Boston · BOSTON SELF-GUIDED TOURS

The 15 Best Boston Self-Guided Tours

45 tours  ·  from $5 a head

The better boston self-guided tours book up early in summer and again in October. Below: the 15 to reserve first, what each includes and how they differ.

Scenic Newport, RI Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour - Ocean Drive, beaches, and Fort Adams
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Scenic Newport, RI Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

1.Scenic Newport, RI Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 325 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) Our pick

Drive an 11-mile route through Newport with more than 45 GPS-triggered audio stories, from Bellevue Avenue’s Gilded Age mansions to Ocean Drive, Fort Adams, and the Irish District. The English-language tour takes about two to three hours and costs $16.99 per car for up to four people. Download it in advance, then pause for walks, mansion visits, and ocean views.

“Easy to use. Travel at your own pace. Good information about the town and the mansions. Definitely would recommend it.”

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Boston Premium Small Group Driving Tour With Boat Cruise - Boston Harbor and the Tea Party site
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Boston Premium Small Group Driving Tour With Boat Cruise

2.Boston Premium Small Group Driving Tour With Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 259 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $199

Cover Boston by minivan, join a guided walk at Harvard, stop at Bunker Hill, and finish with a one-hour harbor cruise. The group is capped at seven, with downtown hotel pickup and drop-off included. Guides named in past outings include Bob, Henry, Zach, and Theo, but assignments vary.

“Fantastic tour! This tour was informative, fun, and well-paced. Our guide, Bob, was knowledgeable and engaging—highly recommend for first-time visitors or history buffs! The small group aspect is amazing, we were able to get picked up right out front of our hotel in Boston and returned to the front door at the end, what a great touch to an incredible experience.”

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Self Guided Classic Freedom Trail Location Aware (GPS) Walking Audio Tour - North End stories and Paul Revere’s route
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Self Guided Classic Freedom Trail Location Aware (GPS) Walking Audio Tour

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

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

Walk Boston’s Freedom Trail from the Boston Common Visitors Center to the USS Constitution with a GPS-guided audio tour in the WalknTours app. Hear about the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere, the North End and Bunker Hill. Plan on two to three hours, though stops and technical snags can make it longer.

“This audio worked well. The arrows were helpful. Would recommend to anyone new to Boston interested in the city sights”

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Self-Guided Smartphone Ghost Walking Tour in Salem - What the app does well, and where it can trip you up
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Self-Guided Smartphone Ghost Walking Tour in Salem

4.Self-Guided Smartphone Ghost Walking Tour in Salem

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

WalknTours’ self-guided Salem ghost tour uses GPS and prerecorded audio to lead you from Ropes Mansion to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial in about 40 to 50 minutes. Hear stories tied to the Witch House, Salem Inn, Joshua Ward House, and more. Start when it suits you, pause for breaks, and download the app and tour before you arrive.

“Some of the building colors are different as owners changed perhaps , but new paint is not always the color noted. Also if doing with a partner, using the same account and sharing earbuds might eliminate variables heard by each individual, hubby would pause his whole walking and I kept mine going so we would have to wait up or catch up at some locations. My suggestion is if using two accounts, decide in advance to walk while it plays the whole time.”

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Cape Cod & Provincetown Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour - From Cape history to Scargo Lake and Harwich
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Cape Cod & Provincetown Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour

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

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

Drive more than 65 miles from Cape Cod toward Provincetown with an app-based audio guide that triggers stories by location. Hear about the Nauset people and the Pilgrims, stop at beaches and lighthouses, then explore Provincetown on foot. The $24.99 tour covers a vehicle of up to four people, works offline after download, and can be paused or reused.

“Be prepared for a full day. Make time to stop in Providence town at the end for a while. It was very interesting.”

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Cape Ann Self-Guided Driving Tour in Gloucester and Rockport - Gloucester Harbor, fishing, and the Fishermen’s Memorial
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Cape Ann Self-Guided Driving Tour in Gloucester and Rockport

6.Cape Ann Self-Guided Driving Tour in Gloucester and Rockport

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 101 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.)

Follow a 23.5-mile self-guided audio route from Gloucester to Rockport, with more than 43 GPS-triggered stories about fishing, shipwrecks, lighthouses, beaches, and local history. The Action Tour Guide app works offline after download, and your $16.99 purchase covers a car of up to four people with lifetime access.

