Daily Wander walking tours
Self-guided walking tours: free maps, and how to make your own.
A self-guided walking tour is a route you follow on your own, at your own pace, with a map and a short note for each stop instead of a guide. Below are 18 free tours we mapped in US cities, each with numbered stops and a GPX download, plus a simple way to plan one in any city.
Free self-guided walking tour maps
Each tour is an original loop with stop notes, links to official sources and a button that opens the route in Daily Wander on iPhone. Times include stops; moving time alone is about 20 minutes per mile at 3 mph.
| City | Tour | Distance | Stops | Allow | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, Texas | Downtown and Lady Bird Lake | 2.9 mi / 4.7 km | 8 | 2–3 h | Texas State Capitol |
| Boston, Massachusetts | Freedom Trail | 2.5 mi / 4.1 km | 10 | 2½–3½ h | Boston Common |
| Charleston, South Carolina | Historic district | 2.2 mi / 3.5 km | 6 | 90–120 min | Waterfront Park |
| Denver, Colorado | Downtown | 3.6 mi / 5.9 km | 8 | 2–3 h | Colorado State Capitol |
| Key West, Florida | Old Town | 2.8 mi / 4.5 km | 9 | 2–3 h | Mallory Square |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | The Strip | 3.3 mi / 5.2 km | 7 | 2–3 h | Fountains of Bellagio |
| Nashville, Tennessee | Downtown | 2.4 mi / 3.9 km | 7 | 1½–2½ h | Tennessee State Capitol |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | French Quarter | 1.4 mi / 2.2 km | 7 | 1½–2 h | St. Louis Cathedral |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | Garden District | 1.2 mi / 2.0 km | 6 | 60–90 min | The Rink |
| New York, New York | Lower Manhattan | 2.4 mi / 3.9 km | 7 | 2–2½ h | Castle Clinton |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Old City | 2.2 mi / 3.5 km | 9 | 2–3 h | Independence Hall |
| Portland, Oregon | Downtown and waterfront | 3.0 mi / 4.8 km | 9 | 2–3 h | Pioneer Courthouse Square |
| San Diego, California | Gaslamp and waterfront | 3.5 mi / 5.6 km | 9 | 2–3 h | Gaslamp arch |
| San Francisco, California | Chinatown and North Beach | 2.5 mi / 4.1 km | 8 | 2½–3 h | Dragon Gate |
| Savannah, Georgia | Historic district | 2.4 mi / 3.9 km | 8 | 2–2½ h | Forsyth Park Fountain |
| Seattle, Washington | Downtown and waterfront | 2.8 mi / 4.6 km | 10 | 2½–3½ h | Pioneer Square pergola |
| St. Augustine, Florida | Historic district | 2.3 mi / 3.7 km | 9 | 2–3 h | Castillo de San Marcos |
| Washington, DC | National Mall | 3.3 mi / 5.3 km | 8 | 2½–3½ h | Washington Monument |
Outside the US: seven Amsterdam walking routes with GPX files, Paris walks, the London Christmas lights walk and station-to-station loops in Berlin and Hamburg (in German).
How to do a walking tour of your city without a guide
You do not need a guide or a paid app to explore a city on foot. A good self-guided tour has a clear time limit, a handful of stops worth pausing for, and a route that brings you back near where you started.
- Set a time first. Ninety minutes is a comfortable first tour: about 2 to 2½ miles (3–4 km) with short stops. Add 15–20 minutes for each place you want to go inside.
- Pick 5 to 8 stops. Use the city's official tourism site, a historic-district map or a National Park Service page for landmarks that are free to see from outside.
- Put them in a loop. Order the stops so each leg is 5–10 minutes on foot and the last stop is close to the first, a station or your hotel.
- Write one line per stop. A date, a name or one thing to look for is enough. Save the notes and the route offline in case signal drops.
- Check access on the day. Opening hours, events and closures change. Follow posted signs and diversions over any map.
Planning a whole day rather than one walk? The city itinerary planner shows how many stops fit in 3 hours, half a day or a full day, with a sample schedule.
Just want to explore? If you have no stops in mind, Daily Wander on iPhone generates loop walks from your location for the time or distance you choose, so you can wander new streets and still end near your start. It plans the walking route; it does not write stop notes or tour commentary.
Self-guided or guided walking tour?
| Self-guided tour | Guided tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free with a map like the ones above | A ticket price, or a tip on "free" tours |
| Start time | Whenever you are ready | Fixed departure |
| Pace | Your own; skip or linger at any stop | The group's |
| Stories | Short written notes and linked sources | A live guide who answers questions |
| Best for | Independent travellers, families, repeat visits | A first visit when you want depth and context |
Self-guided walking tour questions
What is a self-guided walking tour?
It is a planned walking route you follow on your own, usually with a map, numbered stops and a short note for each stop. You choose when to start, how long to stay at each place and whether to finish early.
Are self-guided walking tours free?
Walking the route is free. The 18 tours on this page, their GPX files and the iPhone route handoff cost nothing; museums, tickets and food along the way are separate.
How long should a self-guided walking tour be?
For most people 1½ to 3 hours works well: 2 to 3 miles (3–5 km) of walking with time at each stop. Our tours range from 1.2 miles in the New Orleans Garden District to 3.6 miles in downtown Denver.
Can I follow a self-guided tour on my phone?
Yes. Each tour page has an Open in Daily Wander button that loads the route on iPhone, and a GPX file you can open in most hiking or mapping apps. Keep the page open for the stop notes.
Make a walk from where you are
Not in one of these cities? Daily Wander generates a loop walk from your location on iPhone: choose 30, 45 or 60 minutes, compare route options and start walking. See the walking route generator or the US walking route planner.
Tours and itineraries by VANTH Studio. Updated November 1, 2026. Distances are measured along each mapped route; actual time depends on your pace, stops and diversions.