The 13 Best Self-Guided Walking Tours in the USA

1.Self Guided Classic Freedom Trail Location Aware (GPS) Walking Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 258 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $7Our pick

Use the WalknTours app to follow Boston’s Freedom Trail from Boston Common to the USS Constitution. GPS directions guide you through burial grounds, Revolutionary sites, the North End, Bunker Hill, and Charlestown. Pause for food, museums, or photos, then continue when ready.

“Narration was interesting but be advised that the app drains the phone battery quickly. Our batteries ran out before completing the tour.”

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2.Self-Guided Smartphone Ghost Walking Tour in Salem

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 225 reviews · 40 to 50 minutes (approx.) · from $7

Use the WalknTours app to follow a GPS-guided route through Salem in about 40 to 50 minutes. Hear spooky stories at Ropes Mansion, the Witch House, Salem Inn, Joshua Ward House, Old Burying Point Cemetery, and the Witch Trials Memorial. Pause for shops, meals, or photos, and share access with up to four phones.

“Loved the flexibility of doing the tour on my own time and getting to take breaks in between. The narrator was super informative and it was very entertaining!”

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3.Cape Cod & Provincetown Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 207 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.)

Use Action’s Tour Guide app to follow Cape Cod’s coastal roads and Provincetown streets at your own pace. Hear stories about the Nauset, the Pilgrims, lighthouses, whaling, and the Titanic while stopping for beaches, trails, and photos. One purchase covers up to four people in one vehicle.

“Couldn’t get GPS map, only audio so we didn’t use it. Disappointed that we couldn’t use it. Tried for 15 minutes and gave up.”

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4.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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5.Montgomery Civil Rights Walk of Freedom Self Guided (GPS) Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 102 reviews · 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Follow a one-hour GPS audio walk through Montgomery’s civil rights landmarks. Start at the Rosa Parks Museum, visit Court Square, the Freedom Rides Museum, Chris’ Famous Hotdogs, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, and finish at the Alabama State Capitol. Museums and food cost extra.

“Really straightforward way of doing a walking tour at a time that suits you, and at a pace that suits as well. Easy to set up and follow, added links in the app and good audio quality. Content was excellent as well! Recommended.”

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6.Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Fairytale Houses: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 93 reviews · 30 minutes to 1 hour (approx.) · from $5Best value

Use the VoiceMap app to follow a private, self-guided walk through Carmel-by-the-Sea’s fairytale cottages. Hear the story of Hugh Comstock, pass Ocean Avenue, Carmel Plaza, Bruno’s Market & Deli, and Devendorf Park, and keep lifetime access to the tour.

“Hard to work for us. Not clear instructions in my opinion. We had to find the houses by ourselves. Would have been better if a map was included”

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7.Newport Cliff Walk Self-Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 79 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $14

Walk more than four miles along Newport’s Cliff Walk while an Action Tour Guide app automatically shares stories about the Vanderbilts, Astors, Edith Wharton, and Newport’s grand summer cottages. The route is self-guided, works offline, and includes more than 35 audio stops in English.

“Mid October cliff walk was absolutely beautiful! While it is difficult to see many of the mansions from the walk the view over the water was stunning! We did not do the last 1/3 part of the walk over the rocks but the first section of rocks was pretty easy. The rest was nicely paved. The audio tour provided all the high points and was not annoying like some. Great experience! Highly recommend!”

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8.PRIVATE New York Ground Zero Always Remember Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $45Top rated

Walk Ground Zero with a native New York guide who has a personal connection to 9/11. In 90 minutes, you’ll visit St. Paul’s Chapel, the Oculus, One World Trade Center, O’Hara’s, Liberty Park, and the Memorial pools. Dana is one guide associated with this experience.

“Dana is the guide you want for this experience—highly recommend! No one can bring alive the sites and moments surrounding the events of 9/11 like a native New Yorker with a very personal connection to this historic & tragic event in history. We’d go with Dana again!”

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9.Ghosts of New Orleans: Self-Guided Haunted Audio Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 32 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $6

Follow a GPS-guided audio walk through New Orleans’ French Quarter, stopping outside haunted hotels, historic homes, bars, alleys, and theaters. The WalknTours app supplies directions, narration, sound effects, and pause controls. Allow about an hour, then finish near Fritzel’s European Jazz Bar.

“Great way to understand what your looking at and to seek the shops and other ideas on what to do.....”

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10.Self-Guided Boston’s Beacon Hill Underground Railroad Audio Tour Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 29 reviews · 45 to 55 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Use the WalknTours app to follow a 45 to 55-minute route through Beacon Hill, from the Charles Street Meeting House to the African American Meeting House. Hear narrated stories about John J. Smith, Lewis Hayden, Harriet Tubman, and other freedom fighters while pausing or replaying sections as you go.

“Be sure to bring water and snacks. Take the weather into account. There are hills to walk up. But overall it was interesting. Informative. And we enjoyed it.”

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11.Self Guided “Historic Boston Downtown Freedom Trail” Audio/GPS Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 22 reviews · 50 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes (approx.) · from $5

Use the WalknTours app to follow Boston’s downtown Freedom Trail from Boston Common to Haymarket. Hear stories at Granary Burying Ground, Faneuil Hall, the Boston Massacre site, Green Dragon Tavern, JFK’s former home, and more. Pause for food, weather, or extra sightseeing, then revisit the route with 360-degree photos.

“The tour was easy to download and use. And so informative! What a great way to not spend a lot of money, but still learn a lot about Boston! And at your own pace. I highly recommend it!”

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12.Self-Guided ‘Old Squares of Savannah’ Solo Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Use your smartphone to follow an English GPS-guided walk through Savannah’s old squares. Hear stories of Tomochichi, Juliette Gordon Low, slavery, malaria, art, and Forrest Gump filming sites. Pause for museums or shops, then continue when ready. No in-person guide is included.

“We got to walk the squares. Introduction to the city on foot. The narrator was awful. Needs to be edited. Remove comments about the drinking Irish, not cool.”

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13.Self-Guided Walking Tour French Quarter In New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Use the WalknTours app to explore New Orleans from Joan of Arc to Central Grocery. GPS-triggered narration covers the French Market, Cafe Du Monde, Pirates Alley, voodoo shops, jazz, historic bars, and the Muffuletta. Pause, resume, or repeat the tour whenever you like.

“This is a great way to see areas. You can start and stop the audio. Very informative, and up to date.”

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