Test Subject: Walki Talki Red Light District Walking Tour
Estimated Time: 1 Hour
Start Time: 4:50PM
Finish Time: 5:36PM
Procedure: Download MP3 files to iPod or other MP3 player; print out accompanying map; “walk the walk”.
Comments: The tour was easy to use, and it took less than five minutes to set up a Walking Tour playlist on my iPod and hit the road. Printing out the map was more difficult simply because I don’t have a printer. I started late afternoon on a Tuesday to reduce the number of pedestrians. The time turned out to be great – there was plenty of light and people still around, but the streets weren’t too cluttered. 
I was a bit apprehensive when I read the title on the map, afraid I’d be wandering around the Red Light District for an hour. “On the right you’ll see a lovely sex shop, and on your left, an assortment of lovely ladies”. But the title is really a misnomer, as the tour spends most of its time elsewhere, beginning in Dam Square, and ends in Nieuwmarket. Narrated by “BBC travel guru” Ben Silburn, the tour tries to incorporate humor and historical facts into one guide. It starts off with early 90s music, and is clearly geared for young adult listeners. I could have done without the simulated sex-sounds, though. There are occasional jokes about drug use and sex, and so I wouldn’t recommend it for younger children. 12-year-old boys should love it, though. The tour actually provides a lot of really interesting facts about the city, and the sometimes-awkward humor really detracted from that. The whip sound when Silburn jokes about how the “bad” Americans need liability disclaimers? Unnecessary. The tour was incredibly well-paced, though, unlike many audio guides I’ve experienced. Interesting information not immediately related to a monument or square carries you from point to point, so that you don’t need to stand around waiting for the guide to finish or pause it while walking. I stopped to take pictures and notes along the way, and only had to pause once or twice. Walki-talki’s estimation of time needed for the tour seemed exaggerated, but allows for extra wandering or shopping.
The only parts that I found jarring – aside from the, um, more colorful sounds – were when Silburn or the guest guide pretended to be physically present, asking me to follow them or informing me that they’d “meet” me at a certain location. C’mon now, I’m walking around with a pair of headphones on. Clearly you’re not actually guiding me around the city.
The directions were good, the information interesting, Silburn’s voice is pleasant to listen to, and the occasional jokes about Dutch culture were fun. I’m generally not a huge fan of audio guides because they are so often start-and-stop, but this one was well-done and I enjoyed my walk around the city. The only real detriment to the audio guide system was the fact that the tour drowned out the noise of the city, preventing you from getting the full experience.
The tour is currently available on the Walki Talki website for $5.00. I’m not sure I would pay for it, but if you want a tour without a huge group of tourists surrounding you and a harassed lady holding up an umbrella shouting at the head of the group, it’s definitely worth it.
The picture is of Little Venice, one of the sights along the tour route.
