour covering Jewish culture from the 15th century through the Nazi era, including Neue Synagoge, Jewish Cemetery, Hackesche Höfe, and Stolpersteine memorial stones. Duration: 3 hours.
• Guided Tour of Berlin Museum Island Guided tour of Berlin's Museum Island UNESCO site covering five world-renowned museums including Pergamonmuseum, Bode-Museum, and Neues Museum. Price: €20.00. Duration: 3 hours.
• Alternative Berlin Tour Alternative tour exploring Berlin's counterculture, covering Oranienburger Straße, Hackesche Höfe, Kreuzberg neighborhood, and street art. Price: €20.00. Duration: 3.5 hours.
• Berlin Pub Crawl Nightlife tour through Berlin's Friedrichshain district, visiting bars, clubs, and ending at a popular nightclub with free shots and no queue. Price: €20.00. Duration: 4 hours.
• Prague Castle and Interiors Guided Tour Comprehensive Prague Castle complex tour including St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, Golden Lane, and Daliborka Tower with interior access. Price: €48.00. Duration: 3.5 hours.
• Free Tour Prague Communism Free tip-based tour exploring Prague's Communist era, covering former Communist Parliament, Party headquarters, and Velvet Revolution sites. Duration: 2 hours.
• Prague Beer Tour Beer tasting tour through Prague's best breweries including Pilsner Urquell visit with 3 beer tastings included. Price: €25.00. Duration: 3 hours.
• Terezin Concentration Camp Excursion Day trip to the Terezín Concentration Camp, a former Austro-Hungarian fortress converted to a Nazi ghetto and concentration camp. Price: €35.00. Duration: 6 hours.
• Free Tour Santiago de Compostela Monumental Free tip-based circular tour of Santiago de Compostela covering Praza do Obradoiro, Praza das Praterías, Rúa Xelmírez, University, market, and Cathedral area. Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes.
• Free Tour Santiago Cathedral Free tour of Santiago Cathedral including access to Portico de la Gloria, choir, cloister, relics chapel, and cathedral museum areas. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Free Tour Rites, Myths and Legends of Santiago Free tour exploring supernatural legends and spiritual rituals of Santiago de Compostela, including Inquisition sites, Ánimas chapel, Jewish quarter, and Bonaval cemetery. Duration: 30 minutes.
• Santiago Cathedral and Portico de la Gloria Guided Tour Guided tour of Santiago Cathedral with guaranteed access to Portico de la Gloria and interior museum, limited to 20 people. Price: €25.00. Duration: 2 hours.
• Free Pilgrim Tour Santiago de Compostela Free tour covering the pilgrim experience from Km 0, exploring the history of the Camino de Santiago routes and their cultural significance. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Private Tour Santiago de Compostela Private exclusive tour of Santiago's most iconic and secret locations with personalized attention. Price: €60.00. Duration: 2 hours.
• Free Tour Pontevedra Free tip-based tour of Pontevedra's medieval old town (O Burgo), covering Santa María Basilica, traditional markets, and historic squares. Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes.
• Free Tour Mysteries and Legends of Pontevedra Free night tour exploring enigmatic mysteries and legends of Pontevedra, including Santo Domingo ruins, Tetuán street, and haunted locations. Duration: 2 hours.
• Gastronomic Tour Pontevedra Culinary tour through Rías Baixas experiencing Galician cuisine including seafood, traditional markets, and local tapas with regional wines. Price: €45.00. Duration: varies.
• Private Tour Pontevedra Exclusive private tour of Pontevedra tailored to visitor preferences, exploring hidden secrets of the historic old town. Price: €80.00. Duration: 2 hours.
• Free Tour A Coruna Free tip-based tour of A Coruña covering Plaza del Obelisco, María Pita square, historic old town, San Carlos gardens, and market areas. Duration: 2 hours.
• Free Tour Tower of Hercules Sculptural Park Free tour of the Sculptural Park and Tower of Hercules UNESCO World Heritage site, covering Celtic mythology, King Breogán statue, and megalithic art. Duration: varies.
• Free Tour Vigo Free tip-based tour of Vigo covering Port area, Casco Vello old town, Santa María church, stone market, Castrelos park, and Castro viewpoint.
• Free Night Tour Vigo Free night tour exploring Vigo's illuminated nightlife, Sireno sculpture, San Sebastián fortress, and evening hot spots. Duration: 2 hours.
• Free Tour Monte do Castro Fortresses Vigo Free tour of 17th-century military fortifications on Monte do Castro hill, covering preserved walled enclosures, gunpowder rooms, and an archaeological castro site. Duration: 2 hours.
• Free Tour Vigo Christmas Lights Seasonal free tour showcasing Vigo's Christmas lights and illuminated city views. Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes.
• Guided Tour Pazo Quiñones de León Vigo Guided tour of the Pazo Quiñones de León 17th-century palace and municipal museum, featuring Galician art collection and French-English style gardens. Price: €10.00. Duration: 1.5 hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• 874,249 travelers served with 5,678 reviews and 10/10 average rating

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TripAdvisorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed on TripAdvisor as a third-party distribution channel where travelers can discover and book tours. The partnership drives referrals from TripAdvisor's travel platform to The COOLTOUR's services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GetYourGuide: Major global tours and activities marketplace aggregating thousands of European tour operators; competes with COOLTOUR on distribution and increasingly on supply-side guide acquisition.
• Headout: Curated marketplace for tours, attractions, and experiences, with a growing European walking-tour catalog; broader incumbent competing for the same leisure-traveler demand pool.
• TourRadar: Multi-day guided tour marketplace with strong presence on Camino de Santiago itineraries; comparable in the pilgrimage segment and adjacent to COOLTOUR's Santiago free and paid tour offerings.
• Viator (Tripadvisor): Largest online tours-and-activities platform with extensive European free and paid tour inventory; overlaps with COOLTOUR's offerings and competes via TripAdvisor's existing COOLTOUR referral channel.

Emerging players

• Withlocals: Marketplace for private, locally-guided tours across European cities; competes specifically with COOLTOUR's private tour tier (€60–€80) and alternative/counterculture tour categories.

Direct peers

• Living Tours: Portuguese-origin tour operator with free and paid walking tours across Iberian cities including Porto and Lisbon; comparable to COOLTOUR by combining free-tour funnels with paid private and themed experiences.
• GuruWalk: Global free-walking-tour marketplace operating in hundreds of cities; directly competes with COOLTOUR's tip-based free tour model in European destinations and competes for the same freelance guides.
• Sandemans New Europe: One of the original free-tour operators in Europe with deep penetration in Berlin and Prague; competes with COOLTOUR for the same walking-tour customer segment with a comparable multi-language offering.
• Take Walks (Walks): Premium guided walking-tour operator offering small-group and private tours across European cities; overlaps with COOLTOUR's paid tour catalog (Skip-the-line, museum, themed tours) and similar pay model.
• Strawberry Tours: Free walking tour operator with strong presence in Berlin, Prague, and other major European cities; competes head-to-head with COOLTOUR in two of its three country markets using an identical tip-based model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thecooltour

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The COOLTOUR. Culture & Touring