Scotland · SELF-GUIDED TOURS
Good self-guided walks fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 13 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Cycle from Inverness to Loch Ness on a self-guided day tour with bike hire, maps, canal paths, country roads, and time at Dores.
“The staff was pretty accommodating. Unfortunately for us, the bikes did not. They were extremely uncomfortable. The route was on a busy road, and for two novice riders in England overwhelming. We cut our experience short.”
Explore Glasgow’s ghostly side with a flexible app-led puzzle walk from Central Station to George Square for just $6.
“My most memorable moment was seeing a haunting shadow of a lady on the wall opposite the Scotia - jeepers creepers 🕷 👻”
Explore Edinburgh’s Harry Potter connections at your own pace with an English VoiceMap audio tour from the castle to Greyfriars and the Elephant House.
“We absolutely loved this self-guided tour! The insider information, little tid-bits, and narration are fantastic! Great for adults and children; I highly recommend!”
Explore Edinburgh's Old Town by app, from Calton Hill and the Royal Mile to Greyfriars Kirkyard, at your own pace for $9.
“Ottima guida che accompagna per le vie del centro città. Aggiungerei una parte più approfondita in merito alla storia (regnanti, rivolta dei giacobiti e così via) in modo da renderla più completa.”
Explore Skye by car with offline GPS guidance, from the Old Man of Storr and dinosaur prints to Quiraing and Fairy Glen.
“Clunky interface. Not flexible. Didn’t work as download- had to have cell signal. We read some history of places and that’s about all we used it for. SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THIS! Can’t even believe you charge for it. Don’t recommend”
Explore Aberdeen’s darker past on a flexible audio walk covering gaols, witches, bodysnatchers, maritime punishments, and more.
“Great story but a bit ‘ify’ in parts for the directions at points & possibly due to a combo of locus & poor connectivity. However when you pass the multi storey flats its a point of danger. These flats are rife with crime & not sure that tourists should be alone here. Im a native & had concerns. That aside, the commentary was great, very informative & plenty to learn from the tour itself”
Explore Edinburgh’s haunted past with an affordable self-guided puzzle tour linking castles, closes, kirkyards, and grim city stories.
“It was interesting to find some things that we wouldn't necessarily have found. Some of the clues were too tricky to decipher.”
Explore Aberdeen’s darker past on a GPS-guided audio walk covering piracy, slavery, markets, and Marischal College for $8.99.
“This audio tour works really well but it had less dark side stuff than I expected. Although the the slavery stuff was harrowing. The GPS trigger for audio worked great!”
Explore Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis, historic streets, George Square, and famous murals on a flexible audio walking tour.
“The speach was boring and not easy to understand. The application we had to use was bad. We had to look at the map for the whole time. The text didn‘t start automatically. We didn‘t finish the tour.”
Explore Dundee’s comic heroes, art, philanthropy, poetry, and video-game history on a flexible one-hour VoiceMap audio walk.
“Actually a very good idea, but the app doesn't work well. I didn't know where ti go next because the app was already ten steps ahead and didnt stop playing the audio. So I had to open google maps to navigate myself. Also, when I took some photos the app stopped.. Really annoying. I prefer doing normal walking tours with experienced guides.”
Explore Inverness on a flexible audio walk from the cathedral to the Ness Islands, with local stories, offline maps, and lifetime access.
“Very diversified information provided, very useful to be introduced to Inverness. One single regret: while the castle is still under restoration hence not accessible, the audioguide was not updated accordingly.”
Explore Edinburgh’s Harry Potter links at your own pace, from Greyfriars Cemetery and Riddell’s grave to Victoria Street and Hogwarts-inspired sights.
“Fantastic tour covering all of the city! Saw everything I wanted and more, but the best part was our tour guide, Adam! He is funny, enthusiastic, and he made the whole thing exciting! One of the best tours I’ve been on in the UK and Adam was a huge part of that!”
Walk Aberdeen’s Union Street at your own pace with a $5.34 VoiceMap audio tour covering landmarks, stories, gardens, and Marischal College.
“A great way to learn about Aberdeen. It was informative and entertaining and did a reasonable job of keeping you on the right path.”
Pick a glen, a city or a distillery.
