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How it works
There are four steps, and the whole thing takes about a minute before you start walking.
1. Say where you are and how long you have
Start from your current location, type a landmark or address, or pick a point on the map. Then choose how long you want to be out: 30 minutes, an hour, two hours, or three and more. That figure is a constraint, not a suggestion — the route is planned to fit it, including the time you say you want to spend standing at each stop.
2. Choose how you are getting around
Walking, running, cycling, driving, or wheelchair-accessible. Each uses routing built for that mode, which matters more than it sounds: a pedestrian router will cut through a park that a car has to drive around, and an accessible route is planned to avoid steps and kerbs and to prefer smooth surfaces rather than being a walking route under another name. Then pick a pace — leisurely through to brisk, or scenic versus efficient if you are driving.
3. Say what you are interested in
History, architecture, art, nature, food, cafés, shopping, neighbourhoods, photo spots, film and TV locations, music, ghosts, landmarks, hidden gems, local culture, religious sites, viewpoints, kid-friendly. Pick as many as you like. Underneath that there is more if you want it — whether the time limit is hard or flexible, who is coming, accessibility needs, budget, how much narration you want and how often you want to stop — and a free-text box for anything the options do not cover.
4. Walk it
You get a map with your route drawn on it and a numbered stop list. At each stop there is a photograph, a written piece and spoken narration, plus a direction cue to the next one. Move at whatever speed you like; nothing is on a timer. When you want to change something mid-tour — more history, fewer hills, a coffee stop, a shorter walk — you can say so and the rest of the route is replanned around it.
Walking with other people
One person plans the tour and shares a code. Up to ten people including the host can join, free. The host moves the group from stop to stop and everyone's phone follows along, each playing its own audio — so nobody is straining to hear a guide at the back of a group.
What it runs on
Your phone's browser. There is nothing to install and nothing left behind afterwards. You will want a data connection while you walk, since the narration streams and the map loads as you go.
A 24-hour pass is $6.95 for unlimited tours. Joining somebody else’s is free.
Common questions
What is a self-guided walking tour?
A route you walk on your own schedule, with the commentary delivered to your phone instead of by a guide. There is no meeting point and no group — you start when you want, stop as long as you like at anything that interests you, and skip anything that does not.
How is this different from a guided walking tour?
A guided tour runs to someone else's schedule and someone else's route, and it covers what the guide covers. This builds the route around the time you actually have, the pace you want to walk at and the things you said you were interested in — and it will wait as long as you like at any stop.
Do I need to download an app?
No. It runs in your phone's browser. There is nothing to install, nothing to update, and nothing taking up space after the trip.
Which cities do you cover?
Any city, town or region in the world. Routes are generated for wherever you are standing or whatever place you name, rather than picked from a fixed catalogue — so small towns and neighbourhoods work as well as capitals.
How long are the tours?
You choose: 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, or three and more. The route is planned to fit the time, including how long you say you want to spend at each stop.
Can I do a driving tour instead of walking?
Yes. Walking, running, cycling, driving and wheelchair-accessible routing are all supported, and each uses routing built for that mode — a driving tour follows roads and sensible parking, a walking tour uses paths and crossings.
Is there a wheelchair-accessible option?
Yes, and it is genuinely different rather than a walking route relabelled. Accessible routes are planned with a wheelchair costing that avoids steps and kerbs and prefers smooth surfaces, and you can additionally ask to avoid steep hills, uneven surfaces or busy roads.
Does it work offline?
You need a connection to plan the tour and to stream the narration for each stop. Once a stop's audio has played it is cached by your browser, but plan for having data where you are walking.