“There was guite a bit of information about the history of the area which we enjoyed. Unfortunately due to traffic and few places to pull off the road, some of the locations were barely visible.”

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Boston Freedom Trail Self-Guided Tour with Audio Narration & Map - Boston Common and the State House set the scene
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Boston Freedom Trail Self-Guided Tour with Audio Narration & Map

7.Boston Freedom Trail Self-Guided Tour with Audio Narration & Map

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 98 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $9

Follow Boston’s Freedom Trail from Boston Common to Bunker Hill with an English-language audio app, offline map, and more than 51 location-based stories. Stop for lunch, shops, or historic sites at your own pace. The route takes about 3 to 4 hours, covers more than 3 miles, and ends in Charlestown rather than returning to the start.

“I really enjoyed the tour that I could hear! However, I have an auditory processing disorder which causes me to focus in on audio changes and breakages - so when the tour guide would go from sounding like a man, to a chipmunk, or would have consistent crackling in my headphones that would not go away no matter how many times i reset my phone, headphones, disconnected and reconnected, restarted the app, anything- I really struggled to fully appreciate the tour. I also have a tendency to walk fast, so several times throughout the tour the previous line would be cut off by the geo location overriding which was unfortunate…”

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Newport Cliff Walk Self-Guided Walking Tour - Forty Steps and the fight to keep the path public
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Newport Cliff Walk Self-Guided Walking Tour

8.Newport Cliff Walk Self-Guided Walking Tour

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

Follow a self-guided, 4-mile-plus route from Easton’s Beach to Bailey’s Beach, with more than 35 audio stories about coastal landmarks and Newport’s Gilded Age mansions. The Action Tour Guide app plays stories by location and works offline after you download the tour. Go at your own pace, but bring sturdy shoes for the rocky sections.

“This tour provided just enough interesting information about the Mansions and history of the area. It was perfect the way each section was timed and the way it worked automatically.”

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Ultimate Historic Salem and Witch Trials Self-Guided Walking Tour - Burial grounds, property loss, and the people behind the trials
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Ultimate Historic Salem and Witch Trials Self-Guided Walking Tour

9.Ultimate Historic Salem and Witch Trials Self-Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 67 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $16

Follow a self-guided audio walk through Salem, from witch-trial sites and burial grounds to landmarks tied to Roger Conant and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The route covers more than 1.5 miles, with over 35 audio stories, and takes about one to two hours. Download the Action Tour Guide app and tour before you set out; no guide meets you at the start.

“The set up was a little stressful (required downloading two apps while paused on a sidewalk), but once we got things downloaded and set up, it was a great tour experience! I would definitely recommend downloading ahead of time, but also why do there need to be TWO different apps?”

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Lexington & Concord Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour - Meriam’s Corner and Battle Road
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Lexington & Concord Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour

10.Lexington & Concord Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 62 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.)

Follow a self-guided audio route from Concord’s North Bridge to Lexington Battle Green, with more than 29 stories about the 1775 battles and local writers such as Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott. Drive between sites, walk where you wish, and pause or skip stops at will. One $14.99 purchase covers a group of up to four.

“Rental car audio a little challenging, but doable... definitely cheaper than other tours. Blah, blah, blah.... ... . ..............”

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Boston Sightseeing Tour - a fully-narrated driving tour - Boston Common, Back Bay, and the changing city
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Boston Sightseeing Tour – a fully-narrated driving tour

11.Boston Sightseeing Tour – a fully-narrated driving tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 57 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) Top rated

This private, English-language driving tour covers Boston’s Revolutionary sites, Fenway Park, Back Bay, and other neighborhoods in about three hours. A guide narrates from an air-conditioned vehicle, with pickup within 10 miles of downtown. Peter is a guide associated with the tour; ask who will lead your date and whether photo stops can fit your plans.

“It was a great tour and Peter was a wonderful guide. He took us all over Boston from Beacon Hill to Harvard with stories and anecdotes about the history of Boston, and the famous (and infamous) people from Boston. He could answer all our questions with an impressive depth of knowledge. It was a delightful experience.”

