Where to Go: the 15 Best Self-Guided Tours Worldwide

1.Harry Potter PUBLIC Tour + Self Guided Christ church Daily 12.45

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 82 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $83Our pick

Walk central Oxford with a Harry Potter focused guide, visit the Divinity School when open, then explore Christ Church on your own with an audio guide. Guides such as Peter, Eleanor, Jim, and Naima have led this three-hour tour. Expect film locations, Oxford stories, literary connections, and plenty of walking.

“Fantastic guide for historic and beautiful sites, worth it x100! The Harry Potter content is a great bonus and I would take this tour again in an instant”

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2.Turin: National Museum of Cinema Entry Ticket & Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 70 reviews · 1 day · from $45

Enter Turin’s Mole Antonelliana and follow the National Museum of Cinema’s spiral route from shadow theater to modern special effects. Your smartphone audio guide covers Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. Tickets arrive by email the day before. Bring headphones, and remember the panoramic lift costs extra.

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3.Harry Potter’s Edinburgh: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 42 reviews · 40 minutes to 1 hour (approx.) · from $11

Use the VoiceMap app to follow an English audio walk through Edinburgh’s Harry Potter connections. The 40-minute to one-hour route begins near Edinburgh Castle, visits the Writers’ Museum, Victoria Street, Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, and ends outside the Elephant House. Download the audio, map, and route for offline use, then pause whenever you like.

“Since we knew we would becoming in later afternoon to Edinburgh, this tour was great for us to do on our own at our own time. The audio tour gave very good instructions and we enjoyed learning more about places in Edinburgh that influenced JK Rowling's books about Harry Potter. Victoria Street is awesome!”

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4.Harry Potter Movie Location Tour with an APP

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 41 reviews · 3 hours · from $12

Follow Harry Potter’s London on a self-guided Trippy Tour Guide app walk from Westminster Station to Tower Bridge. Hear more than 40 stories in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, or Chinese as you visit Platform 9¾, Cecil Court, Leadenhall Market, Millennium Bridge, and other film locations. You set the pace, but allow more than three hours.

“veel informatie. de filmscenes worden duidelijk beschreven bij iedere locatie. de tour is erg lang. we redden het niet binnen de tijd. omdat we nog iets anders geboekt hadden, hebben we hem de volgende dag afgemaakt.”

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5.Hollywood Fame & Celebrity Homes Self-Guided Audio Bundle Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 40 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.)

Drive your own route from Hollywood Boulevard through Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Bel Air, and the Hollywood Hills while location-based audio shares stories about celebrity homes and Los Angeles landmarks. The Action Tour Guide app works offline after download, covers more than 27 miles, and gives your group lifetime access for one low carload price.

“Something fun and different to do while in LA. We saw lots of great spots and houses. It was easy to use as well.”

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6.Harry Potter PRIVATE Tour + Self Guided Christ church Daily 12.45

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · 3 hours to 3 hours 20 minutes (approx.) · from $171

Spend about three hours exploring Oxford with a private English-speaking guide such as Peter, Alisdair, or Michel. Hear Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland stories, visit the Divinity School when open, then enter Christ Church on a pre-booked self-guided audio visit. Expect college exteriors, film locations, quizzes, costumes, and a lively walk.

“This was the best tour we’ve ever been on! Peter was amazing! You will not regret booking this tour- so many fun facts! If we would of been thinking straight we would of just followed Peter to his next tour destination. It really was such a lovely tour I can’t say enough about how great it was!”

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7.Edinburgh Harry Potter Self-Guided Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $12

Follow Jule’s English audio guide through Edinburgh’s Harry Potter landmarks, including Greyfriars Cemetery, Thomas Riddell’s grave, Victoria Street, Edinburgh Castle, New College, and the Balmoral Hotel. The private self-guided route lasts about two to three hours, but three weeks of app access lets you pause for photos, shops, coffee, or a longer day out.

