12 Self-Guided Tours Worldwide to Book First

1.Taormina: Ancient Theater Skip-the-Line Ticket & Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,412 reviews · 1 day · from $28Our pick

Visit Taormina’s ancient Greek-Roman theater at your own pace with a one-day skip-the-line ticket and audio app in English, French, Spanish, or German. See the stage, arena, and views toward Mount Etna and Giardini Naxos. No live guide is included.

“Great experience definitely the skip the line and your own audio guide was a great experience. Skip all the chaos and do the tour at your own pace.”

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2.Athens: National Archaeological Museum Ticket & Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 1,330 reviews · 45 minutes - 4 hours · from $31

Use your phone to tour Athens’ National Archaeological Museum at your own pace. The audio guide leads you to major works such as the Mask of Agamemnon, Mycenaean gold, the bronze Zeus or Poseidon, and the Horse Rider, with offline maps and narration in six languages.

“For this recent archaeology grad, it was wonderful seeing first hand what I studied in a textbook. For the average visitor, the richness and extent of the collection can be overwhelming. Allow a good two hours for your visit. And the audio guides are free (don’t pay extra for them on an online ticket), but you will need to leave some picture ID at the desk (a driver’s licence or passport) as “collateral.””

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3.Medieval Torture Museum Ticket with Audio Guide and Ghost Hunting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 962 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $35Top rated

Walk through Chicago’s 6,000-square-foot Medieval Torture Museum at your own pace. Hundreds of torture, restraint, and execution devices are paired with wax figures, audio commentary, hands-on displays, and a ghost-hunting app. The visit lasts about 90 minutes and is best suited to adults and older teens.

“The entire process of ordering tickets, gaining admission and walking through the museum came off without a hitch. The museum has an excellent collection of torture artifacts. Also, many exhibits are hands on.”

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4.Gettysburg Battlefield Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 910 reviews · 2 to 4 hours (approx.)

Drive Gettysburg’s 19-mile battlefield route with GPS-triggered audio stories covering McPherson’s Ridge, Little Round Top, Pickett’s Charge, and the National Cemetery. The Action Tour Guide app works offline, lets you stop freely, and costs $16.99 for a car of up to four people.

“Lots of great information, easy to use and to follow along. Ensure you follow all the instructions prior to attempting to use, we didn’t have any issues, but know of others that did. All the recommended stops did not disappoint, it’s your option to stop or not unlike a tour bus where you go where they want you to! I would use the self guided tour again, this is my second time using.”

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5.Delphi: Archaeological Site & Museum Ticket with Audio Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 721 reviews · 1 day · from $30

Visit Delphi’s archaeological site and museum on the same day with a pre-booked ticket and optional mobile audio tour. See Apollo’s temple, the theater, stadium, treasuries, the Tholos, and major finds such as the Charioteer. Bring headphones, water, and a charged phone.

“Don’t forget to go across the road! Well worth the money and the trip!”

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6.Athens: National Archaeological Museum Ticket w/ Opt. Audio

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 713 reviews · 1 day · from $30

Visit Athens’ National Archaeological Museum with a timed entry ticket sent by email. Explore Greek antiquities at your own pace, from the Mask of Agamemnon and Antikythera mechanism to statues of Zeus, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. Add the English self-guided audio tour if you want more context.

“The museum houses some of the greatest world class treasures of the Greek Culture from antiquity. The treasures are instantly recognized because they are seen in your history book as examples of great art.”

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7.Naples: National Archaeological Museum Ticket & Audio App

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 617 reviews · from $29

Visit Naples’ National Archaeological Museum on a one-day ticket and see Pompeii and Herculaneum artifacts, Farnese marbles, Greek and Roman sculpture, Egyptian objects, coins, and the Secret Cabinet. Exchange your smartphone voucher at the ticket office, then explore independently with a digital audio app.

“Best museum in Italy. So many fine pieces from Pompei.”

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8.Athens: Ancient Agora E-Ticket and Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 413 reviews · 90 minutes - 2 hours · from $30

Use your pre-booked Ancient Agora ticket and smartphone audio tour to explore the birthplace of Athenian democracy at your own pace. Hear stories of Solon, Pericles, Aristides the Just, and Socrates while visiting the Agora Museum, Pnyx, Mars Hill, and nearby classical sites.

“Some of the walking directions were a little spotty but, overall, it was an informative and enjoyable tour.”

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9.Katakolo Port: Transfer to Ancient Olympia and VR Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 403 reviews · from $13Best value

You travel from Katakolo Port to Ancient Olympia by modern air-conditioned bus, with an English-speaking escort and a smartphone-based VR audio guide in 10 languages. Allow about four hours, including roughly three hours at the ruins, museums, and village. Choose a ticket option with or without admission.

“Transfer was great and the bus was nice and the people were so helpful! I struggled a bit with the VR phone guide because it’s hard to find your way around the grounds because the signage isn’t much, but the guide itself is easy to listen to. I just sometimes didn’t know what site we were looking at.”

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10.Heraklion Archaeological Museum Ticket & Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 396 reviews · 1 - 4 hours · from $33

Visit Heraklion Archaeological Museum with a pre-booked adult ticket and Clio Muse audio tour on your smartphone. Follow English, German, French, Spanish, or Italian narration through key Minoan works, including the Phaistos Disk and bull-leaping fresco, at your own pace.

“The details description and the selection of the most important items of the museum”

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11.Shared Medellín Downtown Tour with Wireless Audio

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 315 reviews · 150 minutes - 3 hours · from $13

Walk Medellín’s historic center from Botero Plaza to La Alpujarra and the Park of Lights with a local English or Spanish-speaking guide. Expect art, railroad history, Paisa culture, and frank discussion of the 1980s and 1990s, supported by wireless audio.

“The tour was great, but also very long. We couldn‘t enter both churches, but that was because of a national holiday. It was fun getting to know more about the history off the city and particular buildings and some turning points in history. Although not completely unbiased like the description said. It was still very informative and I did learn new things about Medellin, and partly Colombia. The only downside off the tour was, that the inner city was riddled with beggars and crackheads that beg you for money in the most pushy ways. This is a goverment issue, and not a tour issue. I wished the inner city was…”

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12.Renaissance & Medieval Florence Guided Walking Tour plus mobile App

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 140 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $30

Walk central Florence with a local guide, from San Lorenzo and the Medici story to the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, and Pitti Palace. The roughly 90-minute English tour includes the VOX CITY app for extra self-guided routes, but attraction tickets, headphones, and smartphone use are not included.

“Waste of precious vacation time and money. Was a total of 10 people. 6 French speaking and 4 English. The guide struggled with both languages and spent 70% with French folk and 30 with us English. The guide had trouble with both languages, but mostly with the english language. Trouble communicating about the subject matter. A refund should made!”

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