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Boston Premium Driving Tour with Boat Cruise and Bunker Hill - Starting with Harvard’s historic campus
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Boston Premium Driving Tour with Boat Cruise and Bunker Hill

12.Boston Premium Driving Tour with Boat Cruise and Bunker Hill

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 32 reviews · 4 hours · from $169

Ride in a comfortable small-group vehicle, walk Harvard’s historic campus, visit Bunker Hill and take in Boston from the water on a 60-minute harbor cruise from May to November. In winter, the cruise is replaced by New England Aquarium admission. Guides including Stuey and Rich have earned warm praise for their lively Boston stories.

“This was an excellent, personalized, way to get to know Boston! It had a good balance of being on a boat, a guided tour in a private comfortable car, a guided walking tour and free time to shop in the market.”

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Ultimate Newport Self-Guided Audio Tour Bundle: Walk & Drive - The Breakers and the grandest summer cottages
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Ultimate Newport Self-Guided Audio Tour Bundle: Walk & Drive

13.Ultimate Newport Self-Guided Audio Tour Bundle: Walk & Drive

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 30 reviews · 3 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $19

This self-guided Newport bundle pairs a car tour of Bellevue Avenue and Ocean Drive with a walking route along the Cliff Walk. Action’s audio stories cover the Vanderbilts, Astors, Newport’s working neighborhoods, and more. Start and pause at your own pace, but download the app and tour before setting out.

“Entering the Breakers and Marble house. However we were given a location to go to to start the tour and it was closed. We were not given a warning of that.”

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Self-Guided Boston's Beacon Hill Underground Railroad Audio Tour Walking Tour - The Phillips School and Beacon Hill’s wider community
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Self-Guided Boston’s Beacon Hill Underground Railroad Audio Tour Walking Tour

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

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

Walk Beacon Hill with a self-guided, English-language audio tour on your phone. Starting at the Charles Street Meeting House, it links Underground Railroad sites, Black history, and abolitionist stories before ending near the African American Meeting House. Expect about 45 to 55 minutes, hills, and the freedom to pause or set your own pace.

“Well done! It was well narrated, well informed, a lot of walking, but an incredible job explaining how hard it must have been to get the slaves to safety.”

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Plymouth Pilgrims Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour - Mayflower II and the first landmarks
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Plymouth Pilgrims Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

15.Plymouth Pilgrims Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 28 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $14

Follow an English-language audio tour through Plymouth’s historic center, with more than 24 location-based stories and lifetime app access. Hear about Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, Burial Hill, and other landmarks at your own pace. The route is self-guided, works offline after download, and does not include attraction admission.

“I had major issues with the app not starting when I would get to one of the areas. I had to keep starting it myself when I could figure out which stop I was at. It was alright for the price you pay.”

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New in Boston Self-Guided Tours

★ 5.0Self Guided Audio Tour ‘Hawthorne’s Haunts’ Haunted Walking Tour SalemFrom $56 reviews
★ 4.5Plymouth Pilgrim Historic Self Guided GPS Audio Walking TourFrom $94 reviews
★ 4.5Newport Downtown Historic Audio APP Self Guided Smart Phone TourFrom $95 reviews
★ 3.5Newport Cliff Walk – Legends of the Gilded Age GPS Guided Audio TourFrom $1112 reviews
★ 3.5Nantucket Coast to Coast Self-Guided Biking or Driving TourFrom $123 reviews
★ 4.5Martha’s Vineyard Self-Guided Driving & Walking Audio Tour6 reviews
★ 4.5Edgartown Martha’s Vineyard Self-Guided (GPS) Audio Walking TourFrom $913 reviews
★ 3.0Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard Audio TourFrom $129 reviews
★ 5.0Provincetown Self-Guided Walking Audio TourFrom $145 reviews
★ 5.0Boston’s Freedom Trail: A Self-Guided Tour of All 16 SitesFrom $1414 reviews
★ 4.5Boston Self-Guided Audio Tour Bundle: Freedom Trail & MoreFrom $245 reviews
★ 4.5Self-Guided Audio Tour of Boston North EndFrom $53 reviews
★ 3.5The Ghosts of Boston’s Past Haunted Self-guided TourFrom $54 reviews
★ 4.5Self-Guided Smartphone Ghost Walking Tour Boston App EMF ReaderFrom $96 reviews
★ 5.0Self-Guided Boston Christmas TourFrom $93 reviews

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