The 15 Best History Tours Worldwide

1.Venice: St. Mark Basilica Ticket, Audioguide+History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 4,780 reviews · from $23Our pick

Visit St. Mark’s Basilica with priority entry, a downloadable audio guide, and an optional escorted visit. Then use VR to see Piazza San Marco across the centuries. Guides may include Andrea, Valentina, Elena, or Francesco, while the €23 ticket covers the ground floor only.

“The Basilica is absolutely gorgeous & small enough that it’s manageable. The agent at the tourist office beforehand where you go to pick up the info was super helpful & very nice. TIP: DOWNLOAD the app/audio beforehand in order to listen to the digital audio guide once in the church since there’s no connection there. Audio was very informative & interesting. Im glad we went with the audio instead of a guide because you can go at your own pace. However, taking one star off because the Skip-the-Line isn’t really skipping anything since you still stand on line for at least 15-30mins to do security (depending how early you go.)Read…”

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2.Maltese Islands History Audio-Visual Show and La Sacra Infermeria Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 344 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $24

Start at The Malta Experience for a clear, multilingual audio-visual history of Malta, from its first settlers to World War II. Then join a professional guide inside the Knights of St. John’s Sacra Infermeria. Allow about 1 hour 15 minutes and bring your own transport to Valletta.

“The audio-visual show is outstanding. Because of another appointment, we skipped the Sacra Infermeria tour.”

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3.Valletta: Self-Guided Historical Walking Tour (Audio Guide)

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 251 reviews · 1 - 7 days · from $8

Use the PopGuide app to explore Valletta at your own pace, following a three to four hour route through bastions, gardens, palaces, churches, and historic streets. Commentary comes in five languages, works offline after download, and includes a free audio tour of Mdina.

“The information about each point was good and interesting.”

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4.Nizwa Heritage & Culture Full Day Tour with Audio Guiding

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 213 reviews · 9 hours · from $83

Travel from Muscat to Nizwa with hotel pickup, a driver, and GPS-linked audio commentary in five languages. Visit Birkat Al Mouz, Nizwa Souq, Jabreen Castle, and Bahla Fort, with lunch and Jabreen entrance included. Drivers such as Khaleel and Naseeb also add practical help along the way.

“My driver, Khalil was great! I would’ve liked to also be guiding at the stopping points on the tour. This the perfect way to see Nizwa!”

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5.Matera: Sassi di Matera Historical Self-Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 183 reviews · 365 days · from $4Best value

Use the ITGUIDES app to explore Matera’s Sassi at your own pace. More than 30 geolocated points explain caves, rock churches, Byzantine frescoes, cisterns, and underground spaces in English, French, German, or Italian. There is no meeting point or fixed group.

“Ces deux endroits sont magnifiques et l’organisation de ce voyage était parfait”

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6.St. Mark’s Cathedral Priority Guided Tour & History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 148 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $33

Visit St. Mark’s Basilica in about an hour with skip-the-line entry, a mobile audio guide or live guide, and a VR history experience about St. Mark’s Square. You can choose a guided Basilica visit or a combined Basilica and Doge’s Palace option.

“excellent guide. She found us shade to stand in, encouraged to stay for golden hour. Would have liked more time in museum before or after vr, found it wonderful and informative on gondolas. I did like the vr. The check in should tell people to use the bathroom before.”

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7.Santa Fe Historic Downtown Smart Phone Audio App Self Guided GPS Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 112 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Use your phone and headphones to follow an English GPS audio tour from San Miguel Chapel to Santa Fe Plaza. Hear stories about Spanish rule, the Loretto staircase, the Manhattan Project, Billy the Kid, Georgia O’Keeffe, and local art. Pause, restart, and explore at your own pace.

“Great way to explore the city at your own pace. Informative and insightful without time constraints.”

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8.Istanbul: Hagia Sophia History Museum Entry with Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 102 reviews · 1 hour · from $29

Visit the Hagia Sophia History Museum in Sultanahmet with fast-track entry, a headset, and an audio guide in 23 languages. Interactive 3D displays trace the building’s Roman and Ottoman periods, while digital exhibits show how it changed from cathedral to mosque, museum, and mosque again.

