Scotland · SELF-GUIDED TOURS
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 13 self-guided tours worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Ride from Inverness to Loch Ness at your own pace, with bike hire, helmet, and maps. Scenic Ness Islands and Caledonian Canal.
“The bikes were in great condition carefully serviced and clean. The trail is moderately challenging. Lovely ride!”
A self-guided VoiceMap audio walk through Aberdeen’s darker side, from public punishment sites to anatomy rooms and the harbor.
“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”
A self-guided Aberdeen audio walk on piracy, slavery, and insurrection, starting at Mercat Cross and ending at Marischal College.
“Great way to see the city and get your bearings! Found my way round with ease and saw things by normally seen”
Made in Dundee self-guided audio tour links Desperate Dan, McManus Museum, Caird Hall, Slessor Gardens, and Lemmings statues, offline.
“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.”
A self-guided Edinburgh Harry Potter walk from Greyfriars to Hogwarts-like spots, with human audio by Jule, big photo moments, and free stops.
“This tour takes you to all the wonderful Harry Potter inspired spots. It has a brief summary at each location followed by directions to the next. However, I would definitely recommend starting at point one as that is where the directions are written from. We tried to do a few out of order and it was very difficult finding certain spots due to the spotty GPS thru Edinburgh. Also the Elephant Shop was under construction and they had a temporary one on Victoria Street. We were not able to go in because it had 45min wait. The tour itself was informative and could be stop and started if you want…”
Self-guided Union Street audio walk in Aberdeen: 2 km, about 50 minutes, offline maps, granite-city stories, ends at Mercat Cross.
“I’m a slow walker so was afraid of taking a walking tour that I would have to struggle to keep up with the group. I was able to do this tour at my own speed and really enjoy. The guide was very knowledgeable and provided historical background information on all the sites we were viewing.”
Self-guided audio walk through Edinburgh Old Town’s Royal Mile to Castle views and the Writers’ Museum, paced your way via the app.
“Unable to do due to weather - really wish we could have explore at are own pace but definitely will on our next adventure here.”
Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with an app-led Outlander audio tour by Jule, from writers, Jacobites, and filming spots to Holyrood.
“The Outlander series was mentioned in passing with a summary of the different sites we stopped at. What the tour needed was a mention of which scenes from which episode the significance of each site had.”
Self-guided VoiceMap audio tour of Edinburgh Old Town, from Royal Scottish Academy to Scottish Parliament, with offline maps and lifetime access.
“It was our first time using the app. Overall, the experience was relatively good. Sometimes it knew exactly where we were, but sometimes it didn't, which was a bit challening. This particular tour was very focused on the city's architecture, which I didn't recall from the description, so if you aren't as interested in that aspect of the city's history, you may want to try another tour.”
Dundee GPS treasure hunt with the Big Britain quiz. Explore at your pace for about 4 hours, earn points, and play as a group up to 10.
“Toffe manier om de stad te leren kennen. Echter waren wij teleurgesteld dat de vragen niet gaan over de locatie waar je bij staat. Je leert eigenlijk niets over de stad zelf.”
Follow an audio walk through Edinburgh’s witchcraft sites, with offline VoiceMap guidance, sensible storytelling, and a finish up at Castlehill.
“I had a great time with the narrated tour by Kat. The facts were interesting but not overly dry and "textbook"-focused. Focused more on the storytelling aspect, which I really liked.”
Solve a 1968 murder on a self-guided walk through Edinburgh Old Town, starting near Tron Kirk and ending in Grassmarket. English only.
“Exploring the city while solving intertaining tasks! I will def, try other Mystery Hunts. Highly recommendable”
GPS app treasure hunt at Loch Lomond with a Big Britain Quiz, points, and family-friendly challenges you can start anytime, about 4 hours.
“I am someone who really loves travelling and adventure. Sometimes when on holiday just following the standard guidebook list of tourist attractions can get a bit old so what a great and unique idea to spice up travelling and create a sense of adventure. Definitely recommended!”
Every kind of day out, and the best of each.
