Walking Tours of the World’s Oldest Cities Walking tours of the world’s oldest cities sounded romantic when I booked the tickets from my couch in Ohio, iced coffee in one hand, dog snoring on my lap. Fast forward three weeks and I’m limping through 115°F Jericho with blisters the size of quarters because—of course—I wore new sneakers. Like, who does that? Me. That’s who.
Why I’m Weirdly Obsessed with Walking Tours of the World’s Oldest Cities Now
Look, I’m basic. I love air-conditioning and drive-thrus. But something happens when your feet are literally walking on layers of dead civilizations—it messes with you in the best way. You smell 4,000-year-old dust mixed with someone’s lunch and suddenly taxes don’t matter anymore. These ancient city walks turned me into the kind of person who cries at random rocks. Embarrassing? Yes. Would do again? Already planning.
Jericho, Palestine – Where My Walking Tours of the World’s Oldest Cities Fantasy Died and Was Reborn
I show up thinking Indiana Jones vibes. Instead I get the hottest day in recorded history and a guide who keeps calling me “my friend” while I’m dying. Highlight: climbing the ancient mound and realizing my Apple Watch thinks I just did 47 flights of stairs. Low point: realizing the “bathroom” is a hole and I’m wearing overalls. Historic walking tours, man. They don’t prepare you for that level of commitment.
Varanasi, India – The Ancient City Walk That Broke My Brain (in a Good Way)
Varanasi isn’t just old, it’s aggressively alive. Walking tours of the world’s oldest cities here mean dodging cows, funeral processions, kids selling postcards, and dudes offering “special massage.” I accidentally photobombed a cremation (didn’t realize till later—felt like absolute garbage). But then sunrise on the Ganges? Watching the city wake up while old men do yoga and laundry and prayers all in the same spot they’ve done it for millennia? I straight-up ugly-cried into my chai. My feet were destroyed, my soul was weirdly fixed.
Matera, Italy – The Oldest City Walk Where I Finally Learned to Shut Up and Listen
Doing a self-guided old city walk at twilight felt like sneaking through someone’s abandoned childhood home, except the home is 9,000 years old. I kept whispering “sorry” to the empty caves like I was trespassing. Italians drink espresso at 10 p.m. and I joined them because when in the world’s oldest cities, right? Ended up drunk on grappa telling a 78-year-old nonna about my divorce. She patted my hand and said “eh, men.” Iconic.
Random Tips From Someone Who Definitely Screwed Up These Walking Tours of the World’s Oldest Cities
- Wear broken-in shoes or accept you’ll leave DNA on ancient cobblestones (I did)
- Baby powder in socks is life
- Download offline maps because “ancient” also means “no signal ever”
- Bring tissues for everything—sweat, tears, impromptu bathrooms
- Talk to old people. Every. Time. They know where the good gelato is and also the meaning of life apparently
The One That Almost Killed Me (Athens Edition)
Athens in August is a war crime. I tried to “walk the oldest city” from the Acropolis to nowhere in particular and ended up hiding in a church courtyard drinking warm Fanta from a vending machine shaped like a Greek column.
Anyway. Walking tours of the world’s oldest cities ruined regular vacations for me forever. I can’t do resorts now. I need dust in my lungs and old ladies roasting my life choices and the weird peace that comes from realizing humans have been messing up in the exact same spots for millennia.
If you’re on the fence—just go. Pick the sketchiest-looking historic walking tour, wear stupid shoes, get lost, cry in public. You’ll come home sunburnt and broke and weirdly lighter.
Which of the world’s oldest cities should I destroy my feet in next? Drop it below, I’m genuinely addicted now.