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9.London: Natural History Museum Express Guided Tour & Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 100 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $11

Explore London’s Natural History Museum with a 30-minute English introduction, reserved entry, digital map, and app-based audio guide in seven languages. Janet is one guide you may meet. Bring your own phone and headphones, and remember this is not a guided exhibit tour or skip-the-line ticket.

“I arrived at the museum and they would not honor my skip the line pass from pastor. They instructed me to ask for my money back.”

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10.Savannah’s Historical District: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 69 reviews · 45 minutes to 1 hour (approx.) · from $11

Follow a private VoiceMap walking tour from Wright Square to Forsyth Park, with audio about Juliette Gordon Low’s home, historic squares, grand houses, and Savannah’s Forrest Gump connection. The app works offline and lets you pause, stop, or revisit the tour anytime.

“It was a great experience. Very informative and easy to use. The guide was excellent. I would highly recommend.”

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11.Pisa: Historic Center Tour by Bike Self-Guided

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 68 reviews · 3 hours · from $28

Start near Pisa Central Station with a bike, phone holder, and app. Ride independently through the historic center, past the Leaning Tower and Square of Miracles, along the Arno and medieval walls. Choose your own pace, with English, Italian, and Spanish support available.

“De route die we hadden me gekregen op ons mobiel was heel te lang voor de tijd die we kregen. We werden door een weinig zeggend stuk geen en weer langs de rivier geleid, daarna dwars door voetgangers gebied, en ook tegen het verkeer in. We hebben iets met Daan de helft van de route kunnen fietsen en door dit alles was het niet een leuk relaxed fietstocht waar we op gehoopt hadden”

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12.London: Natural History Museum Express Tour & Audio App

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 60 reviews · 3 hours · from $10

Meet your English-speaking guide at the Exhibition Road Courtyard for a short exterior walk and museum introduction. Then explore alone with a multilingual audio app, from the blue whale in Hintze Hall to the animatronic T. rex and triceratops skull.

“Nao teve tour… fomos sozinhos pelo museu… nao qcho que vale o custo”

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13.Frankfurt Self-Guided Historical Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 58 reviews · 2 days · from $8

Use your smartphone to follow a 5.7 km route through central Frankfurt, from the Alte Oper to the Römer and Imperial Cathedral. Along the way, Ciceru’s web app supplies short historical notes, audio in seven languages, map links, and 10 riddles. You have two days after activation to finish.

“Comodo il collegamento a Google Maps per raggiungere l’attrazione successiva. Le spiegazioni però sono molto basiche e piuttosto brevi. Avrei preferito contenuti più approfonditi e dettagliati, magari con qualche curiosità o aneddoto interessante. Nel complesso mi aspettavo qualcosa di più. Detto questo, per il prezzo che si paga (7€) è veramente basso, quindi nel complesso il rapporto qualità-prezzo resta comunque buono.”

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14.Naples: Monuments and Historic District Self-Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 50 reviews · 3 days · from $4

Use the Itguides app to explore Naples over three days with two walking routes and 40-plus points of interest. Hear audio about Saint Gennaro Cathedral, Santa Chiara, the Veiled Christ Chapel, Gesù Nuovo, San Lorenzo, Piazza del Plebiscito, and more in five languages.

“it is a good and convenient list, but not much better than simply creating a Google maps list, the audio descriptions are ok”

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15.Chiva Private Cultural Tour with Audio Guide in Buga

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 49 reviews · 2 hours to 2 hours 40 minutes (approx.) · from $15Top rated

Explore Buga by private Chiva with an English or Spanish audio guide, passing the Basilica, cathedral, theatre, bridge, and Castle. Guides such as Carlos, Sebastián, Miguel, and Sandra add local help, while tastings include traditional sweets, regional wine, coffee, and a Valluna empanada.

“This tour is short and sweet! It was the perfect way to spend a Thursday afternoon in Buga. The tour gives you historical details of the sites while the audio explains detals and history of the city and each stop.”

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