“Very cool tour, guided by your phone! Allows you to see all of the cool Harry Potter landmarks in Edinburgh AT YOUR OWN PACE, which was perfect for us. It allowed us to go slow, take a lot of pics, and stop for snacks and drinks along the way. We made a whole day of it!”

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8.Doctor Who and Cinematic Cardiff: Self Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours (approx.) · from $11

Use the VoiceMap app to walk from Cardiff Castle to The Cambrian Tap, following Doctor Who and Sherlock locations across central Cardiff. Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours, bring your own phone and headphones, and remember that attraction entry fees are not included. The tour is in English and works offline.

“Very good tour including cool doctor who locations and to see a side of Cardiff we wouldn't normally see.”

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9.Harry Potter Self-Guided Walking Tour in London

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $9

Use the Trippy Tour Guide app to follow a self-guided Harry Potter route across London. You’ll visit Westminster, Cecil Court, King’s Cross, Claremont Square, Borough Market, Leadenhall Market, and the Millennium Bridge, with 40-plus narration points, directions, and an offline map. Allow two to three hours, plus time for photos and food.

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11.Dubrovnik Game Of Thrones self-guided tour with mobile app

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $7

Use the Tourific app to walk from Dubrovnik’s West Harbour through the Old Town and past famous Game of Thrones locations, including the Red Keep setting, the Walk of Shame steps, Littlefinger’s brothel, and the Ploče Gate. AI narration, photos, written notes, and offline maps help you explore at your own pace.

“This DIY tour of Game of Thrones site is very helpful. It's nice that it is available offline and you can listen to it multiple times. The map location is helpful. The photos are very helpful. Narration is very good and clear and with additional info. What a great find!!!!”

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12.Bridgerton’s Filming Locations in Bath Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) · from $11

Explore Bath’s Bridgerton filming locations at your own pace with a GPS audio guide narrated in English. Starting at Bath Abbey, the route passes Abbey Green, Georgian streets, the Royal Crescent, a historic bridge, Lady Danbury’s house, and Guildhall. Audio, maps, and directions work offline, with unlimited access before and after your visit.

“This a fun way to discover Bath even if you aren’t a huge fan of Bridgerton! The walking audio tour not only takes you to famous sites in the shows, but also takes you to gems along the way!”

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13.Ghost Hunt in Hollywood: Self-Guided Haunted Puzzle Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $7

Use the Questo app to solve clues at 12 Hollywood stops, from Pantages Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre to Musso and Frank’s. This English-language walk has no guide, works offline, costs $7.18 per person, and takes about 90 minutes, though your pace and clue-solving skills may stretch it longer.

“I was nice doing a night visit for a change, and this tour provided the perfect support for it. Very pleasant experience!”

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14.Inverness and Outlander Private Self-Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $12

Use the app and Alex’s recorded audio guide to walk from Market Brae through central Inverness in about two hours. You’ll connect Outlander references with the Town House, cathedral, Greig Street Bridge, Leakey’s Bookshop, the Victorian Market, and more. Three weeks of access lets you pause, restart, and explore at your own pace.

“It was cool. Nice to go at our own pace. Would have liked a little more info included. Not specifically an outlander tour.”

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15.Lost Souls of Hollywood Blvd: a Smartphone Audio Ghost Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $9

Follow three podcasters turned ghostly guides from Yamashiro Hollywood to the Pantages Theatre. This 1.5-mile smartphone tour covers haunted theaters, hotels, museums, and old Hollywood landmarks, with GPS audio, optional trivia, flexible start times, and no need for mobile data after downloading.

“Great Podcast, lots of history about downtown LA. If you love ghost stories this ones for you. Best part of the tour is that you get to do it at your own pace. I love group tours, but sometimes I want to check out the buildings and do some exploring on my own and that’s what you get with this one. You can pause and start up at anytime, and I love that. I was able to stop on the strip and have a slice of pizza and a drink then started back up again. This was a great way to get in a good chill walk and enjoy the…